30.5 C
Vientiane
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 2627

Eat With Your Family Day supports families in need amidst COVID-19

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 September 2021 – As part of a community effort to build stronger family bonds amidst COVID-19, 20 families in need living in Yishun will receive home-delivered meals on Eat With Your Family Day (EWYFD) on Friday, 3 September 2021.

The meal delivery is organised by Centre for Fathering, DADs for Life and MUMs for Life, in partnership with MWS Family Service Centre – Yishun. Each family will receive a meal for five persons sponsored by The Social Kitchen and delivered by DADs for Life volunteers.

“Research has shown that children who eat with their parents thrive emotionally, socially and academically. During this challenging COVID-19 season, many families have to put in more effort to juggle between making a living and caring for their loved ones and may not be able to deliberately put aside time for family bonding. We hope this meal delivery will provide them with an opportunity to eat together and catch up with each other,” said Mr Bryan Tan, CEO of Centre for Fathering, DADs for Life and MUMs for Life.

“Eat With Your Family Day kickstarts Families for Life’s (FFL) My Family Weekend in September every year. We hope that while employers allow their staff to knock off from work at 5pm that day, employees will also make the conscious decision to choose family time and have dinner with their families. They can also tune in to FFL’s Facebook live after dinner, where there will be fun games to entertain the whole family. Family time extends to the weekend and families can check out FFL’s website for activities organised by our partners. We hope that through these activities, families make it a habit to carve out regular family time amidst their busy schedules”, shared Families for Life Council Chairman, Mr Ishak Ismail.

Device-free family times

 

As companies across the world request for employees to work from home in response to COVID-19, many employees may feel like they are living their life almost exclusively through the screen. After working on a computer all day, they could still be on their devices – catching up with friends over Zoom, watching dramas or scrolling through social media feeds.

As the lines between work hours and time at home are increasingly blurred, it is important for families to be intentional about the time they spend on devices and schedule screen-free breaks when they move away from the computers and phones and be present with each other. EWYFD offers an opportunity for families to get together to bond over a meal and some fun after-dinner activities organised by Families for Life for My Family Weekend on 3 September 2021.

“In the last year and a half of the pandemic, our devices have been our primary connection to our family, friends and the outside world. Many of us, children and parents alike, have found ourselves increasing our screen time usage, sometimes to the detriment of our health and relationships. Through EWYFD, we hope families will take time off screens, to disconnect in order to connect, and enjoy family bonding over a meal. Let’s put down our devices and make meal time, family time.” said Mr Lock Wai Han, Chairman of the Media Literacy Council. 

 

About EWYFD

 

EWYFD was launched in 2003 by Centre for Fathering to encourage organisations to arrange for employees to leave work at 5pm so that they can eat with their families. The initiative also aims to remind parents to put aside time to eat with their children regularly.

 

Held on the last Friday of each school term, the dates for EWYFD 2021 are 12 March, 28 May, 3 September and 19 November. EWYFD is a joint effort by Centre for Fathering, MUMS for Life and DADs for Life, in partnership with Families for Life and in support of the Made For Families initiative.

                        

Special EWYFD offers and workshops


In addition, EWYFD 2021 is also offering:

  • Special deals from merchants islandwide which provide families with more food, retail and fun options for family outings;
  • Complimentary fathering and parenting workshops conducted by Centre for Fathering;

For more information on EWYFD deals and complimentary workshops, go to fathers.com.sg/ewyfd.

About Centre for Fathering, DADs for Life and MUMs for Life

Centre for Fathering (CFF) is a non-profit organisation founded in 2000 to promote active and involved fathering and address issues caused by fatherlessness in Singapore. The organisation aims to turn the hearts of children towards their fathers by empowering more fathers to be better role models and an enduring inspiration to their children.

Since 2015, CFF has been the driving force for Singapore’s nation-wide fathering movement – DADs for Life which seeks to inspire and mobilise fathers to become more involved with and a good influence to their children… for life. Under the DADs for Life umbrella are initiatives such as Back to School with DAD, Eat With Your Family Day and Celebrating Fathers – to encourage fathers to spend time with their families and create a culture that promotes active fathering.

MUMs for Life celebrates a mum’s unique identity as a woman and her irreplaceable roles as a daughter, wife and mother. When Mums are confident in their unique identity and multiple roles, they can better nurture our children and support DADs in building a stronger family in an increasingly complex world.

CFF is Made For Families

CFF is proud to be part of the ecosystem supporting families in Singapore, and identify ourselves as an organisation that is Made For Families. Made For Families represents the different ways – big and small – in which Singapore supports families. Companies, organisations and community groups can adopt the brand mark to identify themselves as promoting the value of family in our society. Together, we can build a society that is Made For Families, by laying a foundation of support, from family-friendly spaces and workplaces, products and services, and family-bonding activities. Visit go.gov.sg/MadeForFamilies for more information.

#CentreforFathering #EatWithYourFamilyDay #EWYFD

UniPin Collaborates with Genshin Impact to Connect with More Gamers in the Southeast Asia Market

Genshin Impact is on UniPin to facilitate top up access for gamers in all region, followed by a series of special events for gamers in four countries

BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach – 2 September 2021 – The leading digital entertainment enabler – UniPin announces the collaboration with the renowned, award-winning Open-World ARPG title, Genshin Impact, to strengthen its market share in Southeast Asia. The collaboration will provide easier top up access to Genshin Impact’s users, starting this September across 4 countries in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

Genshin Impact is on UniPin to facilitate top up access for gamers in Southeast Asia, followed by plenty of exciting events.

Since its release, Genshin Impact has become the most downloaded mobile game in 30 countries. It is also the top ranking game performer in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

 

The collaboration will enable Genshin Impact players to top up their game or purchase in-game items through UniPin’s website and other affiliated channels.

 

There will be a series of special events surrounding the content creation for Genshin Impact via UniPin’s social media channels. It will include fan art creators and illustrators, skill showcases, and Windblume Festival with rewards worth millions UniPin Credits.

 

Ashadi Ang as CEO of UniPin announces that the collaboration of Genshin Impact and UniPin made possible due to both parties’ vision to give the best gaming experience that is widely accessible and fun for all Southeast Asia gamers and fans.

 

“UniPin and Genshin Impact uphold the same commitment in developing the gaming scene in Southeast Asia. The increasing popularity of Genshin Impact will be supported by the broad spectrum of UniPin’s services in all Southeast Asian countries. Therefore, we are optimistic to provide the best gaming experience,” said Ashadi Ang.

 

Following the collaboration, fans can also enjoy content creation on Genshin Impact such as manga & cosplay competitions with fabulous prizes. Information regarding the collaboration and campaign can be accessed through UniPin’s official social media account and website at www.unipin.com.

 

For more photos references, please kindly visit here.

 

About UniPin

For more information, please visit http://corp.unipin.com.


#UniPin


About Genshin Impact

For more information, please visit https://genshin.mihoyo.com/en/

#GenshinImpact

Chinese National Shot During Evening Commute in Vientiane Capital

Chinese national rushed to hospital after shooting in Vientiane Capital
Vientiane Rescue 1624 rush a Chinese national to hospital after a shooting in Vientiane Capital.

A Chinese national has been shot and seriously injured while returning home by motorcycle in Vientiane Capital.

Prime Minister’s Office Steps Up National Covid Restrictions for 15 Days

Laos Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister's Office.

The government has extended Covid-19 restrictions and prevention measures for a further 15 days, with some stricter measures now in place as community spread raises concern.

True Global Ventures 4 Plus, World’s First Truly Global Blockchain Equity Fund, Oversubscribed Surpassing $100M Target

Venture fund invests in serial entrepreneur late-stage equity blockchain companies

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – True Global Ventures (TGV) announced its recently closed True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV 4 Plus) Fund, the world’s first truly global blockchain equity fund was oversubscribed—surpassing its US$100 million target. The fund is dedicated to blockchain companies, primarily in late-stage Series B and C across four verticals: Entertainment, infrastructure, financial services, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).

The TGV 4 Plus fund has invested in five companies to date: Animoca Brands, unicorn global market leader in “Play-to-Earn” blockchain gaming and non-fungible tokens (NFTs); Forge Global, global market leader in secondary private markets; The Sandbox, global market leader in gaming metaverse; Canada Computational Unlimited, Bitcoin mining company with 100% renewable energy and QuantumRock, AI asset management market leader. Under TGV 4 Plus, these portfolio companies have seen material value creation and commercial traction in the past months.

 

Jay Liang, Founding Chairman, Hong Kong Blockchain Association; and Managing Partner, OES Capital Group & GSR Matrix Fund, said, “I’ve seen how TGV invests not only money but extensive effort and introductions to help grow their portfolio companies. They are simply serial entrepreneurial partners with them.”

 

Financial institutions are a key growth driver as they look to deploy blockchain applications in NFTs, enterprise blockchain solutions, digital identities, digital currencies, and decentralized finance (DeFi). Increased commercial adoption of distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) such as blockchain will accelerate the mainstream adoption of digital currencies.

 

With the growing recognition of blockchain equity as an asset class, TGV plans for more equity funding rounds, following the TGV 4 Plus Fund launch.

 

TGV 4 Plus’ 40 partners contributed 27% of the fund, together with entrepreneurs, business angels, family offices and institutional investors, many with co-investment rights in future equity rounds. The partners help portfolio companies with commercial relationships, investment promotions, introductions to VCs, loans, and private equity firms for refinancing, and company acquisitions and exits.

 

“The TGV team has created incredible value for their portfolio companies by helping them with client and partner introductions, and also with next round financing and exits,” added Luke Lim, Managing Director, Phillip Securities.

 

The 57th True Global Ventures Conference will be held on September 16, 2021. Visit www.tgv4plus.com for more information.

 

About True Global Ventures

True Global Ventures (TGV) is a global Venture Capital firm built by a group of serial entrepreneurs with a solid track record of investing their own money together with Limited Partners into early and late-stage ventures run by serial entrepreneurs. Portfolio companies leverage technology, data, AI and blockchain as a competitive advantage to drive change with proven products. TGV is present in 20 cities: Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Stockholm, Paris, Warsaw, New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver, among others. Visit us at www.tgv4plus.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.


#TrueGlobalVentures

Government of Laos and IOM Formalize Partnership and Strengthen Relations

The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and International Organization for Migration co-sign the cooperation agreement to formalize partnership to strengthen relations further
The Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and International Organization for Migration co-sign the cooperation agreement to formalize partnership to strengthen relations further

Today, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) the Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a Cooperation Agreement with the aim to further strengthen cooperation on migration and further develop the good relations between the two parties.

Code Pharma BV: Antiviral Drug Codivir Shows Promising Effect Against COVID-19

Code Pharma, a Dutch pharmaceutical company, is developing a direct antiviral drug against COVID-19.


Following the successful completion of a phase I study, the company is now initiating a phase II double-blind controlled study in Spain, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel.

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / DE BILT, NETHERLANDS – EQS Newswire – 1 September 2021 – Codivir, a short synthetic 16 amino-acid peptide, derived from the HIV-1 integrase, was originally discovered at the Hebrew University in Israel.

Code Pharma discovered that the peptide had a direct antiviral effect against SARS-CoV-2, the novel Coronavirus causing COVID-19. In-vitro studies conducted at the British virology research laboratory Virology Research Services in London then demonstrated a potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other RNA viruses.

Subsequently, a phase I clinical trial of Codivir in patients with COVID-19 was approved in Brazil by the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP). The trial was conducted at Casa de Saúde – Vera Cruz Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, with Dr Florentino Cardoso as the principal investigator. The results of the study showed that Codivir has a high safety profile while significantly suppressing viral replication in most of the fully assessed patients with an antiviral effect noted as early as three days. All patients recovered quickly after the treatment with Codivir and didn’t show any signs of side effects very often associated with COVID-19 infections. Manuscripts describing these results have been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr Yotam Kolben and Dr Asa Kesler, from the Department of Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center, who are the lead authors on the paper stated: “The preclinical data, and the results of the clinical trial support the safety of Codivir administration in humans and suggest its significant anti-COVID-19 effect. Using a direct anti-viral drug carries the potential for improving the current therapies available for COVID-19”.

These results indicate that the drug can be used to treat COVID-19 patients suffering at different levels of severity. Due to its direct anti-viral effect, Codivir may have a similar beneficial effect on other RNA viruses, such as influenza.

Following the successful phase I study, the company is now initiating a phase II double-blind controlled study, to be conducted in Spain, Brazil, South Africa, and Israel, with a larger cohort. In view of the ongoing global pandemic, Code Pharma has submitted emergency approval requests to several countries. To answer the expected demand, the company is preparing for mass production of Codivir in different sites worldwide.

“In the first and second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, most drugs with putative or proven antiviral mechanisms of action have not proven themselves to significantly prolong life expectancy”, Prof Shlomo L. Maayan, Director Infectious Disease division at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, said. “‘Codivir’ has a very good safety profile and a very impressive antiviral effect, both in laboratory conditions and in phase I clinical trial in humans. We eagerly await the results of the double-blind studies using Codivir. It may be a breakthrough in the field of antiviral therapy for COVID-19 patients”.

About Code Pharma

Code Pharma BV is a global pharmaceutical company, headquartered in the Netherlands, with R&D activities centered in Israel. The company aims to develop cost-effective treatments for infectious and oncological diseases by using novel peptides and bring together outstanding professionals with multidisciplinary expertise in peptides, cell cultures, clinical development, and chemistry manufacturing.

Further information can be found at: https://www.codepharma.com/

#CodePharma

Immigration to Ireland Records a Sharp Rise Bartra raised HK$200 million from Immigrant Investor Programme Since Start of 2021

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 1 September 2021 – Bartra Wealth Advisors (‘Bartra’), a subsidiary of Ireland’s leading real estate developer Bartra Group and the first Irish developer providing direct Irish immigration investment advisory in Hong Kong, participated in the 2nd International Immigration and Property Expo from 28-29 August 2021. Over 16,000 visitors attended the expo, an increase of approximately 40% compared to the last event in March this year, representing a significant rise in the public’s interest in immigration. A number of talks and briefing sessions were held in the exhibition to introduce the ways and advantages of investment immigration to Ireland to the public. During the expo, Bartra received onsite enquiries from more than 200 clients.

 

This year, Bartra has processed approximately 20 applications for Ireland’s Immigrant Investor Programme (“IIP”), amounting to a total investment of about HK$200 million. Among them, 4 applicants originally intended to immigrate to the UK through the BN(O) scheme, but finally decided to apply for Ireland’s IIP instead. Jeffrey Ling, Bartra Wealth Advisors Regional Manager, said, “Some clients applied for Ireland’s IIP to obtain a safety net when applying for immigration to the UK through the BN(O) scheme. It was mainly because Ireland is close to the UK (about an hour flight) and it is an English-speaking country. Irish citizens not only can access the UK under the Common Travel Area (CTA) Agreement, they can also access 27 European Union countries as its member state. Moreover, due to the high residing flexibility in Ireland’s IIP scheme, Ireland’s IIP applicants are only required to enter the country once and stay for one day every year to retain their PR status and the right to abode.”

 

Currently, applicants to the BN(O) scheme are not entitled to Public Funds, they are also not able to fully access the public health and educational systems in the UK. Moreover, a large number of commercial and financial institutions have moved their European headquarters out of the UK after Brexit, including Barclays and HSBC Holdings Plc., increasing uncertainties for the employment prospects for applicants to the UK. Ireland, as a member state of the European Union, appeals to clients who also applied to Ireland’s IIP for protection. In addition, since the HKSAR government has ceased to recognize the BN(O) passport as a valid travel document and identity proof since January 2021, Hong Kong citizens are concerned that they may not be able to apply for the early withdrawal from the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) scheme through their BN(O) passports or the related visa applications.

Bartra has noticed that the desire of Hong Kong families to emigrate has increased sharply lately, and today Ireland is becoming one of the most popular destinations for immigration. In the first half of 2021, the monthly average search volume of “IrishImmigration” in Chinese reached approximately 1,000 searches. Furthermore, Bartra’s 20 successful applications to Ireland’s IIP this year, represents a significant increase from the 50 cases in the 17-month period from August 2019 to the end of 2020. Traditionally most Hong Kong emigrants have chosen English-speaking countries in Europe and North America as their destinations, explaining the considerable appeal of immigration to Ireland to Hong Kong people where English is the spoken language of the majority as well as the dominant business language.

 

Immigration to Ireland through the IIP is fast tracked and flexible. It takes about 6 months for approval. Applicants are only required to reside one day per year in Ireland to maintain their residency; in other words, they can obtain a foreign residency without relocating and freely decide when to become a tax resident. In addition, Ireland is the only English-speaking country in the European Union, which presents fewer language barriers for Hong Kong emigrants. The accompanying children of IIP applicants to Ireland can also enjoy Ireland’s free education and free choice of schools. The Irish education system is among the top globally, ranking seventh in the world. In addition, Hong Kong families are often pleasantly surprised when they discover Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), which allows Irish Citizens to live and work in the United Kingdom’

 

Bartra commands unrivalled creditability in Irish immigration consultancy services. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Bartra’s establishment in Asia. The offices of Bartra in the Asian region are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Vietnam – together they have processed more than 350 successful cases. Apart from serving local clients, Bartra also serves clients from Taiwan, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Macau, the United States, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates, proving its wealth of experience.

 

The Social Housing and Nursing Home projects Bartra offers to IIP clients for obtaining permanent residency in Ireland can be achieved in three or five years (4% flat annual interest rate for the 5-year option), and both guarantee 100% investment capital protection. They each have an approval and renewal rate of 100%. Apart from cash, for asset value proof, IIP applicants can use stocks, funds, cash value of insurance policies, properties, or even parking spaces, valuable paintings or collectables etc. Applicants can also choose to use wealth management services to cash out for their investment into IIP.  Some clients will seek advice from financial services to pledge/refinance their assets to fund investment immigration in the current low-interest environment so as to obtain residency without disposing their existing investments.

About Bartra Wealth Advisors

Bartra Wealth Advisors (Bartra) is a subsidiary company of Ireland’s most successful real estate developer Bartra Group, specialising in providing independent Irish immigration investment advisory services. With well-established business, extensive Irish immigration experience, expertise in the investment field, professional landing teams and strong business network support, Bartra Group has successfully carried out a significant number of social housing and nursing home IIP (Immigrant Investor Programme) projects and has helped hundreds of families successfully immigrate to Ireland.

Bartra Wealth Advisors prides itself on delivering streamlined, in-group, end-to-end services. Its unique business model supports clients throughout their investment and immigration journey, from immigration advisory and government backed IIP projects through to exit executions. It maintains a 100% application approval rate and a 100% renewal rate. For details, please go to the company website https://www.bartrawealthadvisors.com/.

Bartra Insight

For more insights about Ireland, visit Bartra Wealth Advisors’ blog:

https://www.bartrawealthadvisors.com/insight/

#BartraWealthAdvisors