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Foreign Employee Fined LAK 63 Million for Illegal Waste Dumping

An employee of a foreign company was caught dumping waste.
An employee of a foreign company was caught dumping waste.

An employee of a foreign company operating in Laos was fined LAK 63 million after being caught dumping garbage. 

Readiness Index reveals that energy transition in Asia Pacific still in its infancy

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 11 April 2022 – Regional and global business leaders, policy makers and government representatives throughout the energy sector convened at the second annual Asia Pacific Energy Week, organized by Siemens Energy, to discuss regional challenges and opportunities for the energy transition.

Themed ‘Making the Energy of Tomorrow Possible‘, the 2-day virtual event held from March 28 to 29, 2022 saw more than 2,000 participants actively engage in the discussions, opinion polls and questions. Over the two days, participants were surveyed on the importance of major energy priorities and the progress made towards the energy transition.

The Asia Pacific Energy Transition Readiness Index is derived using an aggregate of participants’ response to each of 11 pre-determined key energy priorities. The study yielded valuable data and insights, which will be used to enhance key strategies for the energy transition in the region. It is the first of a series of studies which will be conducted in different regions globally.

Lofty ambitions, but low readiness for energy transition

The survey of conference participants revealed a significant gap between perception and reality when it came to carbon emissions.

Between 2005 and 2020, regional carbon emissions grew by around 50 percent, yet participants believed they had fallen by almost a third. The participants also anticipated that 2030 emission levels would be 39 percent lower than in 2005.

Further analysis of the survey data found that the Asia-Pacific region had a score of 25 percent on the Readiness Index, which indicates how far a region is along its energy transition path.

“While we have seen successful decarbonization in a number of areas, strong economic growth is counteracting this progress, resulting in a net increase in overall emissions. With the Asia Pacific region responsible for more than half of the world’s CO2 emissions, global climate efforts must clearly involve Asia Pacific more in the future. Maintaining economic growth and prosperity while simultaneously reducing emissions in the medium and long term needs to be the top priority for the region,” said Christian Bruch, President and CEO of Siemens Energy AG.

11 energy priorities identified to move the needle

Global management consultancy Roland Berger, knowledge partner in the Asia Pacific Energy Week, identified in close collaboration with Siemens Energy 11 priorities for tackling climate change and ultimately achieving net zero.

While participants agreed unanimously that each of the energy priorities have an important role to play in the region, the accelerated expansion of renewables and the decarbonization of industry were considered the most important factors. When asked about their views of the progress made on these energy priorities, many participants highlighted that much remains to be done, with many of the priorities still in the planning phase. The most progress was reported in power generation, with more than 80% of participants saying that the acceleration of renewables is at least in the planning phase, with around a third already at implementation. Almost two-thirds of respondents reported a similar level of progress for coal exit strategies.

Policy changes required to drive progress on almost every priority

Five factors were identified as areas that require development to drive progress along the energy transition: Funding; Know-how; Technology; Policy; and Supply Chain. Overall, participants see policy as the most important factor in almost every priority. Funding also emerged as a substantial need for most priorities. The need for additional know-how varies but is highest for new technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and power-to-X solutions.

“To meet carbon reduction targets, businesses in Asia Pacific region will need to reduce their reliance on coal as an energy source and increasingly turn to renewables,” said Denis Depoux, Global Managing Director, Roland Berger.

The full Asia Pacific Energy Transition Readiness Index is available at https://bit.ly/APIndex2022

About Siemens Energy

Siemens Energy is one of the world’s leading energy technology companies. The company works with its customers and partners on energy systems for the future, thus supporting the transition to a more sustainable world. With its portfolio of products, solutions and services, Siemens Energy covers almost the entire energy value chain – from power generation and transmission to storage. The portfolio includes conventional and renewable energy technology,
such as gas and steam turbines, hybrid power plants operated with hydrogen, and power generators and transformers. More than 50 percent of the portfolio has already been decarbonized. A majority stake in the listed company Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) makes Siemens Energy a global market leader for renewable energies. An estimated one-sixth of the electricity generated worldwide is based on technologies from Siemens Energy. Siemens Energy employs more than 90,000 people worldwide in more than 90 countries and generated revenue of around €27.5 billion
in fiscal year 2020. .

Roland Berger is the only strategy consultancy of European origin with a strong international presence. As an independent firm owned exclusively by our partners, we have 50 offices with a presence in all major markets. Our 2,400 employees are characterized by a unique combination of analytical thinking and an empathetic mindset. Driven by our values of entrepreneurial spirit, excellence, and empathy, we are convinced that business and society need a new, sustainable paradigm that focuses on the whole value-creation cycle. By working in interdisciplinary teams across all relevant sectors and business functions, Roland Berger offers the best expertise worldwide for successfully overcoming the profound challenges of our age now and in the future.

This press release and a press picture / press pictures / further material is available at

For further information on Asia Pacific Energy Week, please see

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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

AgileAsia Finds More Business Professionals Signing Up Agile Training Courses During The Pandemic

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 11 April 2022 – Premier training provider, AgileAsia, has recently discovered more than 5600 people participated in their Certified Scrum Master training course in last year, 2021. This was a 61% increase in course participation compared to the previous year. Scrum is the practice of creating value through adaptive solutions for highly complex problems in a business organisation. Due to this framework, many business professionals have been benefiting from it through delivering high-value results within their organisations.

Explaining why there is a sharp rise in Scrum course participation, the training provider points out that the COVID-19 pandemic has managed to change many individuals’ mindset, particularly from a fixed to growth mindset. As the pandemic has affected many lives, there is also an uncertainty in organisations’ initial business strategy. Due to this, many stakeholders are trying to learn to adapt and upscale themselves to overcome the challenges.

To implement effective business transformation, individuals must take on new skills and knowledge such as the frameworks of Scrum. For the last 2 years, AgileAsia has been approved by Singapore Government bodies to provide up to 90% course fees subsidy, with SkillsFuture and Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) supported. The training provider also noted that this could be one reason why more business professionals are signing up Agile training.

AgileAsia is able to provide the information because they have grown over the years to become a leading provider of certification in thought leadership and the pioneers in agile movement in Singapore. The company is an approved training provider by the Singapore government bodies in the country to reach more clients across industries. The move is in line with the goal of helping organisations to develop core skills to implement transformation practices and scale in their respective industries.

The business environment continues to evolve amidst the emergence of a wide range of solutions to enable them to deliver the best experience to their target audience and compete favourably in their sectors. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the discovery of more solutions and better ways of operating to achieve enhanced productivity. However, a good number of businesses still struggle to find their footing in the post-Covid-era, which is where the team at AgileAsia is looking to make a difference through their wide range of Scrum Alliance and Scaled Agile courses & certification.

The categories of courses offered by AgileAsia covers the different aspect of the Agile Scrum curriculum, with over 15 Agility courses to cater to the growing and diverse needs of organizations and individuals. This will ensure that more people are armed with the latest skillset in the business environment and have access to learn from globally-renowned expert practitioners with more than two decades of experience.

AgileAsia, an approved Training Provider by Singapore government bodies, provides up to 90% subsidy, giving clients access to a massive agile community, covering subjects across industries, including banking & finance and IT. The courses detail how the post-Covid work environment works and how participants can cope with the changes.

The Agile and Scrum workshop on Scaled agile and other aspects of the curriculum have continued to enjoy rave reviews from participants across industries for the comprehensiveness and efficiency of the content.

For further information about AgileAsia and the range of courses offered, visit
https://agileasia.com/

AgileAsia also has a growing online community across social media, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube.

About AgileAsia

AgileAsia is a leading provider of industry-leading scrum alliance & scaled agile courses designed to help organisations develop core skills to implement transformation practices. The practitioner-based courses cover content which meets the requirements of leaders and practitioners to manage the transformation, with contributions from a community of IT leaders, besides academic content. AgileAsia currently has more than 300+ 5-Star Google reviews and a net promoter score of 85.

#AgileAsia

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Babel Finance has completed a two year $50 million BTC/ETH cross-currency swap

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 11 April 2022 – Babel Finance announced that it had completed a two-year Market-to-Market Cross Cryptocurrency Swap worth $50 million in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Why is this transaction important to the global crypto market?

This two-year transaction demonstrates that crypto can be a long term play and that the crypto ecosystem is becoming mature. There is a rising market demand for long-end liquidity, indicating a healthy market structure and growing participant trust.

Transactions lasting 2-years are rare in the cryptocurrency institution market. “Until 2022, we have barely seen liquidity transactions of over 3 months in the crypto market. This might be the first”, said Babel Finance’s Head of Treasury, Song Yang.

Currently, there is a scarcity of detailed data on the bitcoin lending/borrowing sector. However, according to preliminary estimates, the crypto lending/borrowing market size, which includes CeFi and Defi, is approaching US$8.2 billion (reference: Top Lending/Borrowing Coins by Market Capitalization – CoinGecko). Active parties such as Genesis Capital, Celsius, B2C2, Nexo, Babel Finance, and others rarely provide long-term liquidity.

‘This ETH lending shows an increasing long term market demand for ETH, from the developments of DeFi, NFTs and new projects’, said Song Yang.

As evidenced by Babel Finance’s crypto 2-year swap, further long-term crypto investments and trading are achievable. Long-term crypto investors can earn interest on their Bitcoin by engaging in extra DeFi activities like lending and staking. This is something that Babel Finance’s crypto trading arm will be looking into. In the future, the Babel Finance Hong Kong team may, with agreement by their clients, to have their cryptocurrency held in the ecosystem and used to validate transactions in exchange for interest. Furthermore, there’s always the possibility that the value of their crypto assets may grow and result in a long-term profit.

Babel Finance, one of the world’s leading crypto traders with over 500 institutional clients globally, has shown that crypto finance, Defi, and crypto-based assets will become mainstream in financial markets with institutional and private investors through this deal.

Deal Facts:

  • Transaction: Market to Market Cross Cryptocurrency Swap (MtM CCS)
  • Currency: BTC and ETH
  • Amount: US$ 50M

About Babel Finance

Babel Finance is a global leading crypto financial services provider, offering institutional and HNWI investors professional services covering crypto lending and crypto trading.

The company is backed by prominent investors including Sequoia Capital China, Tiger Global Management, BAI Capital, Zoo Capital, Dragonfly Capital, and NGC Ventures.

With a business focus in Asia and a business headquarters in Singapore, Babel Finance has established close cooperative relationships with major global exchanges, custodians, investment funds, and mining institutions.

#BabelFinance

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Reckitt’s ‘Durex Love Series’ Campaign Crowned ‘Best Content Marketing – Bronze’ in 2022 Event Marketing Awards in Asia-Pacific

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 11 April 2022 – Reckitt’s brand Durex is proud to be honoured ‘Best Content Marketing – Bronze’ for its success brought by the ‘Durex Love Series’ Campaign (the Campaign), in the ‘2022 Event Marketing Award’ organised by Campaign, a credible advertising and marketing publication in Asia-Pacific. The awards recognised Durex’s outstanding performance in infusing the best marketing content throughout the integrated campaign with positive and tangible effect on audience’s experience.

Under the mist of pandemic and social distancing restrictions, love and intimacy are hence distanced. Durex believes that ‘Love is anytime anywhere’ and is the foundation of romance and relationship. To inspire lovers to get closer without boundaries, Durex launched a ‘Durex Love Series’ campaign in mid-December 2020 to June 2021, with a journey of love in four stages: LOVEcation, LOVEstation, LOVEparade and LOVEsignal.

The four stages of the Campaign started with unveiling the fun through ‘LOVEcation Kit’, a tailored staycation kit, followed by the ‘LOVEstation Pop-up Store’, a to-go place on Valentine’s Day for couples to express their loves to each other, ‘LOVEparade’, an online Pride Parade to embrace love and celebrate sexual diversity, and ‘Durex LOVEsignal’, a love guide video that empower lovers’ intimacy along 365 days. Through an integrated campaign of engagement with well-known KOLs and illustrators, promotion on social media, engagement with consumers at pop-up store in Causeway Bay and the launch of limited thematic promotion kit, ‘Durex Love Series’ campaign has successfully engaged with youngsters and couples, positioned Durex the ‘Top of Mind’ brand of sexual wellness and intimacy, and empowered the audience to embrace sexual wellbeing by enjoying the fun of love and sexual desire. Despite the downtrend in total sales of the overall intimate wellness category, Durex recorded up to double-digit growth in sales and surged in e-commerce sales year-on-year during the campaign period. Furthermore, the average social reach and engagement for Durex social media platforms during the campaign period increased substantially compared to the same period in 2020. In which the average social reach has risen more than doubled. The campaign was a remarkable milestone to Durex’s leading position among the industry proven by both business growth and outstanding social performance.

“We are proud to receive the first regional award at the Event Marketing Awards for the campaign.” said Boudewijn Feith, Reckitt General Manager Hong Kong/Taiwan. “This is the third recognition to the excellent ‘Durex Love Series’ campaign. Looking ahead, we will continue to further strengthen Durex’s leading position in advocating intimate wellness and uphold our mission to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world through creative and diverse marketing strategies with the best content.”

About Reckitt

Reckitt* exists to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We believe that access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment is a right, not a privilege.

Reckitt is the company behind some of the World’s most recognisable and trusted consumer brands in Hygiene, Health and Nutrition, including Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Enfamil, Finish, Gaviscon, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Mucinex, Nurofen, Nutramigen, Strepsils, Vanish, Veet, Woolite and more.

Every day, more than 20 million Reckitt products are bought globally. We always put consumers and people first, seek out new opportunities, strive for excellence in all that we do and build shared success with all our partners. We aim to do the right thing, always.

We are a diverse global team of more than 43,000 colleagues. We draw on our collective energy to meet our ambitions of purpose-led brands, a healthier planet and a fairer society.

Find out more, or get in touch with us, at

* Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

#Reckitt

About Durex

Since its establishment in 1929, Durex has over 90 years of experience in the sexual health industry, perfecting quality and innovation in a product range that includes condoms, lubricants, sex toys and games.

Durex is the first condom brand to adopt the global ‘quality seal’ as standard. All condom types exceed worldwide quality standards with dermatologically and electronically tested.

As an industry-leading brand, apart from innovating and improving products, Durex also conducts international research and makes donations in various areas such as sexual behaviour and AIDS. With its advanced and innovative R&D and outstanding reputation, Durex has now become the World’s No. 1 well-known condom brand with a sales network all over the world.

For more information, please visit:

About Campaign and Event Marketing Awards

Campaign brings more than 50 years of media and editorial experience serving companies building brands through marketing communications in the UK, US and Asia-Pacific. With fresh research, data, regional insights and unparalleled industry-leading and global relationships, Campaign Asia-Pacific is the voice of media and marketing communications in Asia-Pacific.

Organised by Campaign, the Event Marketing Awards champion the region’s business events community and to celebrate its creativity and innovation as businesses build unique and impactful virtual, hybrid and live experiences across markets in Asia-Pacific. Judged by a panel of experts in event marketing, these awards will recognise companies that applied best practice to the creation, planning, production and management of successful events in Asia-Pacific.

For more information, please visit:

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Laos Ranked Last in Nikkei COVID Recovery Index

Laos Patuxay Vientiane

Laos has been ranked last in a global assessment of Covid recovery produced by Japanese publisher Nikkei.

Thai and Cambodian Governments Cracking Down on Call Center Crime

Call center

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to cooperate digitally in order to crack down on call-center gangs and online gambling dens.

OPPO Find X5 series is equipped with the newest version of O Relax, which brings a Moment of Calm for the users

SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach – 8 April 2022 – O Relax, an app offered for free along with ColorOS 12.1 on the latest launched flagship OPPO Find X5 series, offers a peaceful sanctuary on mobile phone — a private meditation space where users can take time out to enjoy relaxing sounds and relieve stress.

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The power of sound

There have been various studies that indicate sound is intrinsically linked to people’s emotional wellbeing and can have a big impact on releasing stress. As an industry leader in sound technology, with a rich history in audio production, OPPO knows the impact that sound can have on users’ feelings and emotions, ever since it released its first MP3 player in 2005. That’s what makes O Relax such an important feature, and why it’s been built into ColorOS 12.1 in Find X5 series.

Through a combination of audio-visual-haptic feedback, O Relax provides users with multi-sensory experience. This not only deepens the connection to the audio they are hearing, but also offers things to see, touch and feel, across all features of the app.

Explore the city through sound

One of O Relax’s key features is Sounds of the City, which offers users something that can’t be found in any other app. So far, O Relax has recorded sound samples of the day-to-day occurrences in six iconic cities around the world. Whether it’s the sound of busy markets in Bangkok or the breeze through the trees in Reykjavik, O Relax transports its users to the heart of these cities with their own unique soundscape.

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OPPO has also encouraged its users to share the sounds that reflect their memories or favourite things about their city, to create user-inspired soundtracks. The first of these was Chengdu in China.

Not just that, but with a digital map on screen that helps users to visualise exactly where the sounds were captured, Sound of the City helps users to deepen their connection and experience with the city while listening to the sound.

Through a combination of sound, vision and innovation, Sounds of the City aims to take people away from their current moment, and to feel reinvigorated through the realm of discovery and exploration.

Personalized sound experience

Alongside Sounds of the City, O Relax also offers a variety of comforting music tracks, and the sounds of white noise in nature, such as the sound of rain or waves, to help deliver those moments of calm.

All of O Relax’s sounds and soundtracks are chosen and produced by OPPO’s master tuner, who conducts experiments on the different combinations of tone, rhythm and audible frequencies to find the perfect balance. Additionally, O Relax offers multi-track mixing to create the perfect personalized sound experience for its users.

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This extensive ability for customisation and personalisation is reflected in the design philosophy of ColorOS, which places a huge emphasis on the importance of the user experience and personalising their experience when using the phone.

Experience a deeper connection

Through the combination of audio and haptic feedback, O Relax’s deep breathing exercises and relaxation games are designed for users to feel calm. With the strongest haptic motor available on an Android device today, Find X5 Pro provides with a better O Relax user experience than ever before, generating natural, crisp and quiet feedback with every touch and delivering a further dimension to the audio and visual experience.

However, O Relax doesn’t stop there. With precise placement and movement of individual sounds, the addition of Dolby Atmos panoramic audio helps to place a listener at the heart of the sound for an even more powerful and moving experience, offering breathtaking sound quality, with impressive clarity, richness and detail like no other.

With O Relax, OPPO brings together this human-centric approach with its passion for audio to create an experience that brings a much-needed moment of calm back to busy lives.

*Note:The availability of O-Relax may vary among reigons.

#OPPO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.