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ASSEMBLY AND BRAND NEW GALAXY JOIN FORCES IN MENA

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Assembly expands digital commerce capability, Forsman & Bodenfors sets up launch team in region

DUBAI, UAE and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia and DOHA, Qatar, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, today announced that Brand New Galaxy is rebranding as Assembly and bringing expanded digital commerce capabilities and expertise into Assembly in MENA and around the globe. This new and bigger Assembly of data, talent, and tech enables the connection of omnichannel media to commerce to help deliver Assembly’s proposition of Finding the Change That Fuels Growth across the entire consumer journey for clients.

Brand New Galaxy’s rebranding as Assembly was a natural next step in the agencies’ partnership. Assembly now boasts a stand-alone digital commerce capability of more than 400 experts continuing to deliver excellence for clients, including Lindt, Ceer, and Mashreq, while also offering expanded solutions for brands like Lenovo, Fossil Group, and Virgin Mobile to deliver superior value and ROI for marketing investments. The move brings together unprecedented attitudinal, behavioral, and now transactional data under STAGE, Assembly’s AI-powered platform and operating system. Ultimately, this furthers Assembly’s vision to create more connected omnichannel experiences to make clients’ brands perform. Key executives from Brand New Galaxy will join Assembly’s leadership team, ensuring seamless integration and continuity of excellence.

“Since we acquired Brand New Galaxy in 2021, the agency has been essential to accelerating commerce-driven solutions for our clients. We believe this combination is the right step to bring the best minds in the industry together with a broader spectrum of digital services designed to drive full-funnel growth and engagement,” said Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO, Stagwell.

“We are eager to embark on this new journey with Brand New Galaxy,” says Faisal Dean, Assembly MENA CEO. “Our clients will benefit from a holistic approach that combines the best of digital commerce and omnichannel media, driving unparalleled success and true brand performance in the marketplace. Our goal is to Find the Change that Fuels Growth in everything we do, and we are excited about the limitless possibilities that lie ahead.”

Additionally, Brand New Galaxy’s Dubai’s Creative and Product Content unit will now become a part of the global creative collective at Forsman & Bodenfors. Toby Southgate, Global CEO at Forsman & Bodenfors commented, “Bringing the Dubai team into the Forsman & Bodenfors collective is an incredibly positive move, not least given the dynamism of the region. I have known Brand New Galaxy MENA CEO, Adil Kahn, for many years, and his track record at the leading agencies in the region is testament to his creative roots – a background that is clearly appealing to a creative group like us with eyes on the region.”

ABOUT STAGWELL
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.

ABOUT ASSEMBLY MENA
A leading global omnichannel media agency with 26 offices Globally, Assembly MENA is a fast-growing regional hub with over 230 locally based experts. Leveraging a deep understanding of the market to drive growth for the best brands in the region. Assembly MENA represents over 20 nationalities, including more than 100 Arabic speakers, making a culturally diverse team capable of delivering tailored solutions that resonate with the local audience. With offices in Dubai, Cairo, and Riyadh, Assembly is strategically positioned to serve its clients across a wide range of industries, including; retail, automotive, crypto, real estate, tech and finance sectors. With a proven record of combining data-driven insights, exceptional talent, and innovative technology to deliver integrated, global media capabilities that generate performance and drive significant business growth. For more information, visit assemblyglobal.com. 

ABOUT FORSMAN & BODENFORS
Forsman & Bodenfors is a global creative collective transforming our clients’ businesses with ideas that change things. We work with some of the world’s most human brands including Volvo, Mandarin Oriental,  SK-II, Google, Goldman Sachs, Polestar, Diageo, P&G, Crocs, LG, General Mills and H&M. Forsman & Bodenfors is one of the most globally awarded agencies across creativity and innovation, with key accolades including Cannes Lions: Top 3 Independent Agency of the Decade; Contagious Pioneers; Fast Company: Most Innovative Companies; Digiday: Most Collaborative Culture.  Forsman and Bodenfors is also the first and only global creative agency to receive both the global 3% Certification, and global certification from Fair Pay Workplace. We have people across eight offices in Gothenburg, Stockholm, London, Dublin, New York, Singapore, Shanghai and Toronto.

STAGWELL CONTACT:
Kara Gelber
pr@stagwellglobal.com 

ASSEMBLY CONTACT:
Jess Santini
jess.santini@assemblyglobal.com 

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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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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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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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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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