December 30, 2022

NWTN Delivers First Batch of Electric Vehicles to Client in the UAE

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — NWTN Inc. (Nasdaq: NWTN), an eco-conscious mobility technology company bringing passenger-centric green premium mobility solutions to the world (“NWTN”), today announced that it delivered 20 range-extended electric vehicles (“R-EEVs”) to M93 CAR RENTAL L.L.C (“M93 CAR RENTAL”) at its newly constructed facility in the Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (“KEZAD”). The delivery kicks off NWTN’s plan to provide the UAE market with a range of innovative products and solutions to promote the region’s transformation to sustainable energy.

The R-EEVs were the perfect choice for M93 CAR RENTAL and are uniquely suited to the UAE market. The vehicle’s range-extended technology overcomes the problems of limited charging facilities in the UAE and the long distances often travelled in the country. The 20 R-EEVs were the first batch of vehicles to be delivered to local clients within coming months.

“This is the first time we adopt new energy vehicles into our operation fleet, we are so excited about it. This is in line with the green energy transformation initiatives of our country, and we are very proud to be an active part of it,” said Shahram Parvizi, Chairman & CEO of M93 CAR RENTAL. “I would like to thank NWTN for providing these advanced products and technology to us. We look forward to rolling out additional new energy mobility technologies and solutions from NWTN in the future.”

Alan Wu, Chairman and CEO of NWTN said at the delivery ceremony: “We are thrilled to see our products and solutions start contributing to the UAE’s Zero Emission Initiative. This is the beginning of our long-term commitment to the UAE and the Middle East market. We will continue to promote green mobility lifestyles and bring world leading sustainable technologies to the UAE to help support the country’s ‘Net-Zero 2050’ strategic initiative and energy transformation blueprint.”

The KEZAD assembly facility is NWTN’s first facility in the UAE. The facility will enable NWTN to conduct semi-knockdown production with a greater proportion of software and hardware localization and upgrades to meet the local market needs. The KEZAD assembly facility is currently in the final phase of installing equipment and conducting trial operations, and is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.

ABOUT NWTN

NWTN is a pioneering green technology company with a mission to bring premium passenger-centric mobility and green energy solutions to the world. Headquartered in Dubai and with its manufacturing facilities in Abu Dhabi, UAE, NWTN aims to integrate avant-garde design, life-style personalization, IoT connectivity, autonomous driving technology, and green energy eco-systems to its future mobility solutions. Its core technology includes modular pure electric platforms, battery packing and management technology, a digital on-board connectivity system, continuously upgraded electric and electronic architecture as well as autonomous driving technology.

NWTN focuses on growth and development in the entire value chain of clean energy applications in the UAE and intends to expand to the Middle East, North Africa, and other Southeast Asian and European territories.

For further information, please visit: https://www.nwtnmotors.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements are characterized by future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” believe,” “estimate” and “continue” or similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss future expectations and plans, which contain projections of future results of operations or financial condition or state other forward-looking information.

Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to the risks factors contained in NWTN’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. New risks and uncertainties arise over time, and it is not possible NWTN to predict those events or how they may affect NWTN. If a change to the events and circumstances reflected in NWTN’s forward-looking statements occurs, NWTN’s business, financial condition and operating results may vary materially from those expressed in NWTN’s forward-looking statements.

Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and NWTN assumes no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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December 30, 2022January 1, 2023

Concerned with Recent Developments in Bolivia, Secretary-General Calls for Calm, Restraint by All Stakeholders, Adherence to Rule of Law

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General is concerned with recent developments in Bolivia. He calls for calm and appeals to all political and social actors to exercise maximum restraint. He reiterates the importance of adhering to the rule of law and assuring due process and transparency in legal proceedings.

Source: United Nations

December 30, 2022January 1, 2023

Benin Develops New National Cancer Control Plan with IAEA and WHO Support

Benin has approximately 7 000 new cancer cases each year, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) Global Cancer Observatory, and close to 5 000 cancer deaths annually. To help address these relatively low survival rates, sufficiently equipped facilities, trained staff and modern technology, as well as a comprehensive National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP), are needed.

Since the beginning of this year, a technical team organized by Benin’s National Programme for the Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (PNLMNT) have been planning for the development and implementation of a National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) to address the country’s growing cancer burden. These efforts have been supported by IAEA and World Health Organization (WHO) experts who, under the IAEA’s Rays of Hope initiative, have helped validate the priorities and objectives of the draft NCCP, and are providing training support as the Benin government invests in the construction of a new national hospital – Abomey-Calavi Reference Hospital – which will offer, for the first time in the country, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine services. The delivery of critical equipment to the hospital will also be supported through Rays of Hope.

“The Ministry of Health in Benin is committed to ongoing investments in cancer control, and the NCCP is a key strategic document to support these efforts,” said Lamidhi Salami, President of the National Committee for Primary Health Care (CNSSP). “This plan highlights the importance of a strong primary care system to provide accessible and comprehensive cancer care, starting at the first contact of the patient with the health system.”

Benin officially launched its NCCP development process at a virtual workshop on 3 August 2022. During the launch, the PNLMNT technical team discussed the methodologies it intended to use to elaborate the NCCP with IAEA, WHO and IARC experts. The international experts provided a draft situational analysis report identifying the current state of cancer care in Benin, to be used as a supporting reference for the plan.

By the end of October, the Beninois technical team had reviewed the situational analysis, extracted priorities and objectives for inclusion in the draft NCCP document, and completed a first full draft of the plan.

Then earlier this month – from 6 to 9 December – a workshop was organized by Benin’s Ministry of Health, with the support of IAEA and international experts, to review the progress achieved in the development of the National Cancer Care Programme and to validate the priorities and objectives established by the experts of the Benin National Programme for the Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. The attending national, IAEA and WHO experts established specific activities for each ongoing cancer-related IAEA technical cooperation project in Benin, and assigned time-bound targets for their implementation.

“WHO is pleased to participate in the elaboration of Benin’s new National Cancer Control Plan. This tool will help align the technical cooperation among the different UN agencies providing cancer control support in the country, resulting in more efficient and equitable outcomes,” said Souleymane Zan, WHO Representative to Benin.

At the workshop, it was agreed that during the period of the NCCP (2023 – 2027), Beninois and IAEA experts would pursue the inauguration of the new reference hospital; the development of a human resources plan, including recruitment, training and deployment; and the establishment of prevention and early detection programmes for cervical cancer at the national level – responsible for the second largest number of deaths among women, after breast cancer – with specific attention to community health services.

Alongside six other countries in Africa, Benin is an inaugural partner country working with the IAEA under Rays of Hope. In the 10 months since Rays of Hope was launched, the initiative has facilitated the mobilization of resources to build, equip and sustain cancer care infrastructure, as well as to train specialists, health workers and technicians, with the ultimate aim of expanding access to cancer diagnosis and treatment services in low- and middle-incoming countries.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency

December 30, 2022

Sinopec Sets A New Vertical Well Depth Record of 8,866 Meters in the Sichuan Basin, China

BEIJING, Dec. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (HKG: 0386, “Sinopec”) announced that its Yuanshen-1 risk exploration well in the Sichuan Basin had successfully completed the drilling at a depth of 8,866 meters, beating the previous deepest record in the Sichuan Basin set by its Rentan-1 well.

A major breakthrough of Sinopec’s “Project Deep Earth,” the Yuanshen-1 well has reached the deepest oil and gas formation in burial depth in the Sichuan Basin and further shows the great potential of deep ancient carbonate rocks in the region.

On the same day, Sinopec officially unveiled the “Project Deep Earth – Natural Gas Base in Sichuan and Chongqing”, in collaboration with Sinopec Exploration Company, Sinopec Southwest Oil & Gas Company, Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield Company, Sinopec Jianghan Oilfield Company and Sinopec East China Oil & Gas Company. This is Sinopec’s third “Project Deep Earth” base after the Shunbei Oilfield and Jiyang Shale Oil bases.

To date, Sinopec’s deep natural gas resources in the Sichuan Basin in areas with mineral rights have reached 15 trillion cubic meters, which holds a heavy weight for China’s natural gas reserves and production growth.

The Yuanshen-1 well has reached the deepest hydrocarbon reservoir in the Sichuan basin – the mound-shoal complex of the platform marginal facies in Dengying Formation. During the exploration, the ultra-deep carbonate rock, buried at a depth of over 8,700 meters, still showed positive hydrocarbon evidence in the porous reservoir.

Drilling to a depth of over 8,000 meters can bring many challenges for global industrial players. The large-size upper casing weighs 517 tonnes at ground level, which is a challenge to the rig’s lifting and casing capabilities. The ultra-high temperature in the deep earth also has high requirements for the drilling fluid’s stability and anti-pollution capability, and coring at such depths is difficult and time-consuming. To combat these challenges, Sinopec has developed five key technologies for ultra-deep drilling to support the oil and gas exploration in deep and ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs.

Sinopec has continually advanced deep hydrocarbon exploration in the Sichuan Basin, mainly including conventional gas in deep marine carbonate rocks and deep shale gas. It has discovered the Puguang, Yuanba and Chuanxi gas fields, and to date, Sinopec’s annual conventional gas production capacity from deep marine carbonate reservoirs has exceeded 12 billion cubic meters.

For more information, please visit Sinopec.

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December 30, 2022

UnionPay International’s continuous expansion of its global network sees over 200 million cards issued outside the Chinese Mainland

10 Years of Providing Innovative Global Payment Services

SHANGHAI, Dec. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — With the issuance of UnionPay cards exceeding 200 million outside the Chinese Mainland, UnionPay International (UPI) is stepping into a new decade of providing high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world’s largest cardholder base. UPI’s partners have expanded from 60 initial members since establishment in 2012 to 2,500 institutions internationally with an acceptance network that currently spans 181 countries and regions, 78 of which now issue UnionPay cards, ensuring convenient local services to an ever-growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.

UnionPay International vastly improves the cross-border payment experience for local cardholders

Over the past decade, UPI has ceaselessly developed cutting-edge payment technology to share a brand-new cross-border payment experience with UnionPay cardholders in every corner of the globe. Presently, outside the Chinese Mainland, 38 million global merchants accept UnionPay cards, a four-fold increase since 2012, with four million new merchants added in 2022 alone. UnionPay card acceptance rates in APAC, Europe and North America have reached 95%, 80% and 80% respectively, while 22 million online merchants in 200 countries and regions now use UnionPay for payments.

During these ten years, the digital transformation of the global payments industry has developed rapidly, and UPI has accelerated product iterations and service upgrades to meet the ever-changing payment habits of international customers. Collaborating closely with central banks, national switch networks, and payment alliances, UPI has shared its innovative financial infrastructure and technical standards in countries such as Thailand, Philippines and has become the unified cross-border chip card standard of Asian Payment Network.

UPI’s global expansion reflects its impressive technological and digital innovation

In recent years, the unified UnionPay App was launched for the banking industry that supports UnionPay contactless, QR code and In-APP payments, largely enhancing mobile payment experiences for cardholders. Including the UnionPay App, more than 170 UnionPay standard e-wallets have been launched outside the Chinese mainland, and over 16 million international merchants can experience the convenience brought by QR code payments or the “swipe” QuickPass.

In 2018, the Hong Kong and Macau SAR version of UnionPay App was launched and in four years, has become one of the most popular mobile payment products for residents. Access to UnionPay mobile payment services includes Singapore’s PayLah!, Malaysia’s Boost, Thailand’s K Plus, as well as multiple other leading products. Behind these achievements lie of UPI’s technical service platforms, including developer, cloud card issuance, and scenario service platforms, which reduce technical difficulties and costs for partners to access UnionPay mobile services, supporting more financial institutions. Telecommunications, retail, and other enterprises have also joined the UnionPay mobile payment ecosystem to enhance the mobile payment experience of international cardholders.

UnionPay’s global reach continues apace and will expand further in the coming decade

Expanding its global reach, ongoing innovation, and ease-of-use for cardholders the world over, the first issuance of UnionPay cards in Zambia launched earlier this year where they are fast becoming a new payment preference. More than 20 million UnionPay cards have been issued internationally since the beginning of this year, with transaction rates exceeding pre-pandemic levels. In APAC, one-in-four newly issued bank cards is from UnionPay which now accounts for 95% of debit cards in Hong Kong and Macau SAR. The Nilson Report ranked UnionPay’s transaction volume first among major international card issuers in APAC for 2021.

December 30, 2022

Saint Lucia updates its Citizenship by Investment regulations to remain competitive in the investment migration industry

Castries, Dec. 30, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Saint Lucia has amended the regulations of its Citizenship by Investment Programme to remain increasingly competitive and ensure that the Caribbean country fulfils its mandate of growing demand for its investment products for the ultimate benefit of the people of Saint Lucia.

As one of the youngest Citizenship by Investment products in the market, Saint Lucia has made bold strides in offering an alternative investment option in the Caribbean’s most developed and diverse economies.

The country’s Citizenship by Investment Unit has taken a comprehensive review of its Citizenship by Investment offerings following approvals from the Citizenship by Investment Board and Honourable Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, Ernest Hilaire. The below amendments to the existing regulations will take effect from 1 January 2023.

Developers applying for approved real estate under the Citizenship by Investment Programme or enterprise projects will now have to pay due diligence and background check fee of US$7,500.

The replacement fee for a lost or damaged certificate will increase from US$100 to US$500.
Investors who have been a citizen of Saint Lucia for 12 months or less that are looking to include a newborn dependent through the country’s National Economic Fund will now have to pay a fee of US$5000, this has increased from US$500.
There is also an introduction of a new Bond Offer for investors purchasing non-interest-bearing Government Bonds with the following qualifying investment sums:

Category of applicant	Bond purchase sum	Bond holding period
Applicant and all qualifying dependents of any number	US$300,000	5-year holding bond
Administrative fee (regardless of the number of dependants)	US$50,000

To qualify for second citizenship through the real estate option, investors will have to invest a minimum of US$200,000, a reduction from US$300,000.

Saint Lucia is emerging as one of the fastest-growing economies in the Caribbean region and the nation is well-known for offering various investment and business opportunities for people looking for options to plan their wealth and diversify their portfolios.

The country’s Citizenship by Investment Programme is a perfect choice as it offers ideal business opportunities to investors who do not want to be bound by border limitations.

The Caribbean country is recognized for providing a second home not just to investors but to their families too. The nation has been lauded for its advanced and modernized infrastructure. Saint Lucia has one of the most resilient, modernized education and healthcare systems in the region, which makes it ideal for investors and their families.

The Citizenship by Investment Programme of this Caribbean country attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the nation which is used for advancing various projects such as the development of infrastructure, advancement of real estate, business expansion and job innovation.

The CBI Index 2022, published by PWM Magazine of Financial Times, reported that CBI is assuring the small island nation of Saint Lucia has become independent, developed and prosperous in the true sense. The report also recognized the programme for its “Ease of Processing” and “Due Diligence” Pillars. This year, Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme climbed a spot and gained the third position.

Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Unit makes sure that citizenship is given to credible applicants of good standing while their dependants over the age of sixteen are also subject to multi-layered due diligence checks, in order to qualify for alternative citizenship. Saint Lucia asks for detailed information from the applicants to understand the funding source of the investors who want citizenship.

On this due diligence aspect, Minister Ernest Hilaire recently addressed concerns and fears related to Saint Lucia’s CBI Programme. He gave assurance that the government of Saint Lucia and its CBI Unit perform a strict and rigid due diligence process. Hilaire explained that the due diligence process is a multi-layered procedure noting, “Due diligence is performed by our Unit on all applicants, this is then followed by another due diligence check by the banks. This is then followed by due diligence checks by international intelligence units who also do on-the-ground assessments.”

He also noted that the Government and Unit have been planning to review the country’s CBI programme, making it more attractive as well as competitive. Minister Hilaire announced that these updates would maintain the country’s rigorous but seamless vetting process.

While the programme is the newest in the region, launched in 2016, the Government has made sure to set the bar very high – the programme has been regarded as one of the most advanced, secure as well as transparent programmes.

Through the National Economic Fund, this prestigious programme has helped the nation to develop important public infrastructure. The funds from the programme have been directly contributing to advancing the standard of living of Saint Lucians.

Alternative citizenship in the Caribbean nation is emerging as a platform to alleviate and tackle the risk of uncertainty and unpredictability in future. There is no other better plan than investing in building a new home at a place which offers ample opportunities and, most importantly, peace out of the hustle and bustle of big cities.

PR Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
+1 758 458 6050
mildred.thabane@csglobalpartners.com

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