French President Emmanuel Macron, whose state visit to China featured six hours with China’s President Xi Jinping, has come under fire for comments seen as distancing Paris from Washington and many European capitals. Europe must reduce its strategic dependency on the U.S. to avoid getting “caught up in crises that are not ours,” Macron said. Xi and the Chinese Communist Party have enthusiastically endorsed Macron’s diplomatic concepts, but critics said his remarks were poorly timed, while most of Europe is reassessing relations with Beijing in the face of Xi’s domestic repression, international aggression, economic coercion and support for Russia over Ukraine.
Girl denied Chinese birth certificate reunited with parents in Kazakhstan
A 6-year-old ethnic Kazakh girl who was born in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region but denied a birth certificate by local authorities there has been reunited with her parents in neighboring Kazakhstan after her case was reported by Radio Free Asia.
Reyan Abil’s case highlights the plight of possibly hundreds of thousands of Kazakh families who have been separated by the actions of the Chinese government, advocates say.
She was born to Xinjiang-born Nazgul, the second wife of her father Abil Dililhan but then denied a birth certificate because local authorities refused to recognize Abil’s divorce, granted by a court in Kazakhstan’s Xiyelek county in 2016.
Both of Reyan’s parents are now citizens of Kazakhstan, yet the lack of official papers meant she was unable to enroll in a local school, or travel back to Kazakhstan, where her family is based.
“Our child was born in China, but the Chinese government refused to issue a birth certificate,” Abil told Radio Free Asia earlier this year. “We asked them to do a DNA test, and we had one done ourselves, but they still refused.”
After the report was aired by RFA Mandarin, officials appeared to have a change of heart, and eventually issued Reyan with a birth certificate, enabling her to join her parents in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.
‘Hundreds of thousands’ of families separated
Her family’s story highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s policies targeting ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, where Beijing continues to incarcerate Kazakhs and Uyghurs in large numbers, despite claiming that the regionwide network of “re-education” camps is closing.
Serikzhan Bilash, founder of the Kazakhstan-based rights group Atajurt told Radio Free Asia that “hundreds of thousands of Kazakhs have had their families separated between Xinjiang and Kazakhstan, and they’re not allowed to communicate with each other by phone.”
“They pretend that the re-education centers or vocational training centers have been closed, but they are still putting Uyghurs or Kazakhs they don’t like in psychiatric hospitals or in industrial parks claiming to provide ’employment opportunities for ethnic minorities’,” he said.
Under intense questioning by UN experts over two days in February, a delegation of 40 Chinese officials denied any human rights violations against Uyghur and Tibetan minorities, or efforts to eradicate their religious lives.
Official figures show that there are around 1.5 million Kazakhs in China, mostly concentrated in and around the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.
China once welcomed Kazakhs who wished to relocate from Kazakhstan, but the ongoing mass targeting of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang has prompted many Kazakhs with Chinese nationality to head back in the other direction.
Chinese restrictions on the free movement of ethnic Kazakhs with Chinese nationality to neighboring Kazakhstan have sparked cross-border tensions in recent years.
Restricted phone calls
Meanwhile, any ethnic minority resident of Xinjiang with family outside China’s borders has to submit an application to their local police station in advance if they wish to call friends and relatives overseas, Serikzhan said.
“Some local authorities only allow people to talk to relatives and family members abroad on the phone within a specific period of time,” he said. “In some places, people even have to apply to the local police or the state security police in advance, specifying a particular month and a particular day.”
“Phone calls can only be made after the authorities give permission,” he said.
Many Kazakhs in Xinjiang are limited to one or two phone calls a month to relatives overseas.
“After the call, they have to provide [the state security police] with a written report detailing how many minutes the call lasted,” Serikzhan said.
Fear of being harassed
For Reyan’s family, their worries aren’t over yet.
“His concern now is that the Chinese police will harass his wife’s brother-in-law [who brought Reyan to Kazakhstan] after he goes back to China,” Abil’s friend Nurbek said.
And Reyan’s birth certificate still doesn’t show her biological parents, but an unrelated “uncle and aunt” from Xinjiang, who are now her legal parents, according to Serikzhan.
“The child now has identity papers following the report by Radio Free Asia … yet the Chinese authorities deliberately gave this girl a fake identity,” he said, adding that there is still a long process ahead before Reyan can obtain Kazakhstan citizenship.
“The Xinjiang authorities are deliberately making things difficult, and creating all kinds of problems, so as to prevent these Kazakhs from emigrating to Kazakhstan,” Serikzhan said. “They could still try to pin some crime on [the brother-in-law] … like child trafficking.”
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Iveco Group announces the results of the Annual General Meeting, the publication of its 2022 Sustainability Report, and the launch of an initial 55 million euro tranche of its share buyback program
Turin, 14th April 2023. Iveco Group N.V. (MI: IVG) (the Company or IVG) announces that its shareholders approved all the resolutions proposed by the Board of Directors (the Board) at their Annual General Meeting (AGM) held today in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
The AGM:
- adopted the 2022 Annual Financial Statements;
- expressed a majority of votes in favour of the Remuneration Report for the Financial Year 2022;
- granted Executive and Non-Executive Directors discharge from liability for the exercise of their duties in the Financial Year 2022;
- reappointed Suzanne Heywood and Gerrit Marx as Executive Directors, and Tufan Erginbilgic, Essimari Kairisto, Linda Knoll, Alessandro Nasi, Olof Persson, Benoît Ribadeau-Dumas and Lorenzo Simonelli as Non-Executive Directors of the Company. Subsequently, the Board confirmed Ms Heywood, Mr Marx and Mr Simonelli as Chairperson, Chief Executive Officer and Senior Non-Executive Director, respectively;
- authorised the Board to repurchase up to 10,000,000 Common Shares with a maximum total allocation of €130,000,000 for a period of 18 months from the date of the AGM.
Details of all matters discussed today at the AGM are available on the Company’s website (www.ivecogroup.com), where the Chairperson’s and the Chief Executive Officer’s presentations, as well as the voting results, will be posted shortly.
Concurrently, the Company published its 2022 Sustainability Report, which is available on the corporate website (www.ivecogroup.com).
This is Iveco Group’s first Sustainability Report as an independent Company. It was written in line with multiple international reporting requirements and sustainability reporting guidelines, and it outlines Iveco Group’s plan to become increasingly sustainable and the Company’s ESG achievements in 2022.
The Company also announces that it launches today an initial tranche (up to € 55,000,000) of its share buyback program with the aim of repurchasing up to 10,000,000 Common Shares for a maximum total allocation of € 130,000,000 for the whole buyback initiative, as outlined above.
The initial tranche of the buyback program will end on 20th December 2023 (subject to suspension or early termination) and will be carried out pursuant to the terms and conditions of the authorisation granted at the AGM, in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including the European Commission Regulation (EU) 596/2014 and the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052. The Company has engaged a primary financial institution as the intermediary to manage the purchase of IVG Common Shares on Euronext Milan and on multilateral trading facilities; this financial institution will make its trading decisions independent of the Company. The repurchased Common Shares will be used to meet the Company’s obligations under its equity incentive plans, as existing from time to time.
Any changes to the information above will be promptly disclosed. The Company will report on the progress of the purchases in accordance with the applicable rules.
As of today, the Company holds in treasury 71,945 Special Voting Shares, and no Common Shares. No IVG shares are held by entities the Company controls.
Iveco Group N.V. (MI: IVG) is the home of unique people and brands that power your business and mission to advance a more sustainable society. The eight brands are each a major force in its specific business: IVECO, a pioneering commercial vehicles brand that designs, manufactures, and markets heavy, medium, and light-duty trucks; FPT Industrial, a global leader in a vast array of advanced powertrain technologies in the agriculture, construction, marine, power generation, and commercial vehicles sectors; IVECO BUS and HEULIEZ, mass-transit and premium bus and coach brands; IDV, for highly-specialised defence and civil protection equipment; ASTRA, a leader 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. Iveco Group employs more than 35,000 people around the world and has 26 manufacturing plants and 29 R&D centres. Further information is available on the Company’s website www.ivecogroup.com
Media Contacts:
Francesco Polsinelli, Mob: +39 335 1776091
Fabio Lepore, Mob: +39 335 7469007
E-mail: mediarelations@ivecogroup.com
Investor Relations:
Federico Donati, Tel: +39 011 0073539
E-mail: investor.relations@ivecogroup.
Attachment
GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 1000803927
Drone attack kills 8, injures 30 in Sagaing region
Eight people were killed and 30 were injured when a drone bombed a water festival pavilion in a village in Myanmar’s northern Sagaing region.
Locals said most of those injured in Thursday’s attack on Sagaing township’s Kywei Pon village were junta troops and members of the affiliated Pyu Saw Htee militia who were gathering there to celebrate the Thingyan festival in the run up to Burmese new year.
A junta statement released Friday confirmed the number of casualties and said five children were among the dead. It blamed a local People’s Defense Force for the attack, saying the drone dropped four bombs on the building.
One resident told RFA the junta built the pavilion on a school soccer pitch. He said junta troops have been stationed in Sagaing township near the village since the February 2021 coup and local People’s Defense Forces often attack them.
“I saw three cars transporting injured people to Sagaing’s 200-bed hospital this morning,” said the local, who didn’t want to be identified for safety reasons.
“The army fired heavy artillery shells around the village after the incident.”
Thursday, the first day of the water festival, was marked by a series of bombings of junta-built Thingyan pavilions.
Four people were killed and 11 injured in Shan state’s Lashio town.
Bombs also went off in Bago region’s Letpadan township, and Yangon’s Thaketa and Hlaingtharya townships but no one was injured.
No group has claimed responsibility for any of Thursday’s attacks.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.
VCI Global Limited “VCIG” Closes Its First Day of Trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ: VCIG) (“VCI Global”, or the “Company”) a multi-disciplinary consulting group with key advisory practices in the areas of business and technology, announced that its ordinary shares have commenced trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market today under the ticker symbol “VCIG.” The shares closed their first day of trading above the offering price at $4.25.
On April 13, 2023, the Company priced its firm commitment underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 1,280,000 shares of ordinary shares at a public offering price of $4.00 per share. The gross proceeds to the Company were $5,120,000 before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and other Offering expenses.
Boustead Securities, LLC and Sutter Securities, Inc. acted as the underwriters for the firm commitment Offering.
A registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-268109), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), was declared effective on March 30, 2023. The Offering has been made only by means of a prospectus. A copy of the final prospectus related to the Offering may be obtained, when available, from Boustead Securities, LLC, via email: offerings@boustead1828.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About VCI Global Limited
VCI Global is a multi-disciplinary consulting group with key advisory practices in the areas of business and technology. The Company provides business and boardroom strategy services, investor relation services, and technology consultancy services. Its clients range from small-medium enterprises and government-linked agencies to publicly traded companies across a broad array of industries. VCI Global operates solely in Malaysia, with clients predominantly from Malaysia, but also serves some clients from China, Singapore, and the US.
For more information on the Company, please log on to https://v-capital.co/.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company’s ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including without limitation, the Company’s ability to achieve profitable operations, customer acceptance of new products, the effects of the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) and future measures taken by authorities in the countries wherein the Company has supply chain partners, the demand for the Company’s products and the Company’s customers’ economic condition, the impact of competitive products and pricing, successfully managing and general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release, except in accordance with applicable law.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Issued by Imej Jiwa Communications Sdn Bhd and ICR Inc. on behalf of VCI Global Limited
For media queries, please contact:
Imej Jiwa Communications Sdn Bhd
Chris Chuah
Email: chris@imejjiwa.com
ICR Inc.
Investor Relations
Michael Bowen
Vciglobal.ir@icrinc.com
Public Relations
Brad Burgess
Vciglobal.pr@icrinc.com
Boustead Securities, LLC
Underwriter
Dan McClory, Head of Equity Capital Markets
dan@boustead1828.com
GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8807809
Centro Semillero Offers Two Master’s Programs and Endless Possibilities
Houston, Texas, April 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — You may have heard the motto, “Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn.” This principle strongly applies to two Houston-area educators who, through Centro Semillero at University of St. Thomas-Houston (UST), have confirmed their callings as teachers and fortified their faith. Moreover, they are applying the academic program’s four pillars — kindness, discipline, knowledge, and community — to everything they do.
Angel de Jesus Garcia, Current Master’s Student
One of them is Angel de Jesus Garcia, a college advisor at Houston Independent School District and currently enrolled in Centro Semillero’s Master of Sacred Scriptures Program.
“When my friends told me that St. Thomas was about to launch a master’s degree program in Spanish, I went to orientation and decided to give it try,” Garcia said. “That’s how I became part of the first generation of Spanish-speaking theology students, and I thank God for that decision.”
Garcia made this decision because it perfectly supported both his profession as an educator and his after-work role as a leader at his parish’s youth ministry where he attends pastoral meetings, plans retreats, and creates Christian formation programs.
About Centro Semillero
Centro Semillero was created in 2019 as a graduate studies program in pastoral and biblical studies theology at the UST School of Humanities. Offered online and 100% in Spanish, Centro Semillero offers two postgraduate programs: a Master’s in Pastoral Theology and a Master’s in Sacred Scriptures.
“Centro Semillero,” according to its director Father Dempsey Rosales Acosta, “is inspired by the book of Proverbs 2:2-3 when fulfilling the invitation to incline our hearts to the understanding and study of God to grow in his love. Our center offers the opportunity to fulfill this goal of personal and professional growth by obtaining a postgraduate degree in pastoral or biblical studies at UST from the comfort of your home with our 100% online programs.”
Iris Lai Nayas, MAPT ‘21
For Iris Lai Nayas, a 9th-grade Spanish teacher at Pasadena Independent School District, and a graduate of the Pastoral Theology program in 2021, the concepts she learned have opened a door for dialogue with colleagues from other religions.
Nayas said, “The program has helped me find pastoral strategies for interacting with my colleagues, who are not necessarily Catholic. The strategies enable me to dialogue with all of my colleagues and live experiences of faith without losing the essence of mine.”
Most importantly, the program has made her realize that through her interactions with her students and peers, she can be a testament to God’s presence.
“Today, schools they have taken God out of the classroom but thanks to this program, I understand that God has never been outside, and it is up to me to present him, through values, justice, love, prudence, prayer, and faith,” adds Nayas.
Thanks to her graduate degree, Nayas is also a facilitator in the Small Communities of Salt and Light of Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.
How to Enroll
Centro Semillero has open enrollment for new students. To learn more about Centro Semillero click here.
Attachments
Sandra Soliz University of St. Thomas - Houston 713-906-7912 solizs@stthom.edu
GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8807777