Thailand in travel bubble talks with China and Malaysia.
Diwali is one of the most popular Indian festivals which is celebrated across the country and among the South Asian community globally. An incumbent holiday is always a reason to plan one’s next vacation and most people are already thinking of ways they could best utilize the upcoming long weekend.
This year Diwali falls on October 24 (Monday) and Indians are eyeing that one quick getaway either locally or to foreign destinations which are located nearby. Travel+Leisure India recently published an article on this topic and Lao neighbors Vietnam and Thailand both made it to the list.
One of the reasons Laos didn’t feature on this list is because there is no direct flight Indians can book to visit the country. Most travel options include layovers for several hours in Bangkok which can be quite time-consuming for people planning a short trip. Although Laos offers visa-on-arrival to Indian citizens, the long travel potentially discourages many tourists from availing this option.
Before COVID-19 around 200,000 Indians had visited Vietnam in 2019 and with the resuming of direct flights the country is waiting to welcome more people this year. Compared to this, Laos saw the arrival of only 8,152 Indian tourists in the same year, according to a report by Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism.
Thailand is also a long-time favorite for for Indian tourists thanks to its pristine beaches and easy accessibility. Just this year, 337,282 Indian tourists arrived in Thailand until July, including an average of 4,000 per day since 1 July when Thailand fully reopened its borders. The Thai-Indian Wedding Association (TWA) also said that it expects Thailand to host around 400 Indian weddings, leading to a footfall of around 500,000 people by the end of the year.
In 2019, Chinese tourists formed a majority of international travelers visiting Laos, but with the country’s zero-Covid policy in place, Laos needs to look at other sources to fill in the gap. To attract Indian tourists with considerable spending power, Laos needs to not just focus on flights, but also work on strengthening its public transport system and infrastructures within the country. It needs to market itself and highlight its popular destinations to potential travelers because a steady volume of Indian tourists can definitely help in reviving the tourism sector.
As an Indian lawyer who recently relocated here for work says, “Right now most Indians might not be able to even locate Laos on a map. The country needs to make a concerted effort to brand and promote itself in a way that it appeals to everyone from backpackers to luxury travelers.”
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – Prudential Singapore (“Prudential”) has launched a mobile app, Business@Pulse, to help SME employees manage their group insurance[1] conveniently and seamlessly. They will be able to view their medical and employee benefits as well as submit claims through the mobile app, at any time, and from anywhere.
Through the app, the human resources (HR) teams and business owners can also manage their group insurance and process employees’ claims more easily. The app is available to Prudential’s enterprise customers, from multinational companies to small businesses with at least 3 employees.
Mr Dennis Tan, CEO, Prudential Singapore, said the life insurer is committed to supporting SMEs with their employee benefits and digital transformation journey.
According to a poll[2] commissioned by Prudential in April 2022, one in three SME employees said that their companies do not have a dedicated HR team to take care of medical and employee benefits. SME employees also shared that they cannot easily find information about their benefits, with one in four saying that their company manages their benefits through email.
“Simplifying group insurance and making it easily available to employees through digital solutions such as Business@Pulse will encourage more companies to address the protection gap. This will go a long way in engaging a hybrid and digital-first workforce while providing the necessary protection for employees, which are important in view of Singapore’s ageing workforce and rising healthcare costs,” said Mr Tan.
Meeting the needs of SMEs and their employees
SMEs account for more than 99 per cent of businesses in Singapore and 70 per cent of the workforce,[3] but many do not provide medical and employee benefits. Some do not see the need due to their small company size, while others lack the resources to build or procure their own digital solutions to manage their employees’ insurance needs and benefits effectively. However, nine in 10 SME employees polled say that they want their employers to provide healthcare coverage, and 60 per cent said that they are more willing to join a company that provides medical benefits.
The Prudential poll also found that one in five SME employees are more willing to stay in a company that prioritises digitalisation, while 79 per cent agreed that digital transformation is essential for business survival. With Business@Pulse, employees can get a summary of their benefits, submit and track claims on a mobile app for a seamless experience. These are features that the polled SME employees had said were important in a tool for managing their benefits.
The following are available on Business@Pulse at launch.
Group Policy View – Employees can use the mobile app to get a consolidated view of their group insurance policy details (e.g. types of coverage that you are entitled to), benefits and their coverage for specific items (e.g. annual limits for surgery and hospitalisation).
Make and View Claims – Employees can submit claims on-the-go by uploading a photo of their medical bill on the mobile app. They can also track their claims status.
The following features will also be made available on the app.
Medical E-card– An in-app electronic card available for employees to enjoy cashless visits to panel clinics and medical providers.
Clinic locator – A list of clinics that will help employees to find panel clinics that are located near their homes or wherever they are.
Helping SMEs and their employees be healthier and financially ready
Through Business@Pulse, employees of Prudential’s corporate customers will be able to utilise the existing health and financial wellness resources on the Pulse by Prudential (“Pulse”) app (see below for more information on Pulse).
Business@Pulse complements other wellness initiatives by Prudential to help SMEs enhance employee wellness. This includes WorkPLAYce – Prudential’s corporate wellness programme that offers a variety of activities aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being, such as, fitness and meditation classes, as well as health screenings.
Prudential is also supporting SMEs in their business growth through partnerships. For example, the SME Skills Accelerator programme, a collaboration between Prudential and SkillsFuture Singapore which aims to equip SMEs with the skills and resources to grow and innovate, upskill employees to boost their career progression, and improve employee retention.[4] Prudential has also established tie-ups with Ngee Ann Polytechnic and ST Engineering to boost SMEs’ digitalisation efforts and business growth. These partnerships will deliver trainings and webinars on digitalisation and cyber security to help SMEs in their business transformation.[5]
About Pulse Pulse by Prudential (Pulse) is an all-in-one app that offers holistic health and wealth management solutions to consumers.
The app was launched in Singapore on 23 April 2020[6] and includes health features such as an AI-powered symptom checker, health assessment, and online doctor consultation service. Users can also purchase bite-sized insurance plans on the app to get coverage for dengue, breast cancer, and prostate cancer and get complimentary coverage for side effects from a COVID-19 vaccination. Wealth features such as Ruby, an AI digital assistant, were added to Pulse in July 2021[7] to support users in their financial planning journey.
Pulse has been downloaded more than 300,000 times in Singapore as of 31 August 2022 and is available to Singapore residents aged 18 and above. Users do not have to pay a subscription fee when they download the app and register themselves.
[1] This refers to corporate medical coverage such as in-patient and outpatient medical expenses.
For more information on Pulse by Prudential, please visit the website here and view the launch press release here.
For more information on microinsurance products available on Pulse by Prudential, please click here.
Hashtag: #Prudential
About Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd (Prudential Singapore)
Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Ltd is one of the top life insurance companies in Singapore, serving the financial and protection needs of the country’s citizens for 91 years. The company has an AA- Financial Strength Rating from leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s, with S$53.3 billion funds under management as at 31 December 2021. It delivers a suite of well-rounded product offerings in Protection, Savings and Investment through multiple distribution channels including a network of more than 5,000 financial consultants.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – Chinachem Group (the “Group”) today announces that the Group has confirmed with Helical Plc for the purchase of the 150-year long leasehold interest of Kaleidoscope, an office property situated in an emerging new tech cluster in London, at £158.5 million, reflecting a capital value of £1,789 psf. The lease from Transport for London was granted in 2018 and has a head rent geared to 10% of contracted rents. Completion is due to take place in ten days. This transaction marks the Group’s first overseas acquisition, which will help drive its portfolio diversification and sustainable growth.
Newly completed in 2019, this six-storey 88,580 sq. ft. office building sits above the Farringdon East Crossrail Station. This well-connected area has attracted many tech companies to settle there, while the UK headquarters of Amazon and Snapchat are nearby.
Situated at Lindsey Street, EC1, Kaleidoscope is currently fully occupied by Tiktok, the popular short form video hosting service owned by ByteDance, who took a 15-year lease in March 2021 at £7,633,053 per annum (an average rent in excess of £86 psf). The PLP designed scheme is accredited BREEAM Excellent, WiredScore Platinum and provides a 5,000 sq. ft. roof terrace together with spa quality end of journey facilities and features integrated artwork by Dutch artists De Makers Van.
Donald Choi, Executive Director and CEO of Chinachem Group, said: “We’re delighted to have acquired Kaleidoscope successfully as it is located in a prime position in one of London’s most dynamic, vibrant and culturally rich sub-markets with impressive rental growth. We intend to hold this property for long-term investment.”
He added: “Having now made our London entrance, we will incrementally increase our exposure in gateway cities of other major developed markets in order to move further forward our diversification objectives and build a long-term resilient income stream. However, Hong Kong still remains our home and the core market of our business operations.”
Matthew Bonning-Snook, Property Director at Helical, commented: “Kaleidoscope was the first over station development to complete on the Elizabeth Line and we were able to attract one of the world’s fastest growing tech businesses due to its striking design, highly accessible location, excellent amenities and strong environmental credentials. We will now seek to recycle the proceeds from the sale into delivering new highly sustainable ‘best-in-class’ Central London office schemes, where occupier demand remains strong.”
Since 1960, Chinachem Group has been a leading property developer in Hong Kong, with a portfolio covering residential, commercial, retail and industrial buildings for sales and investment, in addition to operating hotels and property management services. The Group actively seeks to make a positive contribution to society through its adherence to the ‘Triple Bottom Line’, a commitment that its activities will benefit People, bring Prosperity to the community and preserve the Planet. Please visit www.chinachemgroup.com/en
MEAT ZERO’s Nuggets, Cooked Patty (Garlic & Herb) and Benja Chicken are among the products to receive stars and available in Singapore
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 –CP Foods Thailand has bagged accolades for six of its products at the Superior Taste Award 2022, which is hosted by the prestigious International Institute of Taste. Three of the products are currently retailing in Singapore, which are as follows: MEAT ZERO’s Nuggets and Cooked Patty (Garlic & Herb) as well as Benja Chicken, the world’s first brown rice-fed chicken. The other three products are for CP sausages, which are not in Singapore currently.
The prestigious Superior Taste Award 2022 is an annual event held in Brussels, Belgium. The awards are certified by a jury of over 200 professional taste experts, who are members of esteemed chef and sommelier associations Le Guide Michelin and Gault & Milau. The awards mark the first time Thailand has won for its chicken meat and sausage products. They are also CP Foods Thailand’s first-ever wins, with Benja Chicken bagging two stars under the meat category as well as MEAT ZERO’s Nugget attaining three stars and Cooked Patty (Garlic & Herb) getting one star in the alternative meat category. The scoring tiers are as follows:
3 stars (Exceptional): Scoring above 90%
2 stars (Remarkable): Scoring between 80% and 90%
1 star (Notable): Scoring between 70% and 80%
Below are more information about the products available in Singapore.
MEAT ZERO — Affordable and Incredible-tasting Plant-based Meat Products
MEAT ZERO is one of Thailand’s best-selling plant-based meat products. It took more than two years to produce MEAT ZERO’s plant-based meat products and 2,000 experiments helmed by hundreds of researchers and teams from CPF Food Research and Development Centre. MEAT ZERO obtained the intellectual property right to the Plant-Tec innovation by partnering with world-class plant-based product manufacturer Fuji Oil from Japan and experts from the U.S and Taiwan.
Traditionally, low-moisture extrusion is used to texturise protein into meat analogue. For MEAT ZERO, the high-moisture meat analogue process is used to texturise vegetable proteins into a product with a fibrous texture akin to animal meat. The appearances, mouthfeel and texture of the products are similar to those of real meat. They are of equal nutritional value. High-fibre, non-GMO soy — which keeps cholesterol levels in check — as well as pea, wheat and corn, are the key ingredients.
Nuggets 200g ($4.50): When deep- or air-fried to a golden-brown perfection, the nuggets have an airy crisp and a bite that is indistinguishable from the meat version. Pair it with roasted sweet potato fries for a guilt-free western-style meal!
Cooked Patty (Garlic & Herb) 240g ($4.50): With this offering, making katsu burger at home is a cinch. The crunchy crumb is infused with the sharp note of garlic and the fragrance of herbs. The cooked patty is high in protein and free of trans fat.
Benja Chicken — The World’s First Brown Rice-fed Chicken
Hailing from Thailand, this 100% natural product boasts a rich flavour profile, and is more tender and juicier than the market’s chicken meat by up to 55%. The brand’s offerings are wildly popular in Thailand and are preferred by chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants such as Saneh Jaan, Siam Wisdom and Paste.
Benja Chicken uses an innovative animal feed to raise its chickens. The formula comprises specially selected brown rice grains, which are rich in Gamma-Aminobutyric acid, antioxidants and vitamins B3, B6 and B9. It also helps to strengthen the chickens’ muscle structure. No growth hormone or antibiotic is added to the feed, which has been certified by the American NSF International.
An ethical company that is also a proponent of sustainability, Benja Chicken adheres to the Five Freedoms for Animal Welfare. The brand believes in cage-free farming — the chickens wander and roam freely around the farms, where the air and temperature are carefully controlled. The temperature is kept at 25 degrees Celsius, the optimal temperature for chickens of all ages. They are also raised with clean water that has been purified by a filtering system. Periodically, the chickens undergo health checks to ensure they are in the pink of health. All these factors help contribute to the wonderful taste and high quality of the meat.
Products available in Singapore include Chicken Skin-on Boneless Leg ($11.50), Chicken Skinless Boneless Leg ($10.50), and Chicken Skinless Boneless Breast ($12.90).
PROMOTION
To celebrate this achievement, CP Singapore will be running a special 50% off promotion. Enjoy Meat Zero Nuggets promotion 2 packs for $6.50 (UP$4.50 per pack) from September to October 2022 at all major supermarkets.
Being one of Asia’s leading agro-industrial and foods conglomerates, CPF Group strives to maintain its leading position in the industry and successfully compete in the international arena (U.S.A., Europe and Asia). The Company is determined to fulfill its vision of becoming the “Kitchen of the World”, placing significant importance on research and development to improve production quality, safety and efficiency.
CPF’s success story is tied closely to the company’s fully integrated farming and production process. CPF controls every single process from the first step of breeding to the eventual branding and marketing of its food products. It pays close attention to the freshness of ingredients at every stage to ensure customers get the best quality products.
The Company is dedicated to providing food products, which are high in quality, nutritious, hygienic and safe. Its world-class plants meet many international regulations, requirements and certifications including HACCP, GMP, BRC, OSHAS, ISO and Animal Welfare Standard. Every step of the farming and production process is based on the practice of good animal welfare and concern for the environment, by being safe and drug-residual free. CP Foods shrimp farms also practice the green shrimp technology that prohibits the use of antibiotic medicines. Instead, friendly microbes for the growth of healthy shrimp are used.
UN experts denounced a recent court decision in Malaysia on Monday that denied women the same rights as men to automatically confer citizenship to their children, saying affected women are less likely to leave abusive relationships and their children risk statelessness.
SHENZHEN QIANHAI – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – September 6, 2022 marks the first anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of “the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening of the Reform and Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Co-operation Zone” (“Qianhai Plan”) issued by the State Council. With emphasis on “expansion” and “reform and opening up”, Qianhai has carried out a number of key tasks in Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaboration, international cooperation, opening up of the financial industry, opening up of legal affairs, technological innovation, business environment, clustering of talents, etc. Achievements are apparent. In 2021, the GDP of Qianhai District was 175.567 billion yuan, with an annual increase of 10.5%. The actual use of foreign capital was US$ 5.822 billion, with a yearly increase of 14.9%. Total customs area import and export goods was 1.74 trillion yuan accounting for an increase of 20.3%. From January to June 2022, the actual use of foreign capital was US$3.533 billion, representing a rise of 17.4%.
After the announcement of “Qianhai Plan”, the Qianhai Authority launched various preferential measures for Hong Kong in the past one year
1. Deepening reform
The Qianhai Cooperation Zone has launched 725 institutional innovations in investment, trade, finance, and rule of law, among which 65 were replicated for national-wide use. The National Development and Reform Commission approved Qianhai’s national first standards such as “Format Specifications for Enterprise Credit Reports Based on Cross-border Activities” and “Electronic Warehouse Receipts for Bulk Cargo”. Furthermore, Qianhai’s preferential corporate income tax policy has been expanded to five categories with 30 items.
2. Deepen Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaboration
Qianhai Authority announced nine Hong Kong-related facilitation measures on June 30, 2022. On September 2, 2022, the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority and the Financial Services & the Treasury Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government jointly promulgated 18 measures for Supporting the Linked Development of Shenzhen and Hong Kong Venture Capital Investments in Qianhai. The measures will provide facilitation and preferential policies for the Hong Kong private equity industry and promote the development of a mechanism that links the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Venture Capital industry. The 18 measures complement the three-step strategy implemented by Hong Kong for developing the private equity fund market, i.e. 1) introducing the limited partnership fund (LPF) regime; 2) offering tax concessions for carried interest distributed by eligible private equity funds; and 3) establishing a mechanism to attract foreign funds to re-domicile in Hong Kong, thereby providing clear support for the convergence of rules between Hong Kong LPFs and Qianhai Qualified Foreign Limited Partnerships (QFLPs). On the other hand, the practical filing scope of Hong Kong and Macao professionals was expanded to 16 professions, such as tax accountants and tour guides. In order to improve the efficiency of cross-border cargo transportation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Qianhai will provide a “water transport connection and diversion” mode.
3. International Cooperation
To actively build up overseas industrial parks, more than 200 Qianhai companies have their presence in the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone and Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port Industrial Park. Furthermore, Qianhai is committed to strengthening its aviation and shipping hub. Shenzhen Airport has 57 cargo destinations, and the international cargo and mail throughput reached 540,000 tons in 2021. Besides, international organizations such as the ICC International Court of Arbitration and the Singapore International Mediation Centre have now established a presence in Qianhai.
4. Opening up
Peking University and the University of Cambridge jointly initiated Qianhai Sino-British Research Institute, and King’s School, Canterbury will have new Hong Kong children’s classes. Furthermore, Qianhai launched a business notification and commitment system of “Approval for Engaged in Seafarer Assignment Business”. Dachan Bay Port was approved to be incorporated into the Shenzhen National Oceanic Fishery Base with the position of a tuna trading centre. In addition, the first 5G smart port in the Greater Bay Area, Mawan Smart Port, is in operation. In 2021, the container throughput of Qianhai was 14.607 million TEUs, with an annual increase of 10.7%.
5. Open up of the financial industry
Qianhai has “three first batches” of financial innovations. They are: the first batch of pilot bank accounts integrating local and foreign currencies, the first batch of pilot projects for the integrated domestic and foreign currency pool business of multinational companies, and the ” Cross-boundary Wealth Management Connect” in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Financial City, 200 financial institutions have signed up to settle in, of which 30% are Hong Kong-funded or foreign-funded institutions. The Qianhai Mercantile Exchange (QME) launched a new soybean variety, and the cross-border transactions are priced and settled in RMB.
6. Open up in legal affairs
The Supreme People’s Court issued opinions on supporting and safeguarding Qianhai’s reform and opening up, applying extraterritorial laws and cross-border judicial assistance arrangements. Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Legal-services District has introduced 122 legal institutions, including China (Shenzhen) Intellectual Property Protection Center. The foreign-related or Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan-related commercial cases and cases under the application of Hong Kong law handled by the 32 Hong Kong jurors and 16 Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and foreign mediators appointed by the Qianhai Court ranked first in the country’s basic people’s courts. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Arbitration Center has been established.
7. Technological innovation
In August 2022, Qianhai issued measures to promote the reform and innovation of Qianhai’s technology development system and mechanism. The “Technology China” Greater Bay Area Consortium was established in Qianhai. Projects such as the Qianhai Copyright Public Service Platform and Copyright Blockchain Network were selected as pilot projects for innovative blockchain applications by the Cyberspace Administration of China. The National (Shenzhen Qianhai) New Internet Exchange Center is under trial-running.
8. The business environment ranks top tier in the world
The Qianhai e-Services Hong Kong-Macao Station provides 223 services such as “Easy Registration”, “Easy Taxation” and “Social Security Link”. The first Shenzhen Qianhai business license printing machine has been in service since early September. The e-Station provides further convenience to Hong Kong companies and individuals to tackle government-related stuff without leaving the Hong Kong border. Qianhai’s business environment has been further improved, and approval time has been shortened from 49 days to 13 days.
9. Clustering of Talents
Qianhai International Talent Hub provides 100 tailor-made services for international technology talents. It partnered with well-known organizations, such as Boston Consulting Group and Ernst & Young and provided different training courses for senior executives. The services have covered more than 2,500 organizations and more than 520,000 talents. Qianhai International Talent Hub and Hays jointly published the “2022 Greater China Salary Guide Technology Industry Supplement” report.
Professor Witman Hung, Principal Liaison Officer of the Shenzhen Qianhai Authority said that he and his team have conducted about 100 seminars for the Qianhai plan. From the feedback of the audience, Qianhai Plan is welcome by different sectors in Hong Kong.
Trend Micro research reveals visibility challenges as attack surface expands
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 7 September 2022 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today that reveals global organizations are increasingly at risk of ransomware compromise via their extensive supply chains.
Trend Micro commissioned Sapio Research in May and June 2022 to poll 2,958 IT decision makers across 26 countries. The research revealed that 79% of global IT leaders believe their partners and customers are making their own organization a more attractive ransomware target. The challenge is particularly acute considering that potentially less well-secured SMBs make up a “significant” portion of the supply chain for over half (52%) of these organizations.
A year ago, a sophisticated attack on a provider of IT management software led to the compromise of scores of MSPs and thousands of downstream customers. Yet only 47% of organizations share knowledge about ransomware attacks with their suppliers. Additionally, 25% said they don’t share potentially useful threat information with partners.
This could be because organizations don’t have information to share in the first place. Detection rates were worryingly low for ransomware activities including:
“We found that 52% of global organizations have had a supply chain organization hit by ransomware, potentially putting their own systems at risk of compromise”, said Bharat Mistry, Technical Director at Trend Micro. “But many aren’t taking steps to improve partner cybersecurity. The first step towards mitigating these risks must be enhanced visibility into and control over the expanding digital attack surface.”
The supply chain can also be exploited by attackers to gain leverage over their targets. Among organizations that had experienced a ransomware attack in the past three years, 67% said their attackers contacted customers and/or partners about the breach to force payment.
Hashtag: #TrendMicro
About Trend Micro
Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk
Roads were damaged in La District after the decrease of floodwater.
Department of Public Works and Transport in Oudomxay Province has estimated that more than LAK 60 billion will be required to rebuild roads damaged by the flooding caused by tropical storm Ma-on. They expect to finish construction within two years.