Five Thai nationals and one Lao citizen were reported dead in a road accident in Boten District, Bokeo Province on Friday.
Severe Flooding Engulfs Savannakhet, Rescue Operations Underway
Savannakhet is currently facing a catastrophic flooding situation as heavy monsoon rains wreak havoc across the province leaving communities stranded and in desperate need of rescue and relief efforts.
Microsoft Cyber Signals: Sporting Events and Venues Draw Cyberthreats at Increasing Rates
Cybersecurity threats to large events and venues are diverse and complex. They require constant vigilance and collaboration among stakeholders to prevent and mitigate escalation. With the global sports market valued at more than 600 billion USD, sports teams as well as major league and global sporting associations, and attendees house a trove of valuable information desirable to cybercriminals.
Unfortunately, this information is made increasingly vulnerable by the growing number of connected venues and the number of devices and interconnected networks in these environments, sports teams as well as major league and global sporting associations and attendees, house a trove of valuable information desirable to cybercriminals.
Venue IT systems and arenas contain hundreds of known and unknown vulnerabilities that allow threats actors to target critical business services such as point of sale, IT infrastructures, and visitor devices. Teams, coaches, and athletes themselves are also vulnerable to data loss on athletic performance, competitive advantage, and personal information. Attendee personal identifiable information can also be targeted through vulnerable event digital amenities, like companion mobile apps, Wi-Fi hotspots, and QR codes with malicious URLs.
Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting (DEX) developed comprehensive cybersecurity defenses for Qatari facilities and organizations supporting the soccer tournament. DEX conducted an initial risk assessment, factoring in threat actor profiles, adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and other global intelligence from Microsoft’s telemetry. It ultimately analyzed over 634.4 million events while providing cybersecurity defenses for Qatari facilities and organizations throughout November and December of 2022.
With sporting and entertainment events at large, there is a level of cyber risk and vulnerability that does not exist in other environments. Because some of these events come together quickly, often with new partners and vendors acquiring access to enterprise networks that are perceived as temporary, they are often not designed for evaluation and ongoing refinement of the security posture.
In addition to the pre-planning required to support this unique security apparatus, venues consider the privacy risk associated with temporary, ad-hoc, and permanent cyber infrastructure. That means understanding and acknowledging if configurations needed to support the event potentially add additional risk or vulnerability.
To safeguard against cybersecurity threats, sports, associations, teams, and venues must adopt robust protective measures. First and foremost, they should prioritize the implementation of a comprehensive and multi-layered security framework. This includes deploying firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems, and strong encryption protocols to fortify the network against unauthorized access and data breaches. Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments should be conducted to identify and address any weaknesses within the network infrastructure.
Furthermore, user awareness and training programs are crucial to educate employees and stakeholders about cybersecurity best practices, such as recognizing phishing emails, using multifactor authentication or passwordless protection, and avoiding suspicious links or downloads. Additionally, it is essential to partner with reputable cybersecurity firms to continuously monitor network traffic, detect potential threats in real-time, and respond swiftly to any security incidents. By adopting these proactive measures, sports associations, teams, and venues can significantly enhance their resilience against cyberattacks and protect both their own infrastructure and the sensitive information of their patrons.
Learn more in this fifth edition of Cyber Signals.
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit the website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with Microsoft’s expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow Microsoft on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and Twitter (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
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Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra Postpones Return to Thailand

The former Prime Minister of Thailand and billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra’s plan to return to the country next week has been scrapped and postponed indefinitely until a Pheu Thai-led government comes to power.
MRC Launches Channel to Improve Public Awareness on Flood and Drought Risks
The Mekong River Commission (MRC) has launched a Channel on Mekong Flood and Drought Forecast, aimed at improving public awareness and understanding of Mekong River conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB).
Developer: Plain of Jars Concession Intended to Boost Tourism, Attract Visitors
The recently-announced concession of the Plain of Jars sites will help improve tourism facilities and attract more visitors, says the developer, who plans to upgrade the scenery of the sites with cherry blossoms, among other initiatives.
Philip Nova, a member of PhillipCapital Group, unveils the potential of ETFs and building a 6% dividend return portfolio
ETFs: what are these and how they work
ETFs stand for exchange-traded funds, which are purchased or sold on a stock exchange like regular stocks. ETFs are a type of pooled investment security that holds multiple underlying assets. It typically tracks or replicates the performance of a specific benchmark index. It allows investors to invest in a basket of securities with just one trade.
ETFs: a good fit for beginners
Simplicity
Investing in ETF helps save time by removing the need for single stock picking, which is a very time-consuming process due to constantly having to monitor the news, earnings releases, and company financials.
Investors can rest assured that they will get close to market returns, eliminating the need to constantly monitor single stock positions. Furthermore, when a constituent is removed from the index, the ETF does the same. Thus, there is a low barrier to entry for newer investors, as less market knowledge is required. ETFs ultimately offer investors a convenient and simple way to invest in the stock market.
Diversification
By investing in a basket of stocks, it helps to reduce company-specific risks such as management decisions, financial health, and corporate scandals. Investors are able to gain exposure to more than a single company, as well as stocks across different asset classes, sectors, and geographic markets.
Different types of investors and suitable ETFs for their consideration
Ultimately, the choice of investment will depend on the investment goals of the investors. Here are examples of some ETFs that Phillip Nova offers:
Dividend Chasers:
Dividend chasers are individuals who look for another source of income. The investment priority is to attain a regular and passive income stream to supplement the main source of income from the daily job. These are the suitable high-yielding income-generating ETFs:
- Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG)
- Lion-Phillip S-REIT ETF (CLR)
Steady Builders:
Steady builders are individuals who want to avoid “putting all the eggs in one basket” and prefer investing for the long term while diversifying the portfolio across different asset classes, sectors, and geographic regions; but have limited time and financial knowledge to pick an ETF. These are the suitable high-yielding income-generating ETFs:
- SPDR Straits Times Index ETF (ES3)
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)
Tips for successful investing with ETFs
ETF Investors should aim to minimise any overlaps in their holdings. For example, rather than holding three different ETFs that all track the S&P 500, it would be better to consolidate all three of them into just one ETF holding, preferably the fund with the lowest expense ratio.
Examples of successful diversification with ETFs
Successful investors often hold different types of ETFs (asset class, sector, geography, etc.) to diversify, reduce risk, and maximise profits. For example, investors may include a Gold ETF such as SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) in their portfolio to hedge against a downturn. Gold has historically been uncorrelated with the stock market and typically thrives during a recession.
To view complete selection of recommended ETFs to build the 6% dividend return portfolio, download a playbook here.
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About Phillip Nova
Phillip Nova (formerly known as Phillip Futures) was inaugurated in 1983 as a member of PhillipCapital Group and is one of the founding clearing members of Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading (SGX-DT). We have since grown to become one of the region’s top brokerages for the trading of Stocks, CFD, Forex, global Futures and Commodities. The Group has clearing memberships in 21 global exchanges, including APEX, BMD, CME Group exchanges, DGCX, HKEX, ICDX, ICE Singapore, JPX Group exchanges, NSE, TFEX, TOCOM and SGX Group exchanges.
Ongoing Promotion: Get a free Nespresso Coffee Machine when you open an account with us in August! Learn more here.
Download the ETF E-guide here to build a 6% dividend return portfolio.
Regarding fees and commissions, please visit our website https//www.phillipnova.com.sg/ for more information.