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Laos and Thailand Join Hands to Combat Wildlife Trafficking

More than 80 representatives from wildlife relevant enforcement agencies from Thailand and Laos met in Chiang Khong, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand on 14 and 15 September to report back on collaborative counter wildlife trafficking actions taken since August 3-5 when the PWENs met in Huay Xai, Bokeo Province, Laos.

38 participants from the Chiang Rai Provincial Wildlife Enforcement Network (P-WEN) welcomed 47 representatives from the P-WENs of Bokeo, Luang Namtha and Oudomxay provinces in Laos, as well as representatives of the national WEN. 

Organized by WWF as part of the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs funded project on fighting wildlife trafficking in the Golden Triangle, this cross border collaboration meeting was implemented in collaboration with the Office of the Governor of Chiang Rai Province. Co-chaired by the Deputy Governor of Chiang Rai Province, Waradisorn Onnuch, and the Deputy Director General of the Department of Forest Inspection Lao PDR, Sounantha Chounlamany, the meeting builds on a similar event that took place last month, in which representatives of provincial offices of forest inspection, natural resources and environmental police, and customs, among others, came together to reinvigorate cross border relations with their counterparts and recommit to collaboration to combat the transboundary wildlife trade.

The PWEN members represent the provinces in Thailand and Laos that are located in the Golden Triangle, a border region that is notorious for the wildlife trade, as well as other illicit transboundary trades, including drugs, human, and arms trafficking. These PWENs are composed of various provincial departments and ministries with a purview to combat the illegal wildlife trade, ensuring cross sectoral collaboration. This and previous meetings are organized to encourage, not only this cross-ministerial collaboration, but transboundary collaboration as well.

The Deputy Governor of Chiang Rai Province opened the meeting by welcoming the delegation from Laos, stating that he was encouraged to see so many familiar faces and was looking forward to hearing the progress that had been made in addressing transboundary trade since the PWENs had met in Bokeo. He said that building trust between the two sides was the most effective way to ensure that the response to transboundary trafficking was effective.

The Deputy Director General of the Department of Forest Inspection followed, stating that he was encouraged by the collaboration between not only the provincial officials, but between the two countries, and hoped that the steps taken during the cross-border meetings would lead to more effective oversight of transboundary illicit wildlife trade and would continue into the future.

During the previous meeting in Bokeo, the participants had recommitted to operationalizing improved mechanisms for cross border collaboration, including improving communication and sharing information that has the potential to help with investigations, confiscations and arrests. They also agreed to report back on any progress made as a result of cross-border cooperation.

Since the PWEN members had met last month, enforcement officers from three key border checkpoints – Chiang Khong and Huay Xay, Chinag Saen and Ton Pheung, and Wiang Kaeng and Pak Tha – reported back that they had successful communications, both formal and informal, between the two sides, with many agencies coordinating patrolling efforts along the Mekong River. In a few instances, tip-offs had been shared about specific traders or wildlife crossing the border that had resulted in confiscations of illicitly trafficked muntjacs, sunbears, and over 250 flying squirrels, among others. One case, which is still under investigation in order to be prosecuted, involved both wildlife and 250,000 methamphetamine pills being trafficked together, showing the convergence of wildlife crimes with other illicit trades. 

“This is very encouraging,” said Mr. Neuwat Leelapata of the Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. “In just one month, the efforts of your collaboration have yielded concrete results that show that when we work together, we can not only intercept wildlife trafficking, but build stronger cases that will act as an effective deterrent for wildlife traffickers.”

In order to ensure that the prosecutorial and judicial sectors will issue fair sentences for wildlife cases, WWF and partners have been working to train judges and prosecutors in target areas to improve their understanding of the serious impacts brought about by wildlife trafficking. To bring these two work streams together, a meeting will be held in Chiang Rai in October where PWEN members and the judicial and prosecutorial sectors from the two countries will share lessons learned, celebrate major achievements and reinforce the different roles that they each play in effectively combating transboundary wildlife trafficking in the Greater Mekong Region and beyond.

Laos-China Railway Revises its Parking Fees at Vientiane Station

Vientiane Railway Station
Vientiane Railway Station (Photo: Doug).

After a public uproar regarding the charges levied on vehicles when picking or dropping off passengers, Boten Frontier Services Limited has decided to waive some of them.

Laos Finishes Fourth at AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifier Group C

Laos and Palestine at AFC U20 Asian Cup qualifiers

Despite beating Guam in one of their first matches, the Laos U20 soccer team faced defeat at the hands of Japan, Yemen, and Palestine, finishing in fourth place at the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifier Group C, which was held in Vientiane from 12 to 18 September.

The Laos team performed very well in the game against Guam and dominated them to win with a 3-0 victory. The players worked well together and displayed great teamwork, in line with the coach’s guidance.

As Japan was one of the strongest teams competing, winning every game they played in Group C qualifiers, Laos lost to Japan with a score of 0-4.

Laos had a fair chance of winning its third game against Yemen, but Lao players let several opportunities pass by and lost with a score of 1-2.

In Sunday’s game against Palestine, Laos did not deserve to lose, but as one observer pointed out, “Since the first half, Lao defenders kept losing the ball before scoring goals.”

Until the 91st minute, Laos could not clear the ball out of the penalty area and was punished by Palestine Captain Mohammed Sandouqa, who scored a single goal of 1-0 and won the match for his country.

Despite the mistakes, Laos played reasonably well on the ground and had some good opportunities but couldn’t utilize them for scoring goals.

Following all the matches played, the Laos Football Federation concluded that Japan defeated all four competing countries and qualified for the AFC U20 Asian Cup, which will be hosted by Uzbekistan in March 2023. Following Japan to Uzbekistan is Yemen with two wins, one draw, and one defeat, gaining seven points. Meanwhile, Palestine has also scored seven points. Though, Yemen has scored more goals than them.

Although the host Laos and Palestine did not qualify to play at the next stage, both teams received at least some points for their matches. Only Guam left the tournament without any points.

Hang Lung Nationwide Volunteer Day and Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team’s 10th Anniversary Celebration

Promotes Inclusive Caring Culture

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 September 2022 – On September 17, Hang Lung Properties (SEHK stock code: 00101) (the “Company” or “Hang Lung”) held its annual nationwide volunteer day in Hong Kong and nine cities across mainland China and celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team. Inspired by the theme, “Diversity and Inclusion – Caring for the Elderly”, the campaign combined the efforts of over 1,200 corporate volunteers to reach out to nearly 5,500 senior citizens in activities carefully curated to demonstrate heartfelt care and concern for building an inclusive and compassionate community.

100 volunteers write 'one heart' in the form of a

100 volunteers write ‘one heart’ in the form of a “1” and a “heart-shape” in celebration of the 10th anniversary of Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team

Mr. Weber Lo, Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Properties, said, “Hang Lung has always actively contributed to society through community investment projects that enhance public wellbeing, promote diversity and inclusion and enrich lives. The 10th anniversary of Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team is an important milestone. Here, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the volunteers for living up our motto We Do It Well and for their continuous dedication to the community’s sustainable growth.”

In Hong Kong, Mr. Weber Lo (fourth from left), Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Properties, together with Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team members and representatives of the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association, accompanies elderly dementia patients and their carers to participate in five senses experience-related activities, including making pizza

In Hong Kong, Mr. Weber Lo (fourth from left), Chief Executive Officer of Hang Lung Properties, together with Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team members and representatives of the Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association, accompanies elderly dementia patients and their carers to participate in five senses experience-related activities, including making pizzas

Population aging is a global phenomenon. There is pressing need to tackle social issues and challenges faced by the elderly with dementia and living alone. This year’s Hang Lung nationwide volunteer day focused on this area of need with a desire to arouse awareness and promote an inclusive caring culture in society. Collectively with local governments, tenants and NGOs, the Hang Lung As One Volunteer Teams from Hong Kong and nine Mainland cities curated activities and provided care and support where it is most needed. Activities included visiting elderly centers and residential communities, distributing handmade gift packs, providing haircutting services, helping with house cleaning, and playing interactive games to enrich the lives of elderly.

Led by corporate management teams, volunteers from Plaza 66 and Grand Gateway 66 in Shanghai, together with several hairdressers, offer free haircutting services for elderly dementia patients in elderly centers

Led by corporate management teams, volunteers from Plaza 66 and Grand Gateway 66 in Shanghai, together with several hairdressers, offer free haircutting services for elderly dementia patients in elderly centers

In Hong Kong, the management team of Hang Lung led 100 volunteers to the HKYWCA Sydney Leong Holiday Lodge on Lantau Island together with a group of elderly dementia patients and their carers, to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and relax surrounded by nature. Activities included making DIY pizzas and creating wood chunk paintings as well as experiencing the forest therapy. Some of the volunteers also visited households with physically-weak senior citizens in Tai O, and provided assistance for their physical and mental health needs. In addition, the Five Senses Training Tools were distributed to families with dementia patients and people in need in the community, to help train up their senses to slow down deterioration.

Volunteers from Westlake 66 in Hangzhou have on-site visits with the elderly in communities, giving gift packs to them respectively

Volunteers from Westlake 66 in Hangzhou have on-site visits with the elderly in communities, giving gift packs to them respectively

Established in Hong Kong in 2012, the Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team actively cooperates with various community groups and charitable organizations to support wellbeing in society. Over the past decade, the Hang Lung As One Volunteer Team has set up 12 teams across 11 projects in nine cities in mainland China, which take part in a range of social service activities to promote diversity and inclusion, the health and wellbeing of senior citizens, youth education and development, and environmental protection, with more than 9,500 volunteers and over 112,000 accumulated service hours.

Under the Diversity and Inclusion area of the Company’s community investment initiatives, Hang Lung recently announced the launch of the “Hang Lung Future Women Leaders Program”, a nationwide program which aims to unleash the potential and sharpen the competitive edge of young female university students, thereby empowering their diversified development through mentorship, leadership training, and an internship. In the inaugural edition, the program targets 200 female university students across the country and engages 40 elite women leaders as the mentors.

Hashtag: #HangLung

About Hang Lung Properties

Hang Lung Properties Limited (SEHK stock code: 00101) creates compelling spaces that enrich lives. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Hang Lung Properties develops and manages a diversified portfolio of world-class properties in Hong Kong and the nine Mainland cities of Shanghai, Shenyang, Jinan, Wuxi, Tianjin, Dalian, Kunming, Wuhan and Hangzhou. With its luxury positioning under the “66” brand, the company’s Mainland portfolio has established its leading position as the “Pulse of the City”. Hang Lung Properties is recognized for leading the way in enhanced sustainability initiatives in real estate as it pursues sustainable growth by connecting customers and communities.

At Hang Lung Properties – We Do It Well.

For more information, please visit .

Luang Prabang Film Festival to Return in December

The Luang Prabang Film Festival
The Luang Prabang Film Festival

For the first time in more than three years, the Luang Prabang Film Festival (LPFF) returns as a free and live event, from 8 – 11 December.

Terraoil Announces Completion of Audits; Statutory Audits for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021 Completed

STEINHAUSEN, SWITZERLAND – EQS Newswire – 16 September 2022 – Terraoil Swiss AG (“Company”), an energy company with a strong focus on the Mediterranean is pleased to announce that the statutory audits for the fiscal years 2020 and 2021 have been completed for the Company and its Albanian subsidiary.

Each of the four audits were completed with clean audit opinions. The Company will now proceed with the necessary steps to prepare its Annual General Meetings for both years.

Chief Financial Officer, Bill Cummins commented:

“The completion of these audits is an important milestone for the Company. Delays in their completion were a direct result of investigations and difficulty raising capital that were caused by the false accusations made by the Swiss public broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (“SRF”) in its television programs and on the internet. Management continues to work tirelessly to secure the Company’s future and to position it to achieve value and liquidity for its shareholders.

We would like to thank our entire team and our new auditors for their professionalism and efficiency in completing the audits.”

If you are an Terraoil shareholder and would like additional information, contact Peter Krempin either via email investors@terraoil.swiss or by telephone at +41 71 544 01 20.

Hashtag: #Terraoil

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

About Terraoil Swiss AG

Terraoil is an international energy company with a focus to identify and rapidly advance business opportunities in the upstream oil and gas and renewable energy sectors in the Mediterranean region.

https://terraoil.swiss

Terraoil forward-looking statements

This media release serves informational purposes and constitutes neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation or an advertisement to buy any shares of Terraoil Swiss AG in any jurisdiction. This media release does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Article 35 et seqq. of the Swiss Federal Act on Financial Services. In addition, investors should seek advice from their bank or their financial adviser. This media release and the information contained therein are not being issued for the purpose of selling shares in the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, or the European Economic Area and must not be distributed within or to such countries or via publications with a general circulation in such countries.

This media release contains forward-looking statements such as projections, forecasts, and estimates. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those anticipated in this media release. Readers should therefore not rely on these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this media release are based on the views and assumptions of Terraoil Swiss AG as of this date and Terraoil Swiss AG does not assume any obligation to update or revise this media release.

Bybit Launches Revamped Grid Trading Bot to Expand Growing Range of Trading Products

VICTORIA, SEYCHELLES – Media OutReach -16 September 2022 – Bybit, one of the world’s fastest growing cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced the launch of two new grid trading bots. Building on the success of the original trading bot, which has seen a total trading volume of over $120,000,000 and counting.

After this milestone, Bybit’s new bots will allow users to take their trading to the next level with an updated spot trading bot, and an advanced dollar-cost average (DCA) bot. The new functionalities will be available to all users on Sept. 16.

Bybit’s new Spot Grid Bot executes low purchase orders and high sell orders during lateral price movement. The system ensures profitability each time the sale price exceeds the purchase price, thus eliminating the need for market forecasting.

The upgraded Spot Grid Bot features artificial intelligence (AI) that sets parameters in order to maximize capital efficiency. The bot also has free-to-follow strategies with high APY and arbitrage performance, and responsive customizable strategies that allow users to design tactics and take advantage of market trends.

Furthermore, Bybit has added “Arbitrage Ranking” to the Trading Bot Leaderboard so users can easily identify and learn from the most effective trading strategies.

The state-of-the-art DCA Bot offers users the option to automate their purchases of crypto assets by selecting the amount and interval of their investments. This strategy, known as DCA-ing, is a well-known and time-tested way to effectively balance risk and return in a volatile market.

The minimum trading amount is $1 for DCA bot, and $3 for the grid bot.

For both bots, once a user has set up their trading parameters and are earning a good return, they can share their strategy with fellow traders with the click of a button. And users who engage either one of the new bots will enjoy zero trading fees for a limited period as Bybit celebrates the 10 million users milestone with the “Perfect 10 Party” campaign.

Building on Bybit’s VIP program, which provides regular users reduced trading fees as well as discounts, VIP users can enjoy the same trading discounts using the new bots. Those on track to becoming VIPs can more quickly advance their level thanks to the bot’s higher trading frequency.

Bybit is the most reliable, stable, and usable cryptocurrency exchange in recent years, offering the best liquidity and smallest spread. Unique among major exchanges, Bybit has maintained a track record of 99.99% up rate, with no overload nor downtime with its robust 100K TPS matching engine.

“Our original trading bot has only been live for a few months and is already incredibly popular,” said Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit. “Our clients especially loved the bot’s copy trading function, which allows them to copy successful bots created by other users. Grid trading bots have proven themselves as a profitable trading methodology for their users, especially in a market as fluid as crypto that trades 24/7. At Bybit, we are always on the lookout for products and services that can help our users achieve their financial goals, whatever the overall market conditions.”

Finally, those who are new to Crypto Trading Bots or keen to learn about all things crypto can discover a new world of finance via Bybit Learn and join our dedicated trading bot group via Discord.

Hashtag: #Bybit

About Bybit

Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Virtus.pro, Made in Brazil (MIBR), City Esports, and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) teams Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka.

For more information please visit:

For updates, please follow Bybit’s social media platforms on









Bybit Launchpad 2.0 to List Fan Token of Brazilian Esports Team MIBR

SÃO PAULO​​, BRAZIL – Media OutReach – 16 September 2022 – Bybit, the world’s third most visited crypto exchanges, unveils another listing on Bybit Launchpad 2.0. MIBR, the fan token of decorated esports team Made in Brazil (MIBR), goes live today on the Bybit platform.

MIBR is the official fan token of the MIBR esports team powered by Chiliz, the world-leading blockchain and fintech provider for the sports and entertainment industry, as well as the creator of fan tokens. A leading esports brand in Brazil, MIBR is represented in all major world esports competitions and currently holds six teams: CS:GO Male and Female; Valorant Male and Female; Rainbow Six Siege and Free Fire.

The MIBR fan token empowers the iconic esports team’s global fanbase with exclusive rewards, activations, and access. Holders will also have the opportunity to have their voices heard on important fan-related decisions. It is an effective blockchain innovation to create web3-enabled social communities and bring organizations closer to their supporters. Folders can access all of the exclusive rewards available to them via Socios.com, the fan engagement and reward app created by Chiliz.

Bybit Launchpad 2.0 is a freshly revamped platform connecting users to some of the most sought-after tokens in the space. Bybit users can commit BitDAO (BIT) to subscribe to token allocations, or participate in Launchpad 2.0’s new lottery model where users stake a nominal amount of Tether (USDT) for the chance to win allocations of new tokens. The best performing tokens from previous listings are also available for purchase on the Launchpad.

Additionally, from Sept. 16 to Sept. 26, 2022, new Bybit VIPs can unlock exclusive access to a 2,000 MIBR prize pool, while traders who also buy a WSOT NFT will get to share a bonus pool of 1,000 MIBR.

It is currently free to trade on Bybit as the fast growing exchange celebrates its 10 million user milestone with a zero fee campaign.

Bybit and MIBR first met at the intersection of esports and the digital asset class in May 2022 when they announced a 3-year sponsorship deal. Both trusted by digital-first communities, the partners also share the vision of championing women in gaming and tech globally.

Hashtag: #Bybit

About Bybit

Bybit is a cryptocurrency exchange established in March 2018 that offers a professional platform where crypto traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, excellent customer service and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One racing team, Oracle Red Bull Racing, esports teams NAVI, Astralis, Alliance, Virtus.pro, Made in Brazil (MIBR) and Oracle Red Bull Racing Esports, and association football (soccer) teams Borussia Dortmund and Avispa Fukuoka.

For more information please visit:

For updates, please follow Bybit’s social media platforms on