On the 25th February, Panyathip International School held a press conference to officially announce to the greater Vientiane community of its recent successful applications to join the Federation of British International Schools in Asia (FOBISIA) and the Council of British International Schools (COBIS).
LEADING BRITISH EDUCATION IN LAOS WITH FOBISIA AND COBIS

Study Blockchain in 60 Minutes — New Online Course Launched By Blockdegree
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 26 February 2021 – Blockdegree — an esteemed member of the US Education Blockchain Action Network — has launched a Blockchain Foundational Video Programme– Study Blockchain in 60 minutes. This is a highly rigorous programme specially designed for everyone to learn all about blockchain technology and its use cases in just an hour. This programme is also suitable for students with no prior background in coding.
Curated as an engaging video series, this course aims to give business professionals and enthusiasts interested in blockchain technology a solid understanding of how blockchain technology is redefining the world, one use case and industry at a time.
Blockdegree collaborated with Ms.Soh Wan Wei, the founder of IKIGUIDE, Singapore’s First Bitcoin and Blockchain Education Portal, on this initiative. Ms.Wan Wei is also currently serving as Senior Lecturer at Blockdegree.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Ms.Wan Wei, who is such a passionate bitcoin and blockchain educator. Study Blockchain in 60 minutes is an incredibly robust programme that goes through the fundamental concepts of revolutionary blockchain technology. We want to educate and nurture all participants of this course to be able to identify and leverage the massive opportunities the blockchain industry provides,” proclaims Ritesh Kikkad, co-founder of Blockdegree and XinFin’s XDC network
“Bitcoin and blockchain technology are both inevitable movements in the foreseeable future. In a matter of five to ten years, blockchain technology will be so prevalent in the lives of the layperson. It is our full intention to give our students at Blockdegree a distinctive head start,” Ms.Wan Wei comments.
“To cater to the needs of as many busy professionals and students as possible, we designed this 60minutes course to help them build the right foundations in blockchain so that graduates will be able to vicariously thrive and navigate in this new world marked by rapid disruption.”
Study Blockchain in 60minutes is available on-demand on the Blockdegree platform. This makes it accessible to the user anytime, anywhere, and takes just 60minutes to complete.
All graduates will receive a certificate upon conclusion of the course, jointly granted by Blockdegree and IKIGUIDE. They can then display it on their LinkedIn page or social media platforms, which will significantly boost their career opportunities in this fast-changing world.
About Blockdegree
Powered by XinFin Network, Blockdegree is a blockchain-based certificate issuance & verification platform for universities & the government. It also enables easy access to the distributed ledger technology to the institution. Blockdegree Platform also provides free training material and paid blockchain certification.
About IKIGUIDE
IKIGUIDE (www.ikiguide.com) is Singapore’s First Bitcoin and Blockchain Education Portal. We believe in serving the masses by empowering them– via blockchain and cryptocurrency education– to be on the right side of change.
We believe that blockchain education should be easily accessible to all, and a non-technical background should never be a hindrance to leveraging on the massive opportunities that blockchain technology offers.
We are also committed to our mission of banking the unbanked and underbanked. We do so by providing blockchain scholarships to deserving and ambitious students in developing economies.
Join us in the blockchain revolution, one education at a time!
Here is an invite to our FREE facebook group “Blockchain for Non-Techies”: http://bit.ly/StudyBlockchain
The Boutique Hotel Under Gudou Holdings Co., Ltd. Further Expands to Panyu District, Guangzhou— Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence Officially Opens on 10 February 2021
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 25 February 2021 – Gudou Holdings Limited (“Gudou Holdings” or “Company”, which together with its subsidiaries, is referred to as the “Group”, SEHK stock code: 8308), is pleased to announce that Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence, the Group’s first boutique hotel project in Panyu District, Guangzhou City, has officially opened on 10 February 2021.
Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence has 33 guest rooms, including 2 two-bedroom suites and 3 three-bedroom suites. The design is modelled on one of the ancient Lingnan (southern Chinese) architectural style, “Guanyindou”, which features the shape of two handles of a wok on either sides of the roof of a building in the ancient town of Shawan, Panyu. Carrying on the tradition of the “Gudou” brand, the hotel organizes one-stop leisure and entertainment activities and are installed with comprehensive facilities to provide a new experience for tourists who prefer to enjoy the finer things in life in the traditional ambience.
Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence is conveniently located in the Hills Ecool Creative Park in Panyu, which occupies a total site area of340,000 square meters at the southern tip of Panyu District. The hotel is easily accessible by a developed network of roads around the Hills, including South China Expressway, Xinguang Express, Nansha Port Express and other highways. Therefore, it is easy to travel from the hotel to Zhujiang New Town in Guangzhou, and thus elsewhere in the Pearl River Delta. It takes five minutes to reach the Chimelong Paradise, and the Blessing Colorful World within easy reach. The Clifford Station on Metro Line 21 will also be opened in 2021 and it is only an about 10-minute walk from the hotel. In the Panyu Golden Valley Eko Creative Park, a head office for environmental operation of business and a district for shopping and leisure will be built. Such plan has earned the park a reputation as “China’s Number One Low-Carbon Community”. The rising occupancy rates of the office buildings in Panyu will also mean an increase in business travelers who, in turn, can drive up the occupancy rates of the hotel and the spending there.
There are many well-known tourist attractions near Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence, including Chimelong Paradise, Blessing Colorful World, Dafu Mountain Forest Park, Lianhua Mountain Tourist Area, Shawan Ancient Town and IKEA Store, which is popular with young people. The Evergrande Football Stadium, which can seat 100,000 spectators, is also expected to be completed in 2022 and will be able to accommodate tourists who stay in Guangzhou for two days and one night.
Mr. HON Chi Ming, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Group, said, “The Group is very satisfied and encouraged by the opening of the Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence. The hotel is conveniently located in an area where there are comprehensive facilities. Therefore, the area is expected to attract a large number of tourists. Since the apartment hotel has already been renovated and equipped with upgraded facilities and soft furnishings, not much more capital will be required for putting the hotel in operation in a short time. This means cost-effectiveness at the hotel and can quickly responding to the trend of tourism recovery. Looking ahead, tourism property development will remain the focus of the Group’s business development. Specifically, we will actively expand our tourism property business in Guangdong Province, provide more quality services to meet customer needs, and increase investors’ awareness of Gudou Holdings’ brand. All this is aimed at creating better returns.”
About Gudou Holdings Limited
Gudou Holdings is a hot spring resort and hotel operator and a tourism property developer in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). It principally engages in (i) the operation and management of the hot spring resort and hotel facilities of Gudou Hot Spring Resort, which is a national AAAA-level tourist area, and provision of consultancy and/or management services; and (ii) the development and sale of tourism properties in Guangdong Province. The “Gudou” brand is a well-known brand of integrated hot spring resort in the PRC. Gudou Holdings operates six theme hotels, among which Royal SPA Hotel was rated as a five-star hot spring by the National Hot Spring Tourism Enterprise Star Rating Committee in 2020. The resort complexes with a variety of leisure and recreational facilities, including hot spring facilities, hotels, commercial stores, food and beverages outlets, recreational waterpark, a spa centre, a conference centre, parks, tourist attractions and other ancillary leisure and recreational facilities. The Group’s newly established Guangdong Gudou Quanfeng Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd. has further expanded its presence to Guangzhou with the official opening of Guangzhou Gudou Quanfeng Residence on 10 February 2021, marking the latest headway following the official operation commencement of Gudou Spring Superior Hotel, located in the center of Jiangmen on 15 January 2021.
Medtech Startup GyroGear raises US$4.3m in Phase One of Seed Round led by Taiwan Manufacturing Giant Foxconn
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 25 February 2021 – UK-based neuromuscular medical device company, GyroGear Ltd has just concluded phase one of its seed round fundraise. This round was led by Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest and foremost electronics manufacturer. Foxconn has invested £1 million (US$1.41 million) upfront. Participants in GyroGear’s seed round include the UK Government Future Fund, Singapore venture builder Fidelium Group, and other established strategic investors and business leaders. Phase two of the seed round is ongoing and scheduled for completion in March 2021.
Chairman Young-way Liu (right) and Dr Faii Ong (left) at Foxconn Technology Group, Taipei.
GyroGear is developing a wearable to help individuals with hand tremors. The wearable reduces tremors, so they may perform their day-to-day activities. This also brings relief to caregivers and family members.
“In the US alone, the economic burden of Parkinson’s Disease amounts to $51.9 billion every year, growing to $79.1 billion by 2037. Essential Tremor alone is up to 20 times more prevalent than Parkinson’s, and can manifest at any point in one’s life. The impact of not being able to use one’s hands is beyond what any numbers can describe. GyroGear was founded to specifically address this large unmet medical need, and to provide simple, elegant solutions to restore the quality of life to 200 million tremor patients worldwide,” explains Dr Faii Ong, Founder and CEO of GyroGear.
Dr Ong adds, “Our partnership with Foxconn elevates GyroGear’s existing world-class engineering and advisory base with further strategic and technical expertise. It grants GyroGear access to class-leading advanced technologies and capabilities as we ready our flagship product, the GyroGlove™, for international launch.”
GyroGear’s flagship product, the GyroGlove™, is the world’s first and only wearable medical device that adopts cutting edge aerospace technology and satellite-grade mechanical gyroscopes. The technology effectively and swiftly counteracts hand tremors, thus restoring normal use of the hand. Lightweight and efficacious, the GyroGlove™ unobtrusively empowers users to overcome their daily challenges, offering hope to the millions of tremor sufferers worldwide who struggle with everyday tasks.
Potential users include those with Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor, with both conditions affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Prevalence of both diseases has been rapidly increasing this past decade. Current therapies include medication and neurosurgery. Medication is accompanied by significant side effects. Whereas neurosurgery is limited to a small minority of patients due to its inherent risks. There is currently no cure for hand tremors.
“We are eager and excited to partner with GyroGear and bring the GyroGlove™ to Asia. The partnership is another reflection of our long-term commitment to our “3+3=∞” vision, which symbolises the infinite possibilities created by Foxconn’s industrial advancement and emerging technologies,” said Young-way Liu, Chairman of Foxconn Technology Group.
Paul Lim, Chairman of Fidelium Group and Senior Advisor to GyroGear Ltd added, “GyroGear fills a huge gap in today’s medical spectrum. Many tremor patients suffer in silence as the disease robs them not only of the ability to carry on simple daily activities, but more importantly, many suffer silently, with mental trauma caused by embarrassment from uncontrollable shaking. They avoid going out to public spaces and recluse themselves from social activities. Founder CEO Dr Faii Ong is a visionary leader who has led his team to invent this elegant solution that will change the lives of millions of tremor patients in the world.”
The funds raised will be used for clinical trials, regulatory approval and further R&D. This round closes March 2021.
About GyroGear
GyroGear Ltd is a neuromuscular medical device company incorporated in 2016 by Dr Faii Ong. It is the only medical device company worldwide to utilise mechanical gyroscopes. Whilst still a student at Imperial College London, Dr Ong was moved to action after witnessing the distress experienced by a 103-year-old Parkinson’s patient at a London hospital. Dr Ong and his team invented the GyroGlove™ as a solution to help millions in the same situation.
GyroGear’s flagship product is the GyroGloveTM, a wearable device that mechanically stabilises hand tremors with cutting edge aerospace-grade gyroscopes.
The GyroGlove™ has demonstrated promising results. Volunteers are able to put on the GyroGlove™ independently, and start to feed themselves, insert keys into keyholes, write once more, and for some, even thread a needle and sew again.
Since its inception, GyroGear has been featured prominently in global media publications including Popular Science, MIT Technology Review, the BBC, Forbes, Reuters and the Washington Post. In December 2020, GyroGear won first runner-up out of 7,500 participating start-ups from 159 nations, at SLINGSHOT 2020. The judges were Eduardo Saverin, Forest Li, Sequoia Capital, Temasek and SG Enterprise. SLINGSHOT 2020 is the leading start-up competition in South East Asia, organised by the Singapore government.
GyroGear has been awarded over $3.3M in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 and Innovate UK, to develop the GyroGlove™.
GyroGear is based in London and Singapore.
For further information: https://gyrogear.co/.
About Foxconn Technology Group
Established in Taiwan in 1974, Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) (2317: Taiwan) is the world’s largest electronics manufacturer. Foxconn is also the leading technological solution provider and it continuously leverages its expertise in software and hardware to integrate its unique manufacturing systems with emerging technologies.
About UK Future Fund
Announced by the Government of the United Kingdom on 20th April 2020, the Future Fund issues convertible loans to innovative UK companies with good potential that typically rely on equity investment. The scheme is designed by the government and delivered by the British Business Bank.
For further information: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/
About Fidelium Group
Fidelium Group is a venture builder, investment and management consulting company with a presence in Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The company provides a suite of comprehensive services for SMEs and start-ups which include corporate structuring, corporate finance, fundraising and corporate secretarial services.
For further information: https://fideliumgroup.com/
Ministry, Star Fintech ink deal on Conditional Cash Transfer Under the Reducing Rural Poverty and Malnutrition Project
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has signed a contract with u-money for the Conditional Cash Transfer under the Reducing Rural Poverty and Malnutrition Project.
The agreement was signed at the headquarters of Star Telecom in Vientiane on Wednesday.
The ministry entered into the agreement on the project with Star Fintech Sole Co., Ltd. (u-money), through the Department of Rural Development and Cooperatives.
The contract was signed by the department’s Acting Director, Mr Khamauan Khamphokeo, and Director of Star Fintech Co., Ltd. and General Director of Star Telecom, Mr Luu Manh Ha.
The event was witnessed by the Director General of the Payment System Department of the Bank of the Lao PDR, Mr Soulisack Thamnuvong, along with other officials from the two parties.
The contract enables the use of u-money for the Reducing Rural Poverty and Malnutrition Project, which is part of a larger project funded by the World Bank.
The project will be rolled out in the provinces of Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Huaphan, and Xieng Khuang. The aim is to disburse US$14 million to 42,000 poor families within a period of four years.
The money is expected to be disbursed starting next month.
The u-money system has been chosen for the project so that the target families can receive the money directly, quickly, and securely.
The money is transferred to the recipient’s telephone number and can be withdrawn manually via mobile phone. The disbursal is processed by village level service agents, Unitel staff, and convenient counter services.
This is another step in providing a subsidised, conditional assistance service via u-money in remote, rural areas.
It is the first time such a system has been used in Laos for conditional disbursement to the beneficiaries of a poverty alleviation programme through the Mobile Money service, which is modern and secure.
The u-money system of money transfer has gained the trust of the government following the payment of salaries and allowances from the National Treasury to 11 districts that do not yet have banking services. This method of transferring salaries to villages is seen as very convenient.
In December 2020, Unitel used the u-money system to transfer 500 million kip worth of flood relief aid to Savannakhet province to the mobile phone numbers of 1,200 households. Once the money has been transferred, individuals can withdraw it through Unitel staff or u-money agents, receiving the funds quickly and securely.
DEBx Medical Receives CE Mark Clearance and ISO 13485 Certification for Debrichem(R), a Novel Desiccant Gel for Chemical Debridement to Initiate Healing in Infected, Chronic Wounds
- Debrichem(R) offers a very effective, alternative approach to chronic wound care, initiating healing in more than 90 % of cases after one application[1]
- CE mark and ISO 13485:2016 certification are important prerequisites for upcoming launches in markets worldwide
- Chronic wounds affect 1 – 2 % of developed countries’ populations,[2] unsuccessful treatment may lead to enlargement of the wound, bone involvement or in the worst case, amputation[3]
- Debrichem soon to be launched in Europe, Hong Kong, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS – EQS Newswire – 25 February 2021 – DEBx Medical, the Dutch medical technology company revolutionizing the management of chronic wounds, is excited to highlight today the successful completion of the CE conformity assessment procedure for Debrichem(R). The innovative topical agent offers a superior alternative to surgical debridement, the current standard of care. Debrichem can now carry the CE mark for a medical device class IIb and has also been awarded ISO 13485:2016 certification. These certifications endorse the quality and safety of Debrichem to treat a high unmet medical need and the strength of the DEBx Medical team to achieve this quickly even in such difficult times. DEBx Medical plans first to launch Debrichem in Europe, South Africa as well as Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia through a network of distribution partners; other markets will follow. DEBx Medical has started consultations with the FDA about the pathway to approval earlier this year.
Debrichem is a topical desiccant gel for chemical wound debridement used for the treatment of chronic infected and/or necrotic wounds. This novel product desiccates (dehydrates) the biofilm and the pathogens in the wound bed, debriding the biofilm chemically instead of surgically. Surrounding healthy skin is not affected.[4] The data underlying the CE mark approval show that, after a one-time 60-second application, more than 90 % of wounds result in full granulation,1 an important step in the healing process.[5] Due to its fast action and applicability outside the surgery room, Debrichem can easily be integrated within standard wound care procedures.4
“Being granted the CE mark and ISO 13485 certification for Debrichem in less than two years after founding DEBx Medical is an exciting and important milestone. I am proud of our achievements and would like to thank the whole team involved in this huge effort,” said Dr. Bertus Quint, founding CEO of DEBx Medical. “Chronic wounds are painful and debilitating and patients have very limited options for healing. With Debrichem, we set out to significantly improve this situation which is frustrating for healthcare professionals and patients alike. We believe that Debrichem has the potential to meaningfully improve health outcomes and quality of life for millions of patients worldwide.”
“In my day-to-day work, I experience the patients’ despair associated with chronic wounds and the doctors’ frustration with their inability to provide patients long-term healing. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has been exacerbated: many of our patients are in high-risk groups – elderly, diabetic or chronic cardiovascular patients – who now cannot go to the hospital for their urgently needed treatment,” said David L. Helfet, MD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College and Hospital for Special Surgery, New York Presbyterian Hospital. “The major advantage of Debrichem is that with a relatively simple, quick, one time application it destroys the biofilm. Removing the biofilm is absolute key to get chronic wounds to heal. Debrichem is an important step forward in the management of chronic wounds and will find its place in the standard of care in a very short time. It may even have the potential to become the new gold standard for debridement in chronic wound care.”
Chronic wounds are defined as wounds that have not healed, at least in part, after 4 to 12 weeks.[6] Physiologically, healing of chronic wounds is corrupted, among other factors, by excess inflammation and a recurrent or persistent, if not drug-resistant, microbial infection, often in the biofilm on a wound bed.4 The current gold standard treatment, maintenance surgical debridement, is a painful procedure performed in a sterile environment. Surgical debridement does not reliably initiate healing of the wound but can be part of an extensive wound management program requiring patients to repeatedly come into the hospital. Not surprisingly, general quality of life is impaired in patients with chronic wounds.6 Chronic wounds are estimated to have a prevalence of up to 2 % in the general population.[7] The wound etiology has an impact on outcome, arterial ulcers and venous leg ulcers are notoriously difficult to heal. Chronic wounds are also a common comorbidity of diabetes,[8] 13 % of patients with diabetes in North America to 17 % in Belgium are suffering from chronic wounds.[9] The burden of chronic wounds to healthcare systems and society around the world is substantial, exacerbated by the high rate of amputation in especially diabetic patients which is close to 34 % for diabetic foot ulcers.8 In the UK alone, chronic wounds generated costs of GBP 5.6 bn in 2018. The total wound care costs in the UK increased annually by 8 – 9 % with chronic wounds accounting for the largest share.[10]
References
[1] Cogo A et al., J Wound Care 2020;29(Sup7b):63-64. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2020.29.Sup7b.1
[2] Nussbaum SR et al., Value Health 2018;21:27-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jval.2017.07.007
[3] Strohal R et al., J Wound Care 2013; 22 (Suppl. 1): S1-S52. https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2013.22.Sup1.S1
[4] Cogo A et al., Wounds 2021;33:1-8. https://www.woundsresearch.com/article/restarting-healing-process-chronic-wounds-using-novel-desiccant-prospective-case-series
[5]http://www.shieldhealthcare.com/community/popular/2015/12/18/how-wounds-heal-the-4-main-phases-of-wound-healing/
[6] Olsson M et al., Wound Repair Regen 2019;27(1):114-125. https://doi.org/10.1111/wrr.12683
[7] Martinengo L et al., Ann Epidemiol 2019;29:8-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2018.10.005
[8] McCosker L et al., Int Wound J 2019;16:84-95. https://doi.org/10.1111/iwj.12996
[9] Zhang P et al., Ann Med 2017;49:106-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/07853890.2016.1231932
[10] Guest JF et al., BMJ Open 2020;10:e045253. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045253
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Debrichem(R)
Debrichem(R) is a disruptive new treatment option to address the infection in chronic wounds. The topical agent offers a superior alternative to surgical debridement, the current standard of care. Debrichem has been demonstrated to remove the biofilm and the pathogens from the wound bed that disrupt the onset of the natural healing process. Out of the more than 1.000 patients treated so far, more than 90 % of chronic wounds started to heal after only one treatment with Debrichem.4 The product is applied in a fast and simple, non-invasive procedure. Healthcare professionals should always consider using local anesthetics when applying the treatment. Debrichem can be used outside a surgical environment which can be particularly useful in situations, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, where patients cannot get to hospitals to undergo surgery, avoiding long-term complications like amputation. Debrichem will be sold through a worldwide network of distributors, with the first market launches expected in Q1 2021.
About DEBx Medical
DEBx Medical B.V. is a Dutch medical technology company dedicated to revolutionizing the management of chronic wounds by enabling their healing, thereby improving the outcomes for millions of patients. DEBx Medical supports doctors and their patients from diagnosis through treatment, follow-up care, and maintenance of a healthy wound bed. The Company focuses its pipeline on targeting pathogens that corrupt wound healing, aiming to deliver affordable and effective treatment approaches that can easily be applied and implemented in daily clinical practice. Debrichem(R), DEBx Medical’s first product, received a CE mark in early 2021 and will be launched in markets around the world. Debrichem offers a disruptive approach to debridement that has been demonstrated to enable healing of chronic wounds in more than 90 % of cases.
Kingdom Consultancy Celebrating 15 Years of Excellence
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 25 February 2021 – In spite of the political turmoil and the epidemic that has hit Hong Kong in recent years, Kingdom Consultancy (https://www.hklegal.hk) has relied on the hard work of its team, the trust and support of its clients, and its dedication to solving family disputes and financial advice problems for over 15 years.
As the firm celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, the company look forward to the future with an increased ability to communicate with clients electronically, add more than a dozen former financial and banking managers to enhance efficiency, and develop new business plans in response to changing market needs brought on by the epidemic.
Mark Cheung, Chief Marketing Officer of Kingdom Consultancy Hong Kong, said, “Through our 15th anniversary campaign, we hope to demonstrate how we are committed to breaking the mould, analyzing each client’s engagement in depth, formulating a viable strategy, finding a solution as soon as possible, and preventing problems and crises that our clients may encounter in order to maximize their benefits. We will continue to work alongside our clients to meet the challenges of family disputes and financial counseling. Providing Professional Advice.”
About Kingdom Consultancy
Kingdom Consultancy practice includes one-stop family dispute and financial counseling services. The company handles all aspects of divorce, debt restructuring (IVA), bankruptcy, making wills, debt relief planning (DRP), mortgage concessions, private investigative services, divorce lawyer referrals, and other services to address the needs of our clients.
Since the start of the practice, they have successfully handled various civil disputes and financial advisory work for over 5,000 clients, and outstanding performance has been recognized and appreciated by clients.
Spotify to Launch in Laos and Cambodia
Spotify has announced plans to expand into over 80 new locations worldwide, including Laos and Cambodia.