Day: September 29, 2022

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Triller Inc. Secures $310 Million Equity Funding from Global Emerging Markets (GEM) in connection with Upcoming Public Listing

Company Expects to be Publicly Trading in Early Q4 Under Symbol “ILLR”

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Triller Inc.(“Triller”) and GEM Global Yield LLC SCS (“GGY”) today announced a binding $310 million investment from GEM, the Luxembourg based private alternative investment group, in the form of a share subscription facility. Under the agreement, GEM will provide Triller with up to $310 million in equity capital for a 36-month term following a public listing of Triller’s common stock.

Triller will not be obligated to draw the full $310 million but can do so in part or in whole at its discretion. Triller will control both the timing and amount of all drawdowns and will issue stock to GEM on each drawn down from the facility. Triller will also issue warrants to GEM, further aligning the interests of the companies.

Triller filed its private S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month and is submitting what it anticipates being the final S-1 concurrently with the closing of this facility. The expectation is that trading will commence in early Q4 2022.

“Triller has been growing tremendously,” said Mahi de Silva, CEO and Chairman of Triller. “At our inception in 2019, we were a zero-revenue company; now we are on track to break $100 million in revenue this year. The Triller app has been downloaded more than 350 million times, and the company works with dozens of the world’s largest brands and thousands of top artists, disrupting the entire creator community.”

Triller has 10 business lines, eight of which are at break-even or profitable, and effectuates 750 million interactions per quarter, each of which is a potential monetizable transaction for the company in the future.

With the capital infusion from GEM, Triller will be able to make additional acquisitions to strengthen its toolbox for the creator community and reach breakeven or profitability in the short-term. Assuming it draws upon the full $310 million equity facility, Triller will have raised more than $600 million dollars and, upon its IPO, will be virtually debt free.

“Triller is breaking all the rules of the closed garden systems. It is challenging the way the old establishment takes advantage of creators and users by keeping 99 percent of the money within the system for itself,” said De Silva. “The reason the industry is so set on MAU, DAU and the like is that is how much time someone spends within one company’s particular closed garden and means that the social networks ‘own’ the user, revenue, brand and information.

“Triller breaks that system wide open. As an open garden, our goal is to put the power back in the hands of the creators and users, allowing creators and brands to connect directly. We provide tools to maximize those connections and how well each can be monetized. In addition, looking at the number of interactions we facilitate helps us to forecast future revenue since each one of those is a potential transaction fee for us.”

About Triller Inc.

Triller is the AI-powered open garden technology platform for creators. Pairing music culture with sports, fashion, entertainment, and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology, Triller encourages its influencers to post the content created on the app across different social media platforms and uses proprietary AI technology to push and track their content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks, enabling them to reach millions of additional users. Triller additionally owns VERZUZ, the live-stream music platform; combat sports brands Triller Fight Club, Triad Combat and BKFC; Amplify.ai, a leading customer engagement platform; FITE.tv, a premier global PPV, AVOD, and SVOD streaming service; Thuzio, a leader in B2B premium influencer events and experiences; Fangage, a platform for creators to engage fans and monetize content and Julius, a platform for brands and agencies to harness creators for social engagement and social commerce.

About GEM
Global Emerging Markets (“GEM”) is a $3.4 billion, Luxembourg based private alternative investment group with offices in Paris, New York and The Bahamas. GEM manages a diverse set of investment vehicles focused on emerging markets and has completed over 530 transactions in over 70 countries. Each investment vehicle has a different degree of operational control, risk-adjusted return, and liquidity profile. The family of funds and investment vehicles provide GEM and its partners with exposure to: Small-Mid Cap Management Buyouts, Private Investments in Public Equities and select venture investments. For more information: http://www.gemny.com

Tony Freinberg
President, Edendale Strategies
tony@edendalestrategies.com
(310) 614-1435

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Vinamilk recognized as “The 6th Most Valuable Dairy Brand” globally in 2022 by Brand Finance

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Vinamilk, Vietnam’s leading dairy manufacturer has reached a new milestone by being ranked 6th position in the Top 10 Most Valuable Dairy Brands by Brand Finance.

Brand Finance offered Vinamilk’s brand value certificate to the company’s representative

The US$2.8 billion valuation this year sees an impressive 18% increase as compared to 2021, reaffirms Vinamilk’s leading position. Specifically, in the dairy segment, the brand was ranked the Most Potential Dairy Brand and continues to appear in the Top 5 Strongest Dairy Brands, coming in 2nd place – a remarkable result for Vinamilk as the only Southeast Asia representative in the Top 10 ranking for both brand value and strength. Vinamilk also leaves its footprint in major Food rankings such as Top 30 Most Valuable Food Brands and Top 10 Strongest Food Brands.

Vinamilk’s brand value growth (2019 – 2022)

Furthermore, according to the nationwide report, Brand Finance also recognized Vinamilk as the Most Valuable Food Brand in Vietnam.

“The significant role of the brand is well aware by Vinamilk throughout the development of the company, especially in F&B and the dairy industry in particular. Throughout our 46-year journey, Vinamilk has continuously built the company’s brand value in accordance to our core pillars – product quality, service and our reputation amongst consumers”, said Mrs. Bui Thi Huong, Vinamilk Chief Director of Admin, HR & PR.

Vinamilk’s recent activities in Australia Fine Food trade fair

She also believes Vietnamese businesses will focus and put all their effort in achieving higher rankings on global rankings, affirming the position and value of Vietnamese national brands.

Every year, Brand Finance puts 5,000 of the world’s biggest brands in 29 industries throughout 39 countries under its test. With an integrated measurement method, considering various brand factors such as impact, health and reputation, investment and others combined with financial and survey data, the annual Food and Drink report published by Brand Finance provides brand health assessments in a transparent, fair and objective manner.

The changes when compared to Brand Finance’s 2021 report suggest that brands that invest in intrinsic strength, as well as focus on core values and long-term vision, are more likely to overcome uncertainty in turbulent times, and are developing further through innovation and continuity to meet growing consumer needs.

Vinamilk’s investments have also been positively recognized by other local and international organizations. The Brand Footprint 2022 report published by Worldpanel, Kantar signified Vinamilk’s decade-long achievements in maintaining leading positions in the Top 10 Most Chosen Dairy Brands in Vietnam.

In addition, Vinamilk was also honored for the 10th consecutive time in Forbes Vietnam’s 50 Best Listed Companies and has been recognized as one of “Vietnam Value” brands by VIETRADE since 2010.

Present in 57 countries and territories with a total accumulated export turnover of US$2.75 billion, Vinamilk continues to research and develop new products to increase its penetration to key export markets.

Since the beginning of 2022, the company has actively participated in a number of international trade activities and food fairs in China, Dubai, Japan, South Korea, and Australia to introduce Vinamilk’s range of products, as well as seeking opportunities for its international expansion.

About Vinamilk

Founded in 1976, Vinamilk is the leading dairy company in Vietnam which is listed among the Top 40 largest nutrition companies in the world by revenue and Top 10 of the world’s most valuable dairy brands. Vinamilk currently manages 17 factories, 15 dairy farms in Vietnam and overseas.

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WFP Republic of Congo Country Brief, August 2022

In Numbers

237.2 mt of food distributed

USD 27,110 cash-based transfers

USD 5 million six-month (September 2022 – February 2023) net funding requirements

29,046 people assisted

Operational Updates

Strategic Outcome 1: Food-insecure people affected by shocks have access to adequate food all year round

• WFP delivers food assistance through in-kind food and cash-based transfers (CBT) in the Likouala and Plateaux Departments. In August, 8,876 Central African Republic refugees living in the Enyellé district (Likouala Department) received in-kind food assistance.

• Hundred refugees participated in the food for assets (FFA) agricultural project in Impfondo (Likouala Department), growing and harvesting peanuts, rice, and beans.

• As part of the treatment and prevention of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), WFP assisted 11,091 children aged 6 to 59 months and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in the Brazzaville, Likouala and Pool Departments.

• To strengthen the capacity of health centres in Mayama, Kimba and Vindza (Pool Department), WFP trained 16 staff in MAM screening and care for children and PLW, and in health data management.

• In the Pool Department, 425 vulnerable people benefited from CBT assistance in return for their work on the rehabilitation of a new road between Ngamadzambala, Minsamvi and Loukakou.

Strategic Outcome 2: Equitable national social protection interventions effectively target vulnerable populations, including school-aged children with sustained access to safe and nutritious food.

• In August, WFP consolidated its collaboration with the Department of School Feeding (DSF), through weekly meetings to jointly prepare for the new school year starting on the 3 October 2022. This included planning of community sensitisation missions and a 3-day training for DSF to strengthen monitoring and evaluation activities of the school feeding programme, both taking place in September. The joint sensitisation missions will cover five departments of the country and will reach an estimated 140 schools. The missions are designed to strengthen the capacity of local communities in the management and rehabilitation of kitchens and storage of food

Source: World Food Programme

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Former minister Zwane appears in court for alleged fraud and corruption in failed R280 million Estina Dairy Farm Project

BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), Former Minister of Mineral Resources, Mosebenzi Zwane, has appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of alleged fraud and corruption related to the failed R280 million Estina Dairy Farm Project.

Zwane, who is currently a Member of Parliament, appeared in the court alongside former Sahara employee Ugeshni Govender and former director of Islandsite Ronica Ragavan.

The former minister was the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Free State at the time the project was signed off in 2012.

National Prosecuting Authority Investigating Directorate (NPA ID) head Advocate Andrea Johnson said the arrests and the appearance in court is another step in the unit’s crackdown of those accused of facilitating and participating in State capture.

“The enrolment of this case demonstrates the commitment of the ID to deal with perpetrators of State capture. This case should serve to remind the people of the Free State that this matter was not forgotten.  It does however take long to investigate and put together appropriate charges for prosecuting such complex cases.

“The Vrede Dairy Project destroyed the lives of the people and communities it was supposed to empower and uplift. The enrolment of the matter is a step closer to delivering justice to the people who were alleged to have been prejudiced by the criminal conduct of the accused,” Johnson said.

NPA ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka explained that the project was aimed at benefitting emerging farmers in the Free State but investigations revealed that the entire project “was designed to extract funds from the State”.

“On 05 July 2012, Estina…entered into an agreement with the Free State Department of Agriculture to establish and implement a dairy farm project in Vrede to benefit previously disadvantaged farmers and to uplift the people of the Vrede area.  In terms of the agreement, Estina was to provide a capital injection of R228 million. Paras Dairy – a company incorporated in India – was presented as Estina’s partner in the Vrede Dairy Project.

“In the charge sheet, the Investigating Directorate  alleges that [in] terms of the agreement between the Department of Agriculture and Estina, the beneficiaries were to own 51% of the AGRIBEE entity and the remaining shares were to belong to Estina.

“The agreement further stipulated that the department was to contribute R342 million…[and] Estina received R280 million from July 2012 to April 2014.  Investigations also revealed that no proper tender procedures were followed with regards the decision to fund the proposed Vrede Dairy Project. Estina did not adhere to its obligations in terms of the agreement as only the department paid its contribution into bank accounts held by Estina,” Seboka said.

All three accused were released on R10,000 bail.

Source: Nam News Network

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Report: Million Livelihoods in DRC Threatened by Planned Oil and Gas Exploration

The environmental group Greenpeace Africa has released a report saying planned oil and gas exploration in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could expose more than 1 million people to pollution and disease.

The planned selling of 30 eastern land blocks that extend into a famous gorilla reserve would also threaten wildlife and food security, while fueling conflict, poverty and corruption, according to the report.

Residents in the area accuse the government of keeping them in the dark and expressed fear of losing their livelihoods when companies start drilling for fossil fuels.

Representatives for Greenpeace Africa and partner organizations visited about 30 villages in July to gauge the community’s awareness of the planned exploration and how they intend to protect their land and livelihoods.

Mbong Akiy Fokwa Tsafack, head of communication at Greenpeace Africa, said many communities are not aware of the government’s plan to auction their land.

“The thought of the government thinking of auctioning their lands for oil was really a shock for them. They were unaware, so they didn’t know this was underway, which is quite shocking given how much the government has said it plans to really put people ahead of everything else,” Tsafack said.

No one asked residents what they thought of the oil and gas drilling project, said Bantu Lukambo, who works with Innovation for the Development and Protection of the Environment, an NGO monitoring the welfare of communities around Virunga National Park.

The government is supposed to have public input before undertaking such exploration, he said, but failed to do so. Even parliament members were not included in the decision-making process, he added.

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi defended his government’s plan while speaking at the United Nations General Assembly last week, saying oil discovery would bring economic development to his people.

Hydrocarbons Minister Didier Budimbu Ntubuanga, speaking at the Africa Oil Week conference in Senegal early this month, said the DRC has received two offers for the oil blocks and said any exploration will follow environmental guidelines.

Lukambo is doubtful that will be the case.

He fears all the fish will die if the exploration begins, and fishermen and their families will be in trouble. In addition, he added, 14 of the oil blocks are in Virunga National Park, and the others are in farming areas. If exploration starts on the land, he said, farmers won’t farm their land.

The oil exploration blocks overlap parts of Congo’s most pristine ecosystems and Virunga Park, which is home to over 1,000 species of animals and birds.

Tsafack said Congo’s leaders need to reconsider their decision to allow oil exploration in the park and nearby areas.

“This is a moment when we need to see leadership coming through, in terms of the zeal to uproot corruption, to strengthen good governance and to put the people of the DRC at [the] heart of any kind of development agenda,” Tsafack said. “And putting the people of DRC at the heart of any development agenda means really looking into the communities and finding out what it is that will uplift their lives.”

The 20-page report from Greenpeace urges the government to halt the projects and encourage alternative investments in renewable energy sources.

Source: Voice of America

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Eidosmedia partners with Sophi.io on AI-powered print automation

The partnership integrates Sophi.io’s AI technology into Eidosmedia’s editorial platform, bringing seamless ML-powered print laydown automation to Eidosmedia customers

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —  Eidosmedia, a developer of digital publishing solutions for leading news-media groups worldwide, has partnered with Sophi.io, an AI-powered automation, optimization and prediction platform developed by The Globe and Mail, to bring seamless print laydown automation to Eidosmedia customers.

The solution brings the entire print page layout process down from hours to just minutes, without the use of templates. Publishers can dramatically improve productivity and cut costs, all within the Méthode platform they currently use.

“The complexity of print page layouts has until now defied the easy automation that speeds the publishing of online formats,” said Marco Cetola, Eidosmedia Sales and Partner Program Director. “For our customers, especially large regional groups and national titles, print editions continue to be a major source of revenue. There’s intense interest in ways to cut production times and costs in this important publishing channel.”

“The fit between our print edition building routines and Sophi’s AI engine turned out to be very good,” said Marco. “We were quickly able to start training the pagination model on existing layouts, and we had the first results in a matter of days”.

“The productivity boost obtained is exceptional,” said Marco, “especially for daily publications where the page-design operation is usually running against the clock.” In fact, a typical 32-page print edition can be paginated in minutes compared to several hours for a manual operation.

Sophi-powered print automation is different than other print production solutions in that it is completely template-free. It uses smart AI to ensure that a publisher’s printed pages look and feel as though they were produced by experienced editors and page designers. Each page is designed from scratch following each individual brand’s design vocabulary. The final output is a print-ready PDF or InDesign file that’s ready in minutes.

Among those who stand to benefit from the new technology are page designers themselves. Page designers have been under pressure for some time to increase their productivity as publishers try to cut costs. With fewer hands to lay out growing numbers of pages, the designer’s job has in many cases become a stressful race against time. The automation engine will take routine tasks off their hands so they can devote more time to the front pages, features and special layouts where their creativity can really add value.

“Page automation is the greatest innovation in the publishing industry since the personal computer replaced typewriters,” said Marco.

Gabe Gonda, VP at Sophi.io, commented: “Sophi is delighted to be entering a partnership with Eidosmedia to deliver our print automation technology through the Méthode platform. Eidosmedia is a first-class CMS vendor with deep knowledge of its clients’ evolving needs. This partnership will help deliver a unique and high-value solution to some of the best newspaper publishers in the world.”

About Eidosmedia

Eidosmedia (www.eidosmedia.com) is a global leader in content management and digital publishing. Eidosmedia solutions are used by news-media organizations throughout the world to create and deliver portfolios of news products ranging from advanced digital formats to traditional newspapers and magazines.

About Sophi Inc.

Sophi.io (https://www.sophi.io) was developed by The Globe and Mail to help content publishers make important strategic and tactical decisions. It is a suite of AI and ML-powered automation, optimization and prediction solutions that include Sophi Site Automation, Sophi for Paywalls and Sophi for First Party Data. Sophi also powers one-click automated laydown of template-free print publishing. Sophi is designed to improve the metrics that matter most to your business.

Contact Us

Marco Cetola
Sales and Partner Program Director
Eidosmedia SpA
marco.cetola@eidosmedia.com
+390236732202

Jamie Rubenovitch
Head of Marketing
Sophi Inc.
jrubenovitch@globeandmail.com
416-585-3355
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Casio to Release Mid-Size G-SHOCK

Featuring Luxe Metal Bezel and Dimensional Dial

TOKYO, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Casio Computer Co., Ltd. announced today the release of the latest addition to its G-SHOCK line of shock-resistant watches. The GM-S110 is a digital-analog combination timepiece with a mid-size design featuring a luxe metal bezel and a dimensional dial. The new watch will be available in four models.

GM-S110

With their toughness-oriented design, G-SHOCK watches have long been popular, especially with a broad range of male users. Now, to serve an even more diverse fan base, Casio has added a focus on expanding its lineup of watches for women and developing more compact models that anyone can wear.

The new GM-S110 is designed to nicely fit slimmer wrists, with a more compact and comfortable 42-mm case diameter and slimmer 13-mm profile, which still delivers all the shock resistance you expect in a G-SHOCK. The watch features a dimensional dial with a design based on the popular GMA-S110, which has received high marks from users across the gender spectrum.GM-S110-1A/GM-S110PG-1A/GM-S110B-8A/GM-S110LB-2A

The intricately shaped bezel has separate hairline and mirror finishes applied to individual surfaces to enhance the texture of the metal. The dial, which is composed of a complex arrangement of 3D parts, also features a metallic finish applied to multiple components to nicely complement the metal bezel.

The new watch is available in four models. The GM-S110-1A features a stylish silver color that showcases the original texture of the metal. The GM-S110PG-1A gets an exquisite touch of color with pink gold IP. The GM-S110B-8A has a chic look thanks to gray IP. The GM-S110LB-2A employs newly developed light blue IP. The sophisticated cool of these color options makes any one of the new GM-S110 watches a superb complement to any fashion or style.

More information: https://www.casio.com/intl/news/2022/0929-gm-s110/

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Casio lance une G-SHOCK de taille moyenne

Avec une lunette en métal de luxe et un cadran dimensionnel

TOKYO, 29 septembre 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Casio Computer Co., Ltd. a annoncé aujourd’hui la sortie du dernier ajout à sa gamme de montres antichocs G-SHOCK. La GM-S110 est une montre combinée numérique-analogique de taille moyenne dotée d’une lunette en métal luxueuse et d’un cadran dimensionnel. La nouvelle montre sera disponible en quatre modèles.

GM-S110

Avec leur design axé sur la robustesse, les montres G-SHOCK sont depuis longtemps populaires, notamment auprès d’un large éventail d’utilisateurs masculins. Aujourd’hui, pour servir une base de fans encore plus diversifiée, Casio s’est attaché à élargir sa gamme de montres pour femmes et à développer des modèles plus compacts que tout le monde peut porter.

La nouvelle GM-S110 est conçue pour s’adapter à des poignets plus fins, avec un boîtier plus compact et confortable de 42 mm de diamètre et un profil plus fin de 13 mm, qui offre toujours la résistance aux chocs que vous attendez d’une G-SHOCK. La montre présente un cadran dimensionnel dont le design est basé sur la populaire GMA-S110, qui a reçu de bonnes notes de la part des utilisateurs de tous les genres.GM-S110-1A/GM-S110PG-1A/GM-S110B-8A/GM-S110LB-2A

La lunette de forme complexe présente des finitions capillaires et miroir distinctes appliquées à des surfaces individuelles pour mettre en valeur la texture du métal. Le cadran, qui se compose d’un agencement complexe de pièces en 3D, présente également une finition métallique appliquée à plusieurs composants pour compléter joliment la lunette métallique.

La nouvelle montre est disponible en quatre modèles. La GM-S110-1A présente une élégante couleur argentée qui met en valeur la texture originale du métal. La GM-S110PG-1A reçoit une touche de couleur exquise grâce à l’IP or rose. Le GM-S110B-8A a un look chic grâce à son IP gris. Le GM-S110LB-2A utilise utilise un IP bleu clair nouvellement développé. La fraîcheur sophistiquée de ces options de couleur fait de chacune des nouvelles montres GM-S110 un superbe complément à toute mode ou style.

Plus d’informations : https://www.casio.com/intl/news/2022/0929-gm-s110/

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