Day: July 4, 2023

Posted on

AccessibleEU will promote the implementation of accessibility legislation in EU Member States

The European Accessibility Resource Centre was officially launched this past Tuesday in an event chaired by Commissioner Helena Dalli and Miguel Carballeda, President of ONCE Social Group

European Economic and Social Committee hosted the official launching of the European Accessibility Resource Centre (AccessibleEU), which will promote the implementation of accessibility legislation in EU Member States.

The event was chaired by European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, and the President of ONCE Social Group, Miguel Carballeda, who highlighted the relevance of creating AccessibleEU as lever for improving the quality of life of more than 80 million European citizens with disabilities.

AccessibleEU was launched by a consortium led by Fundación ONCE, an international renowned organisation in the field of accessibility, Johannes Kepler University Linz and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). The Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE) and the European Association of Service Providers for People with Disabilities (EASPD) are also part of the consortium.

Jesús Hernández, Director of Accessibility and Innovation of Fundación ONCE; Inmaculada Placencia, Senior Expert on Disability and Inclusion at the European Commission Directorate General for Employment, and Sachin Dev Pavithran, Executive Director of US Access Board explained both the objectives of AccessibleEU and its North American counterpart.

AccessibleEU is one of the flagship initiatives proposed by the European Commission’s Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. It aims to increase coherence in accessibility policies and facilitate access to relevant knowledge.

AccessibleEU will bring together national authorities responsible for implementing and ensuring compliance with accessibility standards along with experts and other professionals from all accessibility fields, to share good practices, inspire the development of both national and European policies and promote tools and standards aimed at facilitating the implementation of European Union Law.

The main goal of AccessibleEU is to facilitate the practical application of EU legislation on accessibility to improve the availability of more accessible products, services and infrastructures across the EU.

In this regard, the Centre will offer an online library specialised in accessibility that will include direct links to the most important databases on legislation, standards, documentation on accessibility, assistive technologies and products, among others.

Additionally, the Centre will create a network of national experts that will be in charge of bringing together stakeholders and creating a common European space, in the style of a one-stop-shop, that will offer knowledge about accessibility, professional training programs, promote standardisation and the participation of persons with disabilities in its processes.

Lastly, AccessibleEU will offer guidelines on how to implement disability related policies across different sectors and will monitor compliance with accessibility standards and rules. An innovative self-assessment methodology will be designed for this task.

Prior to the presentation of the Centre’s goals, a response session was held chaired by Katarina Invakovic-Knezevic, Director DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. Pietro Vittorio Barbieri, member of the European Economic and Social Committee; Ioannis Vardakastanis, President of the European Disability Forum; Katrin Langensiepen, MEP, and Carme Artigas, Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence of the Government of Spain participated in the discussion.

Additionally, two workshops were organised. One dealt with how to promote the participation of people with disabilities in technical standardisation committees, and the other with the importance of sharing experiences as the basis for AccessibleEU.

Video: link

photo: link

info: comunicacion@fundaciononce.es

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000828484

Posted on

Award-Winning Japanese Journalist Exposes the Campaign Against the Unification Church as a Political Plot

Detailed Investigation Appears in Japanese in the July 2023 issue of Monthly Hanada Japanese Magazine

Washington, DC, July 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
Award-Winning Japanese Journalist Exposes the Campaign Against the Unification Church as a Political Plot

Masumi Fukuda, an award-winning Japanese journalist, claims that the campaign to strip the Unification Church, now called Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, of its status as a religious organization in Japan, uses the controversies following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as a pretext and is in fact politically motivated.

Fukuda’s detailed investigation appears in Japanese in the July 2023 issue of the Japanese magazine Monthly Hanada and in English in the religious liberty magazine Bitter Winter, which covers often East Asia and has been the most quoted source on China in the yearly reports on freedom of religion of the U.S. Department of State for four years in a row.

The four Bitter Winter articles are available at these links

http://bitterwinter.org/the-plot-to-destroy-the-unification-church-in-japan-1-why-the-church-should-not-be-dissolved/

https://bitterwinter.org/the-plot-to-destroy-the-unification-church-in-japan-2-the-devious-tactics-of-the-anti-cult-lawyers/

https://bitterwinter.org/the-plot-to-destroy-the-unification-church-in-japan-3-fraudulent-lawsuits/

https://bitterwinter.org/the-plot-to-destroy-the-unification-church-in-japan-4-the-real-anti-social-group-the-anti-cult-lawyers/

Abe was assassinated in 2022 by a man called Tetsuya Yamagami who claimed he wanted to punish him for his cooperation with the Family Federation. Yamagami said he hated the church because his mother went bankrupt in 2002, allegedly because of her excessive donations to the religious group.

Since 1987, an organization of attorneys called the National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales has called for the dissolution of the Unification Church, claiming it finances itself by selling religious artifacts for exorbitant prices.

In her detailed investigation of the Network and its campaigns, Fukuda shows how the so-called “spiritual sales” were carried out by individual members of the Unification Church, not by the church itself, which in fact persuaded them to stop these activities long before the Abe assassination. Fukuda also reveals that most of the lawyers who founded the anti-Unification-Church network in 1987 and continue to agitate for dissolving the religious organization today were affiliated with the Communist Party of Japan or the former Socialist Party. Beyond the pretext of the “spiritual sales,” their aim was to destroy the Unification Church and its affiliate organizations that offered significant public support to anti-Communist causes and provided volunteers for the electoral campaigns of Abe’s party.

Fukuda, who is not a member of the Family Federation and had little interest for religious issues before the Abe assassination, also claims that in the court cases against the Unification Church some attorneys associated with the National Network Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales falsified documents and fabricated evidence.

Contact:
cesnur@me.com
+39011541950 (CESNUR office)
https://bitterwinter.org/

Attachment

Massimo Introvigne
Center for Studies on New Religions, "Bitter Winter"
+39011541950
massimo.introvigne@bitterwinter.org

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8868588

Posted on

Aztiq และ Innobic ประกาศราคาขายรองของหุ้นสามัญของ Lotus โดย AEMH

ลอนดอนและกรุงเทพมหานคร ประเทศไทย, July 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aztiq Pharma Partners (“Aztiq”) บริษัทเอกชนซึ่งมุ่งเน้นไปที่ภาควิทยาศาสตร์เพื่อชีวิตและบริษัท Innobic (Asia) Company Limited (“Innobic”) ซึ่งเป็นหน่วยงานด้านวิทยาศาสตร์ชีวภาพของน้ำมันไทยและกลุ่มบริษัทก๊าซ PTT Public Company Limited (“PTT”) (เรียกรวมกันว่า “ผู้ถือหุ้น”) ประกาศกำหนดราคาขายหุ้นของ Lotus Pharmaceuticals จำนวน 25,095,850 หุ้น (1795:TT; “Lotus” “บริษัท”) บริษัทเวชภัณฑ์ข้ามชาติ ในราคา 297 ดอลลาร์ไต้หวันต่อหุ้น การซื้อขายจะถูกตัดสินในวันที่ 5 กรกฎาคม 2023 ขึ้นอยู่กับความพึงพอใจของขั้นตอนการตกลงตามธรรมเนียม การขายดังกล่าวจะได้รับการดำเนินการโดย Alvogen Emerging Market Holdings Limited (“AEMH”) ซึ่งยังคงถือหุ้นสามัญของ Lotus ในสัดส่วน 41% หลังจากปิดการทำธุรกรรม เมื่อรวมการถือหุ้นโดยตรงของ Innobic ใน Lotus แล้ว ผู้ถือหุ้นจะยังคงถือหุ้นประมาณ 47.7% ของบริษัทต่อไป

Robert Wessman ผู้ก่อตั้ง Aztiq แสดงความคิดเห็นว่า: “การประกาศในวันนี้ถือเป็นก้าวสำคัญในการพัฒนาของ Lotus ที่เริ่มต้นจากการเป็นบริษัทที่มีธุรกิจเกือบทั้งหมดอยู่ในประเทศ ปัจจุบัน บริษัทได้พัฒนาไปเป็นบริษัทเวชภัณฑ์ระดับโลกที่มีกลุ่มผลิตภัณฑ์มากมายและมีขอบเขตครอบคลุมในระดับสากลโดยสามารถเข้าถึงได้เกือบทั่วทุกมุมโลกผ่านธุรกิจส่งออกของบริษัทหรือผ่านโครงสร้างพื้นฐานเชิงพาณิชย์ของ Lotus ที่กระจายไปทั่วเอเชีย ในฐานะประธาน ผมเฝ้ารอที่จะได้ร่วมงานกับทีมผู้บริหารที่ผ่านการพิสูจน์แล้วของ Lotus ซึ่งเป็นผู้นำการเปลี่ยนแปลงในครั้งนี้เพื่อร่วมมือกันวางกลยุทธ์และทำให้ธุรกิจเติบโตขึ้นต่อไปในอนาคต”

Dr. Buranin Rattanasombat, ประธานเจ้าหน้าที่ฝ่ายธุรกิจใหม่และโครงสร้างพื้นฐานของ PTT และประธานบริษัท Innobic แสดงความคิดเห็นว่า: “การทำธุรกรรมครั้งนี้เป็นก้าวสำคัญสำหรับ Lotus เนื่องจากเป็นการเพิ่มการกระจายการถือหุ้นโดยผู้ถือหุ้นรายย่อยและกระจายฐานผู้ถือหุ้นด้วยนักลงทุนสถาบันที่แข็งแกร่ง ในฐานะผู้ถือหุ้นชั้นนำของ Lotus ผลประโยชน์ของเรายังคงสอดคล้องกับผลประโยชน์ของบริษัทและผู้ถือหุ้นที่ทรงคุณค่าของบริษัทอย่างแท้จริง”

J.P. Morgan และ Credit Suisse ทำหน้าที่เป็นตัวแทนในการซื้อขาย

เกี่ยวกับ Aztiq

Aztiq เป็นบริษัทเอกชนด้านการดูแลสุขภาพที่มีวิสัยทัศน์ซึ่งมุ่งเน้นไปทางด้านการดูแลสุขภาพ โดยอุทิศตนเพื่อส่งเสริมนวัตกรรมและขับเคลื่อนการเปลี่ยนแปลงเชิงบวกภายในอุตสาหกรรม Aztiq ซึ่งนำโดย Robert Wessman และทีมผู้ประกอบการมากประสบการณ์นั้นมุ่งมั่นที่จะค้นหา ลงทุน และดูแลโซลูชันด้านการดูแลสุขภาพที่ล้ำสมัยในด้านเภสัชกรรมและเทคโนโลยีชีวภาพเพื่อรับมือกับความท้าทายด้านการดูแลสุขภาพทั่วโลก Aztiq พร้อมนำประสบการณ์ที่สั่งสมมายาวนานของทีมงานคุณภาพเพื่อตั้งเป้าหมายในการปรับปรุงผลการรักษาของผู้ป่วย เพิ่มการเข้าถึงการดูแลสุขภาพที่มีคุณภาพ และสร้างระบบนิเวศด้านการดูแลสุขภาพที่มีประสิทธิภาพและยั่งยืนมากขึ้น จากประวัติความสำเร็จที่ผ่านการพิสูจน์มานักต่อนัก ทำให้ Aztiq ยังคงสร้างผลกระทบที่ยั่งยืนต่อสุขภาพและความเป็นอยู่ที่ดีของผู้คนทั่วโลก สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม โปรดไปที่www.aztiq.com หรือติดตาม Aztiq ใน LinkedIn

เกี่ยวกับ Innobic

Innobic (Asia) Company Limited เป็นบริษัทในเครือของ PTT ซึ่งเป็นบริษัทพลังงานที่ใหญ่ที่สุดในประเทศไทย ซึ่งถือหุ้นส่วนใหญ่โดยกระทรวงการคลังของประเทศไทยและจดทะเบียนใน Fortune Global 500 PTT ได้ย้ายจากผู้ให้บริการพลังงานระดับประเทศไปสู่กลุ่มบริษัทข้ามชาติและเริ่มกระจายธุรกิจไปสู่ภาคส่วนใหม่ ๆ ได้แก่ ชีววิทยาศาสตร์ พลังงานหมุนเวียน ห่วงโซ่คุณค่าไฟฟ้าและธุรกิจร่วม เพื่อทำหน้าที่เป็น S-curve ใหม่ บริษัทได้ก่อตั้ง Innobic อย่างเป็นทางการในเดือนธันวาคม 2020 เพื่อเป้าหมายเชิงกลยุทธ์ในการสร้างทางสายใหม่ในสาขาวิทยาศาสตร์ชีวภาพให้สำหรับกลุ่ม PTT โดยมุ่งเน้นไปที่เภสัชภัณฑ์ในระยะแรก และตั้งเป้าให้ Innobic กลายเป็นบริษัทด้านวิทยาศาสตร์ชีวภาพชั้นนำในภูมิภาคเพื่อนำเสนอวิทยาศาสตร์ที่ดีที่สุดและยกระดับชีวิตความเป็นอยู่ของประชาชน สำหรับข้อมูลเพิ่มเติม โปรดไปที่ www.innobicasia.com

สำหรับการสื่อสารและสอบถามข้อมูลสื่อกรุณาติดต่อ:

Ming Li
+16465093032
ming.li@aztiq.com

Jaruchai Sutjarittam
+66888924564
Jaruchai.s@innobicasia.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000828327

Posted on

Afternoon briefing on July 4

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

– At the Government’s teleconference with localities and the regular Cabinet meeting in Hanoi on July 4, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) presented two growth scenarios for the third quarter and the whole year 2023, indicating that the tasks for the remaining months of this year are heavy, with a growth rate of 8.0% or higher.

Thanks to the Government and Prime Minister’s drastic, timely, effective and comprehensive directions in various areas, the consumer price index went up 3.29% year-on-year in the first half, continuing the downward trend. The State budget collection reached 54% of the estimate. The country posted a trade surplus of 12.25 billion USD while the total social investment capital hit over 1.35 quadrillion VND (58.6 billion USD), up 4.7% annually. Read full story

– Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, Chairman of the National Council for the Verification of Environmental Protection Planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision for 2050, chaired a meeting between the council and a number of ministries, sectors, localities and experts on July 3.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy PM Ha asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), the agency in charge of compiling the planning, to stick to relevant resolutions and regulations on environmental protection during the designing of the planning. Read full story

– In the context of the global economic downturn and the lingering impact of challenges on the recovery process, many international organisations continue to highlight Vietnam’s positive economic outlook in 2023 thanks to the government’s concerted efforts in boosting socio-economic recovery.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that Vietnam’s economic growth will recover in the second half of 2023, reaching about 4.7% for the whole year, thanks to the rebound of exports and easing domestic policies. Inflation is expected to be controlled below the State Bank of Vietnam’s 4.5% target.Read full story

– Localities must focus on drastic measures, especially in the management of fishing vessels and the traceability of their origins, directed Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien.

Following the European Commission’s recommendations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, Vietnam has prevented violations by its fishing vessels of the seas of countries and territories in the Pacific, he told a press conference in Hanoi on July 3. Read full story

– Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has requested the People’s Committees of Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province to urgently study the recommendations of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to review and update a nomination dossier for seeking UNESCO’s recognition of “Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago” as a world heritage site.

The localities have been also demanded to provide a suitable explanatory report, then send it to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for consideration. Read full story

– Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” has been a hallmark of its engagement with the international community, stated Former Governor-General of Australia Peter Cosgroven in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on achievements of the “bamboo diplomacy”.

To an Australian, the features of this approach – a firm foundation of ideals with the ability to accommodate the world as it is – are very familiar, he stated. Read full story

– Vietnam and Italy have agreed to strengthen defence cooperation in various fields, focusing on delegation exchange at all levels, human resources training, defence industry and technology transfer.

The consensus was announced on July 3 at the fourth Vietnam-Italy defence policy dialogue in Italy, co-chaired by Deputy Defence Minister Hoang Xuan Chien and Italian Undersecretary of State for Defence Matteo Perego Cremnago./. Read full story

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Posted on

Fête de la musique 2023 celebrates Laos-France cultural exchanges with Aluna and French singer Gatha

On June 17, 2023, Institut français organised a special edition of Fête de la Musique (International Music Fest).

As stated by the Ambassador of France Siv-Leng Chhuor in her introductory speech: “This year 2023, the Fête de la Musique also echoes the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship and Association between France and Laos. We could only celebrate this anniversary with an artistic, cultural and intercultural encounter between our two countries.”

Started in France in 1982, Fête de la Musique was quickly adopted by European countries before conquering the world.

Now celebrated in 120 countries, the event promotes music in two ways: “Fête de la Musique” and “Faîtes de la Musique”.

Pronounced the same way in French language, the first celebrates musical creation while the second encourages young people to play music.

On the stage of Institut français, amateur and professional musicians shared various types of music with the public, from Lao, French and international classical songs to pop and rock music. Most of all, the stage welcomed Aluna Thavonsouk, Lao Music Hub and the French singer and musician Gatha.

Aluna and Gatha had spent several weeks exchanging views before they finally met in Vientiane to share their repertoire and cocreate songs. They melted their voices, their worlds and their instruments together – the khaen for Aluna, the cello for Gatha bring the best out of their own cultural and artistic influences. The audience, more than 600 people of all ages and origins throughout the day, warmly welcomed this new artistic performance by singing and dancing along.

France is well-known for its unique way to implement cultural diplomacy as well as for its commitment to a more feminist diplomacy. With this female and cross-cultural scene, France also wishes to highlight the deep words and voices of artistically committed women, to show how sharing singularities builds collective genius and inspires young female artists and leaders to take their place in a mostly male universe.

France is also committed to supporting cultural heritage preservation. As part of Fête de la Musique, a khaen contest was organised on June 24 by Sala Sujipuli in coordination with Lao Khaen Music Association and the National School of Performing Arts. The competitors, aged between 7 and 18 years old, presented their amazing mastery of this instrument to the Padaek audience.

Ambassador Siv-Leng Chhuor expressed her satisfaction at seeing the younger generation proudly carrying the torch of khaen practice and reminding us of the importance of also preserving the unique Lao expertise in making this instrument.

Altogether, this joyful and meaningful event, supported by the European Union, Institut français de Paris, Le Fair, BFL, Beerlao and KP Group, brought together more than 50 bands and musicians, expressing the vitality of the Lao music scene.

Source: Lao News Agency

Posted on

A training workshop launched to help teachers build Lao literacy skills of non-Lao native students

Research Institute for Educational Sciences, with support from Australia and the United States Agency for International Development through BEQUAL Programme has launched training for Master Trainers of the Spoken Lao Programme to help teachers build the Lao literacy skills of students who start primary school not yet able to speak Lao.

Starting in September 2023, the revised Spoken Lao Programme will be piloted in treatment and control schools in 21 selected districts across 10 provinces.

Laos is a culturally and linguistically rich country, with four main ethnolinguistic groups and over 50 languages.

When children begin school, they are fluent speakers of their home language, but around 40% of grade 1 children are not yet confident speakers of Lao.

This creates challenges for students and teachers, as children need to learn to read and write in Lao and also need to learn the curriculum content of the various subjects in Lao.

Mr. Khamchan Latthayord, Deputy Director General of the Research Institute for Educational Sciences (RIES) and Mr. Bob McLaughlin, Policy, Strategy, and Governance Manager, the Basic Education Quality and Access in the Lao PDR (BEQUAL) Program opened the training of trainers’ workshop for the Spoken Lao Programme (SLP).

Fourteen Master Trainers from Research Institute for Educational Science (RIES), Ban Keun Teacher Training College, Sathid Primary School in Dongkhamxang Teacher Training College and Thonkgang Primary School will be participating in this one-week workshop.

The training will focus on the contents of the revised SLP materials and effective techniques for developing students’ oral Lao language skills.

Participants will also prepare to train teachers on adapting activities to suit the language level of their students, using games to create an enjoyable atmosphere for language learning, and using students’ first languages to support Lao language learning.

The implementation of this new phase of the SLP will receive the support of the Government of Australia and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the BEQUAL programme.

Mr. Khamchan commented, “The objective of this training is to provide Master Trainers with a good understanding of the revised materials and confidence to pass on their knowledge to the Grade 1 teachers who will implement the Spoken Lao Programme from September 2023. We’re grateful to the governments of Australia and the United States of America for assisting the Ministry of Education and Sports to reach the goal of quality education for all children in Laos’.

Mr. Bob McLaughlin added “If students aren’t competent in the language of instruction, it is extremely challenging for them to understand the teacher, participate in activities and achieve the expected learning outcomes. Australia and USAID, through the BEQUAL programme, are honored to support the efforts of the Ministry of Education and Sports to introduce remedial support for students that start school not yet able to speak Lao. Together, we are working towards a more inclusive education system in Laos.”

Ms. Phonesiri Outthaivanh, Lao Language Research Centre at RIES explained, “In 2019, MoES with the support of the Australian government launched the Spoken Lao Pilot consisting of an additional five hours of Lao language lessons each week (in addition to normal school hours) to improve grade 1 students’ Lao speaking and listening skills. SLP was previously trialed in 7 districts with large numbers of ethnic students who do not speak Lao at home in Phongsaly, Borikhamxay, Khammuan and Saravan provinces between 2019 and 2021. Drawing on lessons learned and teachers’ feedback from this pilot, the Spoken Lao materials and approach were improved, and further user tested by teachers through classroom trials. Our dedicated division for Lao Language Research was established to lead on these developments and the pilot was upgraded to a Programme. The revised materials were formally approved for use in April 2023 by the Committee for the Approval of Curriculum and Instructional Materials. An expanded trial of the new materials will be carried out in 21 districts in 10 provinces in school year 2023 – 2024.”

In July the Master Trainers will deliver the Spoken Lao Programme training to teachers and pedagogical support staff in 10 provinces across Laos. Teachers will be given hands-on training on how to deliver the new programme effectively and how to support students’ Lao language development more broadly. The training will also be an opportunity for teachers and pedagogical support staff in each province to connect, share experiences, and create an ongoing community of professional support.

In addition to the Spoken Lao Programme, MoES with the support of Australia, is currently producing a role model teacher video in which a teacher in a remote village in Phongsaly shares her experiences of teaching ethnic students who speak a language other than Lao at home. This documentary will be available soon. Teachers can also watch a training video on techniques to support ethnic students, which is available on the ???????????????????????? Teacher Development Videos YouTube channel.

Mr. Khamchan concluded, “We are looking forward to the roll out of the revised SLP and to providing ongoing support for teachers to improve the education outcomes of children who speak a language other than Lao at home.”

Source: Lao News Agency