A Vietnamese journalist arrested after nominating himself as an independent candidate in elections to the country’s National Assembly was sentenced to five years in jail Friday by a court in the capital Hanoi, his lawyer and his wife said.
Le Trong Hung was arrested March 27 after declaring his candidacy for election in a challenge to political processes tightly controlled by the ruling Communist Party and charged with “creating, storing, disseminating information, materials, items and publications against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
Hung, 79, is a former teacher and founder of CHTV Television, which formerly livestreamed videos on hot-button social and political issues.
The law he was accused of breaking, Article 117 of Vietnam’s Penal Code, is “vague” and Friday’s ruling was “subjective,” Hung’s defense lawyer, Ha Huy Son, told RFA’s Vietnamese Service.
“Today’s trial started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 12:15 p.m., with the announcement of five years in jail and five years of probation,” said Son.
Son also said the prosecution did not answer questions raised by the defense and “never showed up in court to present the grounds for the anti-state charges.”
On Nov. 5, Hung’s lawyer and family were allowed access to the indictment filed against him by the Hanoi People’s Procuracy, learning that the case against Hung was based on four videos posted to his Facebook page covering politically sensitive issues, his wife Do Le Na said last month.
Topics discussed in the videos included a deadly Jan. 9, 2020 police crackdown during a land dispute in Dong Tam Commune, the role of the courts in Vietnam’s political system, and Hung’s own candidacy, Na said.
After the ruling, Na told RFA that Hanoi authorities stationed police in front of her house to prevent relatives from going to court; then later let them leave the family home only to stop then on the road.
“I am totally disappointed. I disapprove of this trial. It does not mean anything because it does not follow any norms of the Constitution or universal values of human beings worldwide,” said Na.
“I and my family no longer have trust in this legal system. My husband declared at the trial that he will not appeal and I respect his decision,” she added.
Hung’s sentence followed that of another would-be election candidate arrested for his online postings. Tran Quoc Khanh, 61, was sentenced to a six-and-a-half year prison term on Oct. 28.
Reported and translated for RFA’s Vietnamese Service by An Nguyen. Written in English by Paul Eckert.
The democratic island of Taiwan is expecting a new wave of arrivals from the former British colony of Hong Kong, where the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is presiding over a city-wide crackdown on civil society, public dissent and political opposition under a draconian national security law.
The latest statistics from the Taiwan Immigration Department indicate that number of Hong Kong residents emigrating to Taiwan hit a new high in 2021, the island’s Mainland Affairs Commission (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng told reporters onFriday.
The island’s interior ministry handed out 9,772 residence cards to Hong Kong residents between January andNovember 2021, compared with 9,501 in the same period in 2020.
Permanent residency was awarded to 1,572 Hongkongers, compared with 1,397 in the same period the previous year.
“We have made some draft amendments to the rules … in line with talent recruitment regulations to extend the period of residency [for students] past the completion of their masters and doctorate degrees,” Chiu said. “The draft changes have been … sent to the Executive Yuan for review.”
“I expect their implementation to be announced soon,” Chiu said.
Immigration consultant Chang Hsiang-ling said more Hongkongers might have applied if it weren’t for the island’s stringent COVID-19 restrictions on entry and exits, but that the new rules might pave the way for more arrivals in future.
“It is easier to come from Hong Kong that it was before the handover,” Chang told RFA. “But people who have only just obtained their Hong Kong permanent residency might not be approved for residence at the current time.”
“They will look at applications from people born in mainland China to see how long that person has lived in Hong Kong, and whether their entire life’s focus is in Hong Kong,” he said.
He said former Hong Kong public servants who had already taken a mandatory oath of allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be rejected by Taiwan, unless they were employees of the Hospital Authority, serving in public healthcare facilities.
“If you or even your accompanying spouse have taken such an oath, you will be turned down for residency at the current time,” Chang said.
People waving goodbye as a family makes their way through the departure gates of Hong Kong’s International Airport, July 22, 2021. Credit: AFP
Media, church crackdowns
He said the authorities are still adopting a conservative attitude to applications for investment visas from Hongkongers with money, however, and risk putting off potential investors in Taiwan’s economy.
The news comes amid a public outcry over raids and arrests by national security police at Stand News, a major pro-democracy news outlet in the city. Two senior editors at the publication have been charged with “sedition” under colonial-era laws, while the website’s assets were frozen under provisions in the national security law, prompting it to fold and lay off all staff.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Chinese bishops and religious leaders have been training senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen on President Xi Jinping’s vision of religion with “Chinese characteristics.”
The agency quoted four clerics who attended or had knowledge of the Oct. 31 meeting as saying it was clearly an attempt to put political pressure on the Hong Kong diocese, which is answerable to the Vatican and includes some outspoken leaders who have been critical of the CCP and the crackdown on Hong Kong’s promised freedoms.
The Zoom meetings shed light on what some religious figures, politicians and diplomats describe as the expanding role of Beijing’s Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong, which monitored the sessions attended by three leading bishops, about 15 religious figures from mainland China’s state-backed official Catholic church and about 15 senior clergymen, the report said.
Susanne Ho, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, told Reuters the diocese “does not disclose details of private meetings,” while the Central Liaison Office didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The CCP under general secretary Xi Jinping regards Christianity as a dangerous foreign import, with party documents warning against the “infiltration of Western hostile forces” in the form of religion.
The party, which embraces atheism, exercises tight controls over any form of religious practice among its citizens.
Authorities in the northern Chinese city of Xi’an have called for calm, as many in the locked-down city of 13 million took to social media complaining that they were unable to get sufficient food supplies after being ordered to stay in their homes.
“It’s the last day of 2021, and the ninth day of lockdown in Xi’an,” Weibo user @The_sun_is_the_yolk wrote onFriday. “It has been really hard to buy groceries these last few days.”
“Offline stores are all closed, we’re not allowed to leave the compound, all the takeouts are shut, while the online stores are sold out,” the user wrote. “I don’t want to say too much … but too many people are really suffering.”
User @Tangerine_peel_ginger_and_straw said their 94-year-old mother was in Xi’an.
“There really have been problems … subsistence supplies can’t get delivered to residential compounds or to the homes of ordinary people,” the user wrote, warning local officials: “You low-level jobsworths — I’m collecting evidence.”
“God bless the people of Xi’an and help my relatives there through this difficult time!”
Xi’an resident Zhang Xiaojuan said community workers and police are preventing people from entering or leaving.
“There are people standing guard at the entrance of my building, and people are lining up for PCR tests,” Zhang said. “You’re only allowed to go downstairs when you are called.”
“I’ve done 10 PCR tests. They said to begin with that we’d be allowed to go out every other day [to buy food], but I’ve only been allowed out grocery shopping once, and they haven’t let me go out since then,” Zhang said. “We’ve run out of oil, but the guards at the gate are pretty fierce.”
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Residents queue to undergo nucleic acid tests for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Xi’an in China’s northern Shaanxi province, Dec. 29, 2021. Credit: AFP
A man-made problem’
A woman surnamed Liu who lived through the first pandemic lockdown in the central city of Wuhan in 2020 said there appeared to be strong parallels with her experience.
“It’s just like at the very start in Wuhan,” Liu said. “That was even more frightening; it felt like the end of the world, and was sheer hell.”
“Nowadays, nobody is that scared of the virus, but locking down a city is an administrative act; a man-made problem,” she said.
“Maybetoday, the centralized supply chain will kick in, and officials will start going into residential compounds to deliver supplies,” Liu said.
Xi’an residents have also reported finding it hard to access medical treatment, with one woman, Xu Yan, due on Jan. 1 with placenta previa turned away from several clinics and hospitals in Xi’an due to living in a “high-risk” COVID-19 district. Xi’an resident Wang Xia called on local people to complain about the decision on social media.
“Things are always so extreme in this country; everyone should go online to appeal [to the authorities] about this,” Wang said.
Wuhan campaigner Zhang Hai said the lockdowns in Wuhan and Xi’an were inhumane.
“They have brought in a number of inhumane policies in order to achieve control, which means that this pregnant woman has nowhere to turn, as if her life and those of her unborn child don’t matter,” Zhang said. Propagandists step in
Another pregnant woman, Liu Ruoyun, was quoted as saying that she was turned away the Xi’an International Medical Center Hospital near her home, because she lives in a “medium-risk” area.
She called an ambulance on Dec. 28, but the hospital was unwilling to admit her. She eventually found a hospital in Chang’an district to help her deliver, media reports said.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) censorship propaganda machine appeared to have sprung into action by around Dec. 28, with no posts on the “Hard to buy groceries in Xi’an” hashtag visible after that date.
An official city government news release showed volunteers processing large quantities of fresh produce in a bid to supply them to local people under lockdown, with the post garnering mostly positive comments about “feeling the party’s love,” with photos of newly arrived supplies.
Yet the most-liked comment under the official news release, from user @I_study_history_in_Xi’an, merely read: “The refrigerator is running low. I hope I can buy vegetables soon.”
The groceries hashtag appeared to have been replaced byFridaywith a more positive, #GoXi’an hashtag about a mass-organized attempt to deliver emergency supplies to people’s homes.
Despite the lockdown, the number of domestically transmitted infections in Xi’an exceeded 1,200 during the Dec. 9-30 period, amid official warnings of a further wave of transmission during the festive period, which lasts until Lunar New Year in February.
Meanwhile, computer chip-makers warned that manufacturing could be affected by the lockdown in Xi’an.
“Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, we have decided to temporarily adjust operations at our manufacturing facilities in Xi’an, China,” Samsung said in a statement on its website. “This decision was made in accordance with our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our employees and partners, which remains our top priority.”
“We will also take all necessary measures, including leveraging our global manufacturing network, to ensure that our customers are not affected,” the company said.
Meanwhile, Nasdaq-listed Micron Technology said its output of DRAM chips from its Xi’an facility had been affected by the lockdown.
“We are also working with local government officials to identify solutions that will enable us to minimize impact of the situation and maintain operations at the site safely,” it said, but it warned: “New or more stringent restrictions impacting our operations in Xi’an may be increasingly difficult to mitigate.”
Cincinnati Ohio and Stavanger Norway, Dec. 31, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CINCINNATI, OHIO and STAVANGER, NORWAY – DECEMBER 31st, 2021 – Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), one of the largest label companies in the world, is pleased to advise that the previously announced acquisition of Skanem Group’s label operations in Europe and Thailand successfully closed yesterday.
Effective immediately, seven of Skanem Group’s facilities in Denmark, Norway, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Thailand are part of Multi-Color Corporation, giving MCC an enhanced footprint in Europe and Thailand.
The acquisition will give Skanem’s customers access to expanded product offerings and a comprehensive range of the latest label technologies. We welcome the experienced Skanem team to MCC and look forward to building on existing and new growth opportunities together with our new colleagues.
About Multi-Color Corporation
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.A. based Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), established in 1916, is the global leader in prime label solutions with approximately $3 billion in annual revenue supporting a number of the world’s most prominent brands across end categories including Food & Beverage, Home & Personal Care, Wine & Spirits and other specialty end categories. MCC serves national and international brand owners across its global footprint with a comprehensive range of the latest label technologies in Pressure Sensitive, Cut & Stack, Roll-Fed, In-Mold, Shrink Sleeve and Heat Transfer. MCC employs approximately 13,000 associates across more than 100 plants in over 25 countries. MCC is owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. For additional information on Multi-Color Corporation, please visit www.mcclabel.com.
About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses. Since inception, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $35 billion in over 100 companies with an aggregate transaction value of more than $160 billion. The Firm has offices in New York and London. For more information, visit www.cdr-inc.com.
Laos is preparing to welcome foreign travel to the country in the new year, opening a major airport, land gate, and rail link in a bid to revive a national economy hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lao sources say.
The move comes as health officials push to vaccinate more residents of the country, where new cases of infection now number more than 1,000 every day.
The Lao government is urging citizens living in provinces along the route of a new high-speed railway linking China to the Lao capital Vientiane to complete three COVID-19 vaccinations before the rail line opens to tourists on Jan. 1.
Doctors, health workers and officials working on the border have previously been required to take the three vaccinations, but villagers living near the rail line have not yet completed the full course, a medical official in Vientiane told RFA this week.
Shortages of medical staff in many of the country’s provinces have also left many without effective protection or care, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to speak freely.
“We have a few younger health workers, but most of them are older, and when they go to villages with large numbers of infections, they have to tell some of the people to cure themselves at home,” he said. “They also give out a phone number for them to call if they continue to have problems.”
The Lao-China high-speed railway passes through a village outside the capital Vientiane, Dec. 3, 2021. Credit: RFA
In northwestern Laos’ Oudomxay province, one of five provinces through which the rail line passes, provincial authorities have already begun to give third doses of vaccine to local residents, one medical worker said, also speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Some of them are experiencing slight side effects, such as feeling a little ill, but for most of them their reactions are normal, with no side effects at all,” he said. “The government is opening the country for tourism, and Oudomxay is one of the provinces that the rail line passes through.”
Speaking to RFA, a resident of Luang Namtha, which also lies along the rail line, said he is ready to receive his third dose of the vaccine. “We aren’t as afraid to get the vaccine as we used to be. Everything about COVID-19 seems normal to us now,” he said.
In a sign the border opening might not go smoothly, residents living near the Lao-China border told RFA this week that more than 1,000 trucks were waiting to pass the Boten-Mohan border check point in Luang Namtha Province, and the line has doubled in recent week to 45 km (28 miles).
“It’s been more than a month now; the congestion is getting much worse,” said a motorist in the town of Boten near the border check point.
“We can’t travel from one village to another because there is too much traffic, too many cars and trucks–even motorcycles can’t go through,” he said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
Trucks line up waiting the cross the Lao-China border, in a screengrab of a video broadcast by state-run Luang Namtha Provincial TV, Dec. 29, 2021.
Also preparing to welcome foreign visitors in the coming year are the Wattay International Airport in the capital Vientiane and the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge connecting Vientiane with Nongkhai City in neighboring Thailand, sources said.
“The airport is ready for tourists,” an airport official told RFA on Wednesday, also asking for anonymity in order to speak freely. “But the tourists must first obtain permission from the central government to enter Laos.”
“Our airport will be staffed with medical personnel who will all be in personal protective equipment and will do their jobs under strict protocol,” he said.
Doctors and nurses will also be in place at the First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge, said an immigration officer with the Lao Ministry of Public Security, speaking to RFA the same day.
“Our staff will be examining the tourists, who must test negative for COVID-19 before they can travel further into the country. As for other travelers, such as members of the general public, our crossing point is not ready to open for them just yet,” he said.
Health workers wear in capital Vientiane province, Oct. 21, 2021. Credit: RFA’s Lao Service.
Some are voicing concerns over the country’s reopening, though.
“I’m happy that the country is finally opening, but deep inside of me I’m still worried about COVID-19,” said one restaurant owner in the capital Vientiane. “Everybody is scared, but I guess we will just have to protect ourselves by covering our faces and washing our hands.”
Laos has reported more than 1,000 new cases of COVID infection each day for the last several months, with 1,042 reported on Wednesday. A total of 108,782 Lao resident have become infected, with 355 deaths reported, since the pandemic began, according to official figures.
Only 57% of Lao residents have been fully vaccinated.
In a virtual meeting from Dec. 6 to 21, representatives of the Lao government and International Monetary Fund projected a growth in the Lao economy of 2.1% this year thanks to the export of agricultural products and electricity, with a possible 3% growth predicted after the country reopens.
Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, who is also the country’s minister of planning and investment, told the Lao National Assembly meeting last month that Lao economy will grow only 3% this year, short of the target of 4%.
In order to revive the economy, the Lao government has no other choice but to reopen the country in 2022, he said.
Business groups are also pushing for a reopening.
“Many sectors of the economy, such as tourism and wood exports are almost dead,” a representative of the Small and Medium Enterprise Association tolf RFA on Wednesday.
“The tourism and service sectors that depend mainly on foreign tourists will not quickly recover in the near future. We hope that the reopening will boost these sectors including hotel and restaurant businesses,” said the official, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely.
Reported by RFA’s Lao Service. Translated by Sidney Khotpanya and Max Avary. Written in English by Richard Finney.
ADVERTISEMENT. This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended (the “Prospectus Regulation”) relating to the intention of Iveco Group N.V. (the “Company”) to proceed with the proposed first admission to listing and trading of all of the common shares of the Company on the regulated market of Euronext Milan (the “Admission”). This announcement does not constitute or form part of a prospectus within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation and has not been reviewed nor approved by any regulatory or supervisory authority in any jurisdiction, including any member state of the European Economic Area (each, an “EEA Member”), the United Kingdom and the United States. This announcement is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer by or invitation by or on behalf of, the Company, CNH Industrial N.V (“CNH Industrial”), any of their advisors or any representative of the Company or CNH Industrial or any of their advisors, to purchase any securities or an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation to buy securities by any person in any jurisdiction, including any EEA Member, the United Kingdom or the United States. The approval of the Prospectus (as defined below) by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten, the “AFM”) should not be understood as an endorsement of the quality of the Shares (as defined below) and the Company. Potential investors should read the Prospectus before making an investment decision in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the decision to invest in the Shares.
London / Turin, December 31, 2021
Today CNH Industrial N.V. (“CNH Industrial”) and Iveco Group N.V. (“Iveco Group” or the “Company”) have executed the deed of demerger whereby, effective January 1, 2022, the relevant Iveco Group business segments will separate from CNH Industrial (the “Demerger”) and Iveco Group will become a public listed company independent from CNH Industrial (the “Admission”). As previously announced, Iveco Group common shares will begin trading on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., on January 3, 2022 under the ticker symbol ‘IVG’.
In this transaction CNH Industrial was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, BofA Securities, and Barclays Bank Ireland PLC. Citi and BNP Paribas advised Iveco Group on the transaction. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and JP Morgan Securities LLC provided financial advice. Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. and UniCredit Bank AG, Milan Branch acted as sponsors for the Admission.
Risk Factors
Investing in the Company involves certain risks. A description of these risks, which include risks relating to the Company as well as risks relating to the Demerger, the Admission, and the Common Shares and special voting shares in the share capital of the Company (the “Special Voting Shares” and together with the Common Shares, the “Shares”) is included in the prospectus prepared in connection with the Demerger and Admission (the “Prospectus”) and in the supplement to the Prospectus (the “Supplement”). Potential investors should read the Prospectus and the Supplement before making an investment decision in order to fully understand the potential risks and rewards associated with the decision to invest in the Shares.
Earlier announcements related to the Demerger and Admission
On December 27, 2021 CNH Industrial and the Company announced that Borsa Italiana S.p.A has admitted Iveco Group N.V. common shares to listing on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organised and managed by Borsa Italiana, and that Iveco Group has also submitted to Borsa Italiana the application for admission to trading of its common shares on Euronext Milan. On December 23, 2021 CNH Industrial announced that CNH Industrial extraordinary shareholders’ meeting approved the Demerger. On December 22, 2021, CNH Industrial announced that the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (StichtingAutoriteitFinanciëleMarkten, the “AFM”) has approved the Supplement to the Prospectus. On December 17, 2021, CNH Industrial announced the publication of combined financial figures for both its ‘Off-Highway’ and ‘On-Highway’ businesses. On December 9, 2021, CNH Industrial and the Company announced the rating assigned to the Company by Fitch Ratings. On November 18, 2021, CNH Industrial and the Company presented the Company’s business, strategy and 2026 financial ambitions. On November 11, 2021, CNH Industrial and the Company announced the approval and publication of the Prospectus. On September 3, 2019, CNH Industrial announced the intention to separate the relevant business segments of the Company’s from CNH Industrial and to admit the Company’s shares to listing and trading on a regulated market. On June 11, 2021 and on July 5, 2021, CNH Industrial announced management changes for the Company in view of the Demerger and Admission. On October 18, 2021, CNH Industrial further announced that an Investor Day in respect of the Company, ahead of the Demerger and Admission, was to be held on November 18, 2021. These press releases are available on the corporate website of CNH Industrial (www.cnhindustrial.com/en-us/investor_relations) and/or on the corporate website of the Company (www.ivecogroup.com/investor_relations).
CNH IndustrialN.V. (NYSE: CNHI /MI: CNHI) is a global leader in the capital goods sector with established industrial experience, a wide range of products and a worldwide presence. Each of the individual brands belonging to the Company is a major international force in its specific industrial sector: Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and Steyr for tractors and agricultural machinery; Case and New Holland Construction for earth moving equipment; Iveco for commercial vehicles; Iveco Bus and Heuliez Bus for buses and coaches; Iveco Astra for quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus for firefighting vehicles; Iveco Defence Vehicles for defence and civil protection; and FPT Industrial for engines and transmissions. More information can be found on the corporate website: www.cnhindustrial.com
Iveco Group N.V., after the completion of the Demerger as announced on November 11, 2021 (and expected to be effective on January 1, 2022), will be the parent company of the trucks and specialty vehicles, powertrain and related financial services businesses currently held by CNH Industrial. Iveco Group will therefore own and operate eight unique, yet unified commercial brands: IVECO, a pioneering champion that designs, manufactures and commercializes heavy, medium and light duty commercial vehicles; FPT Industrial, a global leader in providing its vast array of advanced powertrain technologies to customers in agriculture, construction, marine, power generation, and commercial vehicles alike; IVECO BUS and HEULIEZ, premium and mass-transit bus and coach brands; Iveco Defence Vehicles, for highly-specialized defence and civil protection equipment; ASTRA, a global expert in large scale heavy duty quarry and construction vehicles; Magirus, the industry-reputed firefighting vehicle and equipment manufacturer; and IVECO CAPITAL, the financing arm which supports them all, serving as the cornerstone of Iveco Group’s new business models. Further information about Iveco Group isavailable on the company’s website www.ivecogroup.com
Media contacts:
E-mail: mediarelations@cnhind.com
Francesco Polsinelli, Tel: +39 335 1776091
Laura Overall, Tel: +44 207 7660 386
DISCLAIMER
This announcement does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, as amended (the “Prospectus Regulation”), and shares in Iveco Group N.V. will be allotted in circumstances that do not constitute “an offer to the public” within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. This announcement is not intended for distribution in jurisdictions that require prior regulatory review and authorization to distribute an announcement of this nature.
The release, publication or distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which they are released, published or distributed, should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions.
This announcement is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market, as amended (the “Prospectus Regulation”). With respect to the member States of the European Economic Area, no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of the securities referred to herein requiring a publication of a prospectus in any relevant member State. As a result, the securities may not and will not be offered in any relevant member State except pursuant to a prospectus approved by the relevant market authorities in that member State or in accordance with the exemptions set forth in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Regulation, if they have been implemented in that relevant member State, or under any other circumstances which do not require the publication of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation and/or to applicable regulations of that relevant member State. This announcement is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, an offer by or invitation by or on behalf of, the Company, CNH Industrial, any of its advisors or any representative of the Company or CNH Industrial or any of their advisors, to purchase any securities or an offer to sell or issue, or the solicitation to buy securities by any person in any jurisdiction, including any EEA Member, the United Kingdom or the United States.
The securities referred to herein may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Company and CNH Industrial do not intend to register all or any portion of the offering of the securities in the United States of America or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States of America.
This announcement does not constitute an offer of securities to the public in the United Kingdom. This announcement is being distributed to and is directed only at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) persons who are investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) and (iii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”). Any investment activity to which this announcement relates will only be available to and will only be engaged with, Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
This announcement may include statements, including with respect to CNH Industrial’s and the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, business, strategy, plans and outlook, including the impact of certain transactions. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “estimates”, “anticipates”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “targets”, “may”, “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this announcement. Although CNH Industrial and the Company believe that such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Such forward-looking statements are included for illustrative purposes only. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside CNH Industrial and the Company’s control. CNH Industrial and the Company expressly disclaim any intention or obligation to provide, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this announcement to reflect any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based.
The price and value of securities may go up as well as down. Persons needing advice should contact a professional adviser. Information in this announcement or any of the documents relating to the Admission and the Demerger cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance.
The Company may decide not to go ahead with the Admission and CNH Industrial may decide not to go ahead with the Demerger and there is therefore no guarantee that the Admission and the Demerger will occur. You should not base your financial decision on this announcement. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing all of the amount invested.
