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Fabrica, the Research Centre, celebrated its 30th birthday with the ‘FABRICA30 REUNION FESTIVAL’ — Exhibitions, concerts, DJ sets, lectures, workshops, performances and screenings

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Featuring designer Jaime Hayon, photographers Pieter Hugo and Laia Abril, musician Joy Frempong, artist Nico Vascellari and 100 additional artists from Fabrica 

NEW DELHI and TREVISO, Italy, July 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Fabrica, Benetton Group’s research centre, celebrated its 30th birthday with a festival open to the public on Saturday 6 July, from 10 AM until midnight.

To mark the occasion, Fabrica’s headquarters – a masterpiece by Japanese architect Tadao Ando – opened its doors for a day of exhibitions, concerts, DJ sets, lectures, workshops, performances and screenings featuring artists who have shared their experiences at Fabrica since 1994.

Over the past thirty years, some 800 Fabricanti from 72 different countries – including designers, researchers, photographers, video makers, directors, musicians, writers and journalists – have spent part of their training in the rooms, corridors and ‘agora’ of this building, where the beauty of Italy’s architectural tradition meets the harmony and simplicity of oriental philosophy.

The packed schedule of events for the FABRICA30 REUNION FESTIVAL – which sees the involvement of over 100 participants in past Fabrica programmes – included a series of lectures presenting the creativity and careers of a number of the centre’s alumni, such as Spanish designer Jaime Hayon, South African photographer Pieter Hugo, Spanish photographer Laia Abril and Italian artist Nico Vascellari. It was an occasion to discover new visions of the worlds of design, art and gastronomy, as well as an opportunity to explore transdisciplinary perspectives on the creative practices of the future, confront the history of misogyny and contemplate the perfect balance between beauty and asymmetry.

The music programme offered several performances, concerts and DJ sets featuring former residents and demonstrating the vast range of talents, genres and sounds to emerge from the centre: from the intercultural East and West music of Elana Sasson (Iran/USA) to the ethereal soundscapes produced by the hypnotic guitar of Ava Rasti (Iran); from the alchemic electronic sounds created by Uy Duc Tran (Vietnam) to the high-tech magic of lasers by Hansi Raber (Austria); from the esoteric selections of Adam Lieber (South Africa) and John Borno (Netherlands) to a performance by Nico Vascellari (Italy) with Carlos Casas (Spain) that promised an epic ‘clash’ of global sounds. The evening concluded with a performance by the German duo OY – an amazing symbiosis of percussion instruments, minimalist sounds and dream-like voices – after which Italian disco master Bottin and Berlin techno DJ Joseph Paul had guests moving to the beat.

The exhibition concluding Fabrica’s Spring/Summer 2024 residency semester focused on ‘Kinship’, the sentiment of belonging to the same community, and transformed Tadao Ando’s architecture into a fluid, open, shared space in which the Fabricanti interpreted the theme through performances, installations, videos, sculptures, paintings, photographs and text.

The campus’ little church, the garden and other hidden corners hosted live performances and a variety of installations – including ‘Ardna’ (‘Our land’) by Mohammed El Hajoui (Italy–Morocco), which pays tribute to the Palestinian people, and ‘Tecnosuolo’, a sustainable design project by Davide Balda (Italy) – as well as the inauguration of a new garden ‘seeded’ by the Fabrica community.

The cinema held non-stop screenings of a selection of more than 20 artistic and experimental films, documentaries and animated features by Fabrica directors past and present, including Bill Morrison (USA), Saodat Ismailova (Uzbekistan), Alka Sadat (Afghanistan), Chelsea McMullan (Canada) and Michal Kosakowski (Poland) – an eclectic blend from five continents that highlights the multicultural dialogue that has always animated this special place.

The programme also included several workshops, including an introduction to photography for children by Japanese photographer Namiko Kitaura, a furniture design workshop for all ages with Jonathan Bocca (Italy), a drawing workshop by British artist Dryden Goodwin and a masterclass in design thinking by Nikola Tosic (Serbia).

Meanwhile, a selection of Fabricanti from all generations shared their new projects and ideas for the future at Fabrica Future Sessions, a series of speed pitching-style panels offering an opportunity to promote collaboration, share opinions and make new connections.

Finally, the Fabrica library – characterised by its unique architecture featuring a spiral staircase ‘boring’ into the ground and lit up from above – presented a selection of books and publications by alumni, offering an overview of the community’s intellectual and artistic production.

About Fabrica

Founded in 1994, based on the vision of Luciano Benetton and Oliviero Toscani, Fabrica is a research centre in Treviso housed in a 17th-century villa restored and expanded by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Inspired by the Renaissance, with an approach based on learning by doing, Fabrica offers a free six-month residency programme for artists under 25 from all over the world. Each semester’s research project focuses on a specific theme, explored through constant cross-pollination among different disciplines, such as photography, design, video, writing, music/sound, art and the digital media.

Fabrica also organises a programme of workshops, lectures and experiences in which the worlds of art, culture and research come together to forge new ideas.

www.fabrica.it

FABRICA30 REUNION FESTIVAL
Saturday 6 July
10:00-24:00

Open to the public, admission free
Workshops require registration at this link

Street food:
PT Catering – burgers, tacos, hot dogs, muffins, donuts and excellent beer served in a vintage Airstream
Le Papere Itineranti – ultra-light fried delicacies and traditional dishes from the Veneto region
Bottega del Gelato – artisanal gelato since 1989

Chill-out zones:
Dante Negro – a brand specialising in the design and handcrafting of wrought iron outdoor furnishings and architectural structures.

Bookshop in partnership with Librerie Lovat
Pop-up shop Codalunga
Kids’ area Ponzano Children
Community Garden Piccolo Seeds
Thanks to Fondazione Benetton Studi Ricerche
With the support of the Municipality of Villorba

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2455748/Fabrica_Agor___Francesco_Radino.jpg
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2455749/BLOOMING_IN_EMBERS_Joe_Habben.jpg

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Melody Party Offers Over 20,000 Songs and Adds More Than a Thousand New Tracks Monthly, Enhancing Its Online Karaoke Experience

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October 27, 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Melody Party is a music social app featuring a variety of activities, including Mic Grab, Artist Mafia, and Singing Battle. Through its online karaoke feature, SING A SONG, the app brings the traditional karaoke experience online, removing time and location constraints and offering a music experience that combines real-time singing with social interaction.

SING A SONG features an extensive library of more than 20,000 songs, with over a thousand new songs added every month. Its diverse selection includes popular K-pop tracks, classic Korean songs, and karaoke favorites. The feature offers a free-use model, allowing users to start singing their chosen songs without paying a separate fee. This helps reduce the time and cost associated with visiting traditional coin-operated karaoke venues, making it easier to enjoy singing as part of everyday life.

In terms of functionality, SING A SONG supports pitch adjustment and independent volume controls for vocals and accompaniment, allowing users to customize their singing experience according to their preferences. Users can also create online karaoke rooms, invite friends to sing together in real time, and enjoy voice chat and social interaction.

By continuously expanding its song library and offering diverse music-based interactive experiences, Melody Party continues to strengthen its music ecosystem. Through SING A SONG, the platform aims to create an accessible, highly interactive online music social space.

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SOURCE Melody Party

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Drawing new strength from 20-year legacy, IAACA calls on global counterparts to join annual conference to fortify integrity

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October 27, 2026

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MARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), an independent and non-political anti-corruption organisation with over 190 member anti-corruption authorities (ACAs) worldwide, will co-host IAACA Annual Conference 2026 in Marrakech, Morocco next month together with the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong, China (ICAC) and the National Authority for Probity, Prevention and Fight Against Corruption of Morocco (INPPLC) to chart a path for the global graft fight and explore cutting-edge approaches to tackle emerging corruption challenges.

Themed “Building on 20 Years of Legacy: Drawing Strength from the Past, Guarding Global Integrity for the Future”, the international event will not only mark the 20th anniversary of the IAACA, but also provide a dynamic forum for IAACA members to exchange insights and enhance co-operation.

Calling on international counterparts to participate in the conference scheduled for November 25, IAACA President Mr Woo Ying-ming, who also serves as ICAC Commissioner, said that “As the IAACA marks its 20th anniversary, the conference will bring together global anti-corruption community at a pivotal moment for collective action. I anticipate that the valuable insights and new approaches generated through the international synergy will chart a resilient strategic path for us to navigate integrity risks and draw strength from our shared legacy to guard global integrity for generations to come.”

During the conference, renowned international experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Basel Institute on Governance, the International Anti-Corruption Academy, and global anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies and institutions will shed light on harnessing artificial intelligence in the fight against corruption, safeguarding integrity within global climate and biodiversity frameworks and analysing global corruption measurement and systemic effectiveness.

Following the conference, the ICAC, the INPPLC, the IAACA and the UNODC will co-organise a training seminar on leveraging AI in combating corruption.

While the ICAC and INPPLC will share how AI and new technology can reshape the future of anti-graft enforcement and corruption prevention, the UNODC will provide a global perspective on using AI models in financial crime investigations and addressing the operational relevance, legal robustness and adaptability across jurisdictions.

For details of the conference and training, please visit:
https://www.icac.org.hk/icac/iaaca-morocco-2026/index.html

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SOURCE International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA)

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Viettel moves 100 million subscribers to home-grown cloud-native charging in three months – with zero downtime

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October 27, 2026

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HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Viettel High Technology Industries Corporation (Viettel High Tech), part of Viettel Group, has migrated more than 100 million subscribers and some 5,000 tariff plans at Viettel, Vietnam’s largest mobile operator, to vOCS 4.0, its in-house cloud-native charging system. The three-month cutover ran on a live national network with no service disruption.

Replacing a charging system is one of the riskiest projects an operator can undertake, which is why many stick with legacy platforms. Viettel High Tech reduced the risk through real-time data synchronization, parallel running and a phased cutover, with instant rollback at every stage.

The project won the Telecom Review Excellence Awards 2026 prize for Best Technology Deployment in Asia, a first for a Vietnamese company.

What it means for operators:

Scale: more than 300,000 transactions per second at latency below 5 milliseconds, across 2G–5G and fixed services on one platformLower cost: up to 50% less hardware investment than the previous generation, by sharing infrastructure with the networkAgility: new tariff plans in hours instead of days, new features three times faster and deployments about 30% fasterResilience: two active data centers about 2,000 km apart and automatic recovery in under two minutes

Viettel High Tech developed every core layer in-house, from a telecom-grade cloud-native platform and NFV-MANO orchestration to real-time charging, subscriber and balance management.

“Passing rigorous tests of real-time self-diagnosis and self-recovery is what allows an operator to keep its promise of 24/7 service to customers,” said Luu Manh Ha, CEO of Viettel Networks, which operates the system on Viettel’s network in Vietnam. “Above all, owning the charging system means an operator is not dependent on foreign vendors – it safeguards digital sovereignty and preserves business flexibility.”

“The charging system is where an operator’s business strategy turns into revenue in real time,” said Nguyen Minh Quang, CEO of Viettel High Tech. “We believe vOCS 4.0 is ready to help operators worldwide capture the value of 5G and digital services.”

In 2017, vOCS 4.0’s predecessor, vOCS 3.0, replaced a foreign vendor’s platform for 90 million Viettel subscribers. Across both generations, vOCS serves more than 220 million subscribers in 11 countries. Viettel High Tech now offers vOCS 4.0 to operators worldwide.

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SOURCE Viettel Group

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