Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Zoological Survey of India and the Natural History Museum of United Kingdom

Sep 24, 2021 | Business

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Zoological Survey of India and the Natural History Museum of United Kingdom


The Zoological Survey of India(ZSI), Kolkata and the Natural History Museum (NHM), London have been working together over many years on mutually beneficial projects focused on the study of the fauna of India, and to recognize this long-standing relationship, and to promote its continuance for many years into the futurea Memorandum of Understanding between the two great Institutions, was formally signed by the Director of ZSI and Director, NHM, London today on a virtual platform.

The MoU was signed between Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, the first lady Director of ZSI and Dr. Douglas Gurr, Director, Natural History Museum London in the presence of Dr. David Gower, Head of Vertebrates Division Department of Life Sciences at the Natural History Museum London and Dr. John Jackson, Head of Science, Policy and Communication and Rosalind Glass, Executive Assistant to the Director and Board of Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

Terming the MoU as historic, Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of ZSI said that this MoU was long overdue and the NHM, London and ZSI, Kolkata are going to be mutually benefited on the faunal diversity research through scientific exchange between the two great institutions and long standing relationship. ZSI is the umbrella institute for Biodiversity studies in Inida headquartered in Calcutta and has 16 Regional Centres instituted to cater to the faunal diversity of the various biogeographic areas of India. ZSI has around 5 million animal collection holding, 20,000 type collections and around 450 scientists and scientific staff work towards curatorial and research on the vast animal collections present in ZSI.

Dr. Douglas Gurr, Director, NHM, London while thanking the Government of India for agreeing into this MoU with them expressed his gratitude to ZSI and said that ZSI and NHM, London look forward for joint research activities by both and since share a joint passion on natural history collections and accelerate towards better science. This collaboration will not only benefit both institutions, the millions of vital collections present in NHM, London and ZSI including type materials are important nationally and across the world for understanding and conserving the biodiversity, curing natural resource loss and sustainable management of bio-resources as well as impact of climate change.

Through this MoU both the institutions are committed to implementing the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Fauna (“CITES”), the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (“CBD”) and relevant national and regional laws and regulations concerning biodiversity including laws relating to access to faunal specimens, associated benefit sharing and traditional knowledge.

The NHM, London and ZSI will be working together to collect, study and conserve faunal specimens for science and to create and exchange associated data and images.  There are plans for conducting of joint fieldwork expeditions, transfer of duplicate animal material and associated data and images by ZSI, Kolkata to NHM, London, and vice versa, capacity-building in the areas of Systematic Zoology and Conservation to ensure greater long-term conservation of animal genetic resources in India. Nevertheless, all faunal material and information exchange would be subject to all relevant extant domestic regulations of the participants as well as international laws to which either of the participants is a party. This MoU will be for a period of five years.

The MoU is expected to bring together practicing taxonomists, conservation biologists, biodiversity managers, policy makers and other stakeholders of both the country for discussing, networking and identifying gap areas to formulate the strategies for long term scientific documentation as well as conservation of faunal diversity through international exchange.

India has only 2.4% of the world’s land area but the species diversity in India is 8.1 percent which makes India one of twelve mega diversity countries of the world. There are average 350-400 species new to science from India are being discovered by ZSI scientists and others working on natural history and conservation. India is one of the megadiverse countries in the world with 45,000 species of plants and more than 100,000 of the animals have been recorded in India. The identified Megadiverse Countries are: United States of America, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Madagascar, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, China, and Australia.

While many of the natural history collections from India are available in the NHM, London before Independence, India started housing its own collections in ZSI since 1947 independently and as a result of which, ZSI is the largest repository of Fauna in the entire south and Southeast Asia region. With more than 100,000 species of animals known to occur in India, it is the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) that brought to the knowledge of scientific communities about many of them as the new and endemic species. ZSI is the premier institution on animal taxonomy in India under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change of Government of India.

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GK

TAOP Signs Memorandum of Understanding to Establish Cryptocurrency Mining Joint

Aug 28, 2021 | Business

Taoping Inc. (NASDAQ: TAOP, the “Company” or “TAOP”), a provider of blockchain technology and smart cloud services, today announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary Taoping Digital Assets (Asia) Limited (“TDAA”) and a Kazakhstan company Aral Petroleum Capital LLP (“APC”) have signed a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) to establish a joint venture in Kazakhstan, of which TDAA and APC will own 51% and 49%, respectively. TDAA will control the board of directors of the joint venture.

APC is an oil and gas exploration and development company operating in Kazakhstan, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CaspianEnergy Inc. It holds an exclusive license which entitles it to explore and develop certain oil and gas properties known as the “North Block”, an area of 1,916 square km, and a production contract for the area known as “East Zhagabulak”. With a strong industry position and integration experience, APC is able to ensure high-quality utility-scale electricity supply at a low cost to the joint venture.

The joint venture plans to invest and build cryptocurrency mining sites with a total capacity of 100MW, the first stage construction of 30 MW is expected to complete within three to six months. TDAA will have the priority to deploy cryptocurrency mining machines owned by TDAA or its partners. The joint venture will carry out operation and maintenance of cryptocurrency mining machines in Kazakhstan. In addition, the joint venture plans to rent out excess operating capacity to third parties for additional income.

On April 15, 2021, the Company announced that it has signed a Bitcoin mining machine purchase agreement with Bitmain Technologies Limited for the purchase of Antminer S19j Pro Bitcoin mining machines with a total hash rate of 300,000 TH/s. TAOP plans to deliver these mining machines to Kazakhstan for deployment once the construction of the mining sites is completed.

“We continue to look for global opportunities that can bring business growth. With year-round cool temperatures, low real estate and labor costs, and relatively low energy prices, Kazakhstan is becoming a crypto mining hub that currently ranks 3rd in the world in terms of hash rate power,” said Mr. Jianghuai Lin, Chairman and CEO of TAOP, “We are working actively to capture current unique opportunity of the rapidly changing cryptocurrency mining environment to create value for shareholders.”

About Taoping Inc.
Taoping Inc. (TAOP) is an integrated group of technology and financial companies with business in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and other overseas countries. Relying on its unique strengths in cloud technology and chip supply chain, TAOP provides solutions and cloud services to industries such as film and television production, education, new media, artificial intelligence and asset management. The Company is dedicated to the research and application of blockchain technology as well as investment and management of financial assets at home and abroad. To learn more, please visit http://www.taop.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain certain “forward-looking statements” relating to the business of Taoping Inc., and its subsidiaries and other consolidated entities. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein, are “forward-looking statements” in nature within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, often identified by the use of forward-looking terminologies such as “believes”, “expects” or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company’s periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company and its subsidiaries and other consolidated entities or persons acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.


Topic: Press release summary

Japan – Signing of Memorandum of Understanding regarding CCS Joint Study for Clean Fuel Ammonia Production in Indonesia

Mar 19, 2021 | Business

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), a national university in the Republic of Indonesia, and PT Panca Amara Utama (PAU) have agreed to conduct a joint study on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide utilization for clean fuel ammonia production in Central Sulawesi, the Republic of Indonesia. The four parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Ammonia is being used worldwide as raw material for fertilizers/plastics/chemicals. Expectation for ammonia to become a next generation clean energy source is growing because ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide when burnt; transportation methods have been established with existing infrastructure; and due to its high hydrogen content.

Under the MOU, the four parties will jointly conduct a CCS feasibility study near PAU’s ammonia plant in Luwuk, Central Sulawesi, and the Donggi-Senoro LNG plant in the same province which is being led by MC as the largest shareholder. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc., which also indirectly invests in PAU together with Mitsubishi Corporation, has expressed its interests to cooperate in this joint study. Going forward, the companies concerned will formulate the necessary work processes including project composition; data accumulation of candidate storage formations; simulations; analysis and evaluations.

Through this joint study, we will make effort to contribute towards realizing a decarbonized society and securing stable energy supply for Japan by pursuing the feasibility of clean fuel ammonia production from utilization of existing ammonia plant and CCS treatment of carbon dioxide generated during the production phase.