Pop-up event: More than 3000 gift packs and $500 cash vouchers for online shopping will be given away

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – the beginning of spring is marked by the annual cherry blossom festival. Since the ‘cherry blossom extract’ extracted from Sakura can enhance rough skin, alleviate allergies, and whiten skin with excellent skin care effects. Hence, Sakura-infused products have become increasingly popular, and they are in high demand. Lung Fung Group has set up a cherry blossom theme counter this year to collect a range of famous cherry blossom products, such as skin care, sunscreen, and household items, so that customers can shop in Lung Fung Mall as if they were in Japan.

Please download high-resolution photos from here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/nioyhudatxymx1j/AABHbVj_gnB_QNJduMFulEy-a?dl=0

Lung Fung Sakura Series Product

Pop-up event in East Kowloon

Simply sign up as a Lung Fung online shopping member, you will receive a generous gift package as well as a $500 online shopping cash coupon.

Two Industry Disruptors Share Their Strong Distribution to Benefit Global Clients

NORWALK, US & HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – News Direct and Media OutReach – two newswires that are revolutionizing the news distribution industry with advances in technology, analytics, security and workflow – have entered into a reciprocal press release distribution arrangement covering the United States and Asia Pacific region.

Media OutReach clients will benefit from News Direct’s full-fledged access to The Associated Press distribution network in the US, which includes the nation’s leading newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and online sites. Additionally, releases are posted to AP’s popular app and apnews.com, the news agency’s heavily trafficked consumer-facing site.

News Direct’s geographic distribution capabilities are supplemented by its robust industry-specific reach, allowing for highly relevant targeting. Trade sector and consumer-focused lists are refreshed with each use for maximum effectiveness. The partnership also allows Media OutReach clients to issue multimedia such as infographics, videos and images as independent assets in line with journalistic preferences. As a confirmation of ROI, clients receive a robust Performance Report that includes postings on major portals including Yahoo! Finance and MarketWatch.

Media OutReach is the first global newswire founded in Asia Pacific and has a unique, in-depth understanding of the media landscape in the region. Its success has been driven by its technology-led distribution platform with an unrivalled Asia Pacific network, comprehensive database and precise editorial targeting capabilities which has proven to be highly-effective for PR professionals to reach out to journalists and editors – including influencers in their target media and countries. Through this partnership, News Direct’s clients can expand their reach and build direct connections with journalists in the region.

Additionally, News Direct clients can leverage Media OutReach’s extensive media partnerships which guarantee online postings. As such, they will see their stories posted on leading news portals such as SINA, Viet Nam News and AsiaOne among others, further enhancing their exposure in Asia Pacific.

News Direct clients will have access to the Media OutReach automated post release reports which provide qualitative and quantitative performance metrics. Importantly, this includes access to the proprietary Media and Journalist Insights dashboard, which provides insights such as the interaction between journalists and the press release including story open rates by publication, by country and eventual write ups.

“News Direct aims to differentiate itself in many ways,” noted founder and CEO Gregg Castano. ” but above all we want to be known for the unrivalled quality of our distribution network. We are proud to partner with Media OutReach, which has earned its reputation as Asia’s most innovative and dynamic distribution service.”

Jennifer Kok, founder and CEO of Media OutReach said, “This partnership enhances our USA distribution capabilities and customers can now distribute their news release and multimedia through its leading-edge delivery platform in America. Overall, this adds further strength to Media OutReach’s global distribution network, and we are pleased to be working with News Direct. The team at News Direct are industry veterans, many of whom are formerly from Business Wire and have built on their expertise to create an exceptionally strong distribution platform and service.”

About News Direct

News Direct provides news and content distribution for PR, IR, Corporate Communications and Marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely-reimagined, intuitive workflow, industry-leading security, transparent, flat-rate pricing and actionable analytics. Further, News Direct has deployed an array of innovation including advanced automation, isolation cloud technology and custom software for the most dynamic, efficient and flexible platform available today.

To learn more visit newsdirect.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook , Instagram or YouTube.

About Media OutReach

Founded and headquartered in Hong Kong in 2009, Media OutReach is the first global newswire founded in Asia Pacific with offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, China and Taiwan as well as international reseller partnerships in Canada, USA and Europe. Media OutReach is the only newswire that owns its distribution network across 24 countries across Asia Pacific; possessing a database of more than 130,000 journalists across at least 400 trade categories and 460 media partnerships, it is revolutionizing the industry by providing guarantee online news posting by language for each distribution. With proprietary technology at its core, Media OutReach Newswire distributes multi-language and multimedia press release contents directly to the inbox of targeted editors and journalists to optimize news write up, build media relations and automates the reporting process with key performance metrics and its pioneering post-release reports gives insights into if journalists are actually accessing the release by publication and by country.

Media OutReach Newswire is the go-to news release and content distribution partner for public relations, social marketing, digital agencies, and organizations in Asia Pacific. For more information on Media OutReach, please visit https://www.media-outreach.com/

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – DAEBAK! K-drama actor Lee Min Ho will arrive at Madame Tussauds Singapore next week, joining the rest of the stars in the new K-Wave zone. He will be standing alongside Song Seung-heon, Kim Woo Bin and Bae Suzy, fans can meet the heartthrob actor for a limited period only!

Lee Min Ho will join the rest of the Korean stars at the new K-Wave zone in Madame Tussauds Singapore!

Lee Min Ho started his career in 2006 and his breakthrough came in 2009. He has recently surpassed 20 million followers on his official Instagram and Facebook page, which makes him one of the most followed Korean stars on different social media platforms combined.

“We are proud and honoured to have Lee Min Ho joining the rest of the stars at the new K-Wave zone. We believe that his figure will definitely draw the attention of many, and we will continue to bring in more stars throughout the year,” says Alex Ward, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Singapore.

To cure the wanderlust of traveling, the K-Wave zone was opened last month where guests can pose under the eye-catching Cherry Blossom tree to experience the Sakura without traveling. Wander away and pose in front of the hanoks with Lee Min-ho, Song Sueng-Heon, Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy. Or take your boomerangs in front of the pretty cherry blossom flower wall and inspire your friends on where to shoot their next OOTD.

Madame Tussauds Singapore is based at Imbiah Lookout. Come and enjoy the brand-new K-wave zone with the SingapoRediscovers Vouchers. And till the end of March the Sentosa Island admission fees are waived, so what are you waiting for! Visit the family fun attraction and get 5 experiences for only 1 ticket. For more information on how to redeem these vouchers and to know what the 5 experiences are, please visit our website www.madametussauds.com/Singapore.

Twitter: @MTsSingapore
Instagram: @MTsSingapore
Facebook: @MadameTussaudsSingapore
Hashtag: #MadameTussaudsSG

Download high-res images: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/khx2r1v9o12bn1m/AADTz9_nBt9DK7i3gnm1cNeQa?dl=0

Madame Tussauds

The ultimate celebrity experience and the world’s best known and most popular wax attraction. There are currently 23 Madame Tussauds attractions around the world. Each of the attractions is unique and tailored to the host city and visitor demographic to feature both local as well as international figures.

The result of 200 years of expertise and painstaking research every figure takes Madame Tussauds’ gifted sculptors a minimum of three months to make, and costs more than $300K (Singapore dollars). Most contemporary figures are also produced following sittings with the celebrities themselves.

Originator of K-pop, SEOTAIJI’s official concert will be live-streamed on Twitter for the first time

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Media OutReach – 18 March 2021 – For the first time, Twitter will livestream a performance by legendary K-pop artist ‘SEOTAIJI’ globally, enabling fans across the world to enjoy his “Quiet Night” concert. Fans can tune in via @SEO_TAIJI at 7 am PST, 10 am EST, 11 pm KST on Thursday, March 18, to enjoy SEOTAIJI’s music no matter where they are.

SEOTAIJI is widely regarded as the most prominent and influential artist and cultural icon in South Korea, since his rise to prominence as leader of the group ‘Seo Taiji and Boys’ in 1992. Throughout his career from group to subsequent solo, SEOTAIJI’s music and artistry, which included elements of hip-hop, dance, rock, metal and Korean Traditional music (Gukak) were instrumental in influencing the sound of Korean popular music, and helped lead to the formation of the K-pop genre as it is known today. Current K-pop favorites like BTS (@BTS_twt) recognize SEOTAIJI’s influence on K-pop; BTS has paid homage to SEOTAIJI by covering his song, “Come Back Home (1995),” and also performed at SEOTAIJI’s 25th Anniversary concert, where SEOTAIJI passed them the torch as a globally-renowned K-pop artist.

(Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/SEO_TAIJI/status/1371479703584862210)

YeonJeong Kim, Head of Global K-pop Partnerships at Twitter, said, “#KpopTwitter has everything fans want to know about their favorite current K-pop artists, but also understands the history of K-pop and how past and present artists influence where K-pop is today. SEOTAIJI is the originator of K-pop music scenes, and artists across K-pop appreciate his contributions to culture – and we want to help fans understand as well. Moving forward, we’re excited to continue partnering with SEOTAIJI to drive conversations about the deep history behind the genre of K-pop.”

SEOTAIJI company said, “It’s really thankful to meet music fans via the concert’s global live-streaming on Twitter. We hope SEOTAIJI’s music could comfort music fans all over the world who are tired of COVID-19.”

(Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/SEO_TAIJI/status/1371641354426585092)

Fans of SEOTAIJI can share their excitement for the concert with a special emoji to celebrate the occasion. Through June 13, SEOTAIJI fans can access the emoji using the following Hashtags:

● #SEOTAIJI

● #서태지

● #StayHomeWithTaiji

● #Taiji

● #태지

Follow SEOTAIJI (@SEO_TAIJI) right now to get real-time updates about concerts and more.

About Twitter, Inc.

Twitter is what’s happening and what people are talking about right now. To learn more, visit about.twitter.com and follow @Twitter and @TwitterKorea. Let’s talk.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 17 March 2021 – The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today jointly organised the “Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong and Theme Hall Opening Ceremony”, supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the HKSAR Government, to outline the best strategies and available support for enterprises to realise reindustrialisation.

The “Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong and Theme Hall Opening Ceremony” was unveiled by Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner of Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government (centre), Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC (second from left), Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP (first from right), Mr Jimmy Kwok, Chairman of Reindustrialisation Funding Scheme Vetting Committee (second from right), as well as Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC (first from left).

As ITC, HKPC and HKSTP are all committed to promoting reindustrialisation in Hong Kong, today’s collaboration is another fine example to the efforts of different stakeholders to provide four essential support covering finance, infrastructure, technology and talent development to facilitate reindustrialisation. The forum and theme hall opening are also the second signature events under HKPC’s “Make Smart Smarter” theme of the year campaign.

Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC, and Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, were joined by Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, as Guest-of-Honour, as well as Mr Jimmy Kwok, Chairman of the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS) Vetting Committee, and Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, to officiate the launch of the reindustrialisation theme hall which aims to encourage local and Greater Bay Area manufacturers to set up high value-added production lines in Hong Kong, enabling them to leverage resources of ITC, HKPC and HKSTP that match their needs to achieve Industry 4.0 (i4.0).

In his welcoming address, Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC, said, “HKPC is grateful to ITC and HKSTP for their unreserved support towards reindustrialisation and participation in this event. We hope this collaboration can help potential manufacturers to identify available support to achieve reindustrialisation. HKPC is very pleased to see that support covering finance, infrastructure, technology and talent development are all available. We will work harder to make use of research and development (R&D) as an engine to drive Hong Kong’s new economy, leveraging talent to build the future for Hong Kong so that various industries can reap benefits.”

Ms Rebecca Pun, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, said, “Innovation and technology (I&T) development is one of the priority policy areas of the current-term Government. To date, the Government has allocated over $100 billion to support I&T development, and reindustrialisation is one of the major work areas. In recent years, we have been actively promoting reindustrialisation in four aspects, namely infrastructure, talent, technology and financial support, to develop advanced manufacturing industries that are based on new technologies and smart production without much land required so as to stimulate the demand for research and development, identify new growth points for Hong Kong’s economy, create quality jobs for young people and raise Hong Kong’s competitiveness.”

Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, said, “Reindustrialisation is powering a diversified and resilient economy for the future of Hong Kong. It is enabling an ecosystem of digital industries that accelerates the creation of more technology companies, products, and most importantly, high-skilled employment for young people. HKSTP is extending our vibrant innovation and technology community to the city’s industrial estates, while creating the infrastructure and value-added services necessary to support these new opportunities. Together with ITC and HKPC, we are committed to turning reindustrialisation into reality and demonstrating the strength of ‘Innovated, Designed and Made in Hong Kong’.”

The “Golden Triangle” collaboration of ITC, HKPC and HKSTP in promoting reindustrialisation in Hong Kong, offers all-round support for manufacturers covering finance, advanced infrastructure, technology and talent development.

In terms of finance, ITC’s Innovation and Technology Fund provides financial support for local R&D work projects that can contribute to the technological upgrading of industries and promotion of innovation. RFS, Technology Voucher Programme, Innovation and Technology Support Programme, Partnership Research Programme, and Enterprises Support Scheme are some of the relevant funding schemes that offer resources for advanced manufacturers to perform high value functions.

In terms of infrastructure, HKSTP provides the necessary infrastructure and facilities for fostering industrial R&D and advanced manufacturing. It has built the Precision Manufacturing Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre at its industrial parks for high value-added manufacturers with special demands on production facilities.

In terms of technology, HKPC has been assisting enterprises to move towards high value-added production and gradually upgrade to i4.0. With the set up of the INC Invention Centre (The Hatch) in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) of Germany to support Hong Kong enterprises in adopting innovative industrial technologies, it has also been actively engaging in the advancement of digitalisation, cyber security, FutureSkills, intelligent production, smart technologies and green living.

In terms of talent development, HKPC, together with the Vocational Training Council and Fraunhofer IPT, launched the first i4.0 professional diploma programme in Hong Kong in 2018. Memorandums of Understanding with universities such as Tsinghua University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have been signed to incubate more InnoTalent, injecting new impetus into R&D and enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong businesses.

The “Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong Forum” was held after the Opening Ceremony of the Reindustrialisation Theme Hall, featuring successful case sharing by manufacturers which have set up intelligent production in Hong Kong and the presence of prestigious speakers from banking, logistics and IT industries to share insights on how to grasp the opportunities brought by innovation & technology and identify new areas of growth for the local economy.

About Hong Kong Productivity Council

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is a multi-disciplinary organisation established by statute in 1967, to promote productivity excellence through integrated advanced technologies and innovative service offerings to support Hong Kong enterprises. HKPC is the champion and expert in facilitating Hong Kong’s reindustrialisation empowered by i4.0 and e4.0 – focusing on R&D, IoT, big data analytics, AI and Robotic technology development, digital manufacturing, etc., to help enterprises and industries upgrade their business performance, lower operating costs, increase productivity and enhance competitiveness.

The Council is a trusted partner with comprehensive innovative solutions for Hong Kong industries and enterprises, enabling them to achieve resources and productivity utilisation, effectiveness and cost reduction, and enhanced competitiveness in both local and international marketplace. It offers SMEs and startups immediate and timely assistance in coping with the ever-changing business environment, accompanying them on their innovation and transformation journey.

In addition, HKPC partners and collaborates with local industries and enterprises to develop applied technology solutions for value creation. It also benefits a variety of sectors through product innovation and technology transfer, with commercialisation of multiple market-driven patents and technologies, bringing enormous opportunities abound for licensing and technology transfer, both locally and internationally.

For more information, please visit HKPC’s website: www.hkpc.org.

Solution provider to spearhead the acceleration of digitalization in the shipping and logistics ecosystem for transparency and a harmonized global trade environment

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 17 March 2021 – IQAX Limited, a leading-edge information technology company providing intelligent digital solutions for global shipping and trade, today announced it has been officially commissioned by the Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) to develop, enhance and operate the world-class blockchain platform. The platform will enable real-time data sharing among authorized parties using blockchain technology for more transparent end-to-end supply chain visibility.

As a trusted partner IQAX will enable GSBN and its future members to develop standards and functionalities to seamlessly connect stakeholders in the global shipping and trading ecosystem while ensuring data integrity, security and service excellence are maintained.

Over the past year, the global health crisis catalyzed the need for business data and transparency in the supply chain as many businesses worked remotely, minimized contact points, and responded to the rapid changes in consumer demand. Many of those in the transportation and logistics sector faced mounting pressure on operations due to various challenges from labor availability, restrictive health protocols, to shifting trade patterns. In this environment, the need for a blockchain platform to facilitate tight, multiple-domain cooperation amongst every party in the global supply chain has become more important than ever before.

IQAX strives to create a harmonized global trade environment for the stakeholders in the multiple-domain ecosystem through its application development effort, products and services. Building solutions based on digital technologies including blockchain, IOT and AI, IQAX is connecting parties across multiple domains and creating intelligent solutions which help businesses embrace digitalization, information sharing and analysis, and respond faster to supply chain disruptions.

IQAX inherits the initial development of the blockchain platform from its business affiliate, CargoSmart Limited. Evolving and expanding upon its blockchain focus, IQAX will enable decentralized collaboration and governance to optimize cross-domain synergies and facilitate multiple-domain connectivity for the broader shipping ecosystem.

Bertrand Chen, Chief Executive Officer, Global Shipping Business Network, said “We are pleased to have IQAX as the platform provider for GSBN. We share the same vision of enabling and accelerating the digital transformation of the shipping industry. Through the platform built by IQAX, we will be able to bring all stakeholders together in a secure, neutral, trusted and equitable way, from logistics service providers to financial institutions. We aim to increase the speed of logistics and the ease of conducting trade globally, ultimately benefitting all parties involved. We are here to simplify trade for all.”

Moving forward, IQAX will help GSBN drive digitalization mandates that best meet the needs of the global trade ecosystem. IQAX plans to build on its vision to digitalize to create a harmonized global trade environment, as well as offering technologically advanced applications for shippers and logistics service providers to address current challenges through smart solutions which enable contactless interactions, tracking of physical cargo and alerts with recovery recommendations.

Sign up for updates about solutions to increase visibility for the global trade ecosystem at www.iqax.com, and follow IQAX on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About IQAX

IQAX is a global information technology company that provides intelligent and digital transformation solutions using blockchain for enterprises in the logistics ecosystem. Backed by its strong heritage in container shipping, IQAX strives to foster a harmonized and connected global trade environment. As an industry leader, IQAX connects with shippers, freight forwarders, carriers, terminals, and financial institutions, and empowers them with digitized solutions to meet emerging business challenges throughout the supply chain.

About GSBN

Global Shipping Business Network (GSBN) is a data exchange platform established on a not-for-profit basis. Its shareholders are comprised of major global Carriers and Terminal Operators. Its mission is to enable and to accelerate the digital transformation of the global shipping industry by providing an end to end, secure, digital collaboration platform to share verified logistics and cargo data to benefit all stakeholders involved in global trade. Here to simplify trade for all. For more information please visit www.gsbn.trade

• The report focuses on three technologies—encryption, blockchain and 3D printing—and how they benefit criminals and law enforcement
• The tension this creates can be resolved on the enforcement side with cooperation and trust-building

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 17 March 2021 – Advances in technology bring many benefits, as the speed of development of the covid-19 vaccines demonstrates. But they also create new tensions across a host of areas. Unintended consequences, unexpected benefits: Technology, crime and illicit trade, a report from The Economist Intelligence Unit, supported by Philip Morris International, explores those tensions across three technologies: encryption, blockchain and 3D printing.

Encryption

Encryption is both a technology that protects legitimate interests and one that is open to abuse by malicious actors. Law-abiding citizens value the protection offered by encryption to safeguard privacy in their daily lives; criminals also value it for safeguarding their illegal activities and identities.

The private sector has so far remained steadfast in their refusal to share encryption keys with governments and law enforcement. There’s little to suggest that stance is going to change soon, if ever, since any relaxation is likely to quickly result in users migrating to other platforms.

Blockchain

Despite its libertarian origins, blockchain may emerge as a leading enforcement technology for combating illicit trade. Distributed ledgers can enhance authenticity through a verifiable digital footprint for barcodes, serial numbers or cryptographic seals, making it far easier to identify fakes and counterfeits at every step of the supply chain.

There were concerns in the early stages of adoption that the anonymity granted by blockchain would facilitate greater criminal activity, especially in the area of money laundering. The evidence that existed at the time supported those concerns. Since then, however, studies have found that only 2% of bitcoin transactions can be tied to illicit activity and a 2020 survey of anti-laundering specialists predicted a decrease in use of cryptocurrencies for the same purpose.

3D printing

Much has been made of the criminal potential of 3D printing. Conventional wisdom says 3D printing is a problem for law enforcement to manage, rather than a tool to be leveraged, particularly given its can be used to print weapons. Private sector firms and customs agencies around the world are developing 3D printing tools to turn the tables, such as tracking the distinct “digital fingerprints” left by individual printers and creating replicas of legitimate goods to spot counterfeits.

Chris Clague, the editor of the report, says: “For all the benefits technology can bring to legitimate society, each new advance creates new opportunities for criminals to exploit and that of course include the international terrorist organisations and transnational organised crime networks that engage in illicit trade. As always when it comes to illicit trade, there are examples of cooperation and trust-building between the private sector, governments and international enforcement agencies, but there is still a lot of work left to be done.”

Download full report here.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

The EIU is the thought leadership, research and analysis division of The Economist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence for executives. We uncover novel and forward-looking perspectives with access to over 650 expert analysts and editors across 200 countries worldwide. More information can be found on www.eiuperspectives.economist.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International (PMI) is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adults who would otherwise continue to smoke, society, the company and its shareholders. Through multidisciplinary capabilities in product development, state-of-the-art facilities and scientific substantiation, PMI aims to ensure that its smoke-free products, while not risk-free, meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements.

For more information, please visit www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.