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Allred, Domingo, Latour to Headline American University’s 2025 Spring Commencement

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WASHINGTON, April 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — An all-star lineup of leaders from the fields of law, food security, entertainment, journalism, business and finance will address and celebrate 3,000 American University graduates during this year’s spring commencement on AU’s Washington, D.C. campus.

This year’s speakers are Gloria Allred, founding partner at Allred, Maroko & Goldberg; Orlando Bravo, co-founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, a private equity investment firm; Colman Domingo, Academy Award–nominated actor, producer and director; Almar Latour, SOC/MA ’96, publisher of The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones; Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of Capital Area Food Bank; and Elhadj As Sy, global health, development and humanitarian leader.

The traditional bagpipe processional will kick off commencement ceremonies, which will be held in Bender Arena on Friday, May 9, and Saturday, May 10, for undergraduate and graduate students across most AU schools and colleges, and on Saturday, May 17, for the Washington College of Law. The events will be livestreamed for the families and friends of AU’s newest alumni.

“American University graduates are dedicated to lives of purpose, service and leadership and our six outstanding 2025 commencement speakers all reflect this dedication to civic engagement,” AU President Jonathan Alger said. “Each of our honorees has made lasting impacts in communities around the world and they exemplify our charge to ‘dream big.’ They will further inspire our graduating Eagles as they begin their own journeys and fulfill their unique big dreams.”

Speakers on Friday, May 9:

Radha Muthiah is the president and CEO of Capital Area Food Bank, which anchors our region’s charitable food ecosystem. Under her leadership, CAFB distributes the food for more than 60 million meals annually and operates multiple innovative, cross-sector initiatives focused on addressing food insecurity in the long term. Muthiah has been recognized by Washington Business Journal as Nonprofit CEO of the Year and as a Woman Who Means Business and by Washingtonian magazine as Washingtonian of the Year and one of Washington’s Most Powerful Women. She will address graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences on Friday, May 9, at 9 a.m.

Elhadj As Sy is a global health, development and humanitarian leader who served as the secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and has held leadership positions at such international agencies as UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNDP, WHO Health Emergencies Programme and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He chairs the board of the Kofi Annan Foundation and was recently named the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine’s first chancellor in its 125-year history. He will address graduates of the School of International Service on Friday, May 9, at 2 p.m.

Speakers on Saturday, May 10:

Colman Domingo starred as civil rights leader Bayard Rustin in Netflix and Higher Ground’s Rustin, for which he received Academy Award, Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG nominations. He also played Mister in the Warner Bros. production of The Color Purple, which received a SAG ensemble nomination. Domingo executive produced and starred in Greg Kwedar’s film Sing Sing, for which he received a second Academy Award nomination. He will address graduates of the School of Public Affairs on Saturday, May 10, at 9 a.m.

Almar Latour, SOC/MA ’96, is the publisher of The Wall Street Journal and CEO of Dow Jones. Under his leadership, Dow Jones has delivered record financial results, more than doubling profitability in four years, with significant growth in subscriptions and business information services. Latour will address graduates of the School of Education and the School of Communication on Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m.

Orlando Bravo is a founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm, and the founder and chair of the Bravo Family Foundation, which provides young adults in Puerto Rico with access to opportunity. In 2019, he committed $100 million to the foundation’s Rising Entrepreneurs Program with the goal of fostering entrepreneurship on the island. Bravo is one of the top software investors in the world. He will address graduates of the Kogod School of Business and Professional Studies, which recently launched the Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence (IAAI), further positioning the university and business school as global leaders in AI education, application and research. The ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 10, at 6 p.m.

Speaker on Saturday, May 17:

Gloria Allred is the founding partner at Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, a law firm that has successfully handled more women’s rights cases than any other private firm in the nation. Over the course of her nearly 50-year legal career, Allred has received numerous honors in recognition of her groundbreaking work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Trial Lawyers for her pioneering role in combating injustices and winning new rights, especially for women and minorities. President Barack Obama introduced her as “one of the best attorneys in the country,” while President Ronald Reagan presented her with the 1986 Volunteer Action Award for Outstanding Volunteerism. Allred will address graduates of the Washington College of Law on Saturday, May 17, at 10 a.m.

About American University

American University leverages the power and purpose of scholarship, learning, and community to impact our changing world. AU’s faculty, students, staff, and alumni are changemakers who shape the future from sustainability to social justice to the sciences. Building on our 130-year history of education and research in the public interest, we say ‘Challenge Accepted’ to addressing the world’s pressing issues.

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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.

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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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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.

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SOURCE Viettel Group

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