News Hub | News Direct

Education

Higher Education Preschool Primary/Secondary
Article thumbnail News Release

Taking the Guesswork Out of Back to School Shopping:

YourUpdateTV

Believe it or not, back to school season is just around the corner. According to a recent survey conducted by Shipt, the same-day delivery company, nearly 50% of teachers as well as over one-third of parents and caregivers (37%) plan to begin their back to school shopping this month (July). Recently, Chief Business Officer Rina Hurst participated in a nationwide satellite media tour to discuss everything students, parents and teachers need to know before school is in session. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/PmN6Dm7gqiY Known for their personalized shopping experience, Shipt recently polled parents, caregivers, teachers and college students to uncover the top must-have school supplies for back to school shopping. Rooted in insights from the survey as well as proprietary data, Shipt created the Ultimate School Shopping Checklist, a shoppable list of school essentials to guide consumers what to buy, and how to save, this retail season. According to Shipt's Ultimate Shopping Guide, here are the top insights to know: · Write This One Down: While pens and pencils might seem like an obvious choice to be at the top of your list, more than half of parents say these are also the items that their kids run out of the quickest during the school year, so take advantage of back to school sales to stock up now. · No Back-to-Back Backpacks: More than 80% of parents plan to buy their kid a new backpack ahead of the school year – and what’s more, they happen to be a great way to incentivize your kids to get excited about back to school shopping because they can pick out a new backpack that fits their style so start by picking out a new backpack so shopping is fun for everyone! · Classroom SOS: For those looking to lend a helping hand, the top two items that teachers run out of the fastest in their classroom are pencils and dry erase markers. · Keepin’ It Cool: Whether you’re hosting, studying or late night-snacking, don’t forget to add a mini fridge to your dorm room must-haves this school year. Almost half of college students (44%) report that they plan to purchase a mini fridge this year. Along with a Shipt membership, this is a great way to ensure your college kids are eating healthy all semester long. To find out more information on Shipt and to download the Shipt app, visit www.shipt.com and follow Shipt on social on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For visuals and media assets, download our press kit here. About Rina Hurst Rina Hurst is the Chief Business Officer at Shipt, leading the company’s Business Development, Partner Success and Digital Site Experience teams. In this role, Rina helps spark connections by delivering an easy-to-shop digital site, launching new and innovative partnerships, and building creative strategies alongside retailers and CPGs to continually meet their unique needs for success. Rina received her MBA from Georgetown University and her undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech. About Shipt Shipt brings the store to your door. Through a community of Shipt Shoppers and a convenient app, Shipt provides personal shopping and delivery and is available to 80% of households in more than 5,000 U.S. cities. Shipt Shoppers go above and beyond, communicating in real time about preferences and substitutions. A curated marketplace of retailers, Shipt offers access to a variety of stores and product categories including fresh foods, household essentials, wellness products, office and pet supplies. Shipt is an independently operated, wholly owned subsidiary of Target Corp. Founded and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, Shipt also maintains an office in San Francisco. For more information, visit Shipt's Newsroom. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 19, 2022 03:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Video
Article thumbnail News Release

Chef Tanvi Shah, author of Millennial Kitchen, combines good food and company to raise awareness of Akshaya Patra USA

The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA

Over the course of two months, Chef Tanvi Shah and her daughter, Mira Shah, brought together communities in 5 US cities to raise awareness about healthy eating and Akshaya Patra’s midday meal program. Millennial Kitchen, a unique cookbook that provides delicious and nutritious recipes for the quintessential millennial, was published as part of their philanthropic initiative ‘Cook For Cause’, where 100% of book sales go towards Akshaya Patra’s midday meal program. The book includes a variety of recipes including vegan, Jain and gluten-free options. Tanvi Shah’s steadfast beliefs of excluding sugar and preparing clean & macro-balanced meals in the kitchen, combined with Mira Shah’s desire for satisfying, easy & delicious meals are reflected in their recipes. Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande, a member of the Board of Directors, said “Akshaya Patra is so fortunate to have the support of Tanvi and her whole family. Not only did we get a copy of the book written by Tanvi and her daughter Mira but we also got to taste several dishes meticulously prepared by Tanvi.” Tanvi Shah, who hails from Mumbai, completed her Bachelors & Masters degrees in the US and worked at IBM for several years before moving back to India. In addition to her passion for food, she is now the creative head for a fabric accessory line that retails across India. Mira Shah is a student at St Andrews University in Scotland where she studies global sustainability. She is currently doing an internship at The Soho House in Mumbai, infusing sustainability in operational processes in the hospitality sector. About The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA Established in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest NGO school meal program, providing hot, nutritious school lunches to over 1.8 million children in over 20,000 schools through 63 kitchens in 14 states and 2 Union Territories in India. It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year. In 2006, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and supports the Akshaya Patra mission by raising funds and awareness in the United States. Contact Details Akshaya Patra Foundation USA +1 781-438-3090 contact@apusa.org Company Website https://www.akshayapatrausa.org/

July 19, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Tech CEO gives away free career coaching

Victor Cho

Victor Cho, a two-time internet CEO (and most recently the CEO at Evite.com) has released a powerful Career Acceleration Course that he is making available 100% free of charge at https://www.victorcho.com/course. This self-paced video course is filled with his top ten secrets for building a faster career trajectory and overcoming the obstacles, mindsets, and behaviors that prevent career growth. “I have always had a deep passion for bringing my teams to the next level in terms of how they operate, collaborate, and lead. The ten lessons I have put into this course are all must-have skills that every employee should master—from the front line to the C-Suite,” says Cho. “Anyone who masters even just one of these lessons will get some career lift, and anyone who masters them all will find themselves on a rocket-ship trajectory.” The ten lessons of the program delve into three critical career areas: 1) how to build your core capabilities; 2) how to deliver real impact; and 3) how to add positive energy into your organization. The specific lessons include: BUILDING YOUR CAPABILITIES: Attacking your job from the CEO's vantage point Building skills before you actually need them Proactive self-reviews and critiques DELIVERING REAL IMPACT: Mastering self-driven urgency Framing for impact and clarity, and then delivering it Mastering divergent thinking BECOMING ENERGY ACCRETIVE: Mastering inquiry vs. advocacy Driving change across multiple stakeholders Up, across, and down communication Building your extended network Courses like this typically run from hundreds to even thousands of dollars, but Cho is making this course available completely free. Those who partake in the course will simply be asked to donate (if they have the means) to one of several charities that he has identified that help underprivileged children in need, both in the U.S. and the Ukraine. “I have always wanted to put my coaching lessons into a more scalable form in order to help those who didn’t work in the companies I managed,” say Cho. “I really hope those who take and apply these lessons will find value in this coaching gift, and in exchange, will help those in need elsewhere in the world.” The course is available starting today at https://www.victorcho.com/course and any inquiries can be sent to course@victorcho.com. www.VictorCho.com is the official web presence for Victor Cho. A passionate consumer advocate, Cho was most recently the CEO at Evite where he helped lead the company back from the brink of COVID19 extinction and returned it to growth and financial health via a successful corporate extraction. Before that Cho was the CEO during a multi-year turnaround effort at Kodak Gallery (formerly ofoto.com) and he served as the Vice President and leader of Intuit’s $1billion+ web channel. He also spent seven years at Microsoft, where he launched some of the company's earliest Internet commerce and SaaS initiatives. Cho has received numerous awards for his work, including being named the Internet Person of the Year by the Internet Marketing Association and receiving an Italian Knighthood from the Royal House of Savoy for his philanthropic efforts--which have raised nearly $30M for charities and non-profits. Contact Details www.victorcho.com Media course@victorcho.com

July 19, 2022 08:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Video
Article thumbnail News Release

AUW Offers Hundreds of Scholarships for Afghan Women; Donates Essential Medicines for Kabul Hospitals

Asian University for Women

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Media OutReach - 18 July 2022 - Asian University for Women (AUW), based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, offered hundreds of new scholarships for Afghan women who are eligible and qualified for admission to AUW's undergraduate or graduate programs. During a four-day visit to Kabul, Kamal Ahmad, Founder of the Asian University for Women, met with Mr. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Acting Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan and former head of the Taliban's political office in Doha, Qatar, and made the offer. He also handed over a gift of essential medicines for Kabul hospitals that was requested by the Afghan authorities. Deputy Foreign Minister Stanikzai welcomed the AUW initiative and committed his support for the proposal. Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister H.E. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai presenting a gift of a plate of Lapis Lazuli to Kamal Ahmad for AUW as a token of his government's appreciation of AUW's support for Afghan women's education. Separately, Kamal Ahmad also held discussions with the Acting Minister of Higher Education; the Minister of Education; the Chancellor of Kabul University; and other senior government officials. He also called on the Ambassador of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) based in Kabul. In addition to the scholarships, AUW has proposed to initiate a pilot online secondary school education program through which Afghan students studying at the AUW Graduate School of Education would run online classes following the Afghan national curriculum. A new MOU is being prepared in this regard to be entered into between AUW and the Afghan Ministry of Education. This pilot project would provide an opportunity for AUW Afghan Masters students to gain teaching experience while also enabling young girls to continue their education at home while the Afghan government determines its approach to girls' and women's education. The Afghan Acting Minister of Education invited AUW to make a formal proposal in this regard and noted that his Ministry will be soon initiating a Directorate of Online Education. It may be noted that AUW has been deeply engaged in education of Afghan girls and women from its inception. Currently, about 170 Afghan women attend AUW on full scholarship. About Asian University for Women (AUW): Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW is the first of its kind: a regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education. It is international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia. Chartered by the Parliament of Bangladesh, AUW exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region. It seeks out women who show significant academic achievement and potential, demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injustice, and are empathic to the woes of other people. 1160 students from 17 countries currently attend AUW: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen. More than 85% of AUW students are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world. The University has graduated over a thousand students to date. A majority of AUW graduates secure employment in the private and public sectors in their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies at other institutions of higher learning including Oxford, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Brandeis and Tufts, among others. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org. Contact Details Asian University for Women (AUW) Tapu Chowdhury +880 1926-673054 tapu.barua@auw.edu.bd

July 18, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Global Leaders Decry the Trivialization and Hijacking of the ‘Apartheid’ Label to Attack the Jewish State

Combat Hate Foundation

Leaders from around the world spoke out last week against appropriation of the term “apartheid” from its historical South African context with the goal of defaming and isolating Israel by portraying it as a racist entity. At a conference co-hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), NGO Monitor, and the World Zionist Organization titled “ Trivializing History: How Anti-Israel Activists Have Hijacked the South African ‘Apartheid’ Label to Attack the Jewish State,” world leaders, diplomats, legislators, and policymakers discussed what must be done to restore the “apartheid” term to its proper context and delegitimize its use in discourse about a conflict to which it has no relevance. “Categorizing Israel as an ‘apartheid’ state is just plain antisemitic,” said Vice President of the European Parliament and Special Envoy on Combating Religious Discrimination Including Antisemitism Nicola Beer. “In my opinion, such characterization counters progress made in the region concerning the peace process, instead it deepens the rifts and fuels antisemitism around the world.” The conference was held in response to the global rise in antisemitism. The “apartheid” campaign questions Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state by framing Israel as an inherently racist state. During the past 18 months, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International published reports accusing Israel of “apartheid,” and the UN established two bodies where the claim of apartheid will be prominently featured. These attempts distort history of what happened during South Africa’s past system of institutionalized racial segregation. Continuous misuse of the “apartheid” conversation trivializes the suffering endured by true apartheid victims of the oppressive apartheid regime. “The suffering of South Africans under Apartheid was unique and attempts to apply the same label to Israel trivialize that history and are unacceptable,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jiří Kozák. “We consider this open antisemitism. By claiming that Israel is a racist endeavor is in violation of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. Claims of ‘apartheid’ is not about questioning a particular policy, but about challenging the nature of the Jewish state.” “Whatever the world’s greatest and most unforgiveable crime is in any particular moment of history, the Jews will be accused of it,” said Member of the UK House of Lords Baroness Ruth Deech. “Those who accuse Israel of ‘apartheid’ are themselves racist in that their real mission is to deny the legitimacy of the only Jewish state in the world and if they got their way they would return Jews to dispersion, slaughter, and discrimination.” “Attempts to link South Africa’s past system of institutionalized racial segregation to the nuanced complexity of contemporary Israel-Palestinian relations debase history and trivialize the unique suffering of ‘apartheid’ victims,” U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar said. “We must acknowledge the dangerous effects of falsified name-calling.” “A lot of political prisoners during the Apartheid era would have loved to live as a Palestinian in Israel,” said Member of the European Parliament and Vice Chair of the Budgetary Committee Niclas Herbst. “Applying the ‘apartheid’ label serves no purpose other than to delegitimize the Israeli state, demonizing the Jewish people and ultimately bring about Israel’s destruction,” said Former Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for Defense of the Republic of Ireland Alan Shatter. Alongside the conference, CAM released a public petition urging people to sign a pledge to “urge decision-makers at the international, national, and local levels to vocally reject and condemn the ‘apartheid’ libel of Israel.” NGO Monitor released a number of reports debunking the claims made by Amnesty International and other NGOs. Examples of such reports can be found here and here. These releases highlight their work fighting the “apartheid” libel. “We are combating the ‘apartheid’ calumny with a carefully orchestrated strategy and a dissemination of the truth and the facts,” Elan Carr, CAM Advisory Board Member and Former US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, said. "The antisemitic ‘apartheid’ campaign will be defeated because it is built on lies and hate." NGO Monitor Vice President Olga Deutsch commented, “It is heartwarming to see how many officials rallied to denounce the ‘apartheid’ smear. Preserving the uniqueness of the ‘apartheid’ narrative is central for the South African people, but in the context of today’s event is also crucial for the global Jewish community facing violent antisemitic attacks. Strong message from our elected officials is imperative in setting the tone for the rest of us.” Watch a video of the full event here. The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) is a global coalition engaging more than 500 partner organizations and 1.7 million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting the world’s oldest hatred. CAM acts collaboratively to build a better future, free of bigotry, for Jews and all humanity. Contact Details Ashley Perry info@combatantisemitism.org Company Website https://combatantisemitism.org/

July 12, 2022 08:12 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

India PM Modi Inaugurates Akshaya Patra's Kitchen at Varanasi

The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA

Los Angeles, CA (July 11, 2022 ) - Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, inaugurated the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s newest kitchen at the LT College in Varanasi, on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were in attendance at the ceremony. The event was presided by Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman and Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice-Chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Sandeep Singhal, Co-Founder & MD of WestBridge Capital, India along with his team also visited the kitchen on the day of the inauguration. After the inauguration, the Prime Minister inspected the facility where meals were served to the children. The guests commended Akshaya Patra’s efforts to address hunger & malnutrition in the country and pledged their support for the organization’s endeavours. Expressing immense gratitude, Madhu Pandit Dasa, said “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the honourable Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji for taking time off from his busy schedule to inaugurate our new kitchen in Varanasi. I want to thank the honourable Governor, Smt. Anandiben Patel ji and honourable Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath ji for gracing this auspicious occasion. Today, we write yet another chapter in our association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh.” He added, “I also want to thank Mr. Sumir Chadha and Mr. Sandeep Singhal, co-Founders, West Bridge Capital & their team for sponsoring this kitchen and supporting our efforts to address classroom hunger. Such collaborative efforts by all the stakeholders will surely take us closer to our mission to ensure a world where children do not have to choose between education and food.” The construction of the state-of-the-art centralized kitchen was supported by WestBridge Capital, an India focussed investment firm managing over US$7 billion of capital. WestBridge Capital has, over the last two decades, identified and invested in multiple high-quality businesses across public and private markets and developed deep expertise and broad networks in Indian business markets. Apart from Akshaya Patra, WestBridge Capital has been engaged in making investments in varied philanthropic projects on an ongoing basis across education, health and environment thematics. The kitchen covers an area of 3 acres and marks Akshaya Patra’s 62nd kitchen which will serve 100,000 students in the district. Akshaya Patra has been an implementing partner of the Government of Uttar Pradesh for the school lunch program. About The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA Established in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest school meal program, providing hot, nutritious school lunches to over 1.8 million children in over 20,000 schools through 61 kitchens in 14 states and two Union Territories in India. It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year. In 2006, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and supports the Akshaya Patra mission by raising funds and awareness in the United States. For Further Information: Sagar Thumma, Director - Marketing; sagar@apusa.org About Akshaya Patra Established in 2000, Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest NGO school meal program, providing hot, nutritious school lunches to over 1.8 million children in around 20,000 schools through 61 kitchens in 14 states and two Union Territories in India. It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year. Since the COVID-19 lockdown began on March 24th, Akshaya Patra has served more than 118 million meals to migrant workers and our beneficiaries and their families. Contact Details Akshaya Patra Foundation USA +1 781-438-3090 contact@apusa.org Company Website https://www.akshayapatrausa.org/

July 11, 2022 01:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

With support from the Mellon Foundation, AUW to soon launch a Humanities major

Asian University for Women

CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH - Media OutReach - 8 July 2022 - Thanks to a grant of $1 million from the Mellon Foundation, Asian University for Women (AUW) is planning to launch a new Humanities major for undergraduate studies at the University. The Mellon grant, together with support from other sources, will enable AUW to enlist nine post-doctoral fellows to design and teach this new Humanities initiative. The Humanities major will comprise studies in Literature, History, Philosophy and Comparative Religion. Unlike the existing majors at AUW, the Humanities major would be only available to students who also co-major in one of the natural sciences or mathematics offerings at AUW and produce a thesis that bridges knowledge from both the Humanities and the scientific fields. Kamal Ahmad, AUW's Founder noted that "Too often Humanities have been viewed as a purview of the leisure class. At AUW we think of Humanities as at the core of all of our existence. Our sense of imagination, joy, dignity and an unsevered will are all rooted in the Humanities. By studying history, literature, philosophy and religion in a systematic way, the AUW community will strengthen both its intellectual breadth but also more rigorously examine the fundamental questions that affect our society. We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for so generously supporting AUW in these endeavors." New leadership at AUW is adding an astonishing breadth of expertise in the humanities at this invigorating moment. Joining as Vice Chancellor of AUW in February of 2022, Rubana Huq brings a humanities perspective to the University’s helm with her PhD in English literature from Jadavpur University, and her career as an accomplished poet in addition to her success in business. David Taylor also joined AUW in 2022 as the Dean of Humanities and is leading AUW’s new Humanities Program through its first year. David Taylor previously acted as the longtime Director of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilizations at Aga Khan University, and holds a PhD in Political Science from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London with a focus on South Asian history and politics. Rubana Huq and David Taylor have spearheaded the humanities initiative and share an optimistic vision for the future role of the humanities at AUW: “The Humanities program at AUW will provide the foundation to discover and understand the human experience. Through the Humanities program, scholars will gain meaningful insights and will plan with creativity and reason. We hope that the humanities scholars at AUW will strive to preserve the past, understand the realities of today and use the knowledge to shape tomorrow.” – Rubana Huq, Vice Chancellor of AUW “To study the humanities is to share in the hopes and aspirations of peoples across the world and across the centuries. It is to understand that the human mind, individually and collectively, can produce radically different worldviews, forms of social organisation at all levels from family to nation, and ways of relating to the natural world. Students of the humanities learn that it is important to understand the past and present in order to build a better future for themselves and all the inhabitants of planet earth.” – David Denis Taylor, Dean of Humanities at AUW AUW is gratified to be partnering with institutions and outstanding scholars of the Humanities worldwide in support of the program. Sunil Amrith, the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University, has taken a key role in envisioning a Humanities program and its integral role at AUW: “AUW’s new Humanities Program is an inspired effort to harness the power of the humanities to enhance AUW’s commitment to educating future leaders. The program will foster intercultural understanding by expanding students’ imaginations; it will instill in them a sense of how history shapes the present; it will help them to develop lifelong skills that could not be more vital: critical intelligence, clarity of expression, and deep empathy. It gives me hope to see AUW embrace this bold new initiative at a time of such strife and suffering in the region, and all around the world.” – Sunil Amrith, Professor of History at Yale University The selected post-doc fellows will be named as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellows in the Humanities at AUW. In addition to the fellowships, the awardees will receive support for research, travel, and will be mentored by a senior academic from their field. They will be based on the AUW Campus in Chittagong where furnished faculty housing will be available. There will be options to seek appointment as Assistant Professors at AUW following the completion of the fellowship period. Those interested in the positions should send a copy of their CV with a cover letter along with a teaching statement, a research statement, and a sample course description and syllabus to Hildi.Gabel@asian-university.org. About Asian University for Women (AUW): Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW is the first of its kind: a regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education. It is international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia. Chartered by the Parliament of Bangladesh, AUW exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region. It seeks out women who show significant academic achievement and potential, demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injustice, and are empathic to the woes of other people. 1160 students from 17 countries currently attend AUW: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen. More than 85% of AUW students are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world. The University has graduated over a thousand students to date. A majority of AUW graduates secure employment in the private and public sectors in their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies at other institutions of higher learning including Oxford, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Brandeis and Tufts, among others. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org. Contact Details Hildi Gabel +1 617-914-0500 hildi.gabel@asian-university.org

July 08, 2022 11:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Volatus Aerospace Chairman Joins The Hague Court of Arbitration for Aviation

Volatus Aerospace Corp.

Volatus Aerospace Corp. (TSXV: VOL) (OTCQB: VLTTF) ("Volatus" or "the Company") is proud to announce that Ian McDougall, Chairman of the Volatus Aerospace Board of Directors, has accepted the invitation of The Hague Court of Arbitration to join their Aviation Advisory Board. Located in The Hague, Netherlands and administered by the Netherlands Arbitration Institute, THE HAGUE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR AVIATION is a non-profit and modern specialized court of arbitration and centre for mediation for the global aviation industry. Its mandate is to provide practical and flexible arbitration and mediation solutions in accordance with international best practices, tailored to the needs of the commercial and private aviation sectors and focused on ensuring enforceability in over 160 countries pursuant to the New York Convention. “Ian will contribute deep aviation expertise and market awareness in both traditional aviation and the rapidly emerging drone sector,” said Glen Lynch, CEO of Volatus Aerospace. “We’re proud of his involvement in this important and prestigious legal initiative.” “It’s an honour to be invited to participate on the Aviation Advisory Board for The Hague Court of Arbitration,” said Ian McDougall. “I look forward to the important work ahead.” About Volatus Aerospace: Volatus Aerospace Corp. is a leading provider of integrated drone solutions throughout Canada, the United States, Latin America and most recently in Europe. Operating a vast pilot network, Volatus serves commercial and defense markets with imaging and inspection, security and surveillance, equipment sales and support, training, and design, manufacturing, and R&D. Through its subsidiary Volatus Aviation, Volatus carries on the business of aircraft management, charter sales, and cargo services using piloted, remotely piloted, and autonomous aircraft. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement This news release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Corporation with respect to future business activities and operating performance. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the foregoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information includes information regarding (i) the business plans and expectations of the Corporation; and (ii) expectations for other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Corporation to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to the Corporation, including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made. Forward-looking information reflects the Corporation’s current beliefs and is based on information currently available to it and on assumptions it believes to be not unreasonable in light of all of the circumstances. In some instances, material factors or assumptions are discussed in this news release in connection with statements containing forward-looking information. Such material factors and assumptions include, but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Corporation; meeting the continued listing requirements of the TSXV; and anticipated and unanticipated costs and other factors referenced in this news release and the Circular, including, but not limited to, those set forth in the Circular under the caption “Risk Factors”. Although the Corporation has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this news release and, other than as required by law, the Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Source: Volatus Aerospace Corp. TSXV: VOL Contact Details Rob Walker +1 514-447-7986 rob.walker@volatusaerospace.com Company Website https://volatusaerospace.com

July 07, 2022 11:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Hong Kong Baptist University biologists discover three new coral species in Hong Kong waters

Hong Kong Baptist University

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 7 July 2022 - Biologists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered in Hong Kong waters three new species of hard coral which have never been identified anywhere else in the world. The findings come shortly after their discovery of one new coral and two new nudibranch species, which was announced last year under their research project on coral health in Hong Kong. Professor Qiu Jianwen (right) and Mr Yiu King-fung (left) introduce the new coral species. The new marine species were identified by Professor Qiu Jianwen and MPhil student Mr Yiu King-fung of HKBU’s Department of Biology. The descriptions of the new corals have been accepted for publication in the academic journal Zoological Studies. New species found during coral health research About eight years ago, Professor Qiu and his team started a series of research projects related to coral health in Hong Kong, including studies on the impact of coral bioeroding sea urchins and coral-eating nudibranchs, as well as coral bleaching caused by global warming. A coral facility was set up at HKBU to culture corals and conduct controlled experiments to examine their physiological changes under different culture conditions. With continuous field surveys and in-depth research, the team has revealed the high diversity of sun corals in Hong Kong waters. The three new sun coral species discovered this time were named by the HKBU team as Tubastraea dendroida, Tubastraea chloromura and Tubastraea violacea, and they all belong to the genus Tubastraea. The samples were collected when the team surveyed coral-eating nudibranchs at Sung Kong and Waglan Island in the eastern waters of Hong Kong. With the addition of three new members, the number of known species in the Tubastraea genus has increased from seven to ten. The features of the three new sun coral species are as follows: Tubastraea dendroida Similar to most sun corals, Tubastraea dendroida has a typical bright orange colour, but its shape is rather unique. Instead of growing in clumps like most of its related species, this new species has a tree-like structure, with the main stem of its colony attenuating from the base to the tip. The HKBU team therefore named it “ dendroida ” to reflect its tree-shaped body. Tubastraea violacea Covered with a thin layer of pale purple tissue on the corallites (skeletal cups), Tubastraea violacea stands out from other related sun coral species as its polyp wall tissues and skeleton are violet in colour, and it has been named “ violacea ” accordingly. Nevertheless, its tentacles are yellow and the corallites have a thick wall. Based on comparisons with DNA sequences in public databases, the team found that this species may have colour variants elsewhere, such as a yellow colour variant in New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Tubastraea chloromura This coral has a delicate olive green skeletal wall and a circle of yellow tentacles surrounding its mouth. As a result, the species has been named “ chloromura ”, with “ chloro ” and “ murus ” meaning “green” and “wall”, respectively. From coral gene sequences recorded in public databases, HKBU biologists envisage the potential distribution of Tubastraea dendroida and Tubastraea violacea in Japan and the Western Pacific Ocean. However, at this stage, Tubastraea chloromura is only known to inhabit Hong Kong waters. All of these three coral species are non-reef-building corals. They do not host symbiotic algae that produce nutrients and energy via photosynthesis. Living in deeper waters at depths of between 10 and 30 metres, they gain energy and nutrients by capturing zooplankton from seawater using their tentacles. New species discoveries suggest rich biodiversity “Our discovery of three new species of Tubastraea enhances our knowledge of the diversity of this sun coral genus. Given that corals are one of the best-studied marine animals, our study reveals how little we know about marine diversity, and how many undescribed species are still awaiting our discovery,” said Professor Qiu. Identification of the three new coral species comes less than a year after Professor Qiu and his team announced their last discovery in October 2021. While implementing a project supported by the Environment and Conservation Fund to assess the diversity and impact of coral-eating nudibranchs, the team discovered a new sun coral species in the genus Tubastraea and two new species of nudibranchs in the genus Phestilla in Hong Kong waters. Looking back, the last time a new hard coral species was discovered and named in Hong Kong was about 20 years ago. “The discovery is very encouraging as it provides strong evidence of the high marine biodiversity in Hong Kong waters, and it helps fill in the knowledge gaps in biodiversity as advocated in the Government’s Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. It also inspires us to further explore the diversity of marine animals, study their functions and ecosystem services, and protect them from potential human disturbances,” Professor Qiu added. Video: Please click here to download the video and footage. Photos: 20220707_photo1 Professor Qiu Jianwen (right) and Mr Yiu King-fung (left) introduce the new coral species. Please click here for more photos: 20220707_photo2.1 Tubastraea dendroida: A colony in the field. 20220707_photo2.2 Tubastraea dendroida: Skeleton of two colonies. 20220707_photo3.1 Tubastraea violacea: A colony with extended tentacles. 20220707_photo3.2 Tubastraea violacea: A colony with tentacles retracted. 20220707_photo4.1 Tubastraea chloromura: A colony with tentacles retracted. 20220707_photo4.2 Tubastraea chloromura: (Left) Close-up of a corallite with extended tentacles. (Right) Close-up of the skeleton of a corallite. Contact Details Wong Suk-ling +852 3411 2119 lingwong@hkbu.edu.hk

July 07, 2022 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Image
1 ... 5859606162 ... 102