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Road Accidents in Laos Claim 85 Lives in February

Road Accidents Kills 85 Throughout Laos in February
This image is used only for representational purpose (photo: Tonamcha News)

According to the Traffic Police Department, 85 people died in road accidents in Laos in February, a decrease from the previous month’s figure of 114 casualties.

Digital 2023 Report on Laos Released: Internet, Mobile, and Social Media

Digital 2023 Report on Laos Released: Internet, Mobile, and Social Media
A woman livestreams on her smartphone during a boat cruise in Luang Prabang. (Photo: Teng).

Internet penetration and social media use increased in Laos in 2023, with internet speeds increasing and more adoption of mobile phones. 

Dachser expands footprint with two new offices in South East Asia

Chiang Mai, Thailand and Da Nang, Vietnam offices are now in service

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 13 March 2023 – International logistics service provider Dachser today announced the openings of its two new offices in Chiang Mai, Thailand and Da Nang, Vietnam. The new offices further expand the company’s footprint and strengthen its position in the region to serve growing customer demands, especially from the electronics, and fashion and sports industries.

Oliver Cierocki, Managing Director of Dachser Vietnam (right) and our sales professional Duc Pham (left) are dedicated to addressing customers' needs.

Oliver Cierocki, Managing Director of Dachser Vietnam (right) and our sales professional Duc Pham (left) are dedicated to addressing customers’ needs.

“Dachser in South East Asia has experienced strong growth in the past few years, and we see increasing needs from customers based outside the capital cities. Strategically located in Chiang Mai and Da Nang, the latest openings enable us to provide better support to our customers with technology-driven logistic solutions and expand our market presence,” said Jesper Larsen, Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics South East Asia.

Chiang Mai, located in northern Thailand, is home to a number of electronics, fashion and sports, and food companies. With industry expertise, Dachser provides customized solutions with efficient and high-quality services to customers.

“Da Nang is an important traffic hub for the Central Vietnam Region with an international airport and deep sea port. The company’s new office, located in a prime area of Hai Chau District, serves customers spread across eight industrial parks and clusters, covering all major industries in the city,” said Oliver Cierocki, Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics Vietnam. “We are committed to growing with our customers and meeting their stringent requirements on reliability, efficiency and quality.”

Chiang Mai is Dachser’s fourth location in Thailand in addition to Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport and Laem Chabang. Da Nang is the company’s third location in Vietnam, besides Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Gateway to the well-established global network

With solid expertise in automotive, electronics and fashion and sports industries, Dachser is dedicated to providing comprehensive logistics solutions with excellent services and well-established global network to customers in Chiang Mai and Da Nang.

Hashtag: #Dachser

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

About Dachser

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,800 employees at 376 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 7.1 billion in 2021. The same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 83.6 million shipments weighing 42.8 million metric tons. Dachser is represented by its own country organizations in 42 countries.

In Asia Pacific, DACHSER has operations in 43 locations across 12 Business Areas with its Regional Head Office located in Hong Kong. For more information, please visit

BCEL Customers Raise Alarm After Losing Money Due to ATM Skimming

BCEL Bank has issued a statement warning customers of ATM skimming operations that have occurred at some of its machines around Laos.

Island Shangri-La Launches Themed Room Experiences in the Hotel’s Newly Enhanced Guest Rooms and Suites

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 13 March 2023 – Following on from the introduction of its newly enhanced guest rooms and suites, Island Shangri-La has launched a series of unique themed experiences that are sure to delight guests of all ages.

Northern Lights experience at Island Shangri-La’s enhanced guest rooms and suites
Northern Lights experience at Island Shangri-La’s enhanced guest rooms and suites

As well as enjoying a host of upgraded features and amenities, families checking into the newly renovated rooms can choose from four themed experiences—Princess World, Space Travel, Safari Park and Northern Lights—each of which features a captivating set-up that includes an in-room tent, special decorations and an overhead projector, transforming the room into a magical wonderland that kids will be thrilled to explore.

The recent renovation of the rooms and suites was led by renowned French designer Tristan Auer, whose previous projects include the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, the Mahanakon Sky Bar in Bangkok and the Cotton House hotel on the private island of Mustique in the Caribbean. Drawing inspiration from Hong Kong architecture and culture while deftly blending contemporary Asian and Parisian aesthetics, Auer has succeeded in creating rooms and suites that are as distinctive as they are sophisticated, and which inspire an exalted sense of calm and well-being.

Perfectly reflecting the modern traveller’s desire for luxury and convenience, the generously proportioned rooms and suites include multifunctional in-room pantries, adaptable desk tables and seamlessly integrated technology, all of which help to create a versatile space that is ideal for families. Each room also has a beautifully upholstered, made-to-measure daybed that provides the ideal space for parents and kids to unwind upon while also offering the flexibility to accommodate two additional guests.

Colour palettes, meanwhile, have been chosen to harmonise with the different vistas visible from the windows, with each room “Framing the View” in a way that heightens the interplay between the exterior landscape and the interior decor.

The newly renovated rooms and suites are available from HK$ 4,800+ per night, which includes a complimentary hotel credit of up to HK$ 2,000 (depending on room type) and a free upgrade to a themed experience. Bookings can be made online through the hotel website. For more information or reservations, please contact our Reservations Team via e-mail at reservations.isl@shangri-la.com or call (852) 2820 8333.

Hashtag: #IslandShangriLa

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

About Shangri-La

Shangri-La, an iconic flagship brand of the Shangri-La Group, puts heartfelt service at the core of its distinctive Asian hospitality experience. Through imaginative and nature-inspired design, delightful culinary and cultural experiences, and its authentic and thoughtful service, the brand enables guests to realise their own moments of Shangri-La.

Today, the brand experience is brought to life in over 90 deluxe hotels and resorts at destinations around the world, including Australia, Canada, Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Shangri-La Circle is a transformation of Shangri-La Group’s award-winning Golden Circle loyalty programme – a new contemporary Asian travel lifestyle platform built on the idea that life is meant to be fun, limitless and full of possibilities. Shangri-La Circle offers members a world of enhanced benefits at every point of their journey at over 100 Shangri-La, Kerry, JEN and Traders properties worldwide, along with the Group’s portfolio of restaurants, wellness facilities and family experiences. Specific details of these new benefits and enhancements can be found . For more information, please visit .

To enroll as a member or stay up to date with the latest Shangri-La Circle announcements and offers, visit , connect with us on , , and , or simply download the Shangri-La mobile app .

For more information, please visit .

Ballard Power Test Drives First Hydrogen LCVs

Vancouver, British Columbia – Newsfile Corp. – March 10, 2023 – First Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV: FHYD) (OTC Pink: FHYDF) (FSE: FIT) (“FIRST HYDROGEN” or the “Company“) welcomed Ballard Power Systems (“Ballard”) to test drive its first-generation zero emission light commercial vehicle (“LCV”) at AVL Powertrain’s engineering facility in Basildon, UK. Ballard partnered with First Hydrogen to develop these first-of-their-kind hydrogen powered LCVs. The two Generation I vehicles use a combination of Ballard’s latest LCS fuel cell stack and First Hydrogen’s proprietary technology.

The First Hydrogen vehicles will be deployed with major fleet operators that have already enrolled to drive the hydrogen zero-emission LCV’s. One of the UK’s largest fleet operators will start the test drive process imminently. A total of 15 major fleet operators have registered to participate as part of the UK Aggregated Hydrogen Freight Consortium (“AHFC”). The trials give commercial operators from a range of sectors – including grocery, express delivery, utilities, and roadside assistance – the opportunity to test hydrogen-powered-fuel-cell electric vehicles alongside their existing fleets and compare different technologies.

The Generation I vehicles act as proof of concept and enable fleet operators, refuelling services and prospective customers to test fuel cell vehicles in real-world conditions. The LCVs are currently undergoing vehicle evaluation and mileage accumulation, which will support optimised vehicle efficiency. The data collected enables First Hydrogen to accurately calculate fuel consumption and vehicle range under different driving conditions and inform future vehicle development.

Importantly, the findings enable the Company to provide total cost of ownership (“TCO”) data to prospective customers. Ballard’s LCS fuel cell stack technology was chosen for its maximum performance and lifetime durability, which helps to further optimise TCO and make the transition to zero emission vehicles financially competitive. To support the move to net zero, First Hydrogen is also developing an end-to-end ‘Hydrogen-as-a-Service’ solution, providing fleets with green hydrogen fuel, fleet aftercare and zero emission vehicles.

The global LCV market is projected to reach USD 751.86 billion by 2030, increasing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% during the forecast period (2022-2030). To meet the market’s need to achieve emissions targets and to capitalise on improving zero emission infrastructure, First Hydrogen is leading the change in the LCV sector with functional, clean fleet solutions.

David Mucciacciaro, CCO at Ballard Power Systems, commented: “We were pleased to experience First Hydrogen’s LCV first-hand and delighted to see how our leading fuel cell technology performs on the road in a light-duty application. Our plans to expand Ballard’s fuel cell production will enable the scale-up of the fuel cell market as we see continued investment and customer interest.”

Robert Campbell, CEO of First Hydrogen Energy, added: “Our close working relationship with Ballard has played a key role in developing First Hydrogen’s first generation of zero-emission LCVs. This was Ballard’s first visit to see the vans and we were keen for their team to see the vehicles in action before they enter our key fleet trial programme in the coming weeks.”

On behalf of the Board of Directors of
FIRST HYDROGEN CORP.
“Balraj Mann”
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Contact:
Balraj Mann
First Hydrogen Corp.
604-601-2018
investors@firsthydrogen.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains information or statements that constitute “forward-looking statements.” Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by words such as “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “projects,” “potential” and similar expressions, or that events or conditions “will,” “would,” “may,” “could” or “should” occur.

Forward-looking information may include, without limitation, statements regarding the operations, business, financial condition, expected financial results, performance, prospects, opportunities, priorities, targets, goals, ongoing objectives, milestones, strategies and outlook of First Hydrogen, and includes statements about, among other things, future developments and the future operations, strengths and strategies of First Hydrogen. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of presenting information about management’s current expectations and plans relating to the future and readers are cautioned that such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results.

The forward-looking statements made in this news release are based on management’s assumptions and analysis and other factors that may be drawn upon by management to form conclusions and make forecasts or projections, including management’s experience and assessments of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Although management believes that these assumptions, analyses and assessments are reasonable at the time the statements contained in this news release are made, actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. Examples of risks and factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from forward-looking statements may include: the timing and unpredictability of regulatory actions; regulatory, legislative, legal or other developments with respect to its operations or business; limited marketing and sales capabilities; early stage of the industry and product development; limited products; reliance on third parties; unfavourable publicity or consumer perception; general economic conditions and financial markets; the impact of increasing competition; the loss of key management personnel; capital requirements and liquidity; access to capital; the timing and amount of capital expenditures; the impact of COVID-19; shifts in the demand for First Hydrogen’s products and the size of the market; patent law reform; patent litigation and intellectual property; conflicts of interest; and general market and economic conditions.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of First Hydrogen as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. First Hydrogen undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICE PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

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

About First Hydrogen Corp. (FirstHydrogen.com)

First Hydrogen Corp. is a Vancouver and London UK-based company focused on zero-emission vehicles, green hydrogen production and distribution and supercritical carbon dioxide extractor systems. The Company is designing and building hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered light commercial demonstrator vehicles (“LCV”) under two agreements with AVL Powertrain and Ballard Power Systems Inc. The LCV will have a range of 500+ kilometres. At the same time, the Company has launched its bespoke vehicle design phase which will develop its fleet of proprietary zero-emission vehicles. First Hydrogen is also developing refueling capability working with FEV Consulting GmbH, the automotive consultancy of FEV Group of Aachen Germany. As well, the Company is pursuing opportunities in green hydrogen production and distribution in the UK, EU and North America.

Restrictive Visa Policies Make Vietnam Less Attractive to Tourists

Foreign tourists in Vietnam
Foreign tourists in Vietnam.

Officials in Vietnam say the country’s restrictive visa policies have affected foreign tourist arrivals and have pushed for more open regulations.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2022 Reaches Successful Conclusion

The annual competition saw record number of students participating and integrating STREAM knowledge and design thinking to “Innovate for a Better Hong Kong.”

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 12 March 2023 – The world’s leading technology company, Samsung Electronics H.K. Co. Ltd., today announced the 20 winning teams from the annual “Solve for Tomorrow – Innovate for a Better Hong Kong” competition. Although the competition occurred during the fifth wave of the pandemic, a record number of students participated in this year’s competition. More than 2,000 primary and secondary school students from more than 400 schools showcased their creative talent. With the ease and the relaxation of social distancing measures, all awards were given away at a prestigious physical presentation ceremony. All 20 winning teams shared cash prizes and products worth over HK$270,000.

“It is gratifying to see that the students have tried their best to design various innovative solutions with their technical knowledge and creativity that will improve the lives of Hong Kong residents,” said Yiyin Zhao, managing director of Samsung Electronics Hong Kong. “We hope that all the students will continue to develop their strengths and creativity and become leaders of tomorrow to bring positive societal change and innovate for a better Hong Kong,”

Solve for Tomorrow 2022 was hosted by Samsung and co-organised by the Association of IT Leaders in Education (AiTLE) and Hong Kong Education City. The presentation ceremony unveiled the primary and secondary school champions and the first and second runner-ups for each category, while giving out merits and awards for creative ideas.

“This year, we have added many new elements to the competition. Samsung has proposed an ‘Everyday Sustainability’ strategy, and we are committed to promoting sustainable living in all operations and businesses. The new Galaxy S23 series smartphones are designed with environmental protection in mind, as we use multiple recycled materials, 100% recycled paper packaging, and passed the UL ECOLOGO® certification to minimise the environmental footprint of the production process. Therefore, we hope that all students will be able to understand the importance of sustainable development, so we deliberately added elements of sustainable development to the judging criteria of this year’s competition. They include finding out whether the business model uses environmentally friendly materials and whether the design concepts could operate sustainably and expand to a wider level,” said Yiyin Zhao, managing director of Samsung Electronics Hong Kong.

This year, Samsung invested more resources in cultivating students’ STREAM knowledge. A series of STREAM workshops covered design thinking, modular design, programming, collaboration and presentation skills, video shooting, etc. These aimed to help student participants to broaden their knowledge and skills.

“The students were very enthusiastic about the workshop. It is gratifying to see that the students have tried their best to design various innovative solutions with their technical knowledge and creativity that will improve the lives of Hong Kong residents,” Ms Zhao added.

Ying Wa Primary School and St. Stephen’s Girls’ College emerge winners

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2022 Competition features three phases: Initial Selection, Mentoring Period and Presentation Day. The intense competition saw the judges go through hundreds of entries before choosing 8 teams from the primary and secondary schools as finalists. A mentor group of renowned entrepreneurs and Samsung employees helped to improve the entries and presentation during the Mentoring Period. On Presentation Day, each team presented the improved solutions to the judges. Ying Wa Primary School and St. Stephen’s Girls’ Secondary School won the primary and secondary school categories, respectively.

Ying Wa Primary School won the Champion of the primary school category with

Ying Wa Primary School won the Champion of the primary school category with “Enkindle”, a multi-dimension solution to help students relieve stress.

The Ying Wa Primary School team created the “Enkindle” to help students relieve stress. Enkindle consists of multiple parts. The mobile app analyses the user’s emotions with the device camera and the Personal Image Classifier (PIC), trained to recognise facial expressions. The app categorises the users’ emotions as happy, worrying or peaceful. Enkindle’s artificial intelligence emotional chatbot, which uses the extended function of ScSpeechRecognizer, analysed user conversations. It works with Micro-bit to control the opening and closing of an artificial flower, guiding users in breathing exercises to relax. It also plays alpha-wave stress-relieving music and sprays aromatherapy to calm emotions.

St. Stephen's Girls' Secondary School is the Champion of the secondary school category with their creative entry of

St. Stephen’s Girls’ Secondary School is the Champion of the secondary school category with their creative entry of “Reusable Package Box”, which can help courier companies and online stores wrap and deliver goods while reducing the environmental impact.

The St. Stephen’s Girls’ School team developed a “Reusable Package Box”(智盒惜), which can help courier companies and online stores wrap and deliver goods while reducing the environmental impact. The “Reusable Package Box”, designed for reuse many times, includes an inflatable layer inside the box for protection. It takes 28 seconds to inflate the layer, which is faster than the conventional 82 seconds. There is a transparent plastic bag outside the box for storing the recipient’s information that can be conveniently and quickly removed to protect privacy.

Winning teams of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2022 showcased their creative entries with ambition of

Winning teams of Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2022 showcased their creative entries with ambition of “Innovate for a Better Hong Kong)

The interior and exterior of the “Reusable Package Box” is coated with a nano-needle antibacterial layer. The coating price is affordable, and the coating is highly viscous, thus you can use water for easy cleaning You can fold the “Reusable Package Box ” for easy storage. Recipients can also return the boxes to a collection box and scan a barcode to collect the deposit. The collection box can be connected to the cloud to inform the courier company or online store to collect the boxes promptly.

“Adhering to our purpose of ‘Together for Tomorrow. Enabling People’, the new elements added this year strengthen students’ STREAM knowledge and 4C skills (Creativity, Critical thinking, Collaboration, and Communication). We hope that all the students will continue to develop their strengths and creativity and become leaders of tomorrow. I sincerely congratulate the winning teams and hope they can improve and develop their creative projects to bring positive societal change and innovate for a better Hong Kong,” added Zhao.

Winning list (Please refer to the appendix for details of the entries):

Primary School

Category

Champion
  • Ying Wa Primary School – Enkindle
1st Runner up
  • Yaumati Catholic Primary School (Hoi Wang Road) – COVID RAT detection device for blind people (新冠檢測無障礙裝置)
2nd Runner up
  • Po Leung Kuk Lam Man Chan English Primary School – Brain Helper (腦幫手)
Creative Idea Award
  • The Church of Christ in China Kei Wan Primary School (Aldrich Bay) – Elderly Fitness Device (長者健身裝置)
Merits

(6 teams)

  • Shanghai Alumni Primary School – Sewage detection app + boat (污水app+小船)
  • Marymount Primary School – Mask Recycling Machine “MRM”
  • Hong Kong Baptist Convention Primary School – Smart Cleaning Vehicle (智能清潔車)
  • Po Leung Kuk Dr Jimmy Wong Chi-Ho (Tin Sum Valley) – Stray Animal Detector (浪浪感應器)
  • Hong Kong Baptist Convention Primary School – Monitor Helper (班長小救星)
  • Ma On Shan Ling Liang Primary School – Water Tap Saver


Secondary School Category Champion
  • St. Stephen’s Girls’ College – Reusable Package Box (智盒惜)
1st Runner up
  • St. Teresa Secondary School – Reborn Park (載生圓宇宙)
2nd Runner up
  • Fung Kai No.1 Secondary School – Beach Cleanup AI Vehicle (沙灘清潔AI車)
Creative Idea Award
  • Ho Yu College and Primary School (Sponsored by Sik Sik Yuen – Paper We Cycle
Merits

(6 teams)

  • Po Leung Kuk Celine Ho Yam Tong College – Harvest of Courage
  • Belilios Public School – LiftBot
  • The Y.W.C.A Hioe Tjo Yoeng College – Stress Relieving Machine (吸負機)
  • Po Leung Kuk Celine Ho Yam Tong College – Medi”care”
  • SKH Li Ping Secondary School – Seawater Purification Machine (微膠獵人)
  • St. Paul’s Convent School – Care 360 (關愛360)

Hashtag: #Samsung

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

About Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is an annual competition that brings together the creativity and passion for new technologies of young people around the world, to solve social problems in local communities. In 2013, Samsung introduced this meaningful event to Hong Kong and inspired tens of thousands of students to come up with innovative solutions that address social issues in Hong Kong. Samsung is promoting the new educational philosophy of “STREAM4CARE”. Besides encouraging Hong Kong students to increase their knowledge of STREAM – Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics – Samsung hopes that they can develop empathy and sense of responsibility and apply their STREAM knowledge to contribute to society. Through the competition, Samsung hopes to cultivate the thought leaders of tomorrow, equipping them with both technological knowledge and the sense of responsibility of a global citizen. To learn more about Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, please visit:
.

About Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at .