Laos has confirmed 1,425 cases of Covid-19 across the country today and a record number of deaths attributed to the virus.
iShopChangi Wishes You Happy Haul-idays With Exclusive Deals This Festive Season
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 December 2021 – Christmas is just around the corner, but don’t fret – iShopChangi has you covered with Happy Haul-idays festive promotions this month. With massive discounts of up to 70% off available on thousands of products site-wide and over S$700 in vouchers to snap up, there’s bound to be something for you, your friends, and your loved ones online. Till 3 January 2022, keep your eyes peeled for the best in beauty, electronics, fashion, accessories, make-up and more!
iShopChangi lifts the Christmas spirit with these incredible Happy Haul-idays deals! Head online to shop with exclusive and attractive discounts, and save your money with the added luxury of tax and duty-absorbed shopping.
Pre-Christmas Hustle
From 3 – 16 December 2021, you can complete all your last-minute Christmas gift shopping! From women’s jewellery to Japanese whisky collection, simply spend at least S$300 to shake off $50 from your order with promo code HAUL50. Use HAUL10 to enjoy S$10 off for a S$100 minimum spend. Don’t miss out on the 12.12 Flash deals between 12 and 14 December 2021 where you can enjoy 10% off with no minimum spend, capped at S$50.
Boxing Day Flash
On Boxing Day, take part in iShopChangi’s Boxing Day Flash from 26 – 29 December 2021. Enjoy 10% off with no minimum spend, capped at S$50, with the promotion code BOXING10. Each user is entitled to three redemptions, which you might like to spend on a pair of women’s flats by Pazzion or a tote bag from Furla. If you miss out on the Boxing Day Flash, there’s still hope. Redeem one purchase with the code HAUL20 between 31 December 2021 and 3 January 2022 to get S$20 off minimum spends of S$180, and stock up on essentials for Christmas.
Deals and delivery!
If all these deals weren’t enough, you can also gain access to free delivery Singapore-wide when you spend S$59 or more at the checkout! At iShopChangi, you can enjoy the perks of not only tax and duty-absorbed prices, but also with the Changi Rewards programme, where you can reap the benefits of even more exclusive offerings and earn up to 3% in rebates. Sign up today – it’s free, and you’ll receive 10% off your first purchase after joining!
Changi Pay Exclusive
With Changi Pay, Changi’s newest digital wallet, you’ll now be rewarded with more deals! Changi Pay users can download a S$5 welcome voucher when they sign up via the iChangi app, earning Changi Rewards at the same time. When you spend S$50 with Changi Pay during this festive period, you can enjoy more perks including redemption of a Disney Tsum Tsum premium at S$8.90 plus an additional complimentary one, a return voucher of S$8 off S$35 with a spend of S$50, and get 12% off with code CHANGIPAY12 or 15% off S$200 with code CHANGIPAY15.
Stand a chance to win big when you shop at iShopChangi. These include a total of 100 million Changi Rewards points in the form of weekly prizes of 1 million Changi Rewards points (worth S$5,000) and quarterly prizes of 10 million Changi Rewards points (worth S$50,000), as well as monthly giveaways of credits from iShopChangi. One lucky finalist will be picked each month in the lead up to the Grand Draw event at the end of the campaign period, for a shot at winning Porsche’s first all-electric sports car, the Taycan. Simply spend S$50 to participate. Shoppers who pay with Changi Pay will receive 10x chances.
Head to iShopChangi this Christmas!
For the best in deals, discounts and promotions, there’s no place like iShopChangi this Christmas. Make the most of exclusive offerings as part of iShopChangi’s Happy Haul-idays sale, with additional stackable discounts courtesy of payment partners. Redeem your vouchers online today to save!
About iShopChangi
iShopChangi was launched in 2013 as an extension of Changi Airport’s promise to deliver greater comfort and convenience to travellers in its suite of airport retail offerings. Passengers can browse and purchase tax- and duty-free products across all terminals between 30 days to 12 hours pre-flight on the e-store – and choose to collect their items at Collection Centres within departure, upon arrival or have them delivered free in Singapore. Providing easy access to over 30,000 products across 900 brands and exclusives such as Changi First product launches, the site has since received global recognition with its award for Best Website – Retail Customer Facing at The Moodies: the Airport and Travel Retail Digital Media Awards 2018. In early 2020, the e-commerce store started to retail a selection tax- and duty-absorbed products to Singapore-based residents without the need to fly.
#iShopChangi
SEEDS Capital and Real Tech Fund Participate in AI startup, Sentient.io, in its Series B1 Investment Round
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 December 2021 – Singapore-based AI startup, Sentient.io, announced today that SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, has invested in its Series B1 funding round following co-investor, Real Tech Fund. The new funds raised will be used for scaling the platform and business expansion into Asia Pacific markets, especially to fulfil the surging demand for Digital Transformation from local and Japanese corporations.
Sentient.io is also backed by A*ccelerate Technologies, the commercialising and venture arm of Singapore’s leading Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), global technology venture capital team from BEENEXT and several Japanese companies such as, Digital Garage Group together with ABC Dream Ventures which is a corporate venture capital firm of Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings Corporation and Real Tech Fund which is managed by Real Tech Holdings Co. Ltd out of Japan. To date, the Company has raised more than USD$7 million in investment since its inception in May 2017.
Mr Christopher Yeo, Founder and CEO of Sentient.io, said: “We are delighted that SEEDS Capital has participated in our Series B1 funding round following co-investor, Real Tech Fund. SEEDS Capital’s strategic investment is in support of Sentient.io’s market expansion plans for Japan and the rest of South-East Asia. We believe that Sentient.io’s unique AI and Data platform will accelerate innovative solutions and bring these to the markets at a quicker pace. This will also help to fulfil our vision of benefiting humanity with augmented intelligence.”
Sentient.io has built a unique AI and Data platform of over 60 AI functions that seek to short-circuit the development cycle of software developers by providing easy-to-use pre-trained AI microservices that are domain-specific. This will empower software developers to simultaneously develop their smart applications and embed advanced AI capabilities into existing workflows without wasting too much time on training AI models.
Sentient.io’s AI & Data platform can help big data owners like governments and multinational companies to streamline collaboration within multiple teams of developers to keep all their AI algorithms and data in a central repository. This reduces IT complexity and keeps all their AI and data microservices in sync, and increases productivity in building prototypes and smart applications that are powered by AI and for data. For example, Sentient.io is helping analytics development teams in a local defence organisation to standardise access to APIs and data to enhance existing applications and generate new values from their data assets. Sentient.io. will continue to advance its AI capabilities and develop businesses in the Manufacturing, Logistics and Digital Economy industries as an AI service provider.
About Sentient.io
Sentient.io is a Singapore artificial intelligence (AI) company founded in 2017 by Mr. Christopher Yeo who has a strong Computer Science and Mathematics background and is also an experienced technology entrepreneur. Its aim is to enable software developers to build AI and Data-driven solutions quickly and easily by offering domain-targeted AI and Data as API services.
Sentient.io’s value proposition to enterprises is to speed up business innovation, reduce IT complexity as well as protect existing AI investments. It also enhances existing applications and is highly scalable. The early backers of the team are A*ccelerate, the commercialising arm of A*STAR, Origgin and BEENEXT. For more information, please click: https://sentient.io/en/
About SEEDS Capital
As the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore, SEEDS Capital catalyses smart investments into innovative Singapore-based early-stage startups with strong intellectual content and global market potential. We adopt a co-investment model, working hand in hand with institutional investors from around the world. Leveraging our collective expertise and networks, we help startups commercialise, realise their business development plans and expand globally. We focus our investments into emerging and strategic sectors aligned with national priorities, including Manufacturing, Trade & Connectivity, Human Health & Potential, Urban Solutions & Sustainability, and Smart Nation & Digital Economy.
Miss Grand Laos Spices Up Pageant with Papaya Salad Costume
Miss Grand Laos 2021, Ms. Daomixay Pachansitti, has spiced up the national costume competition at the Miss Grand International 2021 pageant with a piece inspired by payapa salad.
Carousell report finds Philippines most receptive to secondhand in the region
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach – 1 December 2021 – The Philippines is the most receptive market for secondhand goods in the Greater Southeast Asian region. This is one of the findings in the inaugural Carousell Recommerce Index (2021 report), a Carousell Green initiative that highlights the importance of sustainability and recommerce in the region. The report is part of several programs organized by Carousell Group, the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia, to help address the issue of overconsumption and covers findings from four Carousell Group brands namely Carousell, Chợ Tốt, Mudah.my and OneKyat, across eight markets – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, involving over 3,000 buyers and sellers.
Recommerce refers to the selling and buying of previously-owned products, including both new and used in condition. In the Philippines, 92% of consumers responded that they’ve bought secondhand items including unused and brand-new items by casual everyday sellers. This is the highest among all Carousell Group markets. It was shown that 58% percent of Filipino online consumers are most comfortable buying secondhand apparel, while 75% of Filipino merchants choose to sell secondhand apparel.
When it comes to buying secondhand items, 74% of Filipino consumers prefer purchasing secondhand items due to their affordable price, while 72% of consumers who have never bought a secondhand item said that having authentication and warranty of products will motivate them to buy secondhand items.
Regionally, consumers had an estimated 102,556 unwanted items at home that could be sold. The Philippines is one of the markets that had the most users forecasting 100 unwanted items to sell, and tied with Hong Kong in third place for the highest average items per user at 43 unwanted items. While most consumers estimated earning between PHP 2,501 to PHP 5,000 for selling their unwanted items, 11% believed they could earn more than PHP 35,0000.
Overall, the study revealed that while Women’s Fashion has held a steady position at the top category for secondhand items on Carousell Philippines, Men’s Fashion and Hobbies & Toys climbed the charts in 2020 to be in second and third place respectively. T-Shirts & Polo Shirts saw the most interest for Men’s Fashion, while the demand for Children’s Books was the highest in Hobbies & Toys. The top categories for supply are similar, with secondhand cars breaking out into third place. Listing views for used cars rose by 37% during the pandemic.
“Recommerce offers the second-best sustainable option by extending the life cycle of each garment and material, keeping it out of landfills, and replacing the need to produce new items, and limiting consumption,” said Ralph Garcia, Country MarketingHead, Carousell Philippines. “Since the pandemic drastically changed consumer behavior in the past months, we came up with the Carousell Recommerce Index to find out where we are now, and what we can do to encourage Filipinos to consider buying secondhand as their first choice to promote a circular economy and encourage them to practice a more sustainable lifestyle.”
Despite the growing support for recommerce across the regions, there are still buyers who are hesitant to purchase secondhand items because they find it difficult to ascertain the quality of a product. In the autos category in Carousell Philippines, this has been circumvented with the launch of Carousell Autos “Inspected” feature which is available to all buyers for free to provide them with confidence and peace of mind when searching for vehicles in the Carousell platform. Carousell will continue to be a gateway for anyone to contribute to the circular economy, encouraging consumers to take their first steps towards more sustainable lifestyles.
Lucas Ngoo, Co-founder, Carousell Group said, “As a pioneer for mobile classifieds in the region, Carousell Group has been constantly working to remove friction and enable secure, seamless transactions. With the use of AI and data, we have been focused on accelerating our recommerce leadership in the region to make buying secondhand trusted and convenient. This, in turn, will help to solve the meaningful problem of overconsumption with recommerce and thus make secondhand the first choice for consumers.”
The Carousell Recommerce Index (2021 Report) is available for download here.
About Carousell Group
Carousell Group is the leading classifieds group in Greater Southeast Asia on a mission to inspire the world to start selling, and to make secondhand the first choice. Founded in August 2012 in Singapore, the Group has a leading presence in eight markets under the brands Carousell, Mudah.my, Cho Tot, OneKyat and Ox Street, serving tens of millions of monthly active users. Carousell is backed by leading investors including Telenor Group, Rakuten Ventures, Naver, STIC Investments and Sequoia Capital India. Visit here for more information.
#CarousellGroup
Trip.com Launches Discounts on Flights and Hotels Bookings in Malaysia
- Enjoy a RM40 discount off selected flight bookings with Malaysia Airlines
- Up to 70% off staycation packages through the Last Minute Hotel Booking campaign
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 1 December 2021 – From now till the end of the year, users of Trip.com, an international one-stop travel service provider, may enjoy an exclusive RM40 discount off selected Malaysia Airlines’ flights with a minimum spend of RM40 nett. These include one-way domestic flights (such as Kuala Lumpur – Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur – Kuching) and international round-trips from Kuala Lumpur to various destinations such as Bangkok, Bali and Singapore.
In addition, Trip.com users planning a last-minute staycation may enjoy discounts of up to 70% through the Last Minute Hotel Booking campaign which features more than 200 hotels across the country, including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, and Johor.
Ms Stephane Thong, General Manager of Trip.com Malaysia, said: “Trip.com has been working closely with our partners and stakeholders to support the recovery of the travel industry in Malaysia, and we have seen a significant increase in hotels and flights bookings in recent months. It has been a challenging year and many are planning a domestic getaway in December to enjoy quality time with their loved ones. We hope that they will maximise their savings through the discounts on the selected flights and accommodation packages available on Trip.com’s platform. Going forward, we will continue to collaborate with our valued partners and stimulate demand for tourism and travel through various offerings and promotions.”
For more information on the campaigns, including the terms and conditions, please visit:
For the latest updates as well as exclusive deals and discount codes, Trip.com users are encouraged to join the Trip Talks Malaysia Telegram group.
About Trip.com
Trip.com is an international one-stop travel service provider, available in 20 languages across 27 countries and regions in 31 local currencies and sites. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels and flights from over 480 airlines covering 2,600 airports in 200 countries and regions around the globe. Trip.com’s world-class 24/7 multilingual customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to ‘create the best travel experience’ for its millions of customers worldwide. To book your next trip, visit www.trip.com.
#Trip.com
Child Labor Still Prevalent in Laos Tourism Industry
Authorities in Laos have admitted that child labor remains an issue for the country, with underage workers still employed in the tourism industry.
Amazon Singapore commits to match customer donations to local charity, Glyph Community, expanding its wishlist initiative in Singapore
Glyph Community joins Amazon Singapore’s growing list of nonprofits as part of the Amazon X Shop for Good wishlist initiative – a campaign that helps nonprofits meet their exact needs
To deliver smiles and support to underprivileged children in Singapore, Amazon Singapore will match customer donations made via Glyph Community’s wishlist, donating up to SGD10,000 in cash
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 1 December 2021 – (NASDAQ: AMZN) – This holiday season, Amazon Singapore (“Amazon”) is expanding its Delivering Smiles wishlist initiative to support a total of 16 local nonprofit organisations (NPOs) in Singapore and help them get the items they need. This includes matching customer donations of up to SGD10,000, made between 1 and 31 December 2021, to the wishlist of Glyph Community to help underprivileged children in Singapore.
The latest local charity to join the Amazon X Shop for Good wishlist initiative, Glyph Community helps underprivileged children develop through activities such as field trips, arts and crafts classes, and creates opportunities for them to apply learnings from the classroom.
Delivering smiles with customers through the holiday season
Amazon’s wishlist initiative, started locally in 2020, makes giving and doing good hassle-free for customers. As customers shop on Amazon for their holiday plans and celebrations, they can simply click to purchase items via the wishlist of NPOs to support causes they are most passionate about.
Each NPO’s wishlist is a depository of items their beneficiaries need the most in real-time and is updated regularly by the organisation. As such, through the wishlist, consumers can see the exact items and quantities the NPO needs, purchase them as if shopping for themselves, and have the donations delivered directly to the NPO’s preferred location. While donating via the NPO’s wishlist, customers can enjoy the same low prices and convenient shopping experience they have come to expect from Amazon.
As of today, 16 local NPOs are part of the Amazon x Shop for Good wishlist initiative: Arc Children’s Centre, Beyond Social Services, Blessings in a Bag, Children’s Wishing Well, Club Rainbow (Singapore), Engineering Good, Fei Yue, Glyph Community, New Hope Community Services, Singapore Red Cross, SHINE, Singapore Children’s Society, The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf), SOSD, The Food Bank Singapore, and Willing Hearts.
Between June 2020 and November 2021, participating NPOs received over 3,640 items through the wishlist initiative – including necessities such as milk formula, oscillation fans, air purifiers, canned food – amounting to over SGD$19,600 in value. These donations have helped more than 6,000 beneficiaries across Singapore.
Customers can join Amazon in its season of giving by shopping for an NPO’s wishlist via amazon.sg/shopforgood
“Our wishlist initiative has grown extensively in the past two years to support 16 local nonprofit organisations across causes – from helping underprivileged children, low-income families, the elderly to animals in Singapore. I’m humbled to welcome Glyph Community as part of the initiative and look forward to collaborating with more local nonprofits to support Singaporeans from all walks of life. Through the holiday season and beyond, we hope this initiative continues to serve as a transparent and fuss-free way for shoppers to come together and donate items that the nonprofits need, while we safely deliver them to the beneficiaries,” said Henry Low, Country Manager, Amazon Singapore.
“This year continues to be challenging for us all, but we are not deterred from giving our best for others. Instead, we are even more committed and motivated to uplift those in need especially during this season of giving,” said Tony Soh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre.
“The pandemic has been particularly difficult for children from disadvantaged backgrounds as they adjusted to virtual classes and hybrid learning, and missed out on bonding time with their classmates. Glyph is proud to partner with Amazon on this meaningful initiative where we’re excited to expand our reach and support more children in Singapore. Regardless of their budget, members of the community can conveniently donate everyday items via our wishlist that the kids need to continue growing and learning, including batteries, painting and colouring kits, books, and toys. Every donation will go a long way in helping us curate development and enrichment classes to make learning fun, engaging, and interactive for children,” said Si Hui Lim, Deputy Head (Corporate Sponsorships), Glyph Community.
Click here to view and donate items via Glyph Community’s wishlist, and here to catch a glimpse of the impact that your donations will bring to these children.
Nonprofit organisations in Singapore keen to learn more about the wishlist initiative can find more information here.
Appendix: List of nonprofit organisations with Amazon.sg wishlists today
Arc Children’s Centre
Arc Children’s Centre is an independent charity day care centre that supports children between the ages of 3-18 years with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Founded in 2011, the centre’s vision is to provide a sanctuary for the children’s continuing education, safety, and bonding.
Beyond Social Services
Beyond Social Services is a charity dedicated to helping children and youths from less privileged backgrounds break away from the poverty cycle. They provide guidance, care, and resources that enable families and communities to keep young people in school and out of trouble.
Blessings in a Bag
Blessings in a Bag (BIAB) is a non-profit organisation that bridges the gap between communities that have and those that don’t. Through the ‘Beyond Awesome’ programme, they support up to 90 children and youth from under-resourced communities in Singapore, each of whom will benefit directly from receiving items on the Amazon wishlist.
Children’s Wishing Well
Children’s Wishing Well (CWW) is a non-profit organisation and fully-registered charity founded in 2002. CWW’s services support more than 1,000 children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds in Singapore, through their educational and daily living needs, as well as equipping them with skills for their future so that they can become useful members of society and escape the poverty trap.
Club Rainbow (Singapore)
Established in 1992, Club Rainbow (Singapore) (CRS) is a non-profit organisation and charity with the mission to support and empower children with chronic illnesses and their families. Armed with the firm belief that every child deserves equal opportunities to lead a fulfilling and independent life, CRS supports these children and their families through social work intervention, therapy intervention, educational support, arts and vocational development.
Engineering Good
Engineering Good is a Singapore based charity that works to empower inclusivity for all through sustainable engineering and technology solutions. They focus on supporting 2 key groups: Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) through engineering Assistive Technology and Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Communities through digital inclusion initiatives.
Fei Yue
Fei Yue is a not-for-profit voluntary welfare organisation established in 1991, with a mission to effect life transformation through the provision of quality social services, as one of the pioneers in counselling services.
Glyph Community
Glyph Community is a charitable organisation that is changing the way children learn & play through a proprietary developmental framework and a socially connected community, where children are able to develop socially, culturally, psychologically and intellectually. The Glyph experience is a learning journey built through environment, field trips, and people. Every child in Glyph is guided along a developmental framework as they grow from child to youth.
New Hope Community Services
New Hope Community Services is a social service agency and a member of the National Council of Social Services. Its goal goes beyond providing temporary shelter to the homeless in Singapore, seeking to infuse them with real hope to see their lives changed. Formed in 2003, New Hope has steadily expanded to meet the growing needs for temporary shelter in the community, running various services and programmes that help its clients break out of the poverty cycle and achieve long term financial resilience and independence.
Singapore Red Cross
The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) is a homegrown humanitarian organisation serving the vulnerable locally and internationally.
SHINE
SHINE Children and Youth Services is a registered charity and a member of the National Council of Social Service. It has been empowering children, youth, and their families in Singapore since 1976 and remain committed to enabling them to maximise their potential. SHINE serves around 5,000 students, aged 5-21 years old, each year.
Singapore Children’s Society
Singapore Children’s Society protects and nurtures children and youth of all races and religions. In 2020, the Society reached out to 34,654 children, youth and families in need. Established in 1952, its services have evolved to meet the changing needs of children. Today, Children’s Society operates 12 service centres islandwide, offering services in the four categories of: Vulnerable Children and Youth, Children and Youth Services, Family Services, and Research and Advocacy.
The Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf)
Established in 1955, the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf) has been serving the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing community for the past six decades. SADeaf is a member of the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), and is supported by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).
SOSD
SOSD is a volunteer-run organisation dedicated to the welfare of Singapore’s many street dogs. Its mission is to eliminate cruelty to and abandonment of animals, enhancing their welfare, and improving the lives of animals and humans, through rescue, education and advocacy.
The Food Bank Singapore
The Food Bank Singapore is a registered charity founded in 2012, with the mission to end food insecurity in Singapore through redistribution of food to more than 360-member beneficiary organisations. The public can deposit/donate their unused or unwanted foods which will then be collected and allocated to the needy via various channels through VWOs, Charities, Soup Kitchens.
Willing Hearts
A secular, non-affiliated charity, Willing Hearts is wholly run by volunteers, apart from a handful of staff. It operates a soup kitchen that prepares, cooks and distributes about 10,000 daily meals to over 70 locations island wide, 365 days a year. Beneficiaries include the elderly, the disabled, low income families, children from single parent families or otherwise poverty stricken families, and migrant workers in Singapore.
About Amazon X Shop for Good Wishlist campaign
The Amazon X Shop for Good Wishlist campaign is a joint effort by Amazon Singapore and the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) to encourage shoppers to donate to nonprofit organisations (NPOs) by purchasing items listed on their Amazon.sg wishlists. Shop for Good is a collaborative initiative by NVPC’s Company of Good that aims to bring stakeholders in the retail and e-commerce space together to make doing good a part of daily encounters. Check out the full list of NPO wishlists
here.
About Amazon in the Community
Amazon is committed to helping more children and young adults, especially those from underrepresented and underserved communities, have the resources and skills they need to build their best future. Amazon focuses on building long-term, innovative, and high impact programs that leverage Amazon’s unique assets and culture.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit Amazon.sg.
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Facebook: @Amazon.sg
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