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Introducing Surface Laptop Studio – the most powerful business laptop built for Windows 11

Microsoft announces pre-orders of new Surface Laptop Studio starting 15 February in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 15 February 2022 – Microsoft today announced that pre-orders for the new Surface Laptop Studio will commence from 20 January in Singapore via commercial authorised resellers and retailers, and the Microsoft Store.

 

From now till 7 March, customers who pre-order a Surface Laptop Studio on the Microsoft Store or via any authorised retailer or reseller will enjoy a 1-month free subscription for Microsoft 365 and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Starting at SG$2,338, Surface Laptop Studio is our most powerful Surface ever. Built as the ideal product for developers, creative professionals, designers, and gamers, Laptop Studio brings you the power of a desktop, the portability of a laptop, and a creative studio all in one. The device features a sleek 14.4″ touchscreen[1], a vibrant 120Hz display, Quad Omnisonic™ speakers, and immersive Dolby Atmos® to help you work, create, and play the way you want to.

“We look forward to bringing the new Surface Laptop Studio to Singapore, a culmination of years of Surface innovation – on hinges, display, silicon, and more – and brings the best of the Surface heritage together in one powerhouse device. Designed with Windows 11 in mind, Surface Laptop Studio helps you stay in the flow, be inspired, and get closer to what you love – all in one incredibly powerful and infinitely flexible device,” said Shyamol Bansal, Business Group Lead for Surface, Microsoft Singapore.

Surface Laptop Studio features a new ultra-durable Dynamic Woven Hinge, allowing it to transition from one mode to another seamlessly.

  • In Laptop mode, enjoy a first-class typing experience with a full keyboard and Precision Haptic touchpad.
  • In Stage mode, the 14.4″ PixelSense touchscreen display is pulled forward to the perfect angle for gaming, streaming, docking, or presenting to clients. With the keyboard covered, immerse yourself in the display and interact with the Surface Slim Pen 2, touch or touchpad.
  • In Studio mode, make use of the optimal canvas for uninterrupted writing, sketching, and other creative pursuits.

It is also designed to light up the best of Windows 11, which features powerful new experiences that bring you closer to what you love. New features such as Snap Layouts, Widgets and Groups will empower your productivity and inspire your creativity, complementing the new Surface Laptop Studio for a seamless user experience.

 

In addition, Surface Slim Pen 2 stores neatly underneath the keyboard, where it magnetically attaches and charges for easy access when inspiration strikes. Users can set their imaginations free when using this versatile laptop as a device for building apps, rendering videos, and streaming ultra-fast games. With 11th Gen Intel® Core™ H35 processors and NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ GPUs, Laptop Studio has the power to get any job done with ease.

 

Gaming enthusiasts can also look forward to the DirectX 12 Ultimate and NVIDIA® GeForce 3050 Ti laptop GPU, which will allow PC gamers to experience incredible performance and exceptional image quality that rivals reality.

 

Surface Laptop Studio is available for pre-orders starting 15 February via commercial authorised resellers AsiaPac Distribution, Insight Technology Solutions, JK Technology and UIC Asian Computer Services. Authorised retailers include Best Denki, Challenger, Courts, Gain City, Harvey Norman, Microsoft Store and Microsoft authorised stores on Lazada and Shopee.

 

It will be generally available from 8 March and will be available in the following configurations in Singapore:

For more information on the latest Surface devices, please visit our blog.



[1]Surface Laptop Studio display has rounded corners within a standard rectangle


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.


Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://news.microsoft.com. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-public-relations-contacts.

#Microsoft

Robert Parker Wine Advocate’s China: Fine Wine 2021 report Highlights Progressive Estates and Increased Diversity of Wines in Its Second Year

The comprehensive reviews of 171 wines from 27 producers include the first 95-pointer in the region, as well as strong representation in the sparkling wine and rosé categories

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 15 February 2022 – Everything in China moves quickly, and that includes its nascent modern wine industry. The inaugural China: Fine Wine 2020 report by the Robert Parker Wine Advocate team that reviewed over 100 wines was the first comprehensive resource of Chinese wines, which has led to increasing recognition overseas in the past year. The newly released China: Fine Wine 2021 report has expanded its scope to cover 27 producers of note making outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character, from the coastal Shandong province to the soaring heights of Yunnan’s valleys.

Shuori’s Terraced Vineyards (left) and Ao Yun Winery in Adong Village (right)

“Chinese wine consumers over the past years have increased their appetite for fine wines and for locally produced wines, which in turn have seen the quality of Chinese wines significantly improving with the development of passionate and innovative domains and winemakers,” says Nicolas Achard, Chief Executive Officer of Robert Parker Wine Advocate. “In its 44-year history, Robert Parker Wine Advocate has built its reputation on providing unbiased, in-depth coverage of wines from all wine growing regions around the world, a position we are excited to continue with our trail-blazing coverage of wines from China for the discovery of a new generation of wine lovers around the world.”

The China: Fine Wine 2021 report is helmed by China reviewer Edward Ragg, Master of Wine (MW), who has been actively tasting Chinese wines since moving to Beijing in 2007 with his wife, Fongyee Walker MW. In the course of preparing the China: Fine Wine 2021 report, he made regional visits and conducted interviews with winemakers/viticulturalists to widen the scope of reviews since the 2020 report.

Highlights of Robert Parker Wine Advocate’s China: Fine Wine 2021 report

●       The First 95-Pointer

Congratulations to winemaker Maxence Dulou and viticulturalist Remi Vincent and their teams on achieving the highest-rated wine in China. 2021 is the first time a score of 95 points has been awarded to a Chinese wine—for the 2018 Ao Yun, for which there are two reviews: one where the 2018 vintage was tasted in the high-altitude village of Adong and another tasted much closer to sea level, in Beijing, where the high quality of the 2018 Ao Yun was confirmed.

Ao Yun’s yet-to-be-released Village Cru wines—also from the compelling 2018 vintage—show the particular importance of Shuori Village (with its beautiful series of terraced sites) not only for what it contributes to Ao Yun’s grand vin in terms of that blend but also its capacity to make fine wine solely from its own vineyards. Ao Yun’s 2018 Shuori Village Cru is entirely deserving of its 94-point rating.

●       Strong Vintages in 2019 in Helan Shan

As local and international audiences are still getting to know China’s wine-growing terroir, Edward Ragg’s vintage reports are helping consumers to decide which wines to purchase. He notes that 2019 is an especially strong vintage in Ningxia’s Helan Mountain area (Helan Shan), as shown by some of this last year’s wines that achieved 94-point ratings, including Kanaan Winery’s 2019 Crazy Fang Cabernet Sauvignon and Chateau Mihope’s 2019 10th Anniversary Release, along with many other deserving 2019 wines from this area.

●       Rise of Independent Winemakers

China’s best wines are not necessarily or solely emerging from highly resourced operations such as Ao Yun. Small-batch winemaker Ian Dai, for example, has made one of China’s most exciting modern reds in the form of his 2019 XiaoPu Naked Syrah Marselan (92 points). Dai is accompanied by Ma Jie (of the Petit Mont label) in trying to discover China’s best terroirs, making similarly small-batch wines using other wineries’ facilities. China really needs a younger generation of progressive winemakers, and the emergence of Dai, Jie and others is encouraging.

●       Varietal Progression

As the search for China’s signature grape continues, its winemakers are showing greater understanding of its grape varieties rather than simply making more Cabernet Sauvignon-based blends. Cabernet Franc is especially strong now at Longting Winery (in Shandong’s Penglai) as well as from Ruwen and Yuandian (both in Ningxia’s Helan Shan). Merlot has a bright future: notable Merlots come not just from Chapter & Verse (in Hebei’s Huailai) but also now from Jade Vineyard (Ningxia). Malbec looks promising in Ningxia, given the progress that Xige and others have made with the variety.

 

●       Wider Styles of Experimentation

China is also showing greater adventurousness—at least in the hands of a small number of progressive producers—in terms of wine styles and experimentation. While this was a feature of 2020, the scope appears to have widened since then. Highlights include Grace Vineyard’s 2012 Angelina Brut Reserve Blanc de Blanc (the country’s best traditional method sparkling), Yuandian’s skin-contact Amphora Riesling and Swiss winemaker Yves Roduit’s Canticle to the Land (Yunnan): this latter matured in traditional Yunnanese clay pots. Even the tiny pink wine category has seen a worthy addition in the shape of Longting’s 2019 Art Series Summer Rosé (92 points) that is made with Cabernet Franc and has picked up some awards at international competitions.

The top 10 scoring wines from Robert Parker Wine Advocate’s China Wine Report 2021 are:

1.    2018 Ao Yun, Diqing, Yunnan (95 points)

2.    2019 Chateau Mihope The 10th Anniversary Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah, Helan Shan, Ningxia (94 points)

3.    2019 Kanaan Winery Crazy Fang Cabernet Sauvignon, Helan Shan, Ningxia (94 points)

4.    2018 Silver Heights Emma’s Reserve, Helan Shan, Ningxia (94 points)

5.    2018 Ao Yun Shuori Village Cru, Diqing, Yunnan (94 points)

6.    2018 Grace Vineyard Ningxia Flagship, Helan Shan, Ningxia (93 points)

7.    2015 Canaan Winery Chapter and Verse Reserve Merlot, Huailai, Hebei (93 points)

8.    2018 Shangri-La Sacred Land Cabernet Sauvignon, Diqing, Yunnan (93 points)

9.    2019 Longting Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Franc, Penglai, Shandong (93 points)

10. 2016 Jade Vineyard Messenger Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Helan Shan, Ningxia (93 points)

 

The full, detailed report and tasting notes of 171 of the best wines in China is available on www.robertparker.com. A complimentary one-month trial subscription is available to all new visitors.

About Robert Parker Wine Advocate’s China Wine Reviewer Edward Ragg MW

An experienced writer, Edward Ragg has published widely in international wine magazines and literary journals and has authored three collections of poetry. He has been tasting and evaluating Chinese wine for over a decade and also has an interest in Australian fine wine. In 2007, Edward moved to Beijing, where he co-founded Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting with his wife and partner Fongyee Walker MW. Dragon Phoenix is a leading, independent wine education service and was awarded the Riedel Trophy for WSET Educator of the Year in 2016. He completed his WSET Diploma in 2012 and began MW studies in 2015, achieving the title of Master of Wine in 2019. Edward won the Robert Mondavi Award for the best performance in the MW Theory papers and the Quinta do Noval Award for the best MW research paper (2019 examination). Edward also has judging experience, having served as guest international judge for the McLaren Vale Wine Show (2012) and Perth Royal Wine Show (2019), as well as judging regularly in China.

About Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Robert Parker Wine Advocate is the world’s premier independent wine buyer’s website with a database of more than 450,000 tasting notes, scores and reviews from professional critics around-the-world. For over 40 years, Robert Parker Wine Advocate (a part of the MICHELIN Group of companies) has been the global leader and independent consumer’s guide to fine wine with its 100-point rating system and in-depth coverage of major wine regions.

For more information, visit www.RobertParker.com.

#RobertParkerWineAdvocate

FWD extends free special benefit to cover vaccination complications until 30 June 2022

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 15 February 2022 – FWD Insurance (“FWD”) has extended the coverage period of its free special benefit against vaccination complications (“free vaccination protection”) until 30 June 2022. In light of the fifth wave of COVID-19 currently sweeping through Hong Kong and the government’s upcoming introduction of a ‘vaccine pass’, FWD has extended this free vaccination protection that was originally introduced last year to reinforce protection. The protection is applicable to eligible customers1 of FWD life individual insurance plans in the event of covered adverse reactions arising from designated vaccinations2 during the coverage period, for free and with no registration required.

Kelvin Yu, Chief Product Officer for FWD Hong Kong & Macau said, “We always strive to stay apprised of market developments and our community’s needs to offer the best-suited protection in a flexible and timely manner. We’re extending the coverage period of the free vaccination protection to support our community’s fight against the pandemic. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and adjust our strategy to provide ‘better coverage and more comprehensive protection’.”

If eligible customers suffer from covered adverse reactions arising from designated vaccinations during the coverage period, they will receive the free vaccination protection including:

1.       Hospital Cash Benefit: A maximum of HK$15,000 (HK$1,000 per day, limited to one stay, up to 15 days) will be payable if the insured customer is admitted to the hospital in Hong Kong or Macau within 14 days as a result of a covered vaccination adverse reaction.

2.       Compassionate Death Benefit: A total of HK$250,000 will be payable if the customer passes away in Hong Kong or Macau due to a covered vaccination adverse reaction or complications within 30 days after diagnosis.

3.       Pre-hospitalisation Outpatient Benefit: HK$300 (up to one time) will be payable if the insured customer consults a registered medical practitioner in Hong Kong or Macau on an out-patient basis due to a covered vaccination adverse reaction, provided that the consultation happens within 14 days prior to hospital confinement.

 

Terms and conditions apply. For more details of the Free Special Benefit against Vaccination Complications, please visit: https://www.fwd.com.hk/-/media/documents/urgent-announcement/free-special-benefit-against-vaccination-complications-mobile-flyer.pdf?rev=6ea107b48a1d4a0ea04d1bccfcba3217
 

1 Eligible customers refer to insureds of in-force FWD Life Individual Insurance Plans. Individual Insurance Plans include the individual insurance plans underwritten by FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (Incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability) (‘FWD’);FWD Life (Hong Kong) Limited, FWD Life Assurance Company (Hong Kong) Limited and FWD Life Insurance Company (Macau) Limited (‘FWD Life’). The Individual Insurance Plans are subject to the policy provisions. Please refer to their respective product brochures and policy provisions for details.

2 Government-approved vaccines shall mean the vaccination for the purpose of immunisation and not correlated to vaccines administered after the onset of infection, including the first dose, subsequent doses and booster doses must be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration or Hong Kong or Macau health authorities and prescribed by a Registered Medical Practitioner and administered by the same or registered nurse of Hong Kong or Macau during the Coverage Period in any hospital, the out-patient or any offsite locations in Hong Kong or Macau.

About FWD Hong Kong & Macau

FWD Hong Kong & Macau are part of the FWD Group, a pan-Asian life insurance business with more than 10 million customers across 10 markets, including some of the fastest growing insurance markets in the world.

FWD Hong Kong has been assigned strong financial ratings by international agencies. It offers life and medical insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning. FWD Macau provides a suite of life and medical insurance.

FWD is focused on making the insurance journey simpler, faster and smoother, with innovative propositions and easy-to-understand products, supported by digital technology. Through this customer-led approach, FWD is committed to changing the way people feel about insurance.

For more information about FWD Hong Kong & Macau, please visit WWW.FWD.COM.HK and WWW.FWD.COM.MO.

#FWD

Laos Confirms 441 New Cases of Covid-19, Three Deaths

Covid-19 Update

Laos has recorded 441 cases of Covid-19 across the country today, with three new deaths.

Laos to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Zero by 2050

Laos to cut greenhouse emissions to zero by 2050
Laos to cut greenhouse emissions to zero by 2050.

The Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has defined a new climate change policy, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

Babel Finance announces participation in Crypto Derivatives Platform Paradigm

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 15 February 2022 – Crypto financial service provider Babel Finance, recently announced its participation in the crypto derivatives platform Paradigm. Taking part in the US$35 million Series A funding round of Paradigm, Babel Finance’s crypto trading division can now access multi-asset, multi-protocol liquidity on demand. This can be done without compromising execution preferences, costs, or immediacy.

 

Paradigm is an institutional liquidity network for derivative traders. Babel Finance’s investment in Paradigm’s platform will allow Babel Finance’s financial services to bridge crypto finance with traditional finance. Babel Finance’s crypto lending services can easily facilitate multi-leg and multi-product strategies with underlying hedges via a single executable structure with access to Paradigm’s innovative workflow automation tools. 

 

Being one of the world’s largest crypto options traders and serving more than 500 institutional clients worldwide, Babel Finance expects its investment in Paradigm to add to its vision of making crypto finance mainstream in financial markets with institutional investors.

 

The investment will give Babel Finance increased trading precision, elimination of leg risk, and lower execution costs when trading derivatives are critical for the Babel Finance Singapore team. With these new capabilities, Babel Finance can progress and become a key service provider in crypto asset management, prime brokerage services, and crypto lending.

 

About Babel Finance

Babel Finance is a leading global crypto financial services provider that offers institutional and HNW investors professional services covering crypto lending and 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.

OctaFX opens the gates for weekend crypto trading

After having a good year with enthusiastic feedback from the trading community, OctaFX has finally opened its crypto trading offer for the weekends.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 15 February 2022 – The cryptosphere is rattling through a rough phase, to say it mildly.

 

 

Bitcoin reached its all-time high on 8 November with a price of 67,566 U.S. dollars and experienced a downtrend until recently. As of this writing, bitcoin has recovered to 42,458 U.S. dollars from a chilling 34,774 U.S. dollars (minus 48.53% from the previous all-time high), taking the entire altcoin market with it down this spiral. For some time, industry experts were beginning to expect a comprehensive bear market to unfold before turning bullish again.

 

Then again—from an investor’s mindset—this is exactly what most should be waiting for. The famous investor Warren Buffet made expert use of the bear market that unfolded in 1973–1974 by buying assets while most market participators were in fear of acting.

 

If one goes back even further in history, at the dawn of the 19th century, the prominent banker Baron Rothschild is reported to have said:  ‘Buy when there’s blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own’.

 

For Forex trading, this is irrelevant since one can trade the up- as well as the downside of the fiat and cryptocurrency markets.

 

And up until recently, the global Forex broker offered its cryptocurrency trading only Mondays through Fridays.

 

The fintech company went a step further for 2022’s first quarter by launching its new weekend time frame option—it officially started on 5 February.

 

These are the current cryptocurrencies pairs—all paired with the world reserve currency—touched by this service upgrade.

●      BCHUSD (Bitcoin Cash/U.S. dollar)

●      BTCUSD (Bitcoin/U.S. dollar)

●      ETHUSD (Ethereum/U.S. dollar)

●      LTCUSD (Litecoin/U.S. dollar)

●      XRPUSD (Ripple/U.S. dollar)

All of these pairs come with a ratio of 1:25 maximum leverage.

About OctaFX

OctaFX is a global broker that provides online trading services worldwide since 2011. It offers a state-of-the-art trading experience and a top-notch service environment to over 7.5 million traders worldwide. In that sense, OctaFX has won more than 45 awards since its foundation, including the 2021 ‘Best Forex Broker Asia’ award and the 2020 ‘Most Transparent Broker’ award from Global Banking & Finance Review and Forex Awards, respectively. It’s also adamant in providing and upholding the best financial expertise, analytics, and educational programmes in the industry.

#OctaFX

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

No End In Sight for Trucks in Laos Stranded at Chinese Border

Trucks remain stranded at the Boten border with China in Luang Namtha
Thousands of trucks remain stranded at the Boten border with China in Luang Namtha

Authorities in Luang Namtha Province are scrambling to assist thousands of trucks and other vehicles stranded at the border with China in Boten.