The Education First English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) conducts the world’s most expansive ranking of adults by their fluency in English. This year’s index featured 111 countries, Laos ranked the lowest on the list and Netherlands ranked the highest.
Laos Ranks Lowest in Global English Proficiency Test

Southco Introduces New Products to Popular Cam Latch Line

Southco’s new cam latch products include a Low Profile Wing Knob, a Wing Knob with Shuttered Lock Plug, and a Key-Locking Mini Cam Latch. The Low Profile Wing Knob is an extension of Southco’s E5-9 wing knobs, offering hand actuation of the cam latch with a more compact wing size. The Low Profile Wing Knob delivers affordable simplicity in applications where space is at a premium. These latches are a cost-effective choice for service or maintenance doors on construction vehicles or industrial equipment.
Southco’s E5-9 Wing Knob with Shuttered Lock Plug features improved sealing for harsh environments and applications with a large amount of debris. The latch enables key-locking security with an improved shutter. The shuttered lock plug offers resilient protection against dust, debris and water, making it a suitable solution for construction equipment service doors and ATVs.
The Key-Locking Mini Cam Latch is an extension of the popular E5 Mini Cam Latch line, adding a key-locking capability for increased security. The new mini cam latch is available in both key-locking wing knob
and low profile key-locking or tool secured versions, offering a secure solution even in applications with limited space.
For more information about the latest Southco’s E5 Cam Latch, please visit https://www.southco.com/E5-CamLatch.
Hashtag: #Southco
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Southco
Southco, Inc. is the leading global designer and manufacturer of engineered access solutions. From quality and performance to aesthetics and ergonomics, we understand that first impressions are lasting impressions in product design. For over 70 years, Southco has helped the world’s most recognized brands create value for their customers with innovative access solutions designed to enhance the touch points of their products in transportation and industrial applications, medical equipment, data centers and more. With unrivalled engineering resources, innovative products and a dedicated global team, Southco delivers the broadest portfolio of premium access solutions available to equipment designers throughout the world.
Southco Asia Limited
2401, Tower 2, Ever Gain Plaza
88 Container Port Road, Kwai Chung
Hong Kong
PolyU researchers compile world’s first “atlas” of airborne microbes that provides an important new perspective for public health research

A cubic metre of “empty” air contains 10,000 bacteria or more, and interest in the role of air as a habitat – not merely a conduit – for microbes has grown enormously since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with researchers on the mainland and the US, the PolyU-led team spent around a year sampling airborne microbes across the world, from ground level to mountaintops. Combining their own results with the most accurate global data collected in past studies, they and their research partners compiled the first ever atlas of the global airborne microbiome.
The atlas provides a wealth of insights into the microbial communities floating above the ground. There is no doubt that the air is a unique harbour of bacterial life. Genetic analysis by the team showed that the core communities – the handful of species that form an outsized proportion of the microbe population – were not the same in the air as those in marine or soil ecosystems. In fact, even though the air is a free-flowing medium with seemingly no internal boundaries, these core bacterial communities are distinctly localised and stable.
The research team analysed the bacterial communities of 370 individual air particulate samples collected from 63 sites around the world, ranging from those at ground level (1.5 – 2 m high) to rooftops (5 – 25 m high) and high mountains (5,238 m asl), as well as from densely populated urban centres to the Arctic Circle, for a more diverse coverage in terms of altitudes and geographic regions.
Prof. Xiang-dong LI, Chair Professor of Environmental Science and Technology and Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment of PolyU who led the research team, said, “We have verified that human activities have certainly changed the structure of microbiomes in the natural ambient air, particularly with a higher abundance of pathogenic bacteria in urban air. Having experienced the pandemic for three years, people now pay more attention to this invisible but influential microbial community. The research outcomes could be served as a critical reference for predicting planetary microbiome responses and the health impacts of inhalable microbiomes with future environmental changes.”
The researchers estimate that the total number of microbes occupying the sea or soil is thousands of times larger than those in the air. Nonetheless, the aerial diversity of microbes – known as “richness” – is just as high. This suggests that surface habitats directly contribute microbes to the air. Overturning previous assumptions, vegetation is not the main terrestrial source of airborne bacteria, and the Earth’s vast tracts of soil provide very small fraction. The crashing of waves, the shaking of leaves, and even frequent activities and constant respiration of animals and humans are bigger drivers of bacterial exchange between the surface and the air.
Macroscopic life, notably animals and plants, is most diverse in equatorial regions (consider, for example, warm and wet rainforests), and its diversity decreases closer to the poles. For microbes, the picture is more interesting – moving from the equator, diversity maximises at mid-latitudes before falling away again. This pattern was well established for terrestrial and aquatic microorganisms, but the new atlas confirms that it applies to the airborne microbiome, too. The authors surmise that the “bump” in diversity at mid-latitudes is caused by stronger sources of microbial input to those regions.
Overall, the researchers estimate that half of airborne bacteria originate from ground sources. Urban air has especially high rates of human-associated bacteria – some harmless, others pathogenic. Direct transfer of germs from people to air is not our only effect on the airborne microbial world. Broad-scale activities such as industrialisation disrupt natural environments and impact air quality. This weakens the environment’s “filter” effect on microbial structure, making the composition of airborne bacteria more affected by random processes – although weather still plays an important role too.
The close relationship between modern human activities and the microbes around us underscores the need to predict future changes accurately. The inhalable infectious bacteria that proliferate in cities are particularly of concern considering rapid urbanisation and our growing understanding of airborne contagion, spurred by COVID-19 research. Climate change is another impetus, given the marked effect of temperature on microbial richness, as revealed by the atlas. Hence, the study provides an invaluable resource and an important new perspective for future public health research.
The PolyU team collaborated with Prof. James M. TIEDJE, University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and scientists from mainland China in the study. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2204465119), a peer-reviewed journal of the USA National Academy of Sciences.
Hashtag: #PolyU
Of Dreams & Knowledge (Asia) Presents A New Sustainable Nutrition Solution, MILESTONE®

Years of Dedicated Research
MILESTONE® stands out as a health food solution that addresses the deficiencies in today’s nutrition in a completely natural way, without the use of synthetic nutrients. It is through the carefully calibrated formulas of complementary active ingredients that aid in boosting the body’s natural responses, effectively treating ailments in a preventative manner.
A New Paradigm Towards Preventative Nutrition
Take the MILESTONE®‘s proprietary blend of medical graded 100% High Phenolic Olive Oil series for instance. Carefully formulated and enriched with naturally-found nutrients in its ingredients, this series of olive oils aims to treat ailments before they become chronic.
With its high concentration of polyphenols, the Medical Grade 100% High Phenolic Olive Oil Exclusive Vegan Hybrid contributes to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress. In addition, this formula is rich in Omega 3 (ALA), Omega 6 and Omega 9 (oleic acid) fatty acids, with natural hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol bioactive compounds, without additives or preservatives. As more Singaporeans adopt intermittent fasting practices, a vital compound known as Oleuropein can activate cell autophagy. Autophagy is the process where the body reuses old damaged cells which make the body less insulin-resistant, resulting in the burning of unwanted fat which promotes optimal weight maintenance. Thus, this is the ideal food for diabetes and food for inflammation, it is the first medical-grade olive oil in the world to be awarded three health claims.
The Medical Grade High Phenolic Olive with Vegan Algae D3 Oil is another remarkable formulation by MILESTONE®. Apart from its antioxidant properties derived from the high polyphenol concentration, it is also the first medical grade olive oil to be enriched with Vitamin D3 found in algae — providing almost fifty times more antioxidants, effectively creating an immunity booster for the body. This makes it ideal as a food for vitamin D3, food for immunity, food for bones and food for kids formula.
Lastly, the Medical Grade High Phenolic Olive with Vegan Algae Omega3 Oil (EPA + DHA + ALA) is not only rich in Omega 3 (EPA+DHA+ALA), Omega 6 and Omega 9 (oleic acid) fatty acids as the other bottles are, but it is also sustainably sourced from the purest form of algae that is efficiently cultivated in indoor fermentation pools. Perfect as a Food for Brain and Food for Heart formula, it is beneficial for the reduction of cholesterol and high blood pressure without side effects and interactions.
A Sustainable Solution for Humanity and the Environment
Beyond organic is the philosophy that MILESTONE® upholds. With quality standards that go beyond how and where an ingredient is grown. As such, MILESTONE® seeks to confirm the purity and potency of ingredients after harvest to guarantee that the final finished product is free of more than 800 chemical contaminants.
With most supplemental health solutions, there often lies the risk of missing out a step from time to time. However, MILESTONE® products are made to be a sustainable practice that are easily integrated into daily life. For instance, simply consume the recommended daily portion (10ml) of the Medical Grade 100% High Phenolic Olive Oil Exclusive Vegan Hybrid first thing in the morning and never miss a step for the rest of your day.
Hashtag: #OfDreams&Knowledge
About Of Dreams & Knowledge (Asia)
Established in 2013 in Patras, Greece, Of Dreams & Knowledge actively participates in clinical studies and collaborates with top universities and advanced labs in Greece and the US to unravel more and more unique bioactive compounds that have profound health benefits, found within their three medical grade olive oil based formulas.
Functional health foods elicit the most positive response to promote optimum balance. This in turn allows the human body to address all health issues and concerns. As such, the company is driven with the aim to create the most innovative and powerful liquid functional foods that are able to adapt to and target an individual’s set of genes. All in a bid to provide consumers worldwide with the epitome of nature’s most healing properties and holistic benefits.
Omni Plant Based Products to Launch in Canada
OMNI Classic Fillet, Omni Golden Fillet, OMNI Porkless Paste, OMNI Porkless Luncheon have hit the store shelves across the country
VANCOUVER, CANADA – Media OutReach – 18 November 2022 – Foodtech company OmniFoods has endeavored to bring healthy and sustainable products through innovation. After a successful launch at Walmart in the US, OMNI is delighted to announce that its 100% plant-based OmniPork and OmniSeafood series, are now available at supermarket chains and grocery stores across Canada, including Sobeys, Walmart, Sungiven Foods, T&T – West and Vegan Supply.

After a recent launch with a series of popular restaurant partnerships in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. OmniFoods has showcased a collection of amazing plant-based innovations with OmniPork and OmniSeafood products. The all-purpose OMNI Porkless Paste is incredible popularity as it is a credit to its tender and juicy texture, as well as its culinary potential, it can be seasoned, steamed, pan- or deep-fried, stuffed, or crumbled to create delicious additions to burgers, pasta sauce, banh mi, dim-sum, dumplings, spring rolls, fried rice, and more. The highly anticipated OMNI Porkless Luncheon is the first of its kind globally and is a potentially healthier alternative to canned pork counterparts, becoming a perfect accompaniment for ramen, musubi, bagels or sandwiches.
Follow the worldwide successful launch of OmniPork series, the latest OmniSeafood series bring the sustainable diet from land to sea. The game-changing OMNI Classic Fillet and award-winning Omni Golden Fillet have been in high demand in the Canada, after making waves in the vegan community with its ground-breaking debut earlier this year in the UK. OMNI Golden Fillet is with a golden-crusted and succulent inside, it retains the flakiness and tenderness of real fish, carrying an ineffable ocean flavor and presenting a healthier rendition of the classic seaside dish. The plant-based “fish” is made from a unique blend of non-GMO soy and pea, contains 349mg* omega-3 ALA, low in saturated fat and a source of fiber. While OMNI Classic Fillet is the world’s first non-bettered plant-based white fish alternative, it is also a big hit to the omnivores.
Today, the Awarding-winning OMNI Golden Fillet, OMNI Classic Fillet, OMNI Porkless Paste and OMNI Porkless Luncheon are now available at 75 Sobeys stores in Ontario. Moreover, selected products are also available at Walmart in British Columbia, Alberta & Ontario (OMNI Classic Fillet), Sungiven Foods at British Columbia (OMNI Golden Fillet, Classic Fillet, Porkless Paste, Porkless Luncheon), T&T – West at British Columbia and Alberta (OMNI Porkless Luncheon) and Vegan Supply at British Columbia and its online store (OMNI Golden Fillet, Classic Fillet, Porkless Paste, Porkless Luncheon).
*per 100g
Hashtag: #OmniFoods
About OmniFoods
OmniFoods, the food innovation arm under Green Monday Holdings, is a global leading plant-based food company. OmniFoods’ range of alternative protein products includes the OmniPork series, OmniSeafood series, and OmniEat series. With R&D in Canada and distribution network in over 20 markets, OmniFoods is partnering with many of the world’s top restaurants and retail chains e.g. 2000 Walmart stores in the US. OmniFoods’ products have received various international awards & accolades – OMNI Mince and OMNI Luncheon were awarded a One-star Great Taste Award in 2021, and OMNI Golden Fillet received the Silver Quality Award in the Monde Selection 2022. For more information, please visit https://omnifoods.co/
Instarem Expands Offering In The United States, Making Cross Border Payments Seamless
Instarem’s mobile app and SME portal in the US boast a range of new features, rooted in customer insight, that makes remitting money overseas super simple.
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – Media OutReach – 18 November 2022 – Instarem, the leading digital cross border payments business, today announced an upgraded suite of services available for users. These enhancements are aimed at enabling both individuals and SMEs to remit money across borders effortlessly.

For individual users, the improved app hosts a range of new features from being able to set up and transfer instantly to being able to track transfers as they progress. Users will be now able to fund transfers directly using a credit or debit card in addition to ACH Direct Debit and Wire transfers available already. In addition, an enhanced dashboard will allow users to track exactly where their money is on a transfer timeline and receive notification alerts along the way.
“Our goal is to make customers’ lives simple – whether these are individuals or SMEs. We understand how hard they work, and we want this part of their life to be stress-free. Keeping our customers, in mind, our product has been upgraded to offer both individuals and SMEs a better money transfer experience. For our individual customers, the new enhanced app experience will allow sending money in a couple of clicks. Our SME customers will now access a new portal that allows them to send money to more countries and fund their transactions with multiple payment methods.” said, Ruchika Kohli, Regional Head of Consumer Business at Instarem, Europe and the United States.
Instarem allows individual users to send money to countries like India, Mexico, the Philippines and more recently to China and Japan. Instarem’s SME offering allows users to send money in just a few clicks using multiple payment options including now ACH Direct debit.
To use Instarem’s services, individual users can download the Instarem app on Google PlayStore (for Android users) or on App Store (for iOS users). Business users can access the SME portal here too! For more information, please visit www.instarem.com/en/usa.
Hashtag: #Instarem
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Instarem
Instarem is a leading cross border payments business, focused on offering cross-border payments to businesses and individuals. It enables users to make overseas money transfers and payments, in a simple way. With our network in over 100 markets, 65 markets in real-time, Instarem is setting a precedence in bridging currency borders by making global money transfers quick, easy, and cost-effective. We are a trusted licensed service provider with licenses in Australia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, UK, US, EU and Canada. Instarem is powered by the Nium platform.
Yuexiu Transport passes resolution by a vast majority of votes at special general meeting on acquisition of Lanwei Expressway
Further expand business presence in Central China and continue to enhance toll revenue and profit contribution
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 November 2022 – Yuexiu Transport Infrastructure Limited (“Yuexiu Transport” or the “Company”; stock code: 01052) today held a special general meeting to pass resolution on the acquisition of 100% of equity interests in the company which operates Lanwei Expressway in Henan Province from Guangzhou Yuexiu Holdings Limited at a total consideration of RMB1.098 billion. The resolution was passed by a vast majority votes of 99.98%.
Upon completion of acquisition of Lanwei Expressway, the project will continuously contribute to the Company’s toll revenue and profit, and increase the earnings per share starting from 2023. The internal rate of return of the acquisition is expected to reach 9.5%, which is rare in the current economic environment. The Company intends to finance the total consideration by internal resources and bank loan for acquisition while the gearing ratio will only slightly increase from 48.4% to 52.5%, which does not affect the Company’s financial stability. After the announcement, both Moody’s and Fitch issued the press releases and stated that the Lanwei acquisition will have no impact on Yuexiu Transport’s credit profile.
Over the years, Yuexiu Transport has been grasping the strategic opportunity of “promoting the rise of Central China”, continuing to explore projects in high quality in Central China region. Up to now, it has successfully acquired seven projects in Henan, Hubei, and Hunan, forming a development paradigm of “gaining a foothold in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and developing in Central China region”. This acquisition of Lanwei Expressway is another asset expansion for the Company to enter the Central China region. After the acquisition, the asset scale, revenue scale and profitability will be further enhanced, while the toll mileage of the Company’s controlled expressways will increase from 495.2 km to 556.23 km, representing an increment of approximately 12.3%.
Lanwei Expressway has been in operation for nearly 17 years since it opened to traffic in 2005. It has a total mileage of 61.03 km while the expressway networks connecting to Lanwei Expressway are all very mature and stable. The Company is optimistic about the economic development in Central China in the long run. The acquisition of Lanwei Expressway aligns with the Company’s strategy of developing in the Central China region and the Company believes that Lanwei Expressway, located in the core development areas of the Central Chinese Plain city clusters, will continue to benefit from the regional strategic developments such as the “Rise of Central China” as well as the construction of the Central Chinese Plain city clusters and the Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area. At the same time, the connection between Lanwei Expressway and Weixu Expressway, a project wholly-owned by the Company, fosters a more united and consistent approach of operation management and facilitates the Company to set up a district-based management and control model, which can provide economies of scale and enhance management efficiency.
Yuexiu Transport expresses that the acquisition will enhance its shareholders’ value and replenish the Company’s quality asset portfolio after the spin-off and listing of Han-Xiao Expressway though the public offering of Expressway REIT. After the establishment of REITs platform, Yuexiu Transport will proactively pursue quality project reserve and strike a balance between “investment and divestment of the assets”. The asset injection of Lanwei Expressway to the listed company is a major initiative of the Company’s development strategy in 14th Five-Year Plan, which allows the Company to consistently promote the interactions of the three platforms.
Hashtag: #YuexiuTransport
About Yuexiu Transport Infrastructure Limited
Yuexiu Transport Infrastructure Limited is principally engaged in investment, operation and management of toll expressways, bridges and port in Guangdong Province and other high-growth provinces in mainland China. The Company will seize the strategic opportunities for mergers and acquisitions of expressway assets to establish a solid presence in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and other regions that will benefit from the continuous urbanization and rapid industrialization. In terms of its asset portfolio, mature projects such as GNSR Expressway, Suiyuenan Expressway and Weixu Expressway are the stable profit contributors of the Company. Other projects acquired in recent years have given new impetus to the Company’s growth driver. On 14 December 2021, the Company successfully spun off Han-Xiao Expressway, which was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange as a publicly offered Infrastructure REIT. Han-Xiao Expressway is no longer a subsidiary of the Company. At present, the Company has invested in and is operating a total of 16 projects encompassing toll roads, bridges and a port, including 9 in which the Company has controlling equity stakes and 7 which the Company has invested in through associates and joint ventures. The total mileage of the Company’s toll expressways and bridges attributable to its equity interests is about 495 km.
Bybit CEO Lays Out His Transparency Roadmap
Ben Zhou speaks out about transparency, and why a blockchain-based world is inevitable
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Media OutReach – 18 November 2022 – Ben Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Bybit, the world’s third most visited crypto exchange, has called on the industry to step up together and help reassure nervous customers and governments that crypto is a valuable contributor to the financial system and has a central part to play in the future of financial services.
Zhou made his remarks after laying out a comprehensive framework designed to re-establish trust and commit to comprehensive, industry-wide transparency. Zhou also looked to manage expectations by highlighting that a robust, comprehensive, proof-of-reserves program would need time to develop and could not be created, installed, and implemented overnight.
“Bybit is committed to an industry-wide, fully transparent proof-of-reserves (PoR) solution that demonstrates without a doubt that we hold our client’s funds in custody, and are worthy of their full trust — and that is what we are working on,” said Zhou.
Zhou highlighted the complexity of crypto businesses in terms of scale, scope, and reach, noting that it will take some months for Bybit to complete and provide a comprehensive and true picture of its accounts that is acceptable to every stakeholder and helps re-establish trust — rather than patchy information that could ultimately confuse.
He believed that exchanges must be proactive in creating a new type of transparency, one that improves on those used by traditional financial institutions, which still remain opaque and backward.
The proper way to achieve this is to take a snapshot of all the clients’ UID and balance; package that so it fits into a Merkle tree; send the tree to an independent auditor, and then work with them to verify the numbers. The final step: provide our wallet address and test it to show the auditor that we own the address.
He said Bybit is now engaged in developing this fully transparent solution to show its reserves in real-time using an independently-audited Merkle tree. Bybit is also engaging a reputable auditor to prove its reserves and audit the company’s books and operations.
Zhou reiterated, “To us, proof-of-reserves is a fully transparent solution that proves our clients’ funds are in custody — that is what we are working on.”
This has been a difficult time for many in the industry — customers and many players have been betrayed and deceived by the magnitude of recent events.
He reassured clients that Bybit’s mission, as the Crypto Ark, is to provide true value and live up to customer trust and confidence. Bybit has always been a supporter of affordable and accessible financial access for all.
Zhou also struck a defiant tone. “The crypto community is stronger than one rogue actor and provides many benefits over traditional financial markets. We are at the forefront of financial innovation, and with the continued support of our customers, we will continue to be so.
Hashtag: #Bybit #TheCryptoArk
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: https://www.bybit.com/
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