Author: ASEAN News Gazette

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LeddarTech Announces 140 Million USD in Series D Financing Combined With Debt Facility

The latest financing supports LeddarTech’s accelerated growth and development efforts for its unique proprietary sensor fusion and perception automotive solutions.

QUEBEC CITY, Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech®, a global leader in providing the most flexible, robust and accurate ADAS and AD sensing technology, is pleased to announce a successful financing round with an investment of US$ 140M, which comprises a Series D first close of US$ 116M and debt facility of US$ 24M.

FS Investors led the financing round with the participation of Investissement Québec, BDC Capital, Go Capital, certain funds managed by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Export Development Canada, ams OSRAM, Desjardins Capital, UI Investissement, Cowen Investment II LLC and other LeddarTech management. The debt facility was secured with Desjardins Group.

This investment will accelerate the development and commercialization of LeddarTech solutions. In addition, LeddarTech will use the funds to augment engineering resources to meet the demands from global OEM and Tier 1-2 automotive customers actively engaged with the company for sensor fusion and perception sensing solutions.

“Our decision to partner with LeddarTech began with our introduction to the corporate senior management team. Individually, the senior team possess decades of experience in the technology industry. In addition, many have worked with major global automotive and sensing technology companies,” stated Nick Stone, founder and partner of FS Investors. “An extensive due diligence process coupled with strong customer validation confirmed that LeddarTech’s unique solution is the best positioned in the market to unlock mass adoption of ADAS and AD by breaking typical software dependency on hardware in sensing,” according to Mr. Stone, concluding that: “The LeddarTech solution, called LeddarVision™, provides customers with the flexibility to quickly scale across vehicle models and deliver faster to market with greater performance at a lower cost.”

“The success of this round is a testament to the growth and industry recognition LeddarTech has achieved. I am delighted to welcome FS Investors as our most recent investors, who bring vast experience and expertise in the deep tech sector,” stated Charles Boulanger, CEO of LeddarTech. “I was impressed by the quality and thoroughness of their due diligence and their exceptional understanding of the ADAS and AD market, which confirms the value of our unique software solution. Our team and I look forward to working with FS Investors, our other new investors and our existing partners to enable our customers to significantly deploy our reliable and cost-effective ADAS and AD solutions across their brands and markets,” Mr. Boulanger concluded.

Cowen and Desjardins Capital Markets acted as co-advisors in this investment round.

About LeddarTech

Founded in 2007, LeddarTech has evolved to become a comprehensive end-to-end environmental sensing company by enabling customers to solve critical sensing, fusion and perception challenges across the entire value chain. The company offers cost-effective and scalable solutions such as LeddarVision™, a raw-data sensor fusion and perception platform that generates a comprehensive 3D environmental model with multi-sensor configurations to support Level 2+ to Level 5 full autonomy. It is scalable to support all vehicle automation levels. In addition, LeddarTech supports LiDAR makers and Tier 1-2 automotive system integrators with LeddarSteer™, a digital beam steering device, and the LiDAR XLRator development solution for automotive-grade solid-state LiDAR development based on the LeddarEngine™ and core components from global semiconductor partners. The company is responsible for several innovations in cutting-edge automotive and mobility remote-sensing applications, with over 100 patented technologies (granted or pending) enhancing ADAS and autonomous driving capabilities.

Additional information about LeddarTech is accessible at www.leddartech.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Contact:
Daniel Aitken, Vice-President of Global Marketing, Communications and Investor Relations, LeddarTech Inc.
Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232
daniel.aitken@leddartech.com

Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, LeddarEcho, VAYADrive, VayaVision, XLRator and related logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of LeddarTech Inc. and its subsidiaries. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.

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MULTIMEDIA UPDATE – Modelo Rewards UFC’s Biggest Fans With Unprecedented Access Year-Long to Premier Fight Nights

Top prize includes highly coveted floor seats to every UFC Pay-Per-View event for an entire year, and behind-the-scenes access with UFC Broadcaster Jon Anik

UFC

UFC

CHICAGO, Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Modelo, the Official Beer of UFC, knows that UFC fans are as passionate as they come. To reward their Fighting Spirit, Modelo is providing unprecedented access and experiences to the sport they love. With the help of DraftKings Inc. (Nasdaq: DKNG), UFC enthusiasts will have a shot to compete and win cash prizes and the “golden ticket” grand prize: floor seats, travel and accommodations, to the year’s biggest UFC Pay-Per-View events in Las Vegas and other cities across the United States for a full year*.

The unique prizes don’t end there. In addition to a pair of gold tickets to sit in floor seats for the biggest fights of the year, the grand prize winner will get to be a guest of UFC broadcaster, Jon Anik during fight week, where they can take part in Jon’s pre-fight announcer rituals, receive exclusive behind-the-scenes access to pre-fight weigh-ins, and participate in meet-and-greets with iconic UFC personalities. Anik will also lend his trademark high-energy voice to reward the grand prize winners with special walkout announcement videos, which are normally reserved for UFC fighters as they enter the Octagon on fight night, while the winner and their guest walk to their seats, along with much more!

“Modelo and UFC are offering the ultimate fighting experience for our passionate fans – giving an opportunity to win unparalleled and close-up access to all of the best action,” Anik said. “I just knew I wanted to be part of that fan experience, especially because of the sheer number of times I have delivered Modelo’s ‘Brewed for those with the Fighting Spirit,’ tagline over the years.”

The contest will run through DraftKings, and fans 21+ can enter for their shot to win by visiting draftkings.com/modelo. Fans will have the opportunity to compete for prizes for each PPV event- February 12, March 5 and April 9. The best lineups from the first two contests will win cash prizes and the top score from the final week will win the Modelo “golden ticket” grand prize. The contest opens February 1, 2022 and runs until April 9, 2022.

“As we continue our ongoing partnership with the UFC, Modelo is always thinking about how to bring one-of-a-kind experiences to our passionate, shared fanbase,” said Greg Gallagher, Vice President of Brand Marketing, Modelo. “We can’t wait to reward the Fighting Spirit of fans with what we’re calling the ‘gold standard’ of experiences and our biggest UFC prizing yet – an opportunity to immerse themselves into UFC in a big way that hasn’t been done before.”

*Pick winning fighters and you could win Grand Prize tickets to 10 UFC PPV fights in the U.S., June 2022 – May 2023. No purchase or payment necessary to enter. Must be 21 years or older to enter with verified age. 50 U.S./DC only. Void where prohibited. Contest series to begin 2/1/22 and end 4/15/22. Exact Contest dates are subject to change, pending UFC fight schedules. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details and Official Rules. No alcohol is awarded with any prize.

ABOUT MODELO® 
Born in 1925 in the small town of Tacuba, Mexico, Modelo has been bringing distinctive high-quality beer to people ever since, including Modelo Especial®, Modelo Negra®, and a flavorful lineup of Modelo Cheladas. Modelo Especial is a golden, full-flavored Pilsner-style Lager with a clean, crisp finish. As the #1 imported beer in the U.S., Modelo Especial recently surpassed 150MM cases sold in 2021. The Modelo family of beers are exclusively brewed, imported and marketed for the U.S. by Constellation Brands.

About UFC® 
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 187 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 75 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is owned by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.

Press Contact:
Stephanie McGuane
Stephanie.McGuane@Cbrands.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/dc7f867a-8667-4158-b6fe-11f78f2df421

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UN Security Council Discusses Latest North Korea Missile Launch

Nine U.N. Security Council members condemned North Korea’s January 30 launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile Friday, saying it was “a significant escalation” in Pyongyang’s recent violations of council resolutions and was intended to further destabilize the region.

“We condemn this unlawful action in the strongest terms,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters after a 90-minute closed-door meeting of the 15-nation council. She spoke on behalf of and flanked by her council counterparts from Albania, Brazil, Britain, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway and the United Arab Emirates.

The launch, which took place on Sunday local time, was North Korea’s longest-range missile test in more than four years.

“It also marks a new and troubling record — the nine ballistic missiles launched in January is the largest number of launches the DPRK has conducted in a single month in the history of its WMD and ballistic missile programs,” Thomas-Greenfield said. DPRK stands for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

North Korea is forbidden to conduct such launches under the provisions of several Security Council resolutions.

The council last met on January 20 to discuss the launch activity without a united public stance.

“The cost of the council’s ongoing silence is too high,” the U.S. envoy said on behalf of the group of nine council members. “It will embolden the DPRK to further defy the international community, to normalize its violations of Security Council resolutions, to further destabilize the region, and to continue to threaten international peace and security. This is an outcome that we should not accept.”

China’s U.N. ambassador told reporters on his way into Friday’s meeting that the solution “lies in dialogue” among the direct parties to the issue.

He appeared to put the responsibility on Washington to coax North Korea to the negotiating table, saying it has the key to solving the situation in its hands.

“They should come up with more attractive and more practical, more flexible approaches, policies and actions, and in accommodating the concerns of DPRK,” Ambassador Zhang Jun said of the United States. “We have all seen what happened in Singapore. We have all seen what happened in Hanoi. And we have seen suspension of the nuclear test, and we have seen suspension of the launch of ICBMs [intercontinental ballistic missiles].”

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held two summits, one in Singapore in 2018 and another in Vietnam the following year. They did not lead to denuclearization, but tensions cooled between the two nations, with Kim pausing his country’s nuclear and long-range missile tests.

The Biden administration has urged Pyongyang to meet without preconditions.

“We stand ready to engage in dialogue, and we will not waver in our pursuit of regional peace and stability and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula consistent with relevant Security Council resolutions,” Thomas-Greenfield reiterated Friday.

China’s envoy urged the parties and the council to be prudent in both their actions and their words to avoid a full escalation.

“We have seen a vicious circle: confrontation, condemnation, sanctions, and then coming back to confrontation, condemnation and sanctions again,” Zhang said. “So what will be the end?”

He said China’s “freeze for freeze” proposal remains on the table. That would have Pyongyang freeze its nuclear activity in exchange for partial sanctions relief.

Thomas-Greenfield said that would reward North Korea for bad behavior.

Earlier this week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Sunday’s ICBM launch.

“This is a breaking of the DPRK’s announced moratorium in 2018 on launches of this nature and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions,” Guterres’ spokesman said.

He urged Pyongyang to cease any “further counterproductive actions” and seek a diplomatic solution.

Source: Voice of America

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Tongan PM: Tongans’ Resilience, Strength To Help Overcome Impact Of Volcanic Eruption

SUVA, Feb 4 (NNN-PIN) – The resilience and strength of the Tongan people will help the South Pacific island nation, get through impact of the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami, as well as, the current COVID-19 challenges, Tonga’s Prime Minister, Siaosi Sovaleni, said yesterday.

“Tongans are resilient people. We have dealt with disasters before and our strength is the fact that we stand together, and then, I believe that will get us through these challenges. We will stand together and we will work together and we will get through this together,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by RNZ Pacific, a division of Radio New Zealand (RNZ).

“It’s hard, I mean … deal with a volcano and the tsunami and now the outbreak of COVID-19,” he said.

Sovaleni said, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Tonga stands currently at four. Due to the confirmed infections, Tonga has been in a lockdown since Wednesday evening, with all shops closed and people ordered to stay home.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano, about 65 km north of the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa, erupted on Jan 14 and 15, causing at least three deaths and multiple injuries, as well as, heavy damages in the country.

The international community has provided relief supplies to the island country with a population of more than 100,000.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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S.Korean FM Protests Against Japan’s Nomination Of War-Linked Mine For UNESCO Heritage List

SEOUL– South Korea’s top diplomat, in phone talks with his Japanese counterpart yesterday, protested against Japan’s bid to put a war-linked mine, in the UNESCO heritage list, renewing diplomatic rows between Seoul and Tokyo over historical issues.

South Korean Foreign Minister, Chung Eui-yong, held phone talks with his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, expressing deep disappointment with, and protesting against Japan’s push to nominate the controversial Sado mine, for the UNESCO World Heritage list, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.

Chung said, the correct perception over history is the basis for future-oriented relations between South Korea and Japan, noting, the Sado mine represents the painful history relevant to wartime forced labour of Koreans during the 1910-1945 Japanese colonisation of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korean historians say, thousands of Koreans were forced by Imperial Japan into heavy labour for the gold and silver mines on Sado Island, which were turned into facilities to produce war-related materials, during World War II. The mine was shut down in 1989.

The Japanese government submitted the letter of recommendation for the mine to be listed in the UNESCO heritage earlier this week.

Chung urged Japan to fulfill its promise, to install an information centre on the forced labour of Koreans, at its existing UNESCO heritage sites, including Hashima Island.

The South Korean foreign minister also called on Japan, to take more active measures over historical issues, including the wartime forced labour and the sexual slavery of Korean women, during the colonisation, to seek solutions that can be accepted by the victims.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Human Rights, Economic Ties Drive Decisions to Boycott – or Not – 2022 Olympics

As much as China and the International Olympic Committee have pushed for the Olympic Games to be a neutral event, political controversy and boycotts of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics started months before Friday’s opening ceremonies.

But not everyone’s enmeshed in politics.

Boycott supporters, including human rights groups, are calling out Beijing over perceived strong-arm tactics toward Taiwan, anti-Beijing protesters in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong and the largely Muslim Uyghur population in the Chinese Xinjiang region.

Yet analysts say many developing countries value their economic ties with China, political divides notwithstanding, so they sent officials as well as athletes to stay on Beijing’s good side.

Australia has avoided sending government officials to the Feb. 4-20 Games over its belief that China is abusing human rights and refusing to hold talks on trade and diplomatic disputes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that decision in early December, becoming one of the dozen-plus countries that announced diplomatic boycotts.

Most other countries with diplomatic boycotts are like Australia – with a record of concerns about human rights in China and enough wealth to get past any economic reprisals. The United States announced its diplomatic boycott in December. Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and some 10 European countries have followed. Although government officials will not be attending, these nations still let their athletes compete in the Winter Games.

“In Europe, I think it’s very important and here in the United States and in Australia, there are populations that really do care about human rights,” said Scott Harold, a Washington-based senior political scientist with the Rand Corporation research group. “This is not just a stick to beat China or an attempt to contain China’s rise. It’s really in part about living the values that you say guide your polity.”

Six Summer or Winter Olympiads over the event’s more than 100-year history have weathered boycotts.

Officials in Beijing see diplomatic boycotts as an inappropriate mix of sports and politics. They vowed reprisal against the United States in December.

The U.S. diplomatic boycott of its Games “seriously violated the principle of the political neutrality of sports established by the Olympic Charter and that the U.S. will pay a price for it,” state-run China Daily reported.

China has denied accusations of human rights abuses and described the reasons for some U.S. lawmakers’ call for a diplomatic boycott as “full of lies and false information” that is “based on ideology and political prejudice” according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Economic, regional ties

Chinese economic clout stops some governments from boycotting, said James Gomez, regional director of the Asia Centre, a Bangkok-based think tank. Countries throughout the developing world, especially in Asia and Africa, look to China’s $15.6 trillion economy as an irreplaceable market for exports and a source of direct investment.

“China is there, it’s big, so let’s just play nice even if they may not mean it because in the play of diplomacy everybody does the doublespeak,” Gomez said. “So, even if they may be aligned politically in a different way, they will still not publicly distance themselves from China.”

The Philippines, which has its own list of problems with China, decided to send three officials to the Games with its single athlete, alpine skier Asa Miller.

Filipinos had “hardly any public discussion about participating or not” in the Games this month, said Herman Kraft, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Beijing and Manila have sparred with occasional ship standoffs since 2012 for control over the resource-rich South China Sea between them.

“There might be some concern about reprisals, but I think it’s more of a preemptive thing in the sense that they’re not too interested in using the Olympics as a forum or an arena where relations with China might actually be made at risk,” Kraft said.

Other Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Vietnam, also vie with China over maritime sovereignty, but Malaysia has praised China for hosting the Olympics. Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a letter to Chinese officials wishing them a successful Winter Olympics, according to Vietnamese state media, Nhân Dân.

A “fear of further sanctions” may explain South Korea’s unwillingness to boycott the Games, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a Jan. 13 study. China sanctioned South Korea after its deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in 2016, the study says, costing tourism alone $15.7 billion.

Beijing kicked off the Olympics on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach appearing at an opening ceremony in the National Stadium.

Source: Voice of America

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Covid-19: Fatalities worldwide exceed 12,500 in past day – WHO

GENEVA— More than 12,500 coronavirus-related deaths were registered worldwide in the past 24 hours, making Thursday the deadliest day since July 2021, the World Health Organization said.

As of Feb 3, as many as 383,509,779 novel coronavirus cases and 5,690,824 coronavirus-associated deaths were registered across the globe.

The number of confirmed cases grew by 3,015,863 over the past day and the number of fatalities increased by 12,513. It was the highest daily fatality figure registered since July 21, 2021, when the novel coronavirus infection claimed the lives of 20,111 people all over the world.

The WHO statistics is based on officially confirmed data from the countries. The threshold of 350 million cases was crossed on Jan 25, of 300 million on Jan 8, of 250 million on Nov 9, of 200 million on Aug 5.

The biggest number of coronavirus cases was reported from the United States (74,787,329), followed by India (41,803,318), Brazil (25,620,209), France (19,322,157) and the United Kingdom (17,515,203). The biggest number of fatalities was reported from the United States (884,477), followed by Brazil (628,067), India (498,983), Russia (333,357) and Mexico (306,920).

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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George Clinical Accredited for Gene Technology Clinical Research

SYDNEY, Feb. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — George Clinical announces that the organization has been accredited by the Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) which allows it to be a licence holder for studies involving the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

The addition of this capability  means that George Clinical can now, under the Gene Technology Act 2000 and Gene Technology Regulations 2001, undertake DIR (dealings involving intentional release) and DNIR (dealings not involving intentional release) licensing and execute studies inclusive of the required writing of DIR and DNIR applications as well as IBC (Institutional Biosafety Committee) review.   Being OGTR accredited enables George Clinical to hold a license in the name of a sponsoring company.

“With the significant number of innovations advancing drug development that involve GMO inputs and recognising the importance of ongoing advancement in this domain, George Clinical is well positioned to  further extend our offerings to fully executing clinical GMO studies in Australia during all phases of development,” said Chief Business Officer, Sean Hart.

The Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator requires organizations undertaking work with GMOs to be accredited and strongly encourages these organizations to obtain accreditation as part of the risk management process for such studies. This accreditation enables the OGTR to assess whether an organization has the appropriate governance arrangements, resources and internal processes in place to effectively oversee work with GMOs.

 About George Clinical

George Clinical is a leading global clinical research organization founded in Asia-Pacific driven by scientific expertise and operational excellence.  With more than 20 years of experience and 400 people managing 38 geographical locations throughout the USA, Asia-Pacific region, and Europe, George Clinical provides the full range of clinical trial services to biopharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostic customers, for all trial phases, registration, and post-marketing trials.

Contact:          mreabold@georgeclinical.com

LinkedIn:         https://www.linkedin.com/company/george-clinical-pty-ltd

Twitter:            https://twitter.com/george_clinical

Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/georgeclinical

Donna McDonnell
George Clinical
901-229-5345
dmcdonnell@georgeclinical.com