June 20, 2023 – Business Observer

June 20, 2023

Curia Expands Cell Line Development Offering with CHOZN Platform

Curia signs license agreement with MilliporeSigma to support production of proteins and antibodies

ALBANY, N.Y., June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Curia, a leading contract research, development and manufacturing organization, today announced it has signed a licensing agreement with MilliporeSigma, the North American Life Sciences Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, that enables Curia and its clients to use the CHOZN® GS^-/- cell line for production of therapeutic proteins and antibodies. Following the agreement, the CHOZN GS^-/- cell line has been integrated into Curia’s cell line development workflow and is immediately available to Curia customers.

CHOZN® platform is a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) mammalian cell expression system that allows for faster, simpler selection and scale-up of high-producing clones for production of biologics and therapeutic recombinant proteins. It includes high-performing CHO cell lines, paired media and feeds, optimized expression vectors and robust protocols. The glutamine synthetase GS knockout (GS-/-) cell line of the CHOZN platform is specially designed to help streamline selection, identification and scale-up of high-producing clones ideal for GMP manufacturing of recombinant protein drugs.

“We continue to strengthen our biologics development offerings from discovery through clinical manufacturing,” said Christopher Conway, President R&D, Curia. “The CHOZN GS^-/- cell line platform adds a widely accepted and commercially viable cell line to our capabilities. Our integrated offering accelerates therapeutic protein and antibody production and offers seamless tech transfer for optimal flexibility.”

Curia’s protein and antibody development experts offer a track record of accelerating progress, with a timeline in as little as 12 months from cell line development to phase I drug substance, depending on the manufacturability of the candidates.

The addition of the CHOZN platform strengthens Curia’s offerings as a complement to its existing proprietary CHO cell line, providing customers with a highly versatile and broadly applicable solution.

About Curia
Curia is a leading contract research, development, and manufacturing organization providing products and services from R&D through commercial manufacturing to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical customers. Curia’s nearly 4,000 employees at 29 locations across the U.S., Europe, and Asia help its customers advance from curiosity to cure. Learn more at CuriaGlobal.com.

Curia Contact Information:
Viana Bhagan
+1 518 512 2111
corporatecommunications@CuriaGlobal.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8859845

June 20, 2023

The top 5 places to do business in 2023 according to the World Citizenship Report: CS Global Partners

London, June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Access to opportunity is one of the most desirable qualities that any jurisdiction can offer.

This year, the 2023 World Citizenship Report measured 188 countries in the world, looking at what these nations have to offer High Net-Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and the mass affluent who are continually looking past their home borders for better opportunities.

One key motivator that was measured in the report was Economic Opportunity, which measures the overall ability of a nation to extend wealth, material comfort, and other key benefits of a strong economy to all of its citizens.

Greater access to improved business environments and employment opportunities allows individuals to participate in the economy while achieving their goals of securing their financial futures and raising the standard of living for themselves and their families. But it doesn’t end there. Apart from the supplementary benefits of social mobility, a reduction in income disparity, and greater capital formation, having the freedom to pursue key financial goals leads to significant investment in an individual’s own well-being, their families, and their communities, which, more often, is accompanied by a greater sense of purpose.

Not only have global mass affluent individuals shown to be willing to travel to access more powerful economies globally, but they also desire supportive business environments which enable them to fully realise their entrepreneurial potential.

A shift in economic growth from the West to emerging markets over the past few decades has led to new business hubs worldwide. Regions such as Asia, the Middle East, and South America have seen rapid economic growth, coupled with improved infrastructure and, in some cases, lighter regulation.

Entrepreneurs the world over are capitalizing on this, often by going through the citizenship by investment (CBI) route of a country that allows access to profitable business opportunities in booming markets across the globe.

The World Citizenship Report looks at the top business hubs globally, among other motivators for individuals looking to widen their prospects. Other motivators explored by the World Citizenship Report are Safety and Security, Quality of Life, Global Mobility, and Financial Freedom. The World Citizenship Report is based on research by London-headquartered leading government advisory and marketing firm CS Global Partners.

So which countries are the world’s most sought-after business hubs in 2023?

5. Switzerland and Japan

Switzerland and Japan both tied at fifth place, ranking at 82.3 in the Economic Opportunity pillar.

Switzerland, the 20th biggest economy in the world, is a well-known financial hub and a great place to invest thanks to its stable economy and strong business culture. The country is also known for its innovation and flourishing start-ups in the major cities.

In addition to its positive economic outlook, Japan is noted for its internal stability. The nation is considered one of the most politically stable countries in the world, as well as one of the safest to travel in for work or business. Japan’s economy has gained momentum in 2023 with surveys of business activity indicating that the economy is growing.

4. Netherlands

Taking fourth place, the Netherlands scored 82.4 and the country continues to be a good place to start a business. Considered as the gateway to Europe, the Netherlands has a stable business climate where ambitious companies can tap into innovation ecosystems to accelerate their businesses.

3. Hong Kong (SAR) China

In third place with a score of 83.1 is Hong Kong. The country has a free-enterprise, free-trade economy and the government has traditionally adopted a policy of non-intervention in the private sector, while at the same time providing the territory with a modern and sophisticated commercial infrastructure and a sound legal and administrative framework.

2. United States of America

In second place is the United States of America. As one of the most recognised economies in the world, the USA offers a lucrative open market that is a powerful growth engine for companies of all sizes. Coupled with a predictable and stable political and judicial system where intellectual property is protected, the USA is a great place for business investment of any kind.

The country scored 83.7 in this year’s World Citizenship Report.

1. Singapore
Singapore was crowned as the best place to do business this year with a score of 84.8. Singapore has a conducive environment for business given its regulatory environment, stable and efficient infrastructure to support starting a business, access to financial intermediation and services, and enforcement of contracts. The economy makes it easy for domestic and international businesses to make their mark in the global arena.

Chantal Mabanga
CS Global Partners
+44 (0) 207 318 4343
Chantal.Mabanga@csglobalpartners.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8861047

June 20, 2023

Floship Becomes Second Recipient of Investment from FedEx Innovation Lab

The investment marks a significant milestone and signals a new era in the development of the future of global circular e-commerce fulfillment services.

HONG KONG, June 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading global circular supply chain solutions provider, Floship, has announced today that it has received an investment from FedEx Innovation Lab (FIL). This investment by FIL will strengthen Floship’s capabilities to extend its service offering to new markets. Floship is poised to collaborate with FedEx to build an end-to-end digitalized fulfillment and return solution that will create smart logistics for all.

This partnership will give FedEx e-commerce customers access to Floship’s global network of warehouses and powerful logistics platform’s capabilities to streamline their e-commerce fulfillment operations. At the same time, Floship’s customers will be able to leverage FedEx global networks as well as a full range of FedEx extensive transportation options to optimize their operations.

FedEx Innovation Lab makes early-stage investments in rising start-ups to bring additional value in terms of capabilities and speed to market to start-up firms through the FedEx global network, resources, and customer base.

Josh Tsui, CEO of Floship, commented on the investment, “It’s an honor for Floship to be collaborating with FedEx. This is a significant milestone in Floship’s journey to becoming the leading circular supply chain and fulfillment solution provider worldwide. It is a testament to our e-commerce clients about the future strategic direction of Floship and enhancements to our service offering,” said Tsui.

About Floship

Floship’s global circular supply chain ecosystem solutions cover all aspects of the global supply chain, ensuring minimal operation effort for e-commerce businesses, and allowing business owners to concentrate on driving growth with investment flexibility while gaining peace of mind.

Learn more at www.floship.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

For more information about Floship, please contact:

James Linacre, PR & Communications Lead

Phone: (+852) 5333 9420

Email: pr@floship.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8860144

June 20, 2023

ROSEN, NATIONAL TRIAL COUNSEL, Encourages UP Fintech Holding Limited Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation – TIGR

NEW YORK, June 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ: TIGR) resulting from allegations that UP Fintech may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public.

SO WHAT: If you purchased UP Fintech securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=16262 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On May 16, 2023, UP Fintech issued a press release responding to requirements of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”). The press release stated that “the Company will change its approach of updating user terminals for existing Chinese mainland clients and will remove its app “Tiger International” from the Chinese mainland application market starting on May 18, 2023, in order to complete the rectification work with satisfactory results.”

On this news, UP Fintech’s American depositary receipt (“ADR”) price fell 7% to close at $2.64 per ADR on May 16, 2023.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs’ Bar. Many of the firm’s attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8860596

June 20, 2023

Punjabi Wikipedia for 21 years: Celebrating 50,000 articles and looking ahead

Twenty-one years ago, on June 3, 2002, Punjabi Wikipedia in the Gurmukhi script was launched as a domain, but the first articles were added around January 2005. It was only at the beginning of the 2010s that a community started forming around the project. As of June 2012, there were only about 2,000 articles on the project, but in 2014, it became the fastest-growing Indic-language Wikipedia after 8,000 articles were added in one year.

Charan Gill, the highest contributor on the Punjabi Wikipedia, who has written about 23 percent articles on the project, said:

Punjabi language is divided among two scripts and two Wikipedias but we still see a collaboration among the communities. New content created in Gurmukhi is quickly transliterated in Shahmukhi and sometimes vice versa. We need to foster this collaboration further.

After a period of slowdown during the pandemic, the entire community came together for Mission 50,000, a call-for-action to reach 50,000 articles, in order to celebrate the 21st birthday of Punjabi Wikipedia. The 50,000th article created on the project is about a soap-like powder made from a bush that has been used for cleaning clothes in Punjab, which doesn’t have an equivalent in other languages. This article was created by 16-year-old User Harry sidhuz, who joined the project a few years back.

Accomplishments

Pageviews on Punjabi Wikipedia have grown 32 times from an average of 100,000 views per month back in 2008 to an average of 3.3 million views per month in 2023.

On the other hand, the Punjabi community organized itself and became the first User Group in India in 2015 and led the local organization of WikiConference India 2016. Many members of the community participated and engaged in the recently organized WikiConference India 2023, for which Punjabi Wikimedia contributor Nitesh Gill was the Conference Lead.

Gill, the only female admin on Punjabi Wikipedia, mentions:

We are a small community but our contributions and acitivities show that even a small number of committed individuals can make a big difference.

Due to the efforts of Wikimedians like her, Punjabi Wikipedia is today one of the rarest Wikipedias as out of all the biographies on the project, 52.8 percent are about women, compared to the 18.5 percent of the women's biographies on English Wikipedia.

Challenges

The community faces a lot of technical challenges, especially around templates and tools. Members seek help about such challenges on the Wikimedia General chat on Telegram.

Contributor Amir Aharoni wrote in the Telegram group:

I really love how the people from the Punjabi Wikipedia keep asking technical questions here. That’s the right thing to do. I wish more people from more languages did it.

Besides the technical challenges, community members are still struggling to create policies around content and contribution. For example, policies around what would constitute a Good article in our context or a formal policy around non-free content on the site.

Looking ahead

Mulkh Singh, a veteran Wikimedia contributor, wrote in the Punjabi Wiki WhatsApp group:

We should reflect and create a future plan. If possible, during an offline event. A few things we should discuss are; the quality of the articles, creating a platform for the skill development of newbies, and collaboration among different Wikimedia projects. We should also think about bringing new volunteers from different cities of Punjab.

Kuldeep Singh, 24, who recently became an admin on Punjabi Wikipedia after having actively contributed to both the content and the technical aspects of the project since September 2022, added:

I think we need some advanced tools and bots to help with clean-up and possible copyright violations.

It is encouraging to see that there is a group of diligent newbies who have joined the project in recent years. Some of these contributors started contributing to Wikipedia after spending a few years transcribing texts on Punjabi Wikisource. One such contributor, Tamanpreet Kaur, joined Punjabi Wikisource in 2018 when she was just 13 years old. After thousands of edits on the Wikisource, she started actively contributing to Punjabi Wikipedia in March 2022. Now, she is the fourth-highest article creator on the project, with about 2,400 articles.

The complete list of contributors with further details can be accessed at wikiscan.

Source: Global Voices

June 20, 2023

Pakistanis mourn hundreds feared dead in Greece boat tragedy

Local media say more than 200 Pakistani nationals were among an estimated 750 people on board the fishing trawler heading for Europe when the vessel sank on Wednesday, June 14, off the Peloponnese peninsula.

At least 20 of those missing were from the city of Gujranwala, in Punjab province. Among them was Amir Malik’s cousin Mohsin, who left a voice note as he boarded the boat in Libya’s Tobruk on June 9.

“Once he arrived in Libya, the smugglers took his phone. We had no choice but to go through the smuggler to be in contact with him,” Malik said. “That's how we learned that he was not going to go to Europe by plane but illegally, by boat. Mohsin told us: 'I am trapped, I have no choice but to follow them.'”

With Pakistan’s economy in freefall, the desperate situation is creating an incentive for Pakistanis to take perilous, illegal routes to Europe in hope of a better future. Since the deadly shipwreck, local officials say they have arrested 10 people on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking.

A few steps away from Malik's home, Moniza Baig said she has no news of her son Ajmeer, the father of a one-year-old girl.

“My son asked me this question before leaving: ‘Tell me mom, how can I survive here? Baby diapers are very expensive, milk is expensive, I have no money to feed my children,’” she said. “In each family, the young men are hopeless; they beg their parents to sell their homes and pay for them to go work abroad.”

Source: France24.com