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Government of Canada announces first-of-its-kind biomanufacturing facility in British Columbia

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Opening of cutting-edge biomanufacturing facility creates more than 1,000 Canadian jobs, boosting the domestic life sciences sector

BURNABY, BC, July 9, 2024 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada is investing in a robust, dynamic and resilient life sciences ecosystem capable of responding to current and future health emergencies. Since March 2020, over $2.2 billion has been invested to strengthen our country’s domestic biomanufacturing and life sciences capabilities to ensure Canadians have access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies.

Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, is pleased to announce the opening of STEMCELL Technologies‘ state-of-the-art facility, in Burnaby, British Columbia, which has been supported through a $22.5 million investment by the Government of Canada, matched by the Government of British Columbia. This investment has contributed to the construction of a brand new good manufacturing practices (GMP) biomanufacturing facility where STEMCELL Technologies can now manufacture products at the higher regulatory compliance standard required to support clinical trials for cell therapy, tissue engineering, immunotherapy, gene therapy and regenerative medicine, with the ultimate aim of curing cancer and other serious diseases. With the completion of this project, STEMCELL Technologies created more than 1,000 new full-time jobs in British Columbia, far exceeding the project’s target of 675.

The expansion of STEMCELL Technologies’ presence in British Columbia strengthens the province’s status as a biomanufacturing and life sciences hub and will generate more research and development (R&D) and more collaboration with academia. It will also ensure new intellectual property being developed remains in Canada.

This investment is made possible through the Strategic Innovation Fund, a program to attract and support high-quality business investments across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate technology transfer and commercialization of innovative products, processes and services.

Quotes

“Our government is committed to supporting innovation in the life sciences sector to ensure Canadians have access to the most cutting-edge medical technologies to keep them safe. The opening of STEMCELL Technologies’ state-of-the-art facility is another important milestone in achieving a robust domestic life sciences sector in Canada. Through investments such as this, we are securing domestic supply chains and ensuring new intellectual property remains in Canada, while supporting the creation of hundreds of great-paying jobs for Canadian workers.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

“Supporting research and development expansion, as well as job growth in diverse and dynamic fields, all across Canada is essential to creating stronger local economies. Leaps in progress often happen because of many smaller steps, on many roads leading to the same destination.”
– The Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services

“B.C. is home to the fastest growing life sciences and biomanufacturing sector in Canada. Supporting companies like STEMCELL is helping the ecosystem in B.C. continue to grow and thrive, meaning more good jobs for British Columbians and better access to cutting edge research and therapeutics.”
 – Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation  

“The opening of this new facility is the culmination of a massive multi-year project unprecedented in STEMCELL’s 31-year history that enables us to meet the needs of scientists advancing medical discoveries globally. This biomanufacturing facility strengthens STEMCELL’s positioning as a Canadian anchor company and will allow us to contribute to the life sciences ecosystem for decades to come.”
– Dr. Allen Eaves, Founder, President and CEO, STEMCELL Technologies

Quick facts

Canada’s Biomanufacturing and Life Sciences Strategy presents a long-term vision to protect Canadians against future pandemics and other health emergencies and to grow an innovative, competitive domestic life sciences sector.STEMCELL Technologies was founded in 1993 by CEO Dr. Allen Eaves. The company has since grown into a global biotechnology enterprise, producing high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, educational resources, and contract assay services that are used by scientists performing cancer, stem cell, immunology, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research globally.Stem cells were discovered in the early 1960s through the work of Canadian scientists Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch at the University of Toronto.

Associated links

Biomanufacturing: Advancing health sciences industry in CanadaStrategic Innovation FundSTEMCELL Technologies

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VIDA Highlights Cyber Threats to the Fintech Industry at Money20/20 Asia 2026

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BANGKOK, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fraud has evolved into industrial-scale operations across Southeast Asia. At Money20/20 Asia 2026, held from April 21 to 23 in Bangkok, VIDA, Indonesia’s leading digital identity network, warned that traditional approaches to identity security are no longer sufficient.

Founder and CEO of VIDA, Niki Luhur, shared this during the panel session “How Cybercriminals Target Fintech and What’s Next.” He highlighted how fraud has scaled across the region, from industrialized scam compounds to cross-border syndicates spanning Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia. In one case, authorities in Myanmar seized $12 billion in Bitcoin, underscoring the scale of these operations.

“Cybercrime is democratic, they don’t care what size institution you are. They just scan for vulnerabilities. All the doors that are open, they exploit them,” said Niki Luhur.

This industrialized scale is made possible by one thing: Systematic exploitation of weak points across digital systems. Rather than targeting specific institutions, cybercriminals focus on vulnerabilities that can be replicated and scaled across platforms.

Niki emphasized that while attention is on deepfakes, the real threat lies deeper in the attack chain, particularly in injection attacks. “Deepfakes get the buzz, but the door is an injection attack. The majority come from virtual cameras on compromised devices,” he added.

His solution is clear: layered defense requiring three simultaneous verifications; the person (biometrics), their identity (against government databases), and the device. This approach addresses the infrastructure gap where KYC and authentication systems remain siloed across financial institutions.

Alongside its presence at the conference, VIDA is also launching ID FraudShield, a new fraud detection solution built for threats that traditional biometric checks can no longer stop. ID Fraud Shield combines biometric liveness with device intelligence, behavioral analytics, network detection, and rule-based fraud evaluation, all delivered in parallel through one SDK. It’s designed for one purpose: catching the fraud that liveness alone misses.

About VIDA

VIDA is licensed Certification Authority (CA) registered under the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. Founded in 2018, VIDA provides digital identity services that integrate electronic certificates, digital signatures, identity verification, and transaction authentication, all adhering to world-class security standards, including Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and biometric verification. VIDA verifies more than 2.5 million identities every day. For more information, visit www.vida.id 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/vida-highlights-cyber-threats-to-the-fintech-industry-at-money2020-asia-2026-302755906.html

SOURCE VIDA

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Digital Edge Publishes Fifth Annual ESG Report, Marking Progress on Renewable Energy, Green Finance and Water Stewardship

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SINGAPORE, April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Digital Edge today published its 2026 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, themed “Staying Power: Scaling Up, Standing Out”, marking the company’s progress across its expanding portfolio of 31 data centers.

This is Digital Edge’s fifth voluntary annual report, showcasing achievements including 26% renewable electricity across its operations, landmark green loans totaling nearly US$1.25 billion, and an industry-first recycled water initiative in India.

Digital Edge’s ESG strategy is anchored in three pillars – Respect for Resources, Respect for People and Communities, and Respect for Transparency – each embedded across its operations to drive sustainable, high-performance digital infrastructure.

“Over the past year, we scaled with sustainability at the core – expanding renewable electricity across our portfolio, advancing green finance to support efficient growth, and investing in practical solutions for resource stewardship across our fastest-growing markets,” said John Freeman, Group CEO of Digital Edge. “As demand for AI-ready digital infrastructure accelerates, responsible growth is no longer optional; it is now a baseline requirement from customers, investors, and regulators for operating in our sector.”

Key highlights from the 2026 ESG Report:

Industry-first recycled water initiative in India: Up to 10 million liters of treated greywater deployed daily at the BOM campus in Navi Mumbai for cooling – saving potable water equivalent to the daily needs of ~100,000 people.Largest data center green loans on record: US$582 million for SEL3 in South Korea and US$665 million for CGK Campus in Indonesia.Renewable electricity increased to 26%: Up from 21% in 2024, keeping Digital Edge on track towards its ambition of 100% renewable electricity by 2030.Achieved LEED Gold certification at EDGE2 (Jakarta) and Silver at TYO7 (Japan), with five additional facilities in India, Thailand, and Indonesia on track to meet or exceed LEED Silver.Scaled underground fiber infrastructure in Indonesia for greater business continuity through Indonet: Since 2024, our Jakarta fiber network has grown nearly 5x, with 92% now running underground – improving service reliability for customers while minimizing disruption to public routes.100% uptime across all operational data centers: No material service disruptions recorded in 2025, underscoring the platform’s operational resilience and governance discipline.Green Finance Framework rated SQS2 (Very Good) by Moody’s: Independent validation of Digital Edge’s approach to sustainable capital deployment.Signatory to the UN Global Compact: Reinforcing our commitment to global standards in human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.

The full 2026 ESG Report is available at digitaledgedc.com/esg-report/esg-report-2026

About Digital Edge

Where performance meets sustainability, Digital Edge powers Asia-Pacific’s digital transformation with reliable, secure, and sustainable infrastructure. Headquartered in Singapore and backed by Stonepeak, the company delivers high-performance data center and fiber solutions for hyperscalers and enterprises across nine countries in Asia Pacific. With 1.8GW of secured IT power, Digital Edge empowers businesses to scale rapidly and responsibly in a connected, energy-efficient future.

Visit www.digitaledgedc.com for more information.

Media Contact
Digital Edge
Geraldine Lim
geraldine.lim@digitaledgedc.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/digital-edge-publishes-fifth-annual-esg-report-marking-progress-on-renewable-energy-green-finance-and-water-stewardship-302755452.html

SOURCE Digital Edge

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Dreame TV Shines at DREAME NEXT with Advanced Display and Audio Technologies

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — INNIX, Dreame Technology’s premium home entertainment brand, presented its latest high-end television and home cinema product portfolio at a press conference held at the Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco on April 28th. Focusing on enhancing the user experience, Dreame TV presented a diverse range of display innovations, including TVs, breakthrough display and audio innovations, highlighting its leading position in the industry. This strategic launch represents a significant milestone in INNIX’s North American market expansion and underscores the brand’s commitment to advancing home entertainment through differentiated, in-house developed technologies.

Global-first Dynamic Sound Engine: INNIX RGB Mini LED Transforming TV R8000F

The INNIX Aura Mini LED R8000 series, a flagship representation of Dreame’s high-quality TV technology, quickly became a highlight of the event. The INNIX Aura Mini LED R8000 series introduces the world’s first Dynamic Sound Engine—a proprietary audio architecture that dynamically synchronizes acoustic output with mechanical display transformations. This integration enables real-time adaptation of the soundstage in response to changes in screen form factor and orientation.

R8000F is the world’s first TV featuring a motion-adaptive 6.2.2 channel dynamic sound engine. Powered by the flagship Dreamind Master AI processor, it delivers millisecond-level real-time optimization of both sound and image—bringing every moment to a professional cinema-grade standard. On the display side, R8000F adopts next-generation RGB-Mini LED technology with direct red, green, and blue backlighting. By controlling color at the light source, it achieves exceptional color purity and expression—featuring 100% BT.2020 ultra-wide gamut and ΔE < 0.7 ultra-high color accuracy.

S100 — Black Crystal True Color Screen+A Soundbar Within, Achieving the Premium Atmosphere Maestro

As expectations for home entertainment continue to rise, users want to see more authentic detail, hear purer sound, and enjoy a simpler, all-in-one design. The S100 was created to meet these needs.

The S100 features Aura Mini LED backlight with full-array local dimming, delivering precise light control and deep blacks. With QLED+ technology producing over 1.07 billion colors, every detail is sharp and every shade true to life. Powered by the custom Dreamind Pro AI Processor, 2K content is intelligently upscaled close to 4K, with adaptive color and clarity tuning for natural, vivid frames. Furthermore, S100 features a Black Crystal True Color Screen, delivering an ultra-low 1.8% reflection, AG25 anti-glare, a stunning 20,000:1 contrast, hyper-realistic colors, and a consistent 178° wide viewing angle without color shift. This effectively eliminates glare even under bright environmental conditions.

At the same time, the S100 integrates a full soundbar into its body, this innovation delivers 4.1.2ch Master Sound System performance with 11 sound units and 70W peak power—far surpassing typical 40W outputs—creating 270° physical sound coverage. Consumers receive both a flagship TV and premium soundbar in one elegant package.

The S100 is not just a TV. It is an “Atmosphere Maestro” — seamlessly fusing sight and sound to deliver a truly cinematic immersive experience at home.

Available in more than 120 countries via over 6,500 retail outlets and flagship stores, Dreame TV seizes this press conference opportunity to position itself as a technological innovator in the global entertainment sphere. It offers high-quality, intelligent designs that revolutionize daily viewing experiences through cutting-edge proprietary technologies.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dreame-tv-shines-at-dreame-next-with-advanced-display-and-audio-technologies-302756500.html

SOURCE Dreame Technology

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