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Return and Verified Announce First 100% Wind-Powered Direct Air Capture Hub, Designed To Scale to 500,000 Tons Annually

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‘Project Concho’ Combines Proven DAC Technology, New Local Wind Power And Texas’ Carbon Storage Capacity

SAN ANGELO, Texas, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Carbon capture and removal project developers Return Carbon and Verified Carbon today announced ‘Project Concho,’ a pioneering Direct Air Capture (DAC) hub to be built in Tom Green County, Texas. Project Concho will be the first DAC hub in the world to run entirely on wind power and will leverage advanced DAC technology as well as onsite geological carbon storage to capture and permanently remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. In its first phase, the facility aims to remove 50,000 tons annually before 2030, with expansion plans to reach 500,000 tons per year, in turn creating premium, verified carbon credits that hold significant value in carbon markets.

Project Concho will be powered by a new wind farm to be built and operated by Greenalia, a leading global renewable energy producer with presence in wind and solar in Europe and the United States. The technology underpinning Project Concho will be provided by Skytree, an industry-leading carbon removal company born out of the European Space Agency with DAC units in deployment across Europe, Canada, and the United States.

“Project Concho is a significant step forward in scaling up DAC,” said Martijn Verwoerd, Managing Director of Return Carbon. “This opportunity aligns perfectly with Return Carbon and Verified Carbon’s joint mission to mitigate climate change through the scalable commercialization of new technologies in impactful infrastructure projects. We’re thrilled to make West Texas a home for this groundbreaking DAC hub and create new opportunities for the region.”

Collaboration Sets Stage For Future Renewable Power-DAC Projects

Project Concho is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between a wind energy provider and a DAC developer: the DAC hub guarantees a reliable offtake of wind energy in return for access to low-cost power, one of the challenges associated with large-scale DAC projects. Project Concho’s energy optimization will be enabled through its flexible use of power, leveraging the agreement of Greenalia and Concho partners to develop a unique Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) structure that allows for price stability and full energy deliverability. This symbiotic arrangement sets the stage for future joint renewable power-DAC projects that enable greater scale, lower risk, and reduced costs.

“We are excited about the partnership with Project Concho and there is a vision and a framework for collaboration that our companies share,” said Alexandre Alonso, SVP of Business Development at Greenalia. “The flexibility offered by the DAC hub to optimize around energy price peaks is a game changer for renewable energy projects. It not only strengthens the business case for our wind farm under development in Texas but also contributes to adding innovative business models and alternatives for a greener energy landscape in the U.S.”

State-of-the-art DAC Technology

Project Concho will feature a connected array of Skytree Stratus DAC units. Skytree’s patented DAC technology continuously optimizes energy use and drives down energy consumption while ensuring optimal CO2 capture efficiency. In addition, its modular design and 24/7 uptime guarantee made it a logical choice for a large-scale project like Project Concho in which units will be added over time.

“Project Concho is a first-of-its-kind collaboration that opens the door to even more ambitious and transformative carbon removal projects,” said Elena Nikonova, VP North America at Skytree. “Deploying DAC at scale is necessary to drive down costs across the value chain and achieve greater impact and we are thrilled to provide the technology needed to bring Project Concho to life.”

Revenue and Environmental Benefits to Concho Valley

Through carbon sequestration, local landowners can take advantage of passive revenue streams while promoting sustainable land use. “Project Concho brings significant benefits to the Concho Valley, providing new economic opportunities for landowners beyond traditional activities,” said Coleman White, co-founder of Verified Carbon and Concho Valley landowner. “Projects like these allow us to maintain traditional land uses while benefiting from a new income source and supporting projects that sustain both our environment and local economy”.

About Return Carbon

Return Carbon is a project development and investment company focused on sustainable infrastructure and energy transition projects, with a focus on the development of Direct Air Capture. Return Carbon is part of the Return group, a leading investor in solar and energy storage, with an extensive portfolio in Europe. Return has gained prominence in Europe’s energy transition, having raised EUR 100 million to support its portfolio companies, including leading energy storage companies such as SemperPower, Lion Storage, and J&P Batterie Projekte.

About Verified Carbon

Verified Carbon is a Texas-based carbon capture company, originating from the University of Texas at Austin. The company specializes in deploying DAC technology to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change while delivering financial benefits to local stakeholders. Verified Carbon, whose founding members have contributed to over 35 different Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects, brings vital knowledge of the subsurface and strong landowner partnerships to the project, creating new revenue opportunities for landowners while advancing sustainable carbon sequestration in the region.

About Greenalia

Greenalia is an Independent Power Producer exclusively for renewable energy. The company harnesses wind, sun, and forestry biomass from certified plantations’ remains to generate and store energy sustainably. Greenalia promotes employment and innovation in the regions where it operates, driving growth across Europe and the U.S.

About Skytree

Born out of the European Space Agency in 2014 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Skytree harnesses CO2 from ambient air through the power of direct air capture technology (DAC). Its patented technology can be set up quickly at any location and scaled to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. With Skytree’s unique Uptime Assurance Guarantee, all DAC systems are monitored to ensure uninterrupted operations and measured to provide valuable insights. Skytree’s Stratus DAC units are field-upgradable to newer generations as capture materials evolve, reducing energy consumption costs while improving unit capacity over time. For more information, visit skytree.eu.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/return-and-verified-announce-first-100-wind-powered-direct-air-capture-hub-designed-to-scale-to-500-000-tons-annually-302312841.html

SOURCE Return Carbon

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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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49 minutes ago

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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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