BEIJING, July 24, 2021 — China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, known as "the world’s last piece of pure land" and "the roof of the world," celebrates its 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation this year, and the plans for its future development are becoming clearer.
 
At last year’s high-level meeting on Tibet, China mapped out policy directions for building a new modern socialist region that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.
Tibet’s long-lasting peace and stability, as well as developing an ecological civilization and achieving high-quality development, were among the issues highlighted during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day inspection tour of the region, which began on Wednesday, to mark the 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation.
The development of Tibet, an inseparable part of China, is a priority for the central government. Since taking the helm of the country in 2013, President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has paid close attention to the development of the region. Arrangements have been made to promote social stability, border development, ecological protection and ethnic unity in Tibet, opening a new chapter of improved governance, stability and people’s well-being.
Adherence to building ecological civilization
On Wednesday, President Xi arrived at Nyingchi Mainling Airport and was warmly welcomed by local people and officials of various ethnic groups before visiting the Nyang River Bridge to inspect ecological preservation in the basin of the Yarlung Zangbo River and its tributary Nyang River.
Tibet maintained stable environmental quality in 2020, according to a report by the region’s ecology and environment department.
Speaking at a meeting wrapping up his inspection tour on Friday, Xi reiterated his belief that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" as he called for greater promotion of biodiversity conservation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
"We should unswervingly give priority to ecology and pursue green development, strive for modernization focusing harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and protect the third pole environment," he said.
By the end of 2020, Tibet had built 47 nature reserves spanning 412,200 square kilometers, accounting for over one-third of the region’s total.
Pursuing high-quality development
"High-quality" is another keyword in the plan for Tibet’s development. President Xi outlined critical elements of the process: ensuring national security and enduring peace and stability, steadily improving people’s lives, maintaining a good environment, solidifying border defense and ensuring frontier security.
The process of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way has begun and Tibet has now reached a new historical starting point in its development, the president said on Friday, stressing the importance of consolidating and expanding China’s achievements in poverty alleviation and guaranteeing a smooth transition into rural vitalization.
During his stay, Xi visited a local city planning hall, a village and a park in Nyingchi, to learn more about the city’s development planning, rural vitalization plans and park building.
As transportation is critical to the economic development, he also visited Nyingchi Railway Station to see the design of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the operation of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway section, and then took a train to the regional capital, Lhasa.
Officially put into operation last month, the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway is Tibet’s first electrified railway.
Xi stressed the importance of blazing a path of high-quality development that suits Tibet’s actual conditions, and said the reform and opening-up process should be deepened, and the construction of railways, highways and other major infrastructure accelerated. He also urged the development of industries with local characteristics and a national base for clean energy.
Given that Tibet’s security and stability are closely related to the overall development of the whole nation, Xi also stressed that work related to Tibet must focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity.
President Xi was briefed on work related to ethnic and religious affairs at the Drepung Monastery, Barkhor Street and the Potala Palace Square in Lhasa, and he emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of religious belief, managing religious affairs in accordance with the law and guiding Tibetan Buddhism in adapting to the socialist society.
BEIJING, July 24, 2021 — Rise Education Cayman Ltd ("RISE" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: REDU), a leading education service provider that focuses on the development of cognitive and aptitude training for young children in China, today noted that certain English and Chinese language media outlets reported that the PRC regulators are considering a new set of regulations concerning after-school tutoring service related to school subjects taught in China’s compulsory education system. The reported regulations have not been published, and the Company has not received official notification of the regulations. It is the Company’s policy not to comment on market speculations.
About RISE
RISE Education Cayman Ltd ("RISE" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: REDU) is a leading education service provider that focuses on the development of cognitive and aptitude training for young children facilitated by an integrated Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) teaching approach model. Since its establishment in 2007, RISE has focused on building a holistic education system that helps children develop well-rounded skills and cultivate their talents with vision, motivation and innovation.
The company’s mission is to create an aptitude education ecosystem that specializes in early child development, cognitive thinking, and aptitude training. Through digital transformation and continuous upgrading of its business and operations, RISE consists of five brands – RISE English, an aptitude training brand for students above six years old; Hiyeah, a brand focusing on social interaction and emotional development of children between three to eight years old; WhySTEAM, a brand focusing on STEAM-oriented aptitude development for children under eight years old; RISE Study Tour, a brand for students’ comprehensive practical aptitude development; and The Edge, a premium brand for academic tutoring, test preparation and admissions consulting services, please visit http://ir.risecenter.com/.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Aaron Li RISE Education Email: riseir@rdchina.net Tel: +86 (10) 8559-9191
JOE BONAMASSA’S GROUNDBREAKING UPCOMING NFT AUCTION OFFERS THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THE MASTER AND PUBLISHING OF ONE OF HIS SONGS
GUITAR HERO WRITES NEW SONG "BROKEN RECORD" AS NFT TO ENCOURAGE GREATNESS FOR THOSE WHO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2021 — For over 30 years now, acclaimed guitar hero Joe Bonamassahas paved his own path in the music industry. Now Bonamassa is teaming up for his latest venture with Heritage Auctions, where he and longtime business partner Roy Weisman are changing the rules of the NFT game to offer one of the most intriguing, high value offers out there. The truly unprecedented lot sets Joe as the first musician to sell his music publishing in an NFT as part of this digital + physical collection, which also features his own "Holy Grail" 1959 Gibson Les Paul Sunburst guitar and 1963 Fender Vibroverb amp that were used to record the song. What truly raises the stakes in the world of art and music, is the value. Here the reserve bid is worth the gear alone, yet Bonamassa is giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to ALSO become the owner of the master and publishing for one of his songs, "Broken Record." It’s an innovative move that shows just how ahead of the game Joe’s team is. Always on the quest to evolve artistically while simultaneously challenging the infrastructure of the music industry, and a true musical pioneer, Joe has done it again.
Bonamassa went to Oceanway Studio in Nashville in May 2021 to record a special song that he wrote just to be used for this special NFT. The song "Broken Record" is an ode to taking control, just as Bonamassa is doing with his NFT concept. He shares of the song’s origins, "it’s the same complaints. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to do something with my life. I’m going to make changes. And they never do… and they sound like a broken record. I do that too. I decided to write a song about it. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and when the idea came up for this project with Heritage, I thought ‘I should write that broken record song,’ and I did."
"Broken Record," along with the NFT auction, is a movement that’s meant to inspire not only artists and creators, but the everyday person. It’s a reminder for people to hold themselves accountable, stand up against the status quo, and make strides to be the best that they can. With this NFT, Bonamassa and Weisman didn’t want to sound like a broken record doing the same thing as everyone else who had jumped on the bandwagon. Instead, they wanted to take hold of the reigns, make it their own, and make it the best offering out there.
Bonamassa calls this lot "the one-song record company" because it totally transforms the way musicians can make a business from their intellectual property. Weisman elaborates: "That is what this NFT concept gives artists — the opportunity to raise capital on an independent basis that will allow them to overstep the so-called gatekeepers of the music industry."
"One of the things that I like about being an independent artist is that Roy and I came up with this idea," Bonamassa says. "We didn’t have to run it up any sort of chain of command. It was like, let’s do this because it feels right. And it’s the next logical step in how independent artists are going to be on equal footing with major labels."
Weisman says "we’re now truly in a unique time in the music business where it is completely just supply and demand. People can find artists online anytime, people can buy their music, investors can invest in them without an artist having to go through a typical major label or even large independent label system that is heavily weighted against artists from the start."
This history-making auction from the music-business revolutionary is far from routine; then, nothing Bonamassa does is ever ordinary.
Joe’s auction lot is filled to the brim with highly collectible items, including not only some of the most prized musical instruments on the planet, but pairing them with a series of certificates of authenticity as cutting-edge non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The type of guitar has been used by rock royalty such as Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield. The instrument with the "unmatched deep, throaty sound," as David Schiller writes in his book Guitar, was the ax that built rock and roll.
Non-fungible tokens are changing the business world and Bonamassa’s clever use of the new technology is now allowing other artists to build what is their own business. Bonamassa’s auction is unique and stands to reshape how musicians make and sell their art. This incredible lot includes 13 items individually tokenized on the Ethereum blockchain. Each physical item will have a digital NFT component. This lot is a dream come true for any serious collector of vintage gear or NFT investor looking to diversify their portfolio.
It should surprise no one who follows Bonamassa’s career that he’s leading this revolution. No guitarist has ever received as much coverage in the music and business media as the two-time Grammy Award nominee who has topped Billboard’s Blues chart 24 times – at only the age of 44, no less. Only last year, in fact, Forbes heralding the guitarist for "Taking Control Of His Business, Building A Brand And Investing In Himself."
Bonamassa, a wunderkind who opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old, learned early on never to trust the industry: His 2000 debut A New Day Yesterday, released on a Sony subsidiary, was a critical smash, with Billboard hailing the comer as "a bold talent who rises above narrow radio formatics." Problem was that major labels have no time for bold talents who don’t get played on the radio. Bonamassa and Sony parted ways.
For many musicians, that would have been the end of the story. For Bonamassa, it was only the beginning of the beginning: In 2002 the guitarist and his longtime manager and business partner Roy Weisman created J&R Adventures – a self-contained label, management, marketing and concert promotion company. Which has meant that for the last 20 years, they haven’t had anyone looking over their shoulder, anyone telling them what to do or where to go, anyone telling them no.
"We go against the grain by nature, and that’s how we’ve been successful," Weisman says. "I’m not really looking to get the input of the industry because quite frankly, I think the mainstream industry won’t like independence. And with this auction, we’re going to show the world how to merge their copyrights, their intellectual property and sell it directly to an investor without a middleman like a major record company taking a major piece of the money and leaving them without any core assets. Now with the NFT, artists have an opportunity to build capital for themselves to then build what is their own business. And that is a beautiful thing. It’s a game-changer."
The way both men tell it, the idea of selling the guitar and amp and the song in a single auction lot was an easy one, just another inevitable next step in the evolution of their revolution. It took Weisman and Bonamassa all of 20 minutes to settle on the concept and its eventual execution, which resulted in a full-blown studio session during which the guitarist recorded something of which he’s extraordinarily proud … which no one, outside of the winner, might ever hear.
Joe explains "if three people hear the song and that’s it, I’m still proud of the work. If it’s licensed for film or TV and everybody hears the song, even better. But the fact of the matter is, I’m proud of the song whether three people hear it or 30 million hear it. It doesn’t matter. My approach would not have changed."
"And in the end, we came to the conclusion that if we’re going to do this, let’s make a splash. This is going to be really cool."
To prospective auctioneers, Joe encourages people to get in on the action. "Enjoy your NFT and thank you very much for participating. And by the way, show this to all your friends. Hell, you own it!"
ITEMS IN THIS LOT:
1 Vintage Guitar from Joe’s Collection -1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Serial # 9 0346
1 Vintage Amp From Joe’s Collection -1963 Fender Vibroverb, Serial # 00352
1 Original Song by Joe Bonamassa -Track name: "Broken Record" -Written and Produced by Joe Bonamassa -Mixed and mastered by Kevin Shirley -Executive Producer: Roy Weisman -(will include WAV file for digital playback and Master for Manufacturing) -Master Rights and Publishing included – Rules as stated on Agreement
4 Videos -1 Full Live Studio Performance Video -EPK Interview about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video
Original handwritten Lyric Sheet – Signed by Joe
1 Original Cover Art design -1500×1500 digital JPEG image -J&R Retains Copyright of the design, NFT owner CANNOT use for Merch or Commercial use
1 Joe Bonamassa Hand-Signed Lithograph -Exclusive cover art printed and Hand Signed by Joe (1 of 1 original) -Framed, 21-inch X 21-inch
4 Concert Tickets & 4 Meet & Greet Passes to One Joe Bonamassa Show every calendar year. – Tickets and M&G passes must be used for the same show. – Where Joe Bonamassa is the sole headline artist (no festivals or special events). – Only if there is a scheduled Meet & Greet for the applicable show. – For as long as and until Joe continues to actively tour. – All costs to attend the show (travel, accommodations, etc.) other than the tickets and passes are the responsibility of the NFT owner.
1 Digital Photo Book – Includes 6 photos of Joe (in the studio and with the guitar & Amp) – These will be delivered digitally as JPEGs. – NFT owner will not own copyright of images
A Personal "Nerdville" Museum Tour and lunch with Joe Bonamassa – Choice of either Los Angeles or Nashville location – Date and Time Subject to Joe Bonamassa’s Schedule – Tour for Purchaser and 1 guest (2 people MAXIMUM) – Lunch will follow the tour at Joe’s residence – Subject to signature by Purchaser and guest of a confidentiality agreement – No filming or recording of any nature permitted – This is a ONE TIME ONLY event – All travel, accommodation and other expenses are the sole responsibility of the Purchaser
TOKENIZED ITEMS: (13 Different Minted items) -Song -Guitar -Amp -Tickets and Meet & Greet -Nerdville Museum Tour and Lunch with Joe -Full Music Video -EPK Video about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video -Digital Cover artwork image -Litho Print -Hand-written Lyrics Page -Digital Photo Book
ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA: As a professional musician for over 30 years, Joe Bonamassa continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative, and soulful body of work. Bonamassa’s career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989 when he was only 12 years old. Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter with over 40 albums to date all under his own label, J&R Adventures.
Joe’s latest album, "Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman" is available now for streaming, CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It will also be released on Double LP July 9th. The DVD includes a film introduction narrated by actor Jeff Daniels. To order, visit shop.jbonamassa.com. The stellar performance from one of the world’s most legendary venues includes 12 incredible live tracks, featuring the best from his latest studio release Royal Tea, Joe’s 24th#1 record on the Billboard Blues chart, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. It also includes 3 electrifying tracks from his 20th anniversary album A New Day Now.
Joe is also hitting the stage again, with a string of tour dates across the US for summer and fall, starting the end of this month in California, with two incredible nights set for the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in August before jumping back to the Ryman Auditorium to kick off the autumn dates in October. For tickets, visit https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/.
In addition to his music and shows, Joe continues to crank out weekly programming for his radio show "Different Shades Of Blue" for Sirius XM’s Bluesville channel. Last year, he kicked off a new at-home weekly video interview series "Live From Nerdville" which currently has over 50 episodes aired on his Facebook, YouTube, and podcast outlets. With a new episode each week, Joe has featured conversations with Neal Schon of Journey, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Glenn Hughes, Paul Stanley of Kiss, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Walter Trout, Steve Lukather of Toto, Todd Rundgren, comedian Jeff Garlin, esteemed singer-songwriter Dion, Peter Frampton, and is currently booking new guests for his 3rd season. In June 2020, Bonamassa and his manager Roy Weisman debuted their new record label Keeping The Blues Alive Records by releasing music icon Dion’s critically acclaimed latest album Blues With Friends. In February 2021, KTBA Records released Chicago’s reigning Queen of Blues Guitar, Joanna Connor’s new album 4801 South Indiana Avenue, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
ABOUT HERITAGE AUCTIONS: Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
BEIJING, July 23, 2021 — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrations reflected the great achievements of the Party in leading China’s socio-economic development.
CPC sets example for global development
In this anniversary year, it will certainly be remembered how reform and people-oriented policies promoted by the CPC have transformed China, lifting 740 million people out of poverty in the last 40 years, reducing the poverty headcount ratio by 94.4 percentage points.
Mainstream Western economic thought and theory alone cannot explain the range of achievements China has made over the past 50 years, such as how it has grown from a poor and backward country to a global leader in manufacturing technical products today.
China’s infrastructure development, rapid urbanization, and ability to improve the well-being and happiness of its people are unmatched by other countries. China owes its economic miracle to the leadership of the CPC.
However, China cares about not only its own development. China has been making tireless efforts to promote multilateralism and solve global climate problems.
As former Prime Minister of Greece and President of the Socialist International George A. Papandreou said, China’s commitment to openness and multilateralism is of key importance not only for China’s prosperity but also for tackling effectively common global challenges. Common challenges ask for common solutions. Shared goals and embracing diversity is the path.
The current pandemic has shown how important the harmony between man and nature is. It has shown us in the cruelest way how there is a link between environment, nutrition, animal welfare and zoonotic diseases. We have become aware that policies for addressing climate change must go hand in hand with policies aiming to protect biodiversity.
China believes that addressing climate change is not simply a problem to be eradicated, but also an opportunity for sustainable economic growth. It can become a driving force for modernization with the potential to benefit the developing world as much as the developed along the lines of the UN SDGs (sustainable development goals).
All countries have a huge responsibility for mitigation in order to lower global emissions per capita. Of course, the richer nations must bear the heaviest burden and take into account the differences between the developed and the developing world.
"Decode the Real China" is a 13-episode series which invites 13 high-profile politicians, including former prime ministers and ambassadors to China, to interpret President Xi’s July 1 speech from the perspective of the development miracle created by China under the CPC, multilateral cooperation, the prospects of BRI cooperation and the response to global climate change.
The series focuses on the effectiveness of the leadership of the CPC and China’s development achievements through the eyes of other countries, with the aim of showing the world a real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China.
BEIJING, July 23, 2021 — A news report by China.org.cn on China’s wildlife protection:
 
Pandas must be quite familiar to you all. But it has recently been "downgraded".
However, this isn’t bad news. With more than 1,800 giant pandas now living in the wild, China has downgraded the animal’s status from "endangered" to "vulnerable." Back in 1988, the population of wild giant pandas in China was just 1,114.
Boosting the population by more than 60% has been no easy task. The protection of giant pandas requires extensive research and surveying, which cannot be done from inside an office. Rangers in nature reserves need to conduct habitat and bamboo surveys, as well as collect panda droppings in the field. Leaving early in the morning for work and returning late at night after walking dozens of kilometers along mountain paths, these have become their daily routines. But merely protecting animals themselves is not enough. Habitat contraction and falling bamboo yields due to monocarpic flowering and climate change all threaten the survival of giant pandas. Therefore, habitat conservation and reconstruction of bamboo forests are also essential tasks. Thanks to years of efforts, China has become well acquainted with the habits of giant pandas and developed more accurate survey and statistical methods. More than 60 nature reserves have been established to expand their habitats.
In recent years, China has made notable progress in protecting wildlife, especially rare and endangered species. The number of the previously critically endangered crested ibis has increased from just seven in 1981 to several thousand; the Chinese mountain cat, one of the rarest and most mysterious cat species, was spotted in Qilian Mountain National Park in Qinghai province; rufous-necked hornbills reappeared in the mountain forests of Yunnan province after disappearing for decades.
More recently, news stories about wildlife have captured public attention. While a herd of wild Asian elephants migrated northward, authorities redirected them away from densely populated areas using tempting snacks and roadblocks, and have started work on building an Asian elephant national park; multiple measures were taken to rescue melon-headed whales stranded in shallow waters; authorities restricted boat activities to protect a Bryde’s whale foraging in the waters off Shenzhen. These examples of wildlife conservation demonstrate the harmonious coexistence of human beings and animals.
To promote human progress while ensuring the survival of wildlife, we need to strike a harmonious and delicate balance. With continued efforts, more and more cute wild animals like giant pandas will appear all over the world.
Koletas, an early pioneer of digital ABM, seeks to define the SSG vision and grow the company to full maturity.
DENVER, July 19, 2021 — Selling Simplified Group, Inc. (SSG), a global leader in intelligent B2B demand gen, announced today the appointment of Thomas Koletas as Chief Growth Officer.
Selling Simplified announces Thomas Koletas as Chief Growth Officer.
Koletas brings more than 20 years of experience aligning sales, marketing, customer success, and product teams in both SaaS and MaaS startups.
Most notably, Koletas served as principal and Chief Revenue Officer at Madison Logic based in New York, NY. During his eight-year tenure at Madison Logic, Koletas and his team were responsible for generating exponential revenue growth through media development, marketing automation, and analytics enhancements, eventually leading to the company’s acquisition in 2017.
Prior to joining SSG, Koletas was Global SVP of Digital ABM at MRP. He also serves as advisor & consultant to multiple data and AdTech companies in the U.S.
"Tom’s proven track record as a growth consultant and digital pioneer is just what we need at SSG," said CEO and President Michael Whife. "We are excited to have Tom on the executive team, and I’m confident in his ability to grow our organization."
At Selling Simplified, Koletas is focused on growing the company’s products and expanding its service into new regions and verticals. He also hopes to add insights to SSG’s list of core capabilities, alongside digital lead gen and programmatic advertising.
"We’re on a super-growth trajectory because the market is responding to the fact that our high-quality data and 100% digital methodology drives better results than traditional lead gen vendors." said Koletas.
Based in New York, NY, Koletas is responsible for leading SSG’s marketing, support, and sales teams. He continues to call on his diverse experience to chart and execute the growth of the company and contribute to its trajectory to surpass 100% YoY growth in 2021.
"I’ve helped businesses grow into maturity before, so I’ve seen how this movie is made," he said. "The prevailing plot shows that B2B marketers want more than intent data. They want qualified engagement that they can measure. That is exactly what SSG offers, and I am here to help as a Producer."
ucfunnel joins advertising leaders to help solve for future of identity
SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2021 — ucfunnel, a leading Smart Media programmatic solution provider, has announced that they have adopted Unified ID 2.0, a new collaborative, industry-wide approach to internet identity. Initially developed by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 has been designed from the consumer’s perspective, with the goal of upgrading privacy and control for consumers, while preserving the value of relevant advertising. The new ID solution is an upgraded alternative to third-party cookies and will be open source.
Unified ID 2.0 has been submitted to IAB’s Tech Lab to allow the digital framework to be open source and has gained rapid adoption across the advertising ecosystem, among publishers, media buyers and technology providers.
Currently, ucfunnel partners with Smart TVs powered by MediaTek, including Express Luck, Caixun, RCA, SANSUI, Skyworth, Coocaa, Bella, and the leading CTV portal company NetRange. ucfunnel believes that Unified ID 2.0 will enhance the scope of dynamic advertising for marketers, accessing ad spaces on their Premium Streaming VoD content. Accompanied with ucfunnel’s validated Consent Management Platform (CMP) for CTV approved as TCF-compliant by the IAB Europe, the combination maximizes ucfunnel’s capability to offer a total solution that can lead to privacy-centric results and advanced ad performances.
"We are glad to be working with industry leaders to support the advancement and development of a new industry standard by supporting Unified ID 2.0. We believe the solution will drive more engagement, as well as upgrade and improve the connections between marketers and audiences in the entire ad ecosystem to ensure that marketers can contribute to the valuable user journey," said Ryan Chou, Co-founder and COO at ucfunnel. "Working with leading global CTV and Smart TV partners, we will be able to leverage more global CTV content that audience love, while delivering relevant ads. Using Unified ID 2.0, publishers will have clearer insights into what content their users enjoy in order to offer better viewing experiences. Advanced quantifiable results can also be leveraged through our SSAI solution and customization capability. We look forward to continuing our stellar relationship with our publisher, reader and advertiser partners spanning the globe in the Smart Media ecosystem."
"ucfunnel is our first regional SSP partner focused on Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Southeast Asia that supports Unified ID 2.0. We are delighted to partner with local industry leaders as the industry takes a step forward to the future of the open internet," said Douglas Choy, Senior Director, Inventory Partnerships, The Trade Desk. "With ucfunnel supporting Unified ID 2.0, it represents the entire ecosystem coming together to work to create a better, more privacy-conscious internet across devices and platforms. We’re excited to see the ID scale and grow further."
About ucfunnel
ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, helps media and publishers leverage content and generate value by strategically showcasing their inventory across devices, especially in the Smart Media ecosystem. ucfunnel has established end-to-end media marketing solutions for Ad Exchange, SSP, and DMP using IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK. This total AI solution serves up to 150 billion bid requests monthly by partnering with over 50,000 publishers across the globe, especially in the US, APAC, LATAM and MENA markets. ucfunnel teams with global buy side partners while also providing 24/7/365 technical and business support to grow with them across devices and ad formats. The variety of offerings includes Web, App, DOOH, IoT, OTT, STB, CTV, audio, standard, custom and high impact ad formats. ucfunnel operates across regions at a global scale, optimizing current products and working with partners like The Trade Desk on new product development and growing the ecosystem together. For more information, please visit https://www.ucfunnel.com.
About The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk™ is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit thetradedesk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About Unified ID 2.0
Unified ID 2.0 is a next-generation identity solution that is a soon-to-be open-source digital framework. With initial development led by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 is the result of a broad collaboration of publishers, buyers and technology providers across the industry. It serves as an alternative to third-party cookies that aims to improve consumer transparency, privacy and control while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising across channels and devices.
Prebid.org, the independent organization designed to ensure and promote fair and transparent marketplaces across the industry, has agreed to serve as operator of Unified ID 2.0. Prebid will begin this role in the second half of this year.
NEW YORK, July 16, 2021 — SILVERCAST Media, a premier Out of Home advertising company operating high-profile outdoor media across the United States, will be showcasing groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind, 3D digital art on SILVERCAST’s digital spectacular located in the heart of Times Square for the public to enjoy.
Appearing on SILVERCAST’s 30,000 sq. ft. iconic Times Square digital spectacular known as "Big Kahuna" will be a media art execution titled WHALE. Illuminating the pedestrian plaza, the public media art display will transform the enormous screen into a hyper-realistic, undulating ocean environment occupied by a massive blue whale. The whale is made of water and will move freely and harmoniously among the waves.
SILVERCAST will be showcasing the WHALE exhibit in Times Square from July 16 through July 26, 2021. WHALE can be seen for 60 seconds every half hour starting at 12 p.m. each day and ending at midnight. SILVERCAST’s Big Kahuna is located on Broadway, stretching a full city block from 45th Street to 46th Street.
SILVERCAST partnered with Seoul-based digital design company d’strict to showcase WHALE to the public. The creator of WHALE is a’strict, a media artist unit formed by d’strict. With a heightened commitment to the social functions of art, a’strict designed the project with the objective of creating spaces for rest and relaxation for a wide global audience.
Gary Grossman, Co-Founder of SILVERCAST Media, said, "We are thrilled to partner with d’strict in bringing this 3D public art creation to the world’s largest stage, Times Square. New York is thriving and we want to play a small role in encouraging New Yorkers, and those visiting, to enjoy the excitement and feel of being out on the streets of NYC."
Sean Lee, CEO of d’strict, said, "We’re in July when summer is at its peak. I hope that people will be able to blow away the heat for a while through the surreal movement of whales made of water and huge waves in Times Square, the heart of New York. Also, I’d like to thank SILVERCAST for planning this meaningful project together and for their consideration while producing the work."
About SILVERCAST Media: SILVERCAST Media is an NYC-based media company specializing in outdoor advertising in the form of premier digital and static oversized billboard spectaculars. Founded in 2016, SILVERCAST Media continues its growth with a focus on high-profile outdoor media assets in the United States.
For more information please contact Gary Grossman, Co-Founder of SILVERCAST Media at gg@silvercast.com/212-634-0982.
MANILA, Philippines, July 14, 2021 — Huawei on Thursday announced its Seeds for the Future Program 2.0, through which Huawei plans to invest US$150 million in digital talent development over the next five years. This program is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people.
Huawei’s Chairman Liang Hua speaks at the Tech & Sustainability: Everyone’s Included forum
Huawei held a "Tech & Sustainability: Everyone’s Included" forum, co-hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Representatives from Huawei, IUCN, the World Economic Forum, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), and Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) participated to discuss the role of technology in driving sustainability and building a more inclusive, eco-friendly world.
Promoting equal access to education and talent development
According to a 2020 report by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), about 2.2 billion people aged 25 years or younger still lack internet connections at home.
"Digital skills and literacy are not just the foundation for the digital economy; they are also a basic human right defined by the United Nations," said Huawei’s Chairman Liang Hua at the forum. "Today we are announcing Huawei’s Seeds for the Future Program 2.0. As part of our commitment to continuously developing talent, we will invest US$150 million in this program over the next five years and help college students and young people improve their digital skills. This program is expected to benefit more than 3 million additional people."
Huawei is committed to helping develop digital talent in the countries where it operates. In 2008, Huawei began to roll out talent development programs, through scholarships, technology competitions, and digital skills training, and has invested more than US$150 million in these programs. Huawei has since benefited more than 1.54 million people from over 150 countries.
As an echo for the forum, Huawei Asia Pacific held the APAC Media Virtual Roundtable with laser focus on addressing digital inclusion and sustainable development of this region. Jay Chen, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific, announced Huawei’s plan to cultivate more than 400,000 ICT talent in the next five years through multiple programs including Seeds for the Future in the region.
"In the digital economy, digital talent is playing an increasingly important role in driving digital transformation and economic growth. The access to education is vital for creating opportunities that support sustainable and fair development. Due to the pandemic, we are moving the program online and opening it up to more outstanding students than ever before," said Jay Chen.
Addressing environmental challenges and enabling green development
Climate change and environmental issues are becoming global challenges. Though carbon emissions declined over the past year due to the economic slowdown and worldwide lockdowns, emissions are rapidly rebounding as economies reopen. Shifting to a circular economy and achieving sustainable development is now a common goal for all countries.
"Green and sustainable development has become a top priority for global economies," said Liang. "Huawei has been leveraging its extensive experience in power electronics and energy storage as well as technical expertise in 5G, cloud, and AI, to develop its digital power business and provide digital power solutions for different industries. As of December 2020, Huawei’s digital power products and solutions have generated 325 billion kWh of electricity from renewable sources, and saved a total of 10 billion kWh of electricity. These efforts have resulted in a reduction of 160 million tons in CO2 emissions."
In Singapore, for example, Huawei FusionSolar Solution has supported Sunseap Group, a solar energy solutions provider, to build the world’s largest offshore floating Photovoltaic (PV) farms. With 13,312 solar panels, 40 inverters, and more than 30,000 floats, this five-hectare sea-based solar plant is estimated to produce up to 6,022,500 kWh of energy per year, supplying enough power for 1250 four-room public housing flats on the island and offsetting an estimated 4258 tons of carbon dioxide, according to Bruce Li, Managing Director of the Huawei Asia-Pacific Enterprise Digital Power Business.
"We feel that over the last decade, ASEAN is shifting from a very defensive, negative footprint or standing to a much more forward leaning. I’m glad to hear that Huawei would be one of companies also doing their part, if not more, through their supply chain," said Associate Professor Simon Tay, Chairman of SIIA at the forum, "By working together, countries can mutually support one another to meet their sustainability commitments. There are many areas where digital technology can support this, such as in enabling a transparent and verifiable carbon market. Singapore’s public and private sectors have expressed interest in working with its neighbors on climate action."
HONG KONG, July 9, 2021 — NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited ("NetDragon" or the "Company"; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding ("MOU") with Autodesk Software (China) Limited ("Autodesk (China)") in the Digital Education Town in Changle, Fuzhou. Both parties intend to establish a long-term communication mechanism through utilizing their core technology advantages, and work together to promote the application of digital technology in education. Both parties also plan to jointly participate in the UNESCO’s charity activities in digital education and continuously deepen cooperation in education philanthropy. Meanwhile, NetDragon and Autodesk (China) have agreed to build a digital education ecosystem together. Having joined the "Autodesk ECOX Project", NetDragon will cooperate with Autodesk (China) to inject new vitality into the development of digital education ecosystem through technology exchanges, venue cooperation, business activities and market promotion. Mr. Liu Dejian, Chairman of NetDragon and Mr. Richard Li, Chairman of Autodesk (China) have both attended the signing ceremony.
During the signing ceremony, both sides agreed to build a long-term communication mechanism, constantly enrich and refine the communication channels, and promote in-depth development of the strategic partnership. The two parties intend to make digital education promotion the core of business cooperation, including 2D and 3D technology communications, sharing of digital content creation experience etc.
The advanced 2D and 3D technologies of Autodesk (China) will further enhance and expand the design capabilities and creative inspiration of NetDragon’s designers, enabling them to design products which will fit teaching needs better. Meanwhile, NetDragon will also utilize Autodesk (China)’s technologies, products and services to improve the efficiency of 2D and 3D technologies in the digital education industry. Leveraging on years of experiences in digital education content creation and management, the Company has promoted the efficient development of digital education content production and will further improve the digital education ecosystem.
In addition to technology cooperation, NetDragon and Autodesk (China) have also reached a preliminary consensus on expanding cooperation in education philanthropy. Both parties plan to participate in UNESCO’s digital education charity works to continually improve the education development in remote areas and promote educational equity.
Besides, NetDragon has joined the "Autodesk ECOX Project", in which the Company, like other members, will have the opportunity to obtain various accelerated support from Autodesk (China), including technical support, market promotion, industry knowledge etc.
NetDragon was invited to attend the Autodesk University meeting in November 2020. During the event, taking the virtual scene designs of graduation exhibition and graduation ceremony developed with the Central Academy of Fine Arts ("CFAF") as an example, the Company shared the practices and insights about how design and creative ideas could be applied in education, exhibition and other industries.
In the future, leveraging on the venue cooperation in the Digital Education Town, technology seminars, and IP linkage market promotion, both sides will jointly carry out the construction of digital education ecosystem through the "Autodesk ECOX Project".
Netdragon has focused on applying new technologies such as AI, VR, AR, and big data to various education segments for years and is committed to upgrading traditional pedagogy and creating lifelong learning communities. By integrating its edges in technology, platforms and resources, Netdragon has launched a series of innovative products and solutions such as 101 Education PPT, 101VR Immersive Classroom, AI education robot, Intelligent Space Solution, NCET virtual experiment and One-stop Learning. Meanwhile, leveraging on the digital education resource production base in the Digital Education Town, the Company has promoted digital education around the world. Currently, NetDragon’s education business has covered more than 190 countries and regions worldwide, with more than 2 million classrooms and over 100 million users.
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), the parent company of Autodesk (China), is dedicated to providing 2D and 3D design software, engineering software and digital content to help users unleash their unlimited creative potential. It has launched various products that are able to provide superior digital design and engineering software services for a wide range of applications in architecture, engineering, manufacturing, and film animation industries. For example, the company has launched the famous computer-aided design software AutoCAD, 3D animation rendering and production software 3D Max, 3D modeling and animation software Maya, etc.
NetDragon and Autodesk (China) have reached a strategic cooperation in promoting the development of digital education ecosystem and participating in education philanthropy. The cooperation is not only a strong alliance with complementary advantages in the areas of technology and resources, but also a brand new attempt by the two parties to explore a new path to jointly build a digital education ecosystem. Both parties will maximize the synergies through cooperation to provide new growth drivers in the digital education ecosystem.
About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited
NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users, including previous establishments of China’s first online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China’s most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless.
Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Heroes Evolved and Conquer Online. In recent years, NetDragon has also started to scale its online education business on the back of management’s vision to create the largest global online learning community, and to bring the "classroom of the future" to every school around the world. For more information, please visit www.netdragon.com.
