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CARES: health and social services research network dedicated to rural and remote regions

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An interdisciplinary network, led by INRS, for a healthy Québec and healthy regions

QUÉBEC, March 20, 2025 /CNW/ – The official launch and deployment of the CommunAutés Rurales et Éloignées en Santé (CARES) network took place today at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). Headed by Professor Cathy Vaillancourt of INRS, and co-directed by Benoît Barbeau of Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Martin Descarreaux of Université de Trois-Rivières (UQTR), and Marie-Hélène Morin of Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the network’s mission is to contribute to the well-being of communities by improving health, care, and social services, while preventing illness in these regions. 

“This is a Quebec health research network dedicated to the specific contexts and critical needs of rural and remote regions, which are too often ignored or forgotten. CARES is therefore of the utmost importance given the current inequity in the delivery of health care and social services in these regions,” says Cathy Vaillancourt, professor at INRS and director of CARES network. 

“Health indicators for populations in rural and remote areas, such as life expectancy and the rate of occurrence of numerous pathologies and mental health issues, highlight a comparative disadvantage with urban and peri-urban regions,” the researcher adds. 

Funded by Fonds de recherche du Québec – secteur Santé (FRQ-S) in partnership with Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux to the tune of $4 million since April 2024, CARES is one of 15 specialized networks whose aim is to provide leadership that brings the Québec scientific community together and creates greater cohesion around targeted issues. 

“I am proud to see CARES among the specialized networks of Fonds de recherche du Québec. The CARES network is a direct response to an urgent need to better understand and support health in our rural and remote communities. The transformation of our health systems begins on the ground, with the people who make a difference every day: researchers, stakeholders from the client and practitioner environments as well as the general public,” says Carole Jabet, PhD, Vice-President, Research, Scientific Director, Director of Oncopole, Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé

 CARES relies on innovative approaches to scientific research, training, and events, anchored in solid local partnerships with community, clinical, and practice environments such as care, rehabilitation, and mental health centres. 

The creation of working groups to pool local expertise will enable us to focus on topics such as northern health, global health in remote regions, aboriginal health, and trajectories of care and services for vulnerable populations in rural and remote areas. 

“Thanks to the anchor points offered by institutions in the Université du Québec network and their partners in Québec universities, the CARES network aims to create conditions favourable to the training of qualified personnel in the regions and thus improve the quality of care and services offered throughout the territory,” says Alexandre Cloutier, President of UQ.

“We are convinced that the CARES network, with its interdisciplinary approach to research and close collaboration with partners, will meet the unique challenges of rural and remote communities and improve the quality of life of Quebecers,” adds Luc-Alain Giraldeau, Director General of INRS.

About INRS 

INRS is an academic institution dedicated exclusively to graduate research and training in strategic sectors in Québec. For the past 55 years, it has actively contributed to Québec’s economic, social, and cultural development. INRS ranks first in Québec and Canada in research intensity. It is made up of four interdisciplinary research and training centres located in Québec City, Montréal, Laval, and Varennes, which focus their efforts on strategic sectors: water, earth, and environment (Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre); energy, materials, and telecommunications (Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre); urbanization, culture, and society (Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre); and health and biotechnology (Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre). The INRS community includes over 1,500 students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty and staff members. 

À propos du CARES

Le CARES | Communautés rurales et éloignées en santé est un nouveau réseau de recherche supporté par le Fonds de recherche du Québec – secteur Santé jusqu’en 2032. Conjuguant l’expertise de plus de 160 membres, chercheurs et chercheuses universitaires et leurs partenaires des milieux de pratique en santé et services sociaux, le CARES a pour mission de contribuer à la santé et au mieux-être des communautés dans une perspective interdisciplinaire et intersectorielle où la formation, la recherche, l’innovation et la mobilisation des connaissances sont mises à profit pour répondre aux enjeux prioritaires de santé et de services sociaux dans les régions rurales et éloignées du Québec.

SOURCE Institut National de la recherche scientifique (INRS)

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From China Mobile’s Call Upgrade to the Commercial Launch of “Calling + AI” by Leading Operators: AI Is Reshaping the Value of Native Calling

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2 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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BEIJING, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 15, 2026, China Mobile announced a comprehensive upgrade to its traditional calling services, ushering in a next-generation calling experience defined by HD, intelligence, and security. This milestone not only marks a major leap in telecommunication innovation but also reflects a global, inevitable shift: the transformation of basic communication into intelligent, inclusive services.

Breaking Experience Barriers and Redefining the Paradigm of Basic Calling

Overcoming the limitations of traditional, voice-only interactions, China Mobile has leveraged its mature VoLTE/VoNR network foundation to deeply integrate AI models with HD audio and video capabilities. Without requiring users to change their phones or SIM cards, seven core AI functions are now seamlessly embedded into the native dialer interface.

These upgrades include Live Captions bridge communication gaps for the elderly and hearing-impaired; HD video calls and AI noise reduction create a crystal-clear, immersive calling experience; AI anti-fraud intercepts high-risk calls in real time to safeguard users’ assets. Furthermore, the introduction of Data Channel (DC) technology and visual call menus transforms standard calls into agile, interactive service windows, enabling multi-party collaboration and seamless business transactions directly within the call. Through this initiative, China Mobile has successfully evolved traditional calls from a mere voice pipeline into a secure, integrated information hub.

“Calling + AI” Becomes a Strategic Consensus Among Global Leading Operators

From a global perspective, China Mobile’s call upgrade is not an isolated milestone, but a microcosm of the global telecommunications industry’s broader transformation. Throughout 2026, major operators worldwide are accelerating the commercial deployment of “Calling + AI” solutions:

Deutsche Telekom launched Magenta AI, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance calling across all scenarios;T-Mobile US introduced a network-side, real-time translation service covering over 80 languages, effectively breaking down cross-border communication barriers;Saudi stc rolled out English-Arabic bilingual simultaneous interpretation, which has now entered large-scale commercial trials;South Korea’s LG U+ launched its ixi-O intelligent calling assistant, shifting the user experience from passive responses to proactive smart interactions and earning three prestigious GLOMO industry awards.

The synchronized efforts of these global leaders confirm that basic calling services have officially entered a new era of AI integration. Deeply empowered by artificial intelligence, “Calling + AI” has become the definitive blueprint for the intelligent transformation of the global telecommunications industry. As operators continue to refine these native capabilities, the traditional voice network is poised to reclaim its position as the most secure, ubiquitous, and valuable entry point in the AI era.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/from-china-mobiles-call-upgrade-to-the-commercial-launch-of-calling–ai-by-leading-operators-ai-is-reshaping-the-value-of-native-calling-302834622.html

SOURCE China Mobile

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Trip.com Group Sincerely Accepts Administrative Penalty Decision Issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China

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5 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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SINGAPORE, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: TCOM; HKEX: 9961) today announced that it has received the administrative penalty decision issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

Trip.com Group sincerely accepts the decision and will adopt rectification measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to implement the decision’s requirements. The Company will strengthen its long-term governance mechanisms and strive to contribute to the sustainable development of the travel industry.

Trip.com Group’s management team will host a conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026 (or 8:00 PM Hong Kong Time on July 27, 2026).

The conference call will be available on Webcast live at: http://investors.trip.com.

All participants must pre-register to join this conference call using the participant registration link below:
https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BIb78e08d8f18340c4882a7e4ab961906b.

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for this conference call, including dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the number provided, enter your PIN, and you will join the conference instantly.

For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Trip.com Group Limited
Email: iremail@trip.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripcom-group-sincerely-accepts-administrative-penalty-decision-issued-by-the-state-administration-for-market-regulation-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-302834599.html

SOURCE Trip.com Group Limited

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Technology

NAVER Partners with Brookfield and NVIDIA to Expand Korea’s National AI Factory Infrastructure Buildout

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7 hours ago

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July 25, 2026

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SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NAVER, Brookfield and NVIDIA announced an expansion of Korea’s sovereign AI factory infrastructure. New investments will increase the initial NVIDIA DSX™ AI factory deployment from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts.

Announced during Korea President Jae Myung Lee’s AI Summit visit to San Francisco, the planned 200-megawatt expansion will be built with the NVIDIA DSX platform at NAVER’s GAK Sejong hyperscale data center in Sejong, South Korea. The expanded infrastructure will provide Korea- and U.S.- based AI innovators with access to production-scale AI compute for building next-generation models, agents and AI-powered services.

Under the terms of the agreements, Brookfield will fund up to $9 billion as the exclusive capital partner, NVIDIA will invest $1 billion and NAVER will fund the remaining amount to finance the $10 billion project.

This builds on NAVER’s June announcement to extend its GAK Sejong data center with NVIDIA DSX, with a long-term path to gigawatt-scale sovereign AI infrastructure serving Korea’s enterprises, industries, government organizations and global AI cloud customers. Combining Brookfield’s capital with NVIDIA’s computing platform, the investment supports NAVER’s AI factory deployment.

“NVIDIA’s strategic investment and our infrastructure supply agreement with Brookfield have propelled NAVER’s vision for the AI Factory business into a robust execution phase,” said Haejin Lee, Founder and Chairman of NAVER. “Leveraging the solid partnerships with our global partners, we will drive technological innovation, foster a sovereign AI ecosystem, and spearhead efforts to strengthen South Korea’s AI competitiveness.” 

AI Factory Expansion and Open Model Collaboration to Fuel AI Innovators

NAVER, as an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, provides deep expertise in operating hyperscale infrastructure powered by the full-stack NVIDIA AI platform. The 200-megawatt AI factory, featuring NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Blackwell platforms, will establish a dedicated resource pool for emerging AI companies, providing the compute, software and support needed to develop and deploy competitive AI models and applications at scale.

This expanded infrastructure also builds on NAVER and NVIDIA’s collaboration on open model development for agentic and physical AI. NAVER is advancing its HyperCLOVA X models to be based on NVIDIA Nemotron™ 3 Ultra open models with its proprietary data and training expertise. NAVER is also the first Korean company to join the NVIDIA Nemotron Coalition, contributing to open model development across pretraining, post-training and reinforcement learning.

NAVER plans to launch an AI agent platform in Korea in the second half of the year, powered by NVIDIA Agent Toolkit software including NVIDIA NemoClaw™ blueprints. NAVER is also developing a Seoul World Model using proprietary urban street-view and spatial modeling data, built on NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models.

About NAVER

Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s largest Internet company and one of the world’s top tech companies. Leading cutting-edge technologies, NAVER operates the No.1 search engine in Korea and holds various business portfolios encompassing commerce, fintech, cloud, AI and robotics.

NAVER recorded sales of KRW 12.04 trillion (USD 8.18 billion) in 2025. TEAM NAVER continues to enhance its business portfolio and expand its global presence across Japan, North America, and Europe, while pursuing innovation through continuous research and development in future technologies.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naver-partners-with-brookfield-and-nvidia-to-expand-koreas-national-ai-factory-infrastructure-buildout-302834577.html

SOURCE NAVER

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