Laos plans to restrict development on agricultural land to avoid potential food shortages in the future.
WCS Discovers Endangered Siamese Crocodile Eggs
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and a local team have discovered crocodile eggs from a rare and endangered crocodile mother in the Xe Champhone Ramsar Wetlands of Savannakhet.
Singapore Hungry for Electricity from Laos
Laos will shortly begin supplying Singapore with electricity under the Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP).
Microsoft launches APAC Enabler Mentorship Program in nine countries
The program connects People with Disabilities, non-profits and businesses with career coaching, mentors, and job matching. The Microsoft APAC Enabler Program has also expanded to Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, and welcomes regional partners: SAP and Infosys.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 June 2022 – Microsoft incubated and launched the APAC Enabler Program in 2020, a global first for the company that focused on improving the employability of people with disabilities (PwDs) in Asia Pacific (APAC).

Today, Microsoft is proud to announce an expansion of this strategy, with the launch of the APAC Enabler Mentorship program. PwDs will receive career coaching, paired with a relevant mentor based on their area of specialization, who will coach them, be their advocate and recommend them for roles over a period of 12 months, as well as teach interview skills and help with job matching.
The Microsoft APAC Enabler Program started as a pilot in five markets, with six non-profit organizations and 14 employer partners two years ago. The premise was simple: collaborate with non-profit organizations (NPO) to train PwDs in cloud and technical skills. Then connect these NPOs to businesses hiring talent with cloud skills.
Since then, the Microsoft APAC Enabler program has expanded across the region and now covers nine countries, 13 non-profits, and 27 organizations. The program has trained more than 7,000 participants, conducted more than 150 hours-worth of Disability Inclusive Hiring workshops, organized consultations with experts for more than 530 PwDs and enabled roles and internships for more than 350 PwDs.
Pratima Amonkar, Board Chair of Microsoft Diversity & Inclusion, and Head of APAC Cloud & AI Business Strategy said: “Mentors are the key to success for every professional. A good mentor is a coach, a guide, as well as a vocal advocate. In a pilot program with three NPOs: SG Enable, Tomowork, and Virtualahan, and an educational institution, Temasek Polytechnic, the Microsoft APAC Enabler Mentorship program successfully enabled more than 75 PwDs to receive coaching. This program is that crucial next step to improving diversity in hiring across Asia Pacific and I’m so proud to see our incredible partners step up to be the voice of inclusion and commit to inclusive hiring at a time when the pandemic has been hardest on marginalized communities.”
Expansion of the Microsoft APAC Enabler Program
Microsoft is excited to welcome three countries and two APAC-wide organizations to the program.
Countries joining the Microsoft APAC Enabler program
The Enabler Program has expanded to three more markets. Difalink (Indonesia), National Disability Commission (Indonesia), Biji Biji (Malaysia), The Rose International Foundation for Children (Nepal), and Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN) are the NPOs from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nepal joining South Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in building capabilities, educating, and improving the employability of PwDs.
As the experts and the advocates for PwDs in their respective countries, their knowledge, guidance, and network are crucial to achieving mutual goals of an inclusive workplace, matching the right PwD talent, and structuring of activities for inclusion awareness, training, and mentorships.
Regional employer partners SAP and Infosys joining the Microsoft APAC Enabler program
SAP and Infosys have made commendable commitments to the Enabler Program. Since the start of the year, both organizations have hosted sensitization workshops for their employees, and facilitated volunteer opportunities to be mentors.
SAP will be focused on building a wide pool of mentors for the Mentorship Program, and Infosys will develop more awareness initiatives and value-add to training, mentoring, and hiring, and create internships for PwDs.
Malinee Narang, Director, Human Resources, SAP Singapore and Head of D&I, SAP Asia Pacific, and Japan, said: “We are happy to embark on the same journey with Microsoft being a part of the Enabler Program to drive awareness and bridge opportunities for people with disabilities. At SAP, we believe in driving technology that improves people’s lives, and in this vein means building a culture and environment where every individual’s unique ability to contribute is acknowledged and valued.”
Krish Shankar, Executive Vice President and Group Head of Human Resource Development, Infosys, said: “When we think of an inclusive ecosystem, workplace accessibility should be at its heart. At Infosys, we are deeply committed to building and sustaining an inclusive workplace. We also share the vision of accessible workplaces with Microsoft and believe in the potential for good that programs like the APAC Enabler Mentorship create. We are delighted to collaborate on this journey.”
For the full list of NPOs and organizations in the Microsoft APAC Enabler Program, please click here
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
#Microsoft
Coface Barometer Q2 2022: A recession to avoid stagflation – The world economy at a crossroads

In this complex environment, Coface revised downwards the evaluation of 19 countries, including 16 in Europe – Germany, Spain, France and the United Kingdom in particular – and made only 2 revisions upwards (Brazil and Angola). At the sectoral level, the number of downward revisions (76 in total, as opposed to 9 upward revisions) highlights the spread of these successive shocks across all sectors, both energy-intensive ones (petrochemicals, metallurgy, paper, etc.) and those that are more directly linked to the credit cycle (construction).
As the horizon continues to darken, the risks are naturally bearish and no scenario can be ruled out.
The slowdown in activity and the risk of stagflation are becoming clearer
Q1 growth figures were below expectations in most developed economies. In addition, GDP in the eurozone grew only very weakly for the 2nd consecutive quarter, with even a decline of -0.2% in France. This was due to a drop in household consumption against a backdrop of declining purchasing power. Activity also declined in the United States, hampered by foreign trade and the difficulties experienced by the manufacturing sector in replenishing its inventories. These figures are all the more worrying as the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine were just starting to bite.
Considering the acceleration in inflation, the deterioration in agents’ expectations, and the tightening of global financial conditions, activity in Q2 does not look much better in the advanced economies, and considerably less favourable in the emerging economies. While it is probably too early to say that the global economy has entered a stagflationary regime, the signals are consistent with this view.
Commodity price pressures are settling in
Although commodity prices have stabilised recently, they remain at very high levels. For example, oil prices have not fallen below USD 98 since the beginning of the war, as fears of a potential supply shortage have remained significant.
This context is favourable to commodity exporters, and more particularly of oil. Coface’s only two upward revaluations concern Brazil and Angola, and the sectoral reclassifications mainly concern the energy sector of producing countries, whereas the sectoral downgrades target the energy sector in countries where companies are located downstream in the production chain (mainly in Europe).
Similarly, industries whose value chain are energy-intensive in their production processes, such as paper, chemicals and metals, have their risks reassessed upwards. Agri-food is one of the sector with the highest number of downgrades this quarter, with almost all regions affected.
Finally, it is likely that companies that had not fully passed on the increase in their production costs to their sales prices will continue to do so. Thus, price increases will continue in sectors with significant pricing power. This is the case for the pharmaceutical sector, where a small number of companies dominate the global market. Already identified as one of the most resilient, it is the only sector with ‘low risk’ ratings in our barometer.
Central banks with both feet on the brake
The ECB has gradually tightened its stance, following the example of the Fed and the Bank of England, to the point of pre-announcing its future rate hikes. Like the other major central banks (except the Bank of Japan), the ECB has no other choice, within the strict framework of its mandate, but to tighten its guard significantly, despite the fact that this could trigger a brutal slowdown in activity and rekindle fears of a fresh European sovereign debts crisis.
In this environment of tightening credit conditions, the construction sector appears to be as one of the most vulnerable. Rising borrowing costs are expected to affect the housing market and, ultimately, construction activity. This is has started in the US where housing sales are declining rapidly.
The clouds are gathering for 2023
With the economic and financial environment deteriorating rapidly, Coface has downgraded the rating of 16 countries on the European continent, including all the major economies – with the exception of Italy, already rated A4.
Our central scenario suggests a significant slowdown in activity over the next 18 months, allowing inflation to decelerate gradually. Our growth forecasts are particularly poor in the advanced countries. There are many downside risks to the global economy, while the upside risk to inflation remains. To curb inflation, central banks seem tempted to push the economy into a recession, which they hope will be milder than if prices continue to slide, forcing them to implement a more violent monetary shock later. The risk, which cannot be ruled out, would be that demand would fall and inflation would remain high, due to commodity prices that would struggle to ease due to a chronic supply shortage.
COFACE: FOR TRADE
With over 75 years of experience and the most extensive international network, Coface is a leader in trade credit insurance and adjacent specialty services, including Factoring, Single Risk insurance, Bonding, and Information Services. Coface’s experts work to the beat of the global economy, helping ~50,000 clients in 100 countries build successful, growing, and dynamic businesses. With Coface’s insight and advice, these companies can make informed decisions. The Group’ solutions strengthen their ability to sell by providing them with reliable information on their commercial partners and protecting them against non-payment risks, both domestically and for export. In 2021, Coface employed ~4,538 people and registered a turnover of €1.57 billion.
Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/company/coface
Twitter : https://twitter.com/cofacehk
#Coface
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
DHL Supply Chain Australia agrees to acquire The Glen Cameron Group
- Strategic acquisition in contract distribution and interstate transport
- Transport and freight solutions complement DHL Supply Chain’s portfolio across all states and territories in Australia
- In line with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s strategic focus to strengthen its core logistics business and deliver long-term growth
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Media OutReach – 22 June 2022 – DHL Supply Chain, part of the Deutsche Post Group (DPDHL), is acquiring 100% of the Glen Cameron Group, an Australian logistics company specialising in road freight and contract logistics. The Glen Cameron Group operates a fleet of 1,000 trucks and trailers, and has more than 820 employees around Australia.

The strategic combination of the Glen Cameron Group with DHL Supply Chain will strengthen DHL’s position in the evolving Australian road freight market and create one of the largest logistics companies in the country with combined revenue of over AU$1 billion (670 Mio €).
“Given DHL Supply Chain’s continued outstanding performance, we strategically invest to further facilitate our accelerated growth, meeting our customers’ current and emerging needs. Therefore, I am delighted that we are acquiring this market leading transportation business in Australia, making us the clear provider of choice in a significant logistics market,” said Oscar de Bok, CEO, DHL Supply Chain.
“This acquisition signifies our commitment to grow the business in Australia, enhancing our service offering to provide the best solution to our customers. The supply chain is evolving quickly and with significant transport operational capability, we will be more agile, respond faster to changing demands, and continue to deliver on our promises,” said Terry Ryan, CEO, DHL Supply Chain, Asia Pacific.
“This is a unique opportunity for DHL Supply Chain to add additional high-quality transport services to our warehouse and transport solutions in Australia. We look forward to offering a fuller range of transport services to existing and new customers. DHL is well recognised for having a strong warehouse base and with this acquisition, we will be strengthening our offer with four services; Domestic Nationwide General Freight, Domestic Nationwide Express Freight, Specialised Services and Contract Logistics transport – with dedicated solutions for customers,” says Steve Thompsett, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Australia and New Zealand.
The Glen Cameron Group is recognized as a leader in freight and contract logistics and DHL will benefit from the expertise of the Cameron Logistics’ team in the consumer and grocery sectors.
Glen Cameron, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Glen Cameron Group said: “Since founding the Glen Cameron Group 47 years ago and over the last five decades we have built a successful, diverse, and resilient business. What began as one 8-tonne truck in 1975 has evolved to be one of Australia’s largest transport and logistic business. Together with DHL, we can take our business to the next level.
The Glen Cameron Group will benefit from DHL’s large-scale network in over 220 countries and global forwarding expertise in air, ocean and road freight to ensure strong development opportunities for the business, its customers, and its employees.
“I’m excited to see the Glen Cameron Group join with DHL. Together, we can increase our footprint and become one of the largest transport and logistics businesses in this country. With the backing of a highly successful global corporate business, we have an opportunity to invest in growth and open new opportunities for our employees, and this marks an important milestone to continue an important legacy in the Australian transportation industry,” Mr Cameron concluded.
DHL Supply Chain provides its customers with extensive logistics and data management solutions for their supply chain management and operations, with a focus on sustainability and quality. A global network of supply chain specialists and strong local expertise are among the company’s key capabilities. In Australia, DHL Supply Chain employs some 4,000 logistics professionals at its warehouses and transport operations.
DHL – The logistics company for the world
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global sustainable trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and healthcare, engineering, manufacturing & energy, auto-mobility and retail, DHL is decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 81 billion euros in 2021. With sustainable business practices and a commitment to society and the environment, the Group makes a positive contribution to the world. Deutsche Post DHL Group aims to achieve zero-emissions logistics by 2050.
The Glen Cameron Group
The Glen Cameron Group was founded in 1975 by 22-year old Glen Cameron in Melbourne.
Today, the Glen Cameron Group is a $350 million dollar, privately owned, national logistics company offering over 100,000 square metres of warehousing space and runs a fleet in excess of 1,000 (trucks and trailers) for its customers nationwide. The Group has more than 820 employees and 500 sub-contractors.
The Group provides local trucking, couriers, warehousing, interstate transport and third-party logistics management throughout Australia.
#DHL
Digital Cities Index 2022: European Cities outperformed with open data projects and tightly defined sustainability schemes
- Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London & Seoul are the top 5 digital cities in the index
- European cities ran highly successful traffic management systems, while Beijing applied digital technologies to tackle air pollution and optimise utilities and sharing economy
- Involving citizens in design of smart city schemes underpins meaningful inclusion – a key aspect of successful smart city projects
- Smart city schemes delivered major public health benefits in areas like telemedicine, covid management and remote monitoring of patients
TOKYO, JAPAN – Media OutReach – 22 June 2022 – The Digital Cities Index 2022, produced by Economist Impact and supported by NEC, is an inaugural ranking of 30 global cities across four thematic pillars: connectivity, services, culture and sustainability. Of the top 10 cities of the index, four are in Europe (Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London and Paris), four are in Asia Pacific (Beijing, Seoul, Sydney, Singapore) and two are in the US (New York and Washington DC).
Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London & Seoul performed the best, with successful open data projects and major strides in smart technology-powered sustainability projects like utility management. Cities with very defined goals realised the greatest benefits: European cities ran highly impactful traffic management systems, whereas Beijing made progress using applied digital technologies – tackling air pollution, optimising its utilities and promoting its sharing economy. The Atlantic nation cities led in open data innovation with a boom in travel and mobility apps.
Sustainability was the biggest impact area highlighted by the White Paper, with leading smart cities realising major gains in air quality through smart utility management. Sustainability brought the highest overall scores, with Copenhagen, Seoul and Toronto scoring highest for their use of digital technology to support urban sustainability.
Copenhagen and Singapore were the most connected cities, followed by Zurich, Beijing and Sydney. Singapore’s strategy for developing digital connectivity is built on the premise that AI, 5G and cyber security will drive the country’s growth and innovation post-covid. Smart cities are anticipated to drive economic growth: 5G alone will enable an estimated US$660 billion global mobility and transportation market by 2035.
Unaffordable, unreliable or inaccessible internet services impact other city level goals. Half-a-million households reportedly lack a reliable internet connection in New York City, for instance, disadvantaging low-income children for remote learning. By contrast, Washington DC has offered low-cost or free services and devices to families unable to afford a broadband subscription and Paris has the most affordable mobile data of all the cities analysed.
Ritu Bhandari, manager, policy and insights at Economist Impact, noted: “Smart cities will be safer, cleaner and more inclusive urban landscapes, where citizens enjoy better public health and services, more efficient transport and major economic improvements to be shared as public goods. The index highlights how outlier cities are leveraging technology to improve quality of life for millions of citizens around the world. While we see strong leadership from cities in Western Europe, the table is led by major cities from a wide geographical spread. The most significant improvements were delivered against tightly defined goals – a critical success factor for urban digital transformation.”
Since the pandemic, digital technologies have enabled real progress in public health. In Asia, apps were central to managing covid-19, while telemedicine and real time remote monitoring of chronic patients has marked digitisation everywhere. In New York, for instance, a diabetes-prevention initiative for adults has reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals by 58%.
Singapore, São Paulo and New Delhi ranked the highest for their delivery of digital municipal services. New Delhi ranks high in part because of the success of Aadhar, India’s ground-breaking national digital identity scheme. In Korea, Metaverse Seoul, announced in November 2021 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will provide citizens with access to government services via the metaverse.
The report’s authors note that involving citizens in the design of smart city schemes underpins meaningful inclusion, a critical success factor for smart city projects, along with delivery against tightly defined goals.
Download the full index results, report and infographic on: economistimpact.com/digitalcities
Digital Cities Index 2022 results:

About Digital Cities Index 2022
The Digital Cities Index (DCI) 2022 is an inaugural ranking of 30 global cities across four thematic pillars: connectivity, services, culture and sustainability. Combining quantitative and qualitative analysis, and including a survey of 3,000 residents spread across all cities in the DCI, the results show how cities are performing in terms of both quantitative metrics like internet speed and qualitative factors such as the presence of strategies, policies and plans for technologies like 5G and AI.
About Economist Impact
Economist Impact combines the rigour of a think-tank with the creativity of a media brand to engage a globally influential audience. We believe that evidence-based insights can open debate, broaden perspectives and catalyse progress. The services offered by Economist Impact previously existed within The Economist Group as separate entities, including EIU Thought Leadership, EIU Public Policy, Economist Events and SignalNoise.
Our track record spans 75 years across 205 countries. Along with creative storytelling, events expertise, design-thinking solutions and market-leading media products, we produce framework design, benchmarking, economic and social impact analysis, forecasting and scenario modelling, making Economist Impact’s offering unique in the marketplace. Visit www.economistimpact.com for more information.
About NEC
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at
https://www.nec.com
Pattern’s new report finds that 67% of China’s cross-border online shoppers expect to spend more online in 2022
– Western brands are recommended to build their official presence on marketplaces and social channels in China to gain shoppers’ trust
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 22 June 2022 – Global ecommerce accelerator Pattern has polled 1,000 Chinese shoppers who shopped on the largest cross-border marketplace Tmall Global in the past 12 months. The polling is set to understand these cross-border shoppers’ online buyer behaviour, and how their buying decisions for Western brands and products were influenced in different stages throughout the buyer’s journey. The findings are included in Pattern’s China Cross-border Shopper Report 2022.
Overall, 67% of respondents said they would spend more online shopping in the next 12 months. This polling was conducted at a time when parts of China faced lockdowns to curb the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The result shows that China’s cross-border shoppers have proved remarkably resilient and are generally optimistic about their life in future. 73% of our respondents are considered higher income groups (annual household income around US$45,000 or above), and 92% of them live in China’s Tier 1 and new Tier 1 cities; such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Hangzhou.
The research shows that Tmall Global was approved by 85% of respondents as their favourite cross-border buying channel, and led other online marketplaces, shopping agents and foreign brands’ direct-to-customer websites in all the 12 product categories we surveyed. Supplemented by its diverse on-platform marketing tools, Tmall Global is recommended as a good starting point for Western brands to test the water of their products in the Chinese market.
Other key findings reported in the report include:
Brands’ official presence is trusted – A majority of respondents said Western brands gained their trust from information on the brands’ storefronts on marketplaces (70% of the respondents) and the storefronts’ score, like the DSC score on Tmall (69%). We also observed that most shoppers searched reviews of Western products on brands’ official accounts on social media (74%) and storefronts (70%), and 59% of them did this on brands’ websites.
Shoppers want more than price – When buying from Tmall Global, 69% of the respondents gave priority to guaranteed authenticity, followed by better product quality (63%), better customer services (57%), and better prices than elsewhere (50%). Regarding their reasons to buy Western goods or from Western brands, the top choice is product quality (60%), closely followed by a sense of uniqueness and a match of their style or values (both 59%), and then value for money (57%). These results show that China’s cross-border shoppers have more considerations in mind than product price when deciding to buy.
Social channels are influential – Off-platform marketing has been an indispensable part of brands’ ecommerce strategy in China, particularly for cross-border ecommerce players. Douyin (a.k.a TikTok), Xiaohongshu (a.k.a. Little Red Book) and WeChat top in this polling, with 55% to 61% of respondents agreeing that their buying decisions were influenced by these channels. Their large user bases make these channels optimal for social selling and building brand awareness, but they also differ in functionality for marketing that brands should be aware of. And even with the right tools, brands should provide localised, relevant, and more targeted content to resonate with their audiences.
Pattern’s Asia General Manager Arthur Cheung adds: “China has a huge market that most consumer brands across the globe don’t want to overlook. However, the country has developed an ecommerce ecosystem significantly different from the west, for example, the high integration of off-platform marketing into ecommerce. To win in the Chinese market, Western brands need to work out their unique proposition, find the right selling platforms and marketing channels, and deliver localised and resonating content to engage with Chinese cross-border shoppers.”
A full copy of the research can be downloaded from https://info.pattern.com/china-shopper-report-2022
About Pattern Inc
Pattern is the ecommerce accelerator of choice for hundreds of consumer brands – acting as their Trade Partner or Master Distributor in key markets. It is in the top 5% of authorised Tmall Trade Partners, is one of the largest Amazon sellers in the world, and also supports brands to sell on marketplaces such as JD.com, Lazada, Shopee, Coupang, eBay and others.
Pattern takes care of every aspect of a brand’s marketplace presence and provides full visibility of key success metrics. Unlike other Trade Partners in the region, Pattern operates a stock-buy model to equally share risk and reward while working closely with brands to build demand for their products and accelerate their Tmall presence.
In addition, Pattern’s consulting team supports brands with their strategic ecommerce challenges, including whether they should sell online in China and which other APAC markets they should expand to online.
For more information, visit https://pattern.com/hk-en/
#Pattern