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Florida Southern College Celebrates Ben and Missy Albritton Citrus and Horticulture Complex Greenhouse Raising and Miller Planetarium Rededication

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LAKELAND, Fla., Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Florida Southern College celebrated two significant investments in science education and historic preservation on Thursday, Oct. 22, with the Ben and Missy Albritton Citrus and Horticulture Complex Greenhouse Raising, as well as the Miller Planetarium Rededication. The celebration highlighted the College’s commitment to agricultural education, scientific discovery, and preserving its distinctive Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus.

The event welcomed Florida Senate President and Florida Southern alumnus Ben Albritton and his wife, Missy Albritton, along with state and local officials, College leadership, alumni, and community partners. The program included the unveiling of a dedication inscription honoring the Albritton’s, a greenhouse raising ceremony for the new greenhouse complex, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly modernized Miller Planetarium.

The Albritton Citrus and Horticulture Complex will strengthen Florida Southern’s longstanding connection to Florida’s citrus industry and agricultural education. As a student, Ben Albritton studied horticulture at the College, where faculty members helped him recognize his potential as both a student and a leader. The complex honors the Albrittons’ connection to Florida Southern and their commitment to education, agriculture, and public service.

During the greenhouse raising, invited guests signed a steel beam that will become a permanent part of the new complex. The ceremony recognized the collaborative efforts of the College, state leaders, and community supporters in advancing agricultural education. Once completed, the four new greenhouses will provide opportunities for hands-on learning, experimentation, and scientific inquiry.

State funding is also supporting improvements to Polk Science, including structural upgrades, historic preservation, and restoration of its greenhouse. Complementing these investments, a private donor gift will support renovations to existing laboratories, strengthening facilities for scientific instruction and research.

“We are particularly grateful to the State of Florida and specifically the Polk County legislators who made these opportunities possible for students, schools, and the entire community,” said Dr. Jeremy Martin, President of Florida Southern College. “We are also honored to recognize Ben and Missy Albritton, whose longstanding relationship with Florida Southern and commitment to Florida agriculture and public service make today’s celebration especially meaningful.”

The celebration continued at the Miller Planetarium, where President Jeremy Martin led the rededication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The planetarium’s modernization includes significant upgrades to projection and audiovisual technology, transforming the historic facility into an immersive learning environment for students, K-12 school groups, families, and visitors.

The program recognized Senator Colleen Burton and Representative Jennifer Canady for their advocacy in securing state appropriations for Florida Southern over the past several years. The restoration also received support from the State of Florida, the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures grant program, and a private donor. These investments helped preserve the planetarium while equipping it with modern technology to inspire new generations of learners.

“The reopening of the Planetarium fulfills a dream decades in the making,” said Dr. Keith Berend, chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees. “As a student here in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I remember hoping to see this day.”

Dr. Berend also emphasized the significance of the greenhouse complex in carrying forward Florida Southern’s agricultural legacy.

“Florida Southern has a proud history in citrus education, including what was once the nation’s only bachelor’s degree dedicated to citrus. Seeing that legacy carried forward for a new generation is especially exciting,” he said.

Together, the Albritton Citrus and Horticulture Complex and the Miller Planetarium connect Florida Southern’s legacy with new opportunities for scientific exploration, student learning, and community engagement.

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. In the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Colleges” guide, Florida Southern ranks #11 among “Best Regional Universities in the South,” #12 in “Most Innovative Schools,” and #24 in “Best Value Schools.” The College is also highlighted in The Princeton Review’s 2026 Best 391 Colleges guide and the “Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025.” The 2025-2026 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern’s AACSB-accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College’s School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Home to the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, Florida Southern houses 13 Wright-designed structures.

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SOURCE Florida Southern College

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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.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/melody-party-offers-over-20-000-songs-and-adds-more-than-a-thousand-new-tracks-monthly-enhancing-its-online-karaoke-experience-302920097.html

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.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/viettel-moves-100-million-subscribers-to-home-grown-cloud-native-charging-in-three-months–with-zero-downtime-302920106.html

SOURCE Viettel Group

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