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New MRC Report Calls for Collective Action on Plastics Pollution

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is sounding the alarm on the growing challenge of macroplastics, urging its four Member Countries to establish a joint, permanent mechanism to monitor and clean up pollutants that seep into the soil, air, and fisheries — and can affect both the ecosystem and human health.

Today Marks Laos’ Shortest Day in 2022

Sun descends at Mekong River in Laos (photo: WAVEjourney)

As the northern hemisphere celebrates the Winter Solstice, Laos will only have 11 hours of sunshine today. It’s the shortest day of the year – and the longest night.

Laos Thrashed by Vietnam at AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup Debut

Billy Ketkeophomphone defends against Vietnamese rivals at the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup Group B football match in Vientiane
Billy Ketkeophomphone defends against Vietnamese rivals at the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup Group B football match in Vientiane.

The Laos football team was crushed 6-0 by Vietnam in its first AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup match in Vientiane yesterday.

Herbalife Nutrition Virtual Run 2022 Records 15,000 Participants Clocking More Than 1 Million Kilometers, Equivalent to Running Around the World 26 times

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 December 2022 – Premier global nutrition company, Herbalife Nutrition, today announced the results of its 2022 Virtual Run, an annual event aimed at helping people in Asia Pacific get moving with a healthy active lifestyle. Held from November 1 to 30, over 15,000 participants from the public, as well as Herbalife Nutrition members and employees in the Asia Pacific region, came together to race at their own pace, covering a total distance of over 1,053,000 kilometers – equivalent to running around the world 26 times.

Held for three consecutive years in a row, Herbalife Nutrition Virtual Run has accumulated 54,000 participants who have clocked a distance of over 3,220,000 kilometers, which is enough to circle the earth 80 times.

“We initiated the Virtual Run in 2020, to help break sedentary lifestyles that became all too commonplace due to the pandemic,” said Stephen Conchie, Regional President of Herbalife Nutrition for Asia Pacific and China. “I’m delighted to see that the momentum has been sustained for the third year running, with new and returning participants joining as individuals or as teams with their friends and families, and covering impressive distances. With the New Year approaching, we encourage people to keep up with their new healthy habits and maintain active lifestyles supported by good nutrition.”

The Herbalife Nutrition Virtual Run is the highlight event of the Get Moving with Good Nutrition campaign, an annual initiative by Herbalife Nutrition to help Asia Pacific consumers adopt healthy active living habits and foster communities that support their healthy living journeys. This year, the event was complemented by a brand-new Run App, to offer a more interactive and seamless way of tracking the participants’ progress.

The Virtual Run also contributes to raising funds for Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF). This year’s Virtual Run raised more than USD74,000, boosting the total for three years to almost USD240,000 – helping provide good nutrition to needy children in Asia Pacific through HNF’s Casa Herbalife Nutrition program.

Hashtag: #HerbalifeNutrition

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

About Herbalife Nutrition

Herbalife Nutrition is a global company that has been changing people’s lives with great nutrition products and a business opportunity for its independent members since 1980. The Company offers high-quality, science-backed products, sold in over 90 countries by entrepreneurial members who provide one-on-one coaching and a supportive community that inspires their customers to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle. Through the Company’s global campaign to eradicate hunger, Herbalife Nutrition is also committed to bringing nutrition and education to communities around the world.

For more information, please visit IAmHerbalifeNutrition.com.

Gunung Raja Paksi (GRP) approaches record-year with US$723m revenue and US$49m profit in Q3 2022

Following its recent rollout of numerous sustainability initiatives, the company heads into the year-end with record earnings

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Media OutReach – 22 December 2022 – PT Gunung Raja Paksi Tbk (GRP), a member of the Gunung Steel Group and one of the largest private steelmakers in Indonesia today, announced their financial results for third quarter (Q3) of 2022, a record high revenue of US$723 million, a 44% year on year (YoY) since 2021. GRP has also attained a net profit of US$49 million in Q3, a 22% YoY since 2021.

The Indonesian steelmaker has seen export revenue at US$45 million this year, which is 56% YoY increase. This is a testament to GRP’s efforts in expanding its footprint in the international stage, where it has made its mark in key regional markets this year such as the United States (US), Australia, New Zealand and United Emirates Arab (UAE).

This positive performance can be attributed to the company’s investments into modern technologies to increase steel production capacities and cementing its credibility as a sustainable steel manufacturer. Following this, the company has robust plans for 2023 where it aims to channel more investments into its steel production capabilities and green technologies to meet the region’s growing demand for steel and in particular, low carbon steel.

“2022 has been a year of growth and achievements. As we enter the new year, we hope to continue this momentum by setting our sights beyond Indonesia. We are optimistic that we can do so as seen from how our production volume has increased by 36% since 2021, which we believe can address the demand and supply gap of steel in the region,” said Roymond Wong, Director of Finance at Gunung Raja Paksi.

Concluding 2022 with sustainability initiatives

In the second year of its new leadership, having transformed from family run to professionally managed, GRP implemented major initiatives in the sustainability space. The most prominent being its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy Handbook and the establishment of its new sustainability department to drive it. GRP has also formed key partnerships with renowned industry players such as Fortescue Future Industries (FFI), Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN) and TotalEnergies to explore solutions for decarbonisation and facilitate discussions on helping the industry within the region, move towards a more environmentally friendly future.

On the production side, GRP has also been investing in transforming their energy use in their bid towards achieving Net Zero. This can be seen from how GRP has transitioned from traditional blast furnaces and is now operating on Electric Arc Furnace (EAF), which have proven to be less pollutive. It has also commissioned its Light Section Mill (LSM) as part of its efforts to increase efficiencies and lower energy consumption.

“As we journey toward an environmentally conscious world, it is important for businesses to factor sustainability into their business models to become responsible producers. At GRP, we have been investing time and resources into decarbonising our processes and are now proud to call ourselves suppliers of low carbon steel. We hope to see our steel making its way into more green building projects in the region in 2023 and pave the way for other steelmakers to follow suit in their own decarbonisation journeys,” said Tony Taniwan, Executive Committee at Gunung Raja Paksi.

Having participated in the recent Indonesian Iron and Steel Industry Association (IISIA) Business Forum (IBF) which revealed the national agenda to improve Indonesia’s infrastructure and modernise local resources and the development of the new State Capital (IKN) which prioritises green building, GRP aims to supply its low carbon steel products to spearhead infrastructure development for the country and the region.

Meeting the country and the region’s growing steel demands

GRP foresees that the country and region’s appetite for steel will continue to rise. According to the World Steel Association, global steel consumption is on course to recover by 1% to 1.81 billion tons despite current economic headwinds in 2023. In Indonesia alone, steel consumption in 2023 is expected to register a growth of 3.5% YoY and Indonesian Finished Steel Demand is expected to reach 20.1 mt. This is driven by construction projects, which contributes to 78% of steel consumption. For instance, the new state capital in Kalimantan (IKN) requires 9.2 million tons of which GRP is confident that they would be able to supply. This is evident from how GRP’s sales volume has increased by 23% from 2021 this year, which highlights the increasing demand for the company’s steel products.

GRP understands that not only the demand for steel is increasing but also steel manufactured from sustainable means to support the building of green cities and infrastructure. As such, GRP has been making efforts to decarbonise production processes and have obtained an environmental product declaration (EPD) certificate. With this credential, GRP has seen successes in breaking into regional markets such as Australia and New Zealand and the United States, and it hopes to broaden its reach to more environmentally conscious markets.

Following GRP’s participation at the IBF, the company is aligned on the Indonesia government’s plans to increase the use of domestic products (P3DN) and the level of domestic components (TKDN). As such, GRP is currently in discussions with the government on formulating policies to protect local steel suppliers in areas such as anti-dumping.

Hashtag: #GunungRajaPaksi

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

About GRP

PT Gunung Raja Paksi Tbk (GRP) is part of the Gunung Steel Group, which is one of Indonesia’s major private steel businesses. Our company began its operations in 1970 in Medan, North Sumatra, by producing hot steel, then progressed to manufacture steel beams and sheets.

With over 50 years of steel industry experience, GRP has a production capacity of 2,200,000 tons of high-quality steel annually approved by local and international certifying company.

Today, our company has become one of the largest private steel companies in Indonesia. Gunung Raja Paksi, “Shaping Tomorrow”. Together we develop a better future.

For more information, please visit: www.gunungrajapaksi.com

Vientiane’s Iconic Nam Phou Square Officially Handed Back to Public

Newly renovated Nam Phou Square
Newly renovated Nam Phou Square

Renovation of Nam Phou Square in Vientiane Capital is now complete, with the iconic fountain and surrounding park officially handed over to the public.

Laos Receives 1,000 Tons of Rice from ASEAN Plus Three Partners

Officials stand in front of the donated rice at a handover ceremony (Photo: Sengaloun Sayalath)

Laos received 1,000 tons of rice from the governments of Japan and Korea during an ASEAN Plus Three handover ceremony on Wednesday.

Myanmar Pins Energy Hopes on Russian-made Small Nuclear Reactors

Vogtle nuclear power plants. Image credit: Tim Mousseau ©2020
Vogtle nuclear power plants (Photo: Tim Mousseau)

Myanmar’s military junta has agreed to move forward with a plan to install Russian-made small modular nuclear reactors as the country faces diminishing output from natural gas reserves.