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MSG Seasoning and Expired Food Items Seized and Destroyed in Luang Prabang

Fake msg and expired items were seized and destroyed in Luang Prabang.

The authorities in Luang Prabang have confiscated and destroyed large packets of fake Monosodium glutamate (MSG) seasoning packages and other expired items concealed in sandbags.

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) raises interest rate after a long pause: implications for the ringgit

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 26 May 2023 – BNM’s decision to raise the interest rate was an attempt to stabilise the Malaysian ringgit. The OctaFX experts believe that along with the weak exchange rate, the widespread subsidisation of Malaysians increased pro-inflation risks, forcing the BNM to raise the rate.

BNM raises interest rate.jpeg

Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) Monetary Policy Committee raised the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 3.00% on 3 May 2023. This move comes after two meetings where rates remained unchanged. The main reasons behind the increase are the continuing high inflationary pressure and the weakened national currency.

The Central Bank also said it wanted to do away with extensive subsidies, which, in addition to being available to all citizens regardless of wealth, had considerable pro-inflationary pressure, straining the state treasury. Nevertheless, the policy change has had an effect. According to 1Q2023 statistics, the domestic demand is growing along with an overall improvement in working conditions.

‘The contractionary monetary policy pursued by Bank Negara Malaysia looks justified, given the extensive subsidy program, and suggests a high probability of further rate hikes,’ said Kar Yong Ang, the OctaFX financial market analyst.

Following BNM’s decision, the ringgit initially gained 0.3% against the USD. However, the positive effect proved short-lived, as two weeks later, the ringgit lost more than 1.0% and is now approaching historic lows. If the downward trend continues, the next target for USDMYR is 4.75, marking a 24-year low not seen since the Asian financial crisis.

According to Kar Yong Ang, ‘the continued weakening of the national currency increases inflationary pressures, prompting the regulator to adopt a more rigid position. Nevertheless, achieving rate normalisation will require time, even with additional interest rate hikes and subsidy cuts. Higher global interest rates, a risk-off environment, and sluggish growth of China’s economy will further weaken the ringgit in 2Q2023 and early 3Q2023.’

Hashtag: #OctaFX

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About OctaFX

is an international broker that has been providing online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers commission-free access to financial markets and various services already utilised by clients from 180 countries who have opened more than 21 million trading accounts. Free educational webinars, articles, and analytical tools they provide help clients reach their investment goals.

The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charitable and humanitarian initiatives, including the improvement of educational infrastructure and short-notice relief projects supporting local communities.

In the APAC region, OctaFX managed to capture the ‘Best Forex Broker Malaysia 2022’ award and the ‘Best Global Broker Asia 2022’ from Global Banking and Finance Review and International Business Magazine, respectively.

O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd. Partners with Mahidol University to Innovate and Enhance Consumer Well-being in Health and Beauty

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach – 26 May 2023 – O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd. (O&P QUALITY TRADE CO., LTD.), a renowned manufacturer and distributor of dietary supplements for hair health care, has signed a transformative Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University. The collaboration aims to fuel innovation in nutrition and jointly develop the “Complete Nutrition Drink with Fine Texture in Powder Form,” providing consumers with superior health choices.

Since its establishment in 2015, O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd. has emerged as a leading provider of dietary supplements dedicated to advancing the well-being and aesthetic aspirations of the Thai people. With an unwavering commitment to cutting-edge technology and product excellence, our extensive portfolio addresses diverse consumer needs. We proudly introduce our distinguished sub-brands: HERRMETTO, HORSY, GLUCON, and Dee-Nize. Each brand offers meticulously formulated products catering to specific hair health requirements, ensuring comprehensive care for individuals.

The HERRMETTO and HORSY brands provide hair and scalp care supplements for both men and women, encompassing internal nourishment and external protection through shampoos, serums, and tonics. In addition, GLUCON offers natural dietary supplements that help diabetic individuals maintain blood sugar levels, while Dee-Nize promotes sleep quality. With a vision to be a leader in health and beauty products, we boast a team of professionals offering pre- and post-product advice and a secure and efficient customer data management system. Over the past eight years, consumers have entrusted their well-being to O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd.

On Monday, April 24, 2023, a significant event unfolded at Mahidol University’s Institute of Nutrition Building. O&P Quality Trade Company Limited and the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University signed a momentous “Memorandum of Understanding for Academic Cooperation in Nutrition.” This partnership grants O&P Quality Trade Company Limited the rights and licensing to produce and distribute the revolutionary “Complete Nutrition Drink with Fine Texture in Powder Form,” an innovative medical food replacement product. Developed through extensive research by Asst.Prof. Dr. Thunnalin Winuprasith, this product meticulously combines essential nutrients from all five vital food groups: protein, carbohydrates, good fats, vitamins, and minerals. By signing this memorandum, O&P Quality Trade Company Limited and the Institute of Nutrition embark on a promising journey, making valuable food and nutrition research findings easily accessible to Thai consumers. Notably, this product offers a palatable powdered solution, catering to individuals experiencing “difficulty swallowing,” a condition affecting a significant portion of the population, with prevalence rates ranging from 2% to 20% among the general population and up to 60% among older people. Moreover, the product’s versatility extends to diverse consumer groups, including senior citizens, diabetic patients, cancer patients, and individuals seeking effective weight management solutions.

O&P Quality Trade Company Limited and the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University have forged a strategic partnership to advance nutrition and exemplify their unwavering commitment to the well-being of Thai consumers. These esteemed organizations empower individuals to attain optimal health and vitality by leveraging their expertise to transform research into powdered products.

O&P Quality Trade Company Limited and the Institute of Nutrition at Mahidol University are spearheading a future where pioneering research seamlessly converges with practical solutions, elevating lives and fostering holistic well-being.

Hashtag: #O&PQualityTrade

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About O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd. (O&P QUALITY TRADE CO., LTD.)

O&P Quality Trade Co., Ltd. (O&P QUALITY TRADE CO., LTD.) is a trusted leader in manufacturing and distributing dietary supplements for hair and scalp care, blood sugar level management, and sleep quality promotion. With over 200,000 satisfied customers and a commitment to product excellence, we aim to shape a healthier future for all.

Website: https://ophealth.co

LINE Official: @ophaircare

Facebook: O&P Hair Care

Dedicated to Preserving Laos’ Culture: Murals Unveiled at American Center in Laos

Dedicated to Preserving Laos' Culture: Murals Unveiled at US Embassy in Laos
US Ambassador to Laos, Peter Haymond, and the main 3 panel mural. ( Photo : US Embassy in Laos )

The US Embassy in Laos proudly revealed six captivating murals created by talented Lao artists on 24 May. These extraordinary artworks were brought to life as part of the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.

ULI Names Ten Exceptional Real Estate Projects as Winners of 2023 Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence

Established in 2019, the ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence recognises projects representing the highest standards and practices in the real estate community.

HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 May 2023 – Ten outstanding real estate development projects have been named as the winners of the 2023 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious honours. This year’s winners include projects in Australia, China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand.

The winning development projects, selected out of 20 finalists in seven markets across Asia Pacific, will be announced at the 2023 ULI Asia Pacific Summit on May 31, 2023, which brings together over 700 decision makers to address current and future challenges facing the region’s built industry. Winners will also be automatically qualified as nominees of the 2023 ULI Global Awards for Excellence.

The winners (by location) are:

  1. Nightingale Village — Brunswick, Australia
    (Developer: Duckett Acquisition Collective Pty Ltd; Designers: Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe, Clare Cousins Architects, Hayball, Kennedy Nolan)
  2. Quay Quarter Sydney by AMP Capital — Sydney, Australia
    (Developer: AMP Capital; Designers: SJB, Studio Bright, Silvester Fuller, 3XN, BVN, ASPECT Studios)
  3. Tiexiang Temple Riverfront — Chengdu, China
    (Developer: Chengdu High-Tech Investment Group Co., Ltd.; Designer: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design And Research Institute Co., Ltd.)
  4. Caoyang Centennial Park — Shanghai, China
    (Developer: Putuo District Municipal Government; Designer: Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects)
  5. Xintiandi Plaza — Shanghai, China
    (Developer: Shui On Land; Designer: UNStudio, Tianhua, DLC, Inhabit, ag licht/LEOX, DPDI)
  6. Xichuan River Ecological Restoration — Zhengzhou, China
    (Developers: Pulo China; Designers: Horizon & Atmosphere Landscape Co.)
  7. Orandajima House — Yamada-machi, Japan
    (Developer: Orandajima Foundation; Designers: van der Architects)
  8. CapitaSpring — Singapore
    (Developer: CapitaLand Development, CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust, Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd; Designers: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group, Carlo Ratti Associati, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd)
  9. NUS SDE4 and SDE1 & 3 — Singapore
    (Developer: National University of Singapore; Designer: SDE4: Serie + Multiply Consultants Pte Ltd with Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte Ltd | SDE1&3: NUS College of Design and Engineering with CPG Consultants Pte Ltd)
  10. HOMA Phuket Town — Phuket, Thailand
    (Developer: ACRE NOON; Designer: Oracle Architects)

“It is a pleasure to highlight some of the best works in the region at the 2023 ULI Asia Pacific Awards of Excellence,” said David Faulkner, President, ULI Asia Pacific. “This year’s winners demonstrated exceptional innovation and practice in land use, particularly in terms of establishing a deep connection with the community in which they are located, enriching liveability, and elevating connectivity to surrounding amenities. The winners represent the highest standards of development practice in the region’s private, public, and non-profit sectors.”

The ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence recognises the full development process of a project beyond just architecture or design.

“The jury thoroughly enjoyed the process of going through a total of 45 outstanding project entries, which represented the innovation and tremendous calibre of the region’s development sector,” said jury co-chairs Gordon Hatton, vice president, head of development and delivery (Japan), Colt Data Centre Service, and Ko Iwahori, managing partner, Acadia Capital. “The winners selected from the 20 finalists gave us great confidence that we will continue to see more phenomenal projects within Asia Pacific.”

The 2023 ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence jury members comprised leading ULI members representing multidisciplinary real estate expertise, including finance, design, sustainable urbanism, development, and other professional services. Besides Gordon Hatton and Ko Iwahori, the other jury members were: Belinda Bentley, director, 9Springs; David McCracken, principal, Voda Management; Joburt Betadam, executive director of design, Events Investment Fund; Albert Chan, director of Shui On Land; Fan Guo, principal and SEDS Regional Leader for Asia Pacific, Callison RTKL; Christine Lam, global design principal, Aedas; Chris Law, founding director, Oval Partnership; Nina Yang, CEO, SJ CITYGLOBAL; Dan Cerf, principal, Devinqi Advisors; Anupam Yog, XDG Labs Pte Ltd; Angela Lacson, independent consultant; and Tesoc Hah, founder & principal, SCALe Architecture & Technology.

For more information about the ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence, please visit: https://asia.uli.org/awardsforexcellence/.
Hashtag: #Design #ULI #Architecture #RealEsate #BuiltEnvironment

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About the Urban Land Institute

The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 45,000 members worldwide representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. For more information on ULI, please visit or follow us on , , and . ULI has more than 2,600 members in the Asia Pacific region. For more information on ULI Asia Pacific, visit or follow us on , , , , and .

About the ULI Awards for Excellence programme

The ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence was launched in 2019 as a regional version of the ULI Global Awards for Excellence programme. ULI first began the Awards for Excellence programme in 1979 to recognise truly superior development efforts in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Winning projects represent the highest standards of achievement in the development industry—standards that ULI members deem worthy of attainment in their professional endeavours. Today the development community widely recognises the ULI Global Awards for Excellence programme as one of its most prestigious awards programmes. More information available at .

Road Rage Incident Involving Foreigner Triggers Public Outrage in Laos

Traffic Police in Dongdok village, Xaythany District, Vientiane Capital confronted with foreign drivers and passengers.

Social media users in Laos have criticized a Chinese truck driver who blocked the road during rush hours on Thursday after traffic police pulled him over for driving without documents.

President of Laos Visits the Emperor of Japan in Tokyo

President Thongloun Sisoulith (left) and Japan's Emperor Naruhito (right).

President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith paid a visit to Japan’s Emperor Naruhito on Thursday during his official trip to attend the Future of Asia Conference in Tokyo.

Flagship Medical Tourism Hospitals to Advance Malaysia’s Healthcare Brand on a Global Scale

Championing outcome-based medical excellence, service excellence best practices and international branding

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 26 May 2023 – Spearheaded by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme is an integral part of the five-year Malaysia Healthcare Travel Industry Blueprint. This first-of-its-kind programme has witnessed Malaysia’s top private medical establishments increasing their commitment and efforts to raise the bar of excellence in delivering exceptional end-to-end services to their patients, all with the goal of reinforcing Malaysia’s position as a safe and trusted destination for top-notch healthcare services, and elevating excellence in medical and service offerings.

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This is in alignment with the Malaysian Ministry of Health’s efforts to strengthen the nation’s healthcare ecosystem. “I trust that the Flagship programme will promote innovation and excellence in medical services while bringing us closer to achieving a more resilient healthcare system for the country and establishing Malaysia Healthcare as a world-renowned and credible global healthcare brand,” added Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Malaysia’s Minister of Health.

Four shortlisted finalist Flagship Medical Tourism Hospitals were announced in April, namely the National Heart Institute (Institut Jantung Negara or IJN), Island Hospital, Mahkota Medical Centre and Subang Jaya Medical Centre.

According to Datuk Dr. Aizai Azan bin Abdul Rahim, the Chief Executive Office of IJN, the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme provides a platform to support the national agenda of making Malaysia a top healthcare travel destination. “Apart from maintaining quality healthcare, we aspire to bring in the latest technologies and techniques for the benefit of the public. These are key in ensuring that we are at the top of clinical excellence and people’s minds, so they are assured of receiving the best heart care,” he said.

Mr. Mark Wee, the Chief Executive Officer of Island Hospital, found that the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme aligned well with the hospital’s vision for growth. “We conceived the Island Medical City in 2016 as our commitment towards taking medical tourism in Malaysia to the next level. This ambitious project marks the evolution of Island Hospital into a leading regional quaternary healthcare provider offering the Best in Class to our patients. This vision dovetails perfectly with the goals of the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme. With the opening of our new facilities, the Peel Wing in 2022, we are poised to achieve our goal of healthcare travellers making up to 80% of our revenue in the next few years,” he shared.

Mr. Stanley Lam, the Chief Executive Officer of Mahkota Medical Centre, elaborated on the hospital’s commitment to reinforcing the country’s healthcare ecosystem. “We are one of the largest and most comprehensive hospitals in Southern Peninsular Malaysia. The investments we will be making with this programme will further reinforce Mahkota Medical Centre as one of the most reputable referral hospitals across South East Asia, and better serve local and regional communities. Our expansion plans include a beautiful seafront location, located in the heart of Melaka, a UNESCO world heritage site,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bryan Lin, the Chief Executive Officer of Subang Jaya Medical Centre, expressed his anticipation at contributing to the growth of the country’s healthcare travel industry. “We see the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme as an opportunity for collaboration and growth, not just for Subang Jaya Medical Centre but also for Malaysian healthcare globally. Through this Programme, we hope to contribute strongly to growing the healthcare travel market by at least 30% yearly. We are excited to take our capabilities to the next level to become a premier healthcare travel destination of choice,” he said.

The shortlisted finalists were carefully selected through an extensive and rigorous qualifying process in 2022 that involved data analysis and on-site assessments by international bodies Joint Commission International (JCI) and IQVIA, and have advanced to the next phase of the programme, the Acceleration Period, which is from 2023 to 2025. During this time, they will be granted several incentives, including fast-track facilitation to support the development milestones, flexibility of testing concepts with healthcare technology sandbox, access to programme mentors/advisors that will assist with programme development, progress assessment and monitoring, and a special Investment Tax Allowance (ITA) for qualifying capital expenditures.

Malaysia, a popular global destination for healthcare travellers, has won numerous awards, including the coveted “Destination of the Year” title by UK-based healthcare travel authority International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) numerous times in recent years. The country attracted 1.22 million healthcare travellers in 2019. With countries across the world moving towards endemicity, this figure is anticipated to increase.

With Malaysia Healthcare enroute to providing the “Best Healthcare Travel Experience by 2025”, it is imperative for the country to fortify its foothold on the global frontier. “The Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme acts as a catalyst in expediting global recognition of Malaysia’s healthcare, empowering our private healthcare institutions to identify gaps and areas for improvement along the end-to-end patient journey and address them, guided by international standards and benchmarks,” said Farizal bin Jaafar, Acting Chief Executive Officer of MHTC.

View https://youtu.be/3CarQ0JEIrs to find out more about the Flagship Medical Tourism Hospital Programme.

For more information on Malaysia Healthcare and its services, please visit https://malaysiahealthcare.org/ or visit its social feeds at: www.facebook.com/MHTCMalaysia or at LinkedIn (Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council).
Hashtag: #MalaysiaHealthcareTravelCouncil

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ABOUT THE MALAYSIA HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COUNCIL

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Health Malaysia that has been entrusted with the responsibility of curating the country’s healthcare travel scene. Founded in 2009, MHTC works to streamline industry players and service providers in facilitating and growing Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry under the brand “Malaysia Healthcare” with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination. MHTC works closely with over 80 private healthcare facilities in Malaysia, who are registered members of MHTC.