MODIFI ขยายฐานไปยังสิงคโปร์เพื่อยกระดับการให้บริการลูกค้าประเภทธุรกิจในเอเชีย

MODIFI Expands Its Footprint to Singapore

 

MODIFI Expands Its Footprint to Singapore to Better Serve Business Customers in Asia

สิงคโปร์ , April 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MODIFI บริษัทฟินเทคชั้นนำของยุโรปที่เชี่ยวชาญด้านโซลูชันการชำระเงินข้ามพรมแดนและการจัดหาสภาพคล่องให้กับผู้ส่งออกทั่วโลก ได้ประกาศการเปิดสำนักงานแห่งใหม่ในสิงคโปร์ การขยายตัวนี้เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของกลยุทธ์ของ MODIFI เพื่อเสริมความแข็งแกร่งในการดำเนินงานทั่วโลก และยกระดับการให้บริการลูกค้าในเอเชีย

Matthias Hendrichs ประธานเจ้าหน้าที่ฝ่ายการพาณิชย์ของบริษัทจะย้ายจากเยอรมนีมาประจำที่สิงคโปร์ เพื่อทำหน้าที่เป็นผู้นำสำนักงานแห่งใหม่และดูแลการเติบโตของบริษัทในภูมิภาคนี้ Hendrichs นำประสบการณ์กว่า 16 ปีมายังเอเชีย และมีบทบาทสำคัญในการผลักดันการขยายตัวทั่วโลกของ MODIFI จนถึงปัจจุบัน

Nelson Holzner ประธานเจ้าหน้าที่บริหารของ MODIFI กล่าวว่า “เรารู้สึกตื่นเต้นที่จะประกาศการเปิดสำนักงานแห่งใหม่ในสิงคโปร์ ซึ่งถือเป็นก้าวสำคัญในการเดินทางเพื่อขยายธุรกิจไปทั่วโลก” “ด้วยสำนักงานแห่งใหม่นี้ เรามีเป้าหมายที่จะกระชับความสัมพันธ์ของเรากับลูกค้าในเอเชียให้แน่นแฟ้นยิ่งขึ้น และมอบโซลูชันการชำระเงินข้ามพรมแดนที่ดีที่สุดให้แก่ลูกค้าเหล่านั้น”

ที่ตั้งเชิงกลยุทธ์ของสิงคโปร์ซึ่งเป็นชุมทางของเส้นทางเดินเรือหลักนั้น ทำให้สิงคโปร์กลายเป็นท่าเรือสำคัญสำหรับเรือที่เดินทางระหว่างยุโรป เอเชีย และตะวันออกกลาง ยิ่งไปกว่านั้น เครือข่ายการขนส่งทางอากาศที่ได้รับการพัฒนาอย่างดี และสนามบินชางงีซึ่งเป็นศูนย์กลางสำคัญสำหรับเที่ยวบินระหว่างประเทศ ทำให้สิงคโปร์เป็นสถานที่ที่มีประสิทธิภาพสำหรับธุรกิจในการขนส่งสินค้าและเชื่อมต่อกับตลาดโลก นอกจากนี้ สิงคโปร์เพิ่งแซงหน้าฮ่องกงไปเมื่อไม่นานมานี้ และขณะนี้ได้ครองตำแหน่งศูนย์กลางทางการเงินที่ใหญ่เป็นอันดับสามของโลก

การขยายธุรกิจไปยังสิงคโปร์ของ MODIFI เกิดขึ้นในช่วงเวลาที่บริษัทกำลังประสบกับการเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็วไปพร้อมกับความต้องการบริการที่เพิ่มขึ้นในเอเชีย แพลตฟอร์มนวัตกรรมของบริษัทให้บริการวิธีการชำระเงินที่จัดเป็นอันดับ 1 แก่ผู้ส่งออกในด้านธุรกิจข้ามพรมแดน โดยเมื่อใช้ MODIFI ผู้ส่งออกจะได้รับเงินทันทีในขณะที่ผู้ซื้อสามารถชำระเงินได้ในภายหลังเป็นเวลานานสูงสุดถึง 180 วัน โซลูชันของ MODIFI ได้ช่วยให้ธุรกิจกว่า 1,500 แห่งทั่วโลกมีการเติบโตทางธุรกิจและขยายไปสู่ตลาดใหม่ ๆ

Hendrichs กล่าวว่า “เรารู้สึกตื่นเต้นที่ได้เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของระบบนิเวศฟินเทคที่มีชีวิตชีวาของสิงคโปร์ และได้ร่วมมือกับพันธมิตรในท้องถิ่นเพื่อให้บริการที่ดีที่สุดแก่ลูกค้า” “เป้าหมายของเราคือการช่วยให้ธุรกิจในเอเชียเติบโต โดยให้การสนับสนุนตามที่ธุรกิจต่าง ๆ ต้องการเพื่อให้ประสบความสำเร็จในตลาดระดับโลกในปัจจุบัน”

สำนักงานแห่งใหม่ของ MODIFI ตั้งอยู่ในเขตการเงินของสิงคโปร์ และจะใช้เป็นสำนักงานใหญ่ในภูมิภาคเอเชียของบริษัท

สามารถดูภาพถ่ายที่ใช้ประกอบการประกาศนี้ได้ที่ https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/44281225-6202-425f-8caa-c82fed6761bb

ผู้ติดต่อประสานงาน:

Sara Debevec ผู้จัดการฝ่ายประชาสัมพันธ์ marketing@modifi.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000806860

Government of Alberta invests in CCS knowledge sharing hub to advance carbon capture and storage projects across Canada and around the world

Hub initiative demonstrates leadership in climate action by identifying best practices and pathways to bring CCUS projects to life

Regina, Sask. and Calgary, Alta., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The world’s first open-source repository of knowledge and information about the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS) projects will be established by the International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre) with foundational support from the Government of Alberta.

As a key action item included in Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan released April 19, 2023, the Government of Alberta is providing $3 million for the creation of a national CCS knowledge sharing hub that will be an important tool for Canada to meet its ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The mandate of the CCS knowledge sharing hub will be to collect and curate best practices and lessons learned from Canadian CCS projects past, present and future – drawing on knowledge from as many projects as possible from initial planning and feasibility studies, through to construction and ongoing operations – to enhance the success of CCS projects and promote continuous learning and improvement in CCS technology. Expansion of CCS is also a crucial step for creating and maintaining vital jobs in all heavy emitting sectors provincially and nationally in such areas as cement, iron and steel, power generation, petrochemicals, fertilizer, and oil and gas.

“Bringing large-scale CCS projects to life at the speed and scale that is required to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 requires unprecedented collaboration between industry, government, academia and other partners. The most effective way of reducing risk, lowering costs and improving performance of these multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects is to share our proven expertise and apply the experience gained across heavy-emitting industries in order to build a sustainable future for all,” said James Millar, president and chief executive officer of the International CCS Knowledge Centre.

“We are very grateful to the Government of Alberta for stepping up with this critical support, allowing us to launch the CCS knowledge sharing hub and ensure lessons learned from dozens of CCS projects planned across Canada are documented and made available to anyone who can benefit from them,” Millar added. “I would be remiss in not singling out the strong leadership of Environment and Protected Areas Minister Sonya Savage in helping to ensure this initiative moves forward.”

“Carbon capture and storage is a critical part of Alberta’s path to achieving a net-zero economy. With projects such as the Quest CCS facility operated by Shell Canada, and the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, we have led the world in developing CCUS facilities and proving the capability of this technology to drastically cut CO2 emissions from the industries that are the bedrock of our economy and are the lifeblood of our communities. We look forward to working with the Knowledge Centre to ensure that Alberta and Canada remain at the forefront and capture the enormous opportunities that are before us as the world undertakes an aggressive expansion of CCS to curb rising emissions and address climate change,” said Alberta’s Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Sonya Savage.

The CCS knowledge sharing hub will be developed and operated by the International CCS Knowledge Centre to assess and identify best practices and frameworks to get CCS projects to final investment decision. Key to the initiative’s long-term success will be coordination and proactive promotion of the sharing of knowledge on CCS gathered from companies large and small to ensure the timely and efficient transfer of CCS best practices across Alberta, Canada and the globe – outcomes where industry and government jointly benefit. Sharing critical information on the development of projects from study stage into operation will greatly increase the transfer of crucial learnings, leading to better outcomes and inevitably a greater level of CO2 emission reductions in Canada.

At a global level, the world can’t afford not to pursue large-scale CCS as a key tool for meeting international climate commitments. The International Energy Agency and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have concluded a massive investment in large-scale CCS is required in order to achieve the emissions reductions needed to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 2ºC. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report Summary for Policy Makers forecast that the cost of climate mitigation would increase by 138 per cent without the application of CCS technologies.

Background:

The International CCS Knowledge Centre provides independent consultation and technical advisory services on large-scale CCS projects around the world, including a number of Alberta companies pursuing CCS projects as part of their long-term sustainability plans, including:

  • Completing the feasibility study (with funding provided by Emissions Reduction Alberta) and supporting front-end engineering and design (FEED) planning for the world’s first full-scale CCS facility on a cement plant at Heidelberg Materials’ Edmonton plant.
  • Supporting early-stage engineering work on CCS projects planned by several members of the Pathways Alliance, a coalition of the six largest oil sands producers that is planning to invest more than $24 billion in CCS and other emissions reduction technologies by the end of the decade in order to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
  • Partnering with Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) to provide successful applicants of the ERA’s Carbon Capture Kickstart with up to 200 hours of support on their pre-construction design and engineering studies for carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) projects, with funding provided by ERA. The 11 successful projects represent an estimated $20 billion in capital expenditures in a wide range of industrial sectors, including power generation, cement, fertilizer, forest products and oil and gas.

About the International CCS Knowledge Centre
The International CCS Knowledge Centre is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 by BHP and SaskPower to advance large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects as a critical means of managing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the world’s ambitious climate goals.

The Knowledge Centre provides independent, expert advisory services for CCS projects across heavy-emitting industries based on our team’s unique experience developing the world’s first fully integrated post-combustion CCS facility on a coal-fired power plant. We have a proven track record of helping our clients lower costs, reduce risk and improve the performance of CCS projects across industries and technology platforms using the latest knowledge and lessons learned from major projects across the globe.

We also provide input to policy development and promote broad collaboration between stakeholders to enhance understanding of the critical role CCS plays in global decarbonization efforts and accelerate the deployment of new CCS projects around the world.

Learn more at ccsknowledge.com

Grady Semmens
International CCS Knowledge Centre
4032452667
gsemmens@ccsknowledge.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8827721

Constellation Brands Prices Offering of Senior Notes

VICTOR, N.Y., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today that it priced the public offering of $750.0 million aggregate principal amount of 4.900% Senior Notes due 2033 (the “notes”) for a public offering price of 99.306% of the principal amount of the notes. The notes will be senior obligations that rank equally with all of Constellation’s other senior unsecured indebtedness.

Closing of the offering is expected to occur on May 1, 2023, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Constellation intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of its indebtedness outstanding under the delayed draw three-year term loan facility of its term loan credit agreement, dated as of August 9, 2022, as amended on October 18, 2022, and a portion of its outstanding commercial paper borrowings.

BofA Securities, Inc., Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC are acting as the joint book-running managers of the offering. The notes are being offered only by means of a prospectus, including a prospectus supplement, copies of which may be obtained by contacting BofA Securities, Inc. toll-free at (800) 294-1322 or emailing dg.prospectus_requests@bofa.com, contacting Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC toll-free at (866) 471-2526 or emailing prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com, contacting J.P. Morgan Securities LLC collect at (212) 834-4533, or contacting Wells Fargo Securities, LLC toll-free at (800) 645-3751 or emailing wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com. Alternatively, the prospectus and prospectus supplement may be obtained by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at https://www.sec.gov.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy notes. The notes will not be offered or sold in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS
Constellation Brands is an international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Constellation’s brand portfolio includes Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, the Robert Mondavi Brand Family, Kim Crawford, Meiomi, The Prisoner Wine Company, High West, Casa Noble, and Mi CAMPO.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements which are not historical facts and relate to future plans, events, or performance are forward-looking statements that are based upon management’s current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such events or results will in fact occur. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Constellation Brands undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Detailed information regarding risk factors with respect to the company and the offering are included in the company’s filings with the SEC, including the prospectus and prospectus supplement for the offering.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Amy Martin 585-678-7141 amy.martin@cbrands.com
Carissa Guzski 315-525-7362 carissa.guzski@cbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Joseph Suarez 773-551-4397 joseph.suarez@cbrands.com
Snehal Shah 847-385-4940 snehal.shah@cbrands.com
David Paccapaniccia 585-282-7227 david.paccapaniccia@cbrands.com

A PDF accompanying this release is available here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/84ac090a-bbe0-4f0f-8eb4-2c9246db2522

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8827711

Constellation Brands Further Strengthens ESG Commitment with New Waste Reduction and Circular Packaging Targets

Company sharpens focus on reducing operational waste and enhancing its use of returnable, recyclable, or renewable packaging as part of long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship

VICTOR, N.Y., April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE: STZ), a leading beverage alcohol company, announced today two new environmental stewardship commitments – pursuing a TRUE Zero Waste to Landfill Certification in key operating facilities and significantly enhancing its use of circular packaging across its beverage alcohol portfolio, both by fiscal year 2025. These initiatives will be integrated into the company’s annual operating plans and will further bolster Constellation’s efforts to serve as good stewards of our environment and natural resources.

As part of this commitment, the company will execute plans to attain TRUE Zero Waste to Landfill Certification in its key operating facilities1 by fiscal year 2025 by further reducing operational waste across its facilities and enhancing diversion from landfills. TRUE Zero Waste to Landfill Certification is the first zero waste certification program dedicated to measuring, improving, and recognizing zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable materials management and reduction practices which contribute to positive environmental, health, and economic outcomes.

To achieve its goal of significantly enhancing circular packaging across its beverage alcohol portfolio by fiscal year 2025, Constellation will execute targeted plans to:

  • Reduce its ratio2 of packaging weight to product weight by 10% across its Wine & Spirits portfolio3.
  • Ensure that 80% of packaging from its Wine & Spirits portfolio is returnable, recyclable, or renewable.
  • Replace hi-cone plastic rings with recyclable paperboard for all applicable 4-pack and 6-pack SKUs across its Beer portfolio.

“Constellation has a long-standing commitment to operating in a manner that safeguards our environment and natural resources and our team is laser-focused on continuing to build on this commitment through a disciplined approach and by executing targeted initiatives that are both good for our business and key stakeholders and good for the world,” said Mike McGrew, Constellation Brands’ Executive Vice President and Chief Communications, CSR, and Diversity Officer. “Our introduction of new waste reduction and circular packaging targets is yet another example of this commitment. We look forward to continuing to work to make a positive difference in local communities where we live and work.”

These new commitments and targets are part of Constellation’s broader ESG ambitions which are grounded in the following focus areas:

  • Serving as good stewards of our environment and natural resources – modeling water stewardship for the beverage alcohol industry; reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through energy conservation and renewable energy initiatives; and now, reducing operational waste and enhancing the use of returnable, recyclable, or renewable packaging.
  • Enhancing social equity within our industry and communities – championing the professional development and advancement of women in the beverage alcohol industry and our communities; enhancing economic development and prosperity in disadvantaged communities; and championing an inclusive culture characterized by diversity in background and thought, which reflects the consumers and communities where we live and work.
  • Promoting responsible beverage alcohol consumption – ensuring the responsible promotion and marketing of the company’s products and empowering adults to make responsible choices in their alcohol (substance) consumption by supporting fact-based education, engagement programs, and policies.

The company has made meaningful progress in these focus areas over the past year, most notably around water stewardship where it recently surpassed its target of restoring approximately 1.1 billion gallons of water withdrawals from local watersheds, while improving accessibility and the quality of water for communities where the company operates. The company plans to announce a new water stewardship target later this fiscal year and will disclose progress made in each of its ESG focus areas in its 2023 ESG Impact Report which will be released this fall.

For more information on Constellation’s ESG strategy, visit the company’s website at www.cbrands.com under the Sustainability section or reference the company’s 2022 ESG Impact Report. To watch a brief video highlighting Constellation’s ESG strategy click here.

1 Key operating facilities, for the purposes of this target, consist of our major production facilities (i.e., our breweries in Mexico and our U.S. wineries generating the vast majority of waste).
2 Total packaging weight vs weight of wine or spirits liquid.
3 From baseline fiscal year 2022 ratio of packaging weight to product weight in Wine & Spirits portfolio.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The word “expect” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These statements may relate to our business and ESG strategies, future plans, events, performance, commitments, targets, goals, objectives, or reporting, future operations, future environmental, financial, or social metrics, or expected actions of third parties. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur.

The forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and Constellation Brands does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

In addition to risks and uncertainties associated with ordinary business operations, the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are subject to the risk, uncertainty, and possible variance from our current expectations regarding: future global economic conditions; market conditions; regulatory conditions; unanticipated environmental liabilities and costs; changes to governmental rules and regulations; the actions of competitors; consumer expectations and preferences; and other factors and uncertainties disclosed from time-to-time in Constellation Brands’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023, which could cause actual future performance to differ from current expectations.

ABOUT CONSTELLATION BRANDS

Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) is a leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, and Italy. Our mission is to build brands that people love because we believe elevating human connections is Worth Reaching For. It’s worth our dedication, hard work, and calculated risks to anticipate market trends and deliver more for our consumers, shareholders, employees, and industry. This dedication is what has driven us to become one of the fastest-growing, large CPG companies in the U.S. at retail, and it drives our pursuit to deliver what’s next.

Every day, people reach for our high-end, iconic imported beer brands such as those in the Corona brand family like the flagship Corona Extra, Modelo Especial and the flavorful lineup of Modelo Cheladas, Pacifico, and Victoria; our fine wine and craft spirits brands including The Prisoner Wine Company, Robert Mondavi Winery, Casa Noble Tequila, and High West Whiskey; and our premium wine brands such as Kim Crawford and Meiomi.

As an agriculture-based company, we have a long history of operating sustainably and responsibly. Our ESG strategy is embedded into our business and our work focuses on serving as good stewards of the environment, enhancing social equity within our industry and communities, and promoting responsible beverage alcohol consumption. These commitments ground our aspirations beyond driving the bottom line as we work to create a future that is truly Worth Reaching For.

To learn more, visit www.cbrands.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

MEDIA CONTACTS INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACTS
Amy Martin 585-678-7141 / amy.martin@cbrands.com
Carissa Guzski 315-525-7362 / carissa.guzski@cbrands.com
Joseph Suarez 773-551-4397 / joseph.suarez@cbrands.com
Snehal Shah 847-385-4940 / snehal.shah@cbrands.com
David Paccapaniccia 585-282-7227 / david.paccapaniccia@cbrands.com

A downloadable PDF copy of this news release can be found here: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/d543f21b-b2c1-4aaf-adcb-df32d98e5919

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8827530

Telesis Bio to Report First Quarter Financial Results on Thursday, May 11, 2023

SAN DIEGO, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Telesis Bio (Nasdaq: TBIO), a leader in automated multi-omic and synthetic biology solutions, today announced that it will release its first quarter 2023 financial results on Thursday, May 11, 2023, after the market closes. In conjunction with the release, management will host a conference call on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time / 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the financial results and recent corporate highlights.

The press release and live audio webcast can be accessed via the Investor section of Telesis Bio’s website at https://ir.telesisbio.com/. The conference call can be accessed by registering at this link: https://register.vevent.com/register/BIf9b7641fab2948fca7b1ec1d400ceec4. Please log in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the event to ensure a timely connection. Upon registration, all telephone participants will receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that can be used to access the call. A replay of the conference call webcast will be available shortly after the live event and archived on the Investors section of the Telesis Bio website for at least 30 days.

About Telesis Bio
Telesis Bio is empowering scientists with the ability to create novel, synthetic biology-enabled solutions for many of humanity’s greatest challenges. As inventors of the industry-standard Gibson Assembly® method and the first commercial automated benchtop DNA and mRNA synthesis system, Telesis Bio is enabling rapid, accurate and reproducible writing of DNA and mRNA for numerous downstream markets. The award-winning BioXp® system consolidates, automates, and optimizes the entire synthesis, cloning and amplification workflow. As a result, it delivers virtually error-free synthesis of DNA and RNA at scale within days and hours instead of weeks or months. Scientists around the world are using the technology in their own laboratories to accelerate the design-build-test paradigm for novel, high-value products for precision medicine, biologics drug discovery, vaccine and therapeutic development, genome editing, and cell and gene therapy. Telesis Bio is a public company based in San Diego. For more information, visit www.telesisbio.com.

Telesis Bio, the Telesis Bio logo, Gibson Assembly, and BioXp are trademarks of Telesis Bio Inc.

Contact:
Jen Carroll
Vice President of Investor Relations
jen.carroll@telesisbio.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8827567

Singapore: Rights experts call for moratorium on the death penalty

They strongly condemned the execution this week of Tangaraju s/o Suppiah, who was convicted of conspiring to traffic cannabis from Malaysia to the country in 2013.

Fair trial concerns

Mr. Suppiah, a 46-year-old Tamil from Singapore, was hanged on Tuesday despite claims that he had not been provided with adequate interpretation during police interrogations.

“The death penalty can only be carried out after a legal process with every possible safeguard that ensures a fair trial, including legal representation at every stage of proceedings and necessary interpretation in all oral proceedings,” the experts said.

Alarming executions rate

They added that the rate of execution notices for drug-related offences in Singapore was “highly alarming”.

Mr. Suppiah reportedly was the 12th person to be hanged since March 2022, according to the UN human rights office, OHCHR, which had urged the Government not to go ahead with his execution, citing concerns around due process and respect for fair trial guarantees.

The UN experts said States that have not yet abolished the death penalty may only impose capital punishment for the most serious crimes.

“Under international law, only crimes of extreme gravity involving intentional killing can be considered as ‘most serious’. Drug offences clearly do not meet this threshold,” they argued.

Discrimination against minorities

The rights experts also voiced concerns about discriminatory treatment of people from minority groups, such as Mr. Suppiah, as well as reports of reprisals against their lawyers.

Mr. Suppiah was sentenced under Singaporean law, which makes capital punishment mandatory for certain offences, including drug-related convictions. The experts said the mandatory sentencing law strips judges of discretion to consider individual cases, context and circumstances.

“We reiterate that the mandatory use of the death penalty constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life, since it is imposed without taking into account the defendant’s personal circumstances or circumstances of the particular offence,” they said.

About UN experts

The nine experts monitor and report on issues such as extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions; arbitrary detention, and minority rights.

They serve on a voluntary basis and are independent from any Government or organization.

They are not UN staff and do not receive payment for their work.

Source: EMM/ United Nations

Second int’l hot-air balloon festival opens in Tuyen Quang

The second International Hot-Air Balloon Festival opened in Tuyen Quang city in the northern mountainous province of the same name on April 28.

The festival, which will last to May 2, will be the highlight of the Tuyen Quang Tourism Year 2023.

It will take place across two venues, namely Nguyen Tat Thanh Square in Tuyen Quang city, and Na Tong Stadium in Lam Binh district.

This year’s edition brings together a total of 20 balloons under the control of experienced pilots from different countries and territories around the world, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Netherlands, India, Slovakia, Russia, Taiwan (China), and Vietnam.

During the five-day event, visitors will have a chance to fly the balloons and see major local tourist sites from above, visit caves, go kayaking on Na Hang lake, and participate in a series of entertainment activities.

This year, Tuyen Quang is aiming to welcome more than 2.5 million tourist arrivals./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam attends ASEAN- China Intangible Cultural Heritage Week

Le Ngoc Theatre and Vietnam Cheo (traditional opera) Theatre represented Vietnam to introduce special performances to international friends at the ASEAN- China Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Week held in Nanning, the capital of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, from April 22-28.

The maiden event aimed to increase exchanges and cooperation between ASEAN member states and China in the protection, inheritance, utilisation and development of intangible cultural heritage in the region and the world.

In addition to special art performance acts, including “Crickets” and “Five variables”, which won the applause of audiences, Vietnamese artists also introduced the diversity in types of performance such as "mua sap" dance (Cheraw dance), Xoan singing and trumpet dancing, among others,

Besides art performance shows, the delegations also took part in ASEAN-China Intangible Culture Fair where traditional handicrafts, brocade products and folk sculpture products of nations were showcased./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency