Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone visited Vientiane Province last Saturday with ministers and deputy ministers from relevant ministries and agencies to encourage local authorities to further develop tourism in the area.
Lao PM Visits Vientiane Province to Encourage Tourism Development

Alibaba Cloud Upgrades AnalyticDB with Vector Database Engine as a One-Stop Solution for Building Generative AI Capabilities
Upgraded One-stop, cloud-native data management and data serving platform for enhanced enterprise-level data management
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 25 July 2023 – Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, announced an enhancement to its AnalyticDB vector engine, making it easier than ever for enterprises to access various large language models (LLMs) for building their customized generative AI capabilities. At its Data Management Summit hosted in Jakarta, Alibaba Cloud also upgraded its one-stop, cloud-native data management and data serving platform by introducing ApsaraDB HTAP (Hybrid Transactional & Analytical Processing), a dynamic solution that integrates cloud-native database PolarDB and cloud-native data warehouse AnalyticDB to provide comprehensive data processing and analysis capabilities to international customers.
Through an innovative integration framework, the AnalyticDB vector engine can connect with LLMs to deliver question answering features powered by the robust capabilities of LLMs. Enterprises can now input sector-specific knowledge into their vector databases, enabling them to build and launch generative AI applications in as little as 30 minutes. These customized AI models draw from each enterprise’s internal knowledge base to create content with specific enterprise details, enhancing operational efficiency and fostering innovation via business insights gleaned from efficiently and accurately retrieved data.
Building enterprise-specific generative AI models using fine-tuned training data can be a costly endeavor. However, the one-stop solution powered by AnalyticDB vector engine effectively lowers the financial and technical thresholds while offering strong cloud-native enterprise-level data protections through the Alibaba Cloud database management platform. AnalyticDB has already been utilized to support customers’ demand in scenarios such as text search and image search on e-commerce platforms with enhanced accuracy.
“As enterprises globally discern how best to adopt and use generative AI, we are seeing an increasing demand from our customers for database services that can support the creation of efficient, scalable, affordable and customizable AI models. With our upgraded AnalyticDB analytical database, enterprises can now leverage generative AI models that are tailored using their own knowledge base.” said Feifei Li, President of Database Products Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
One-stop, cloud-native data management and data serving platform upgraded to create more value for customers
At its Data Management Summit hosted in Jakarta, Alibaba Cloud also announced that ApsaraDB HTAP, a solution that integrates cloud-native databases PolarDB and AnalyticDB, is now available for international customers. ApsaraDB HTAP provides users with a unified platform that syncs the data from PolarDB’s transactional processing with AnalyticDB’s data analysis capabilities. This one-stop database management tool increases performance as well as provides extensive data processing capabilities that are highly elastic and cost effective. For example, by adopting the cloud-native HTAP solution, a customer from gaming industry recently achieved performance increase by 100% with a cost reduction by 50%.
HTAP is a key technology improvement of the overall capability upgrade of PolarDB, Alibaba Cloud’s one-stop, cloud-native data management platform. With industry-leading technology features of serverless, three-tier decoupling, multi-master, and HTAP, the self-developed PolarDB help customers better manage and fully utilize their enterprise data.
“The trend of cloud-native, data fabric, integration, intelligent is driving the new wave of innovation for databases and has become the de facto standard of database industry. We look forward to further investing in our cloud-native database systems and finding new ways to help our customers grow amidst a rapidly changing business landscape,” said Feifei.
Alibaba Cloud is launching a database free trial program for the international customers to try out ten database products, including PolarDB, AnalyticDB RDS, Redis, among others. This portfolio of solutions covers backup, restoration, monitoring and migration, all designed to facilitate effective database management.
Driving the success of over 150,000 enterprise customers worldwide
Alibaba Cloud’s database product offerings support an exceptional amount of business activity worldwide and across a wide range of industries, including insurance, logistics, fintech, retail, education, manufacturing, gaming and more. Alibaba Cloud was named a leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud Database Management Systems (DBMS) for the third consecutive year in 2022.
“The acceleration of global digitalization has been a key driver of demand for cloud-native database services, and we’ve been working hard to ensure our customers have the solutions they need to thrive. From increasing access to cutting edge technologies and capabilities to working with customers to leverage their data intelligence effectively, the market for database solutions is only set to grow and we’re excited to be supporting businesses capture the resulting opportunities.” said Selina Yuan, President of International Business, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
DOKU is one of Indonesia’s leading payment technology companies serving more than 150,000 merchants and more than 5 million e-wallet users in the country. DOKU looks for reliable, secure, scalable and cost-effective cloud computing services and has deployed a series of Alibaba Cloud products ranging from elastic compute service, network, to database. By adopting Alibaba Cloud database products including PolarDB and ApsaraDB RDS for Redis, Doku benefited from increased stability and the built-in high-availability option. The solutions freed the company’s personnel from many typical database management activities and helped implement a robust disaster recovery strategy.
Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), headquartered in Hong Kong and one of the world’s largest commercial Chinese TV program producers, used Alibaba Cloud’s PolarDB to enhance their data management and help scale their services as viewership increased. Notably, PolarDB’s rapid elasticity and large volume storage capacity supported automatic scaling during viewer traffic peaks, while PolarDB ability to sync data allowed TVB to engage in real-time data analysis to improve decision-making.
enish Inc, a mobile game development company in Japan, leveraged Alibaba Cloud’s database solutions to enhance their business insights and game development journey. Alibaba Cloud’s data transmission and PolarDB offerings were combined with AnalyticDB to enable real-time analysis that helped developers enhance the player experience. A test environment for a new game was built in just 10 days, which was half the time it took previously. Moreover, the average data processing time was reduced by 50% while server costs were lowered by 30%.
Presto, Malaysia’s largest loyalty e-commerce redemption app adopted Alibaba Cloud’s PolarDB, a cloud-native relational database to power its next phase of growth while maintaining cost efficiency, witnessing over 30% cost optimization after the data migration according to the company. Following the successful database migration in the year 2020, Presto has since moved its e-commerce platform to Alibaba Cloud and is in the midst of migrating its entire IT system to Alibaba Cloud.
So Funny Company, a gaming studio with more than 200 million users globally and the developer of the popular games “Sausage Man” and “Idle Adventurers”, used Alibaba Cloud PolarDB to fulfill its requirement for automatic scaling, high availability, and high reliability to provide seamless experience for users. PolarDB helps So Funny Company significantly shortened maintenance time during game upgrades and server restart scenarios.
Hashtag: #AlibabaCloud
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Alibaba Cloud
Established in 2009, Alibaba Cloud (www.alibabacloud.com) is the digital technology and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group. It offers a complete suite of cloud services to customers worldwide, including elastic computing, database, storage, network virtualization services, large-scale computing, security, management and application services, big data analytics, a machine learning platform and IoT services. Alibaba maintained its position as the third leading public cloud IaaS service provider globally since 2018, according to IDC. Alibaba is the world’s third leading and Asia Pacific’s leading IaaS provider by revenue in U.S. dollars since 2018, according to Gartner.
B Capital Inks MoU with SAP to Drive Innovation in the Asia-Pacific Region
Under the signed MoU, B Capital’s portfolio companies will benefit from a joint go-to-market strategy (GTM) as well as access to SAP’s global reach, resources, business networks and best practices. They will also be able to learn more about and evaluate SAP’s suite of enterprise solutions, including fit-to-standard cloud offerings such as GROW with SAP, that are designed to help SMEs and start-ups scale quickly. The collaboration aims to offer B Capital’s portfolio companies tailored, end-to-end support for their software solutions, helping progress them through development to being available for purchase on the SAP Store, an online marketplace of software solutions from SAP and its partners, available in more than 200 countries and territories globally.
“We are thrilled to deepen our collaboration with SAP and look forward to providing our founders and portfolio companies with the support and resources to supercharge their growth and scale their businesses globally,” said Arijit Sengupta, General Partner at B Capital. “This collaboration reaffirms our commitment to bridging the gap between today’s industry leaders and tomorrow’s emerging companies, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“SAP’s partner ecosystem is more important to SAP and our customers today than ever before, as we increasingly tap into partner innovation to accelerate cloud transformation, together,” said Utkarsh Maheshwari, Chief Partner Officer, Asia Pacific Japan, SAP. “Our collaboration with B Capital connects us to start-up talents from its portfolio companies and injects new technology innovations that can be readily integrated into SAP environment through SAP Business Technology Platform. This opens up more opportunities for SAP customers and other partners as well, as we continue to build future-readiness, especially for the AI economy.”
B Capital and SAP have a longstanding relationship. Several of B Capital’s portfolio companies, including Kopi Kenangan – Indonesia’s fastest-growing coffee chain, have adopted SAP’s solutions to improve enterprise resource planning (ERP) workflows and enhance experiences.
The MoU reaffirms B Capital’s and SAP’s continued commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, a fast-growing hub for innovation. B Capital has been investing in the region since 2016, and SAP has been working with Asia-Pacific enterprises since 1989. Together, B Capital and SAP will support entrepreneurs as they launch cutting-edge technologies and expand their innovations to new markets and geographies.
SAP and SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries.
Please see https://www.sap.com/copyright for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.
Hashtag: #BCapital
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
B Capital
B Capital is a multi-stage global investment firm that partners with extraordinary entrepreneurs to shape the future through technology. With more than $6 billion in assets under management across multiple funds, the firm focuses on seed to late-stage venture growth investments, primarily in the enterprise, financial technology and healthcare sectors. Founded in 2015, B Capital leverages an integrated team across nine locations in the US and Asia, as well as a strategic partnership with BCG, to provide the value-added support entrepreneurs need to scale fast and efficiently, expand into new markets and build exceptional companies.
For more information, click here.
Malaysian Consumer Price Index rises 2.4% y-o-y in June, in line with analysts’ estimates

‘Inflation rate in Malaysia has now dropped to a 14-month low’, said Kar Yong Ang, the OctaFX financial market analyst, adding that it was ‘certainly not the kind of macro environment that will prompt the BNM [Bank Negara Malaysia, Malaysia’s central bank] to consider more rate hikes in the near-term.’
Malaysian ringgit (MYR) lost 0.1% immediately after the CPI report came out, trading at around 4.576 vs the U.S. dollar. Still, USDMYR is down almost 2% so far this month, despite the fact that BNM opted not to raise its benchmark interest rate on July 6. ‘The recent strength of the ringgit has very little to do with the local factors’, said Kar Yong Ang. ‘USDMYR plunged primarily because disinflationary trends in the U.S. have accelerated and the Fed [Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank] is now widely expected to deliver just one more rate hike this year’, he added.
The question now is—can BNM afford to pursue a less aggressive or more dovish monetary policy? Has BNM reached a peak in rates and can it now consider to focus on rate cuts? Not so fast, the analysts claim. Rate cuts are normally associated with an imminent recession or declining economic activity, which is not currently observed in Malaysia. Industrial output surged 4.7% y-o-y in May, while trade balance improved to +25.8 billion USD in June.
‘I think that BNM is certainly pleased to see price pressures ease, but core inflation is still above 3.0%, which is not entirely comfortable’, said Kar Yong Ang. ‘The economy is not doing all that bad, but I think BNM will just stay on the sidelines for now, observing how the situation unfolds. It is too early to relax and turn dovish’, he added.
Like every other central bank, BNM officials will watch carefully the Fed’s press conference this Wednesday for any cues on the trajectory of rate hikes in the near term. ‘Forward guidance will be key. If the Fed claims that inflation is under control, the market might interpret it as a dovish sign and then the ringgit might appreciate, with USDMYR falling towards 4.500 and possibly lower’, said Kar Yong Ang.
Hashtag: #OctaFX
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About OctaFX
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 42 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.
LIFT Intersects 79 Metres at 1.13% Li2O and 39 Metres at 1.43% Li2O at the Fi Southwest Pegmatite, Yellowknife Lithium Project, NWT, Canada
Highlights:
Hole | From (m)1 | To (m) | Interval (m)2 | Li2O (%)3 |
YLP0001 | 73 | 108 | 35 | 1.30 |
inc. | 75 | 102 | 27 | 1.58 |
YLP0002 | 180 | 214 | 34 | 0.34 |
YLP0003 | 55 | 94 | 39 | 1.43 |
inc. | 57 | 92 | 35 | 1.57 |
YLP0004 | 55 | 88 | 33 | 1.39 |
inc. | 56 | 85 | 29 | 1.55 |
YLP00054 | 52 | 131 | 79 | 1.13 |
inc. | 73 | 129 | 56 | 1.42 |
1 From, to, and interval lengths in metres, as measured down core axis, not true width.
2 Individual sample lengths = 1 metre.
3 Lithium assays performed by ALS Global on saw cut half HQ core using method ME- ICP82b; results reported in Li%, converted to Li2O by multiplying by 2.154.
4 Drilled down-dip due to access restriction.
Francis MacDonald, CEO of LIFT comments, “We are very encouraged with these first drill results at the Yellowknife Lithium Project. The widths and grades of lithium and spodumene intersected in these holes are similar to what was historically reported in the 1950s to 1980s1. 8 different pegmatites will be drilled this summer with 45,000 metres of drilling that will utilize six drill rigs. We look forward to reporting additional results in the coming weeks and month. We believe that these initial drill results show that the YLP has excellent potential to become one of the next destinations in North America to define significant spodumene resources.”
Figure 1 – Location of LIFT’s Yellowknife Lithium Project. Drilling will focus on the Road Access Group of pegmatites which are located to the east of the city of Yellowknife along a government-maintained paved highway. The Fi Southwest pegmatite is located within the Fi mineral lease.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8766/174718_383b3928c4de7a02_001full.jpg
Discussion of Drill Results
Holes YLP0001 to YLP0005 were targeting the Fi Southwest dyke and have confirmed spodumene mineralization over 320 metres of strike length, to a depth of approximately 150 metres from surface. Drilling targeted extensions to depth below surface exposures of 5-30% spodumene mapped and trenched in the 1970’s1. Results reported are for intercepts of pegmatite that were sampled at one metre intervals with assays for lithium averaged over the total intercept length. In some holes one metre inclusions of host rock metasediments were included in the assayed intervals (i.e., YLP0002: two intervals; YLP005: one interval). The mineralogy of the dyke is quite simple, consisting of feldspar, quartz, spodumene and lessor primary muscovite. Spodumene in drill core ranges from 0.5 to 5 centimetre in size with the average crystal size being 2 centimetres. Drilling is ongoing on the remainder of the dyke, which is currently testing a total of 1,100 metres of strike length to a depth of 250 metres.
Figure 2 – Plan view showing the surface expression of the Fi Southwest pegmatite with diamond drill holes reported in this press release.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8766/174718_383b3928c4de7a02_002full.jpg
Operations Update
LIFT is pleased to report that the Company has completed construction of a 49-person camp around the Hidden Lake area which is proximal to the Fi, Shorty, and Ki mineral leases. With increased camp capacity the Company is currently drilling with three diamond drill rigs out of the Hidden Lake camp and is drilling pegmatite targets on the Fi Southwest, Fi Main, Shorty, Ki, and Ki extension on to the Perlis lease. Two drills have been deployed to the Big East pegmatite and are currently drilling this target. One additional drill rig will start drilling in August at the Echo target bringing the total drill rig count to six. To date, 9,246 meters of drilling have been completed over 56 drill holes.
Figure 3 – Cross-section of YLP0004 which intersected 33 meters at 1.39% Li2O drilling beneath the outcropping exposure of the Fi Southwest pegmatite dyke.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8766/174718_383b3928c4de7a02_003full.jpg
Figure 4 – Cross-section of YLP0005 which intersected 79 metres at 1.13% Li2O drilling beneath the outcropping exposure of the Fi Southwest pegmatite dyke. Note that YLP0005 was drilled down-dip due to swampy ground on the southeast side of the outcrop.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8766/174718_383b3928c4de7a02_004full.jpg
Figure 5 – Down-dip view of the current geological model of the Fi Southwest pegmatite.
To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8766/174718_383b3928c4de7a02_005full.jpg
Table 2 – Drill collars table of reported drill holes
Hole No. | Northing1 | Easting1 | Elevation (m) | Length (m) | Azimuth | Dip |
YLP0001 | 6,940,700 | 371,267 | 250 | 228 | 302 | 45 |
YLP0002 | 6,940,695 | 371,371 | 250 | 131 | 300 | 50 |
YLP0003 | 6,940,748 | 371,285 | 250 | 110 | 300 | 45 |
YLP0004 | 6,940,836 | 371,351 | 248 | 102 | 315 | 45 |
YLP0005 | 6,940,628 | 371,073 | 248 | 150 | 110 | 45 |
1UTM NAD83 zone 12
QA/QC and Core Sampling Protocols
All drill core samples were collected under the supervision of LIFT employees and contractors. Drill core was transported from the drill platform to the logging facility where it was logged, photographed, and split by diamond saw prior to being sampled. Samples were then bagged, and blanks and certified reference materials were inserted at regular intervals. Field duplicates consisting of quarter-cut core samples were also included in the sample runs. Groups of samples were placed in large bags, sealed with numbered tags in order to maintain a chain-of-custody, and transported from LIFT’s core logging facility to ALS Labs (“ALS”) laboratory in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Sample preparation and analytical work for this drill program were carried out by ALS. Samples were prepared for analysis according to ALS method CRU31: individual samples were crushed to 70% passing through 2 mm (10 mesh) screen; a 1,000 g sub-sample was riffle split (SPL-21) and then pulverized (PUL-32) such that 85% passed through 75 um (200 mesh) screen. A 0.2 g sub-sample of the pulverized material was then dissolved in a sodium peroxide solution and analysed for lithium according to ALS method ME-ICP82b. Another 0.2 g sub-sample of the pulverized material was analysed for 53 elements according to ALS method ME-MS89L. All results passed the QA/QC screening at the lab, all inserted standards and blanks returned results that were within acceptable limits.
References
1NI 43-101 Technical Report On the Yellowknife Lithium Project, Northwest Territories, Canada (December 30, 2022) – Thomas Hawkins, PhD, P.Geo. Filed on SEDAR on January 13, 2023
Qualified Person
The disclosure in this news release of scientific and technical information regarding LIFT’s mineral properties has been reviewed and approved by Carl Verley, P.Geo., Vice-President, Exploration of Li-FT Power and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). No QA/QC review is available in relation to historical sampling and drilling on the Yellowknife project and results have not been verified by a qualified person as defined by NI 43-101. Past sampling and drilling results are not necessarily indicative of future results or performance from the Yellowknife property.
About LIFT
LIFT is a mineral exploration company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of lithium pegmatite projects located in Canada. The Company’s flagship project is the Yellowknife Lithium Project located in Northwest Territories, Canada. LIFT also holds three early-stage exploration properties in Quebec, Canada with excellent potential for the discovery of buried lithium pegmatites, as well as the Cali Project in Northwest Territories within the Little Nahanni Pegmatite Field.
For further information, please contact:
Francis MacDonald
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: + 1.604.609.6185
Email: info@li-ft.com
Website: www.li-ft.com
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), including those identified by the expressions “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “should” and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This press release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors.
Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include the continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, including the effects of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management’s reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the statements will prove to be accurate or that management’s expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking statements.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE”) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
GEODIS India celebrates 25 years of delivering Innovative, Sustainable and Ethical Logistics Solutions

India plays a vital role in the strategy of GEODIS’ APAC due to its status as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and as companies increasingly shift their manufacturing and sourcing to the country. Its immense growth potential, strategic geographical location, and its ability to serve as a crucial hub for GEODIS’ APAC operations enables the company to better meet its customers’ needs.
The company recently invested in a multi-user facility in Luhari to seize the strong growth opportunities in India’s retail business with advanced warehousing solutions to support e-commerce. The state-of-the-art facility incorporates market leading sustainability and environmental initiatives including 20 acres of Miyawaki Forest Plantation, solar power generation and distribution for warehouse and common infrastructure energy provision, in line with GEODIS’ commitment to care for the environment.
Yet more recently, GEODIS established its Centre of Excellence (CoE), its sixth strategic control tower for its Supply Chain Optimization Line of Business in Bangalore. The CoE specializes in supply chain management and advisory. Bangalore was chosen primarily for the availability of a critical mass of talented supply chain specialists. The new control tower operates with 60 supply chain experts to provide customers with end-to-end visibility, performance monitoring and continuous improvement to supply chain processes on a 365/7/24 multilingual basis.
GEODIS ensures the highest level of service, quality and compliance in international supply chain management for its customers. GEODIS has attained certifications, such as the Investors in People accreditation, IATA CEIV Pharma and AEO by the Indian Customs.
Harpreet Singh, Sub-Regional Managing Director, South Asia, GEODIS, said, “We are honored to celebrate this milestone and proud of the achievements we have made in India over the past 25 years. We would like to thank our employees, customers and partners who have been instrumental in driving our success and growth in this region. Today, we serve 7000+ customers, from a wide range of industries, who have put their trust in us to help them grow their businesses.”
He adds, “We remain committed to helping our clients succeed by overcoming their logistical constraints as global supply chains become more complex in an ever-evolving business environment. We want to be our clients’ growth partner, offering innovative, sustainable, and ethical logistics solutions, upheld by our values of passion, commitment, innovation, solidarity and trust – these are all in the GEODIS DNA.”
GEODIS employs over 450 employees in 20 sites in India.
Hashtag: #GEODIS
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
GEODIS – www.geodis.com
GEODIS is a leading global logistics provider acknowledged for its expertise across all aspects of the supply chain. As a growth partner to its clients, GEODIS specializes in five lines of business: Supply Chain Optimization, Global Freight Forwarding, Global Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and European Road Network. With a global network spanning nearly 170 countries and more than 49,400 employees, GEODIS is ranked no. 6 in its sector across the world. In 2022, GEODIS generated €13.7 billion in revenue. GEODIS is a company owned by SNCF group.
Lao Prime Minister Issues Order to Strengthen Forest Protection
Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone issued an order last week to improve conservation efforts of forests in the country in response to concerns about the increasing rate of deforestation in Laos.
Liverpool FC and Kodansha announce long-term extension

Kodansha, LFC’s official publication partner and Japan’s largest publisher, first started working with the club in 2021 and has agreed an early renewal, showing their commitment to the future of the club and their desire to create a legacy with LFC.
The new extension sees Kodansha extend their relationship with LFC, to incorporate both the men’s and women’s team, which will help to support the continued growth of the women’s team. This comes at an exciting time ahead of their move to Melwood later this year.
The partnership strives to ‘Inspire Impossible Stories’ by inspiring future generations through its work in the community, and through the ‘Creative Works’ programme alongside LFC Foundation, it provides children and young adults with a chance to express themselves through creativity and storytelling.
This new, long-term commitment will see the programme’s expansion into the USA, and Kodansha and LFC Foundation look to build on the impact they have already made in the UK.
Through this partnership, LFC has supported Kodansha to drive brand awareness, globally, reach unconnected audiences, all whilst helping to inspire a younger generation. In this period, LFC and Kodansha have connected with over 850 school children in Liverpool, whilst helping almost 40 young people graduate through the LFC Foundation’s Creative Works programme.
Most recently, Kodansha, LFC and LFC Foundation exhibited within the famous Tate Liverpool, providing a chance for local children, artists, and visitors a chance to be inspired, creative and enjoy art.
Speaking about the renewal, Ben Latty, commercial director at Liverpool FC, said: “We are delighted to announce the extension of our partnership with Kodansha, even more so following on from the incredible displays in Tate Liverpool a few weeks ago. Our activations with Kodansha over the last two years truly embody the term partnership. There is a true alignment in values between LFC and Kodansha, which we are excited to build upon.
“This extension will see significant support and focus on the brilliant work of LFC Foundation and see us expand that work into the USA. It’s also pleasing to see Kodansha extend their support of the club to both the men’s and women’s teams.”
Tokuo Kanemura, senior vice president and COO at Kodansha, added: “We take great pride in the extension of this agreement, which allows us to be a part of Liverpool FC’s illustrious history and to leave our legacy. Let’s continue to join hands and inspire people all over the world together.
“Furthermore, our partnership with the women’s team is profoundly meaningful to us. We hope that this partnership will serve as a catalyst for their further achievements and that will continue to captivate audiences with its creativity.”
Hashtag: #LiverpoolFC
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Liverpool Football Club
- Founded in 1892, Liverpool FC is one of the world’s most historic and famous football clubs, having won 19 League Titles, including the Premier League, eight FA Cups, nine League Cups, six European Cups, three UEFA Cups, four European Super Cups, 16 Charity Shields, two Women’s Super League titles and one Women’s Championship.
- As a socially responsible Club, Liverpool FC is proud of the work it does via the award-winning The Red Way, its ongoing commitment to creating a better future for its people, its planet and its communities. This includes efforts to improve club-wide sustainability, enhance Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all areas, and create life changing opportunities for children and young people in Merseyside and beyond thanks to its official charity, LFC Foundation.