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Laos and Singapore Leaders Meet to Discuss All Things Energy

PM Phankham Viphavanh meeting Singapore President Halimah Yacob

The two countries are also looking at increasing cooperation in evolving areas like digital, sustainability and environmental protection. Laos and Singapore will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2024.

Laos Travel: What to Expect When Traveling to Laos

Tourists visit royal palace national museum in Luang Prabang

Whether you’re traveling to Vientiane, Laos or going on vacation in Laos somewhere else, we answer your questions. Where is Laos, and what does travel cost?

Attapeu Villagers to be Compensated For Losing Land to Dam Construction

Over 20 families in Khanmaknao village, Xanamxay district, Attapeu province, will be compensated for losing their land to a hydropower project on the Sekong River.

Taiwan famous TV show “Someday or One Day” Shooting Locations spark tourism discussions in Singapore, Tainan City Bureau of Tourism prepares for the recovery of Tourism in Tainan

TAINAN, TAIWAN – Media OutReach – 29 September 2022 – At the end of 2019, the Taiwanese TV series “Someday or One Day” was broadcasted in various Asian countries and it created a viral wave for Tainan in the 1990s. There was a lot of discussion amongst the fans when the Series was being filmed in Tainan, and with the upcoming remake, the Tainan City Bureau of Tourism used the historical and cultural attractions of the Series to create advertisements in South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia to prepare for the recovery of tourism in Tainan.

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Advertisement at Singapore Orchard MRT Station

Tainan, located in the southern part of Taiwan, is where everything started for Taiwan and has a long history and culture, and the City is also named by Michelin as a “food capital.” Tainan is only 80 minutes on the HSR from Taoyuan International Airport, and only a 50-minute drive from Kaohsiung International Airport.

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che said that Tainan is the capital of tourism and the city has been actively making improvements to match international tourism. Even with the impact of COVID-19, Tainan is still one of the few cities with improving tourism. Kuo Chen-hui, director of Tainan City Bureau of Tourism, said that Tainan is a historic capital of food that has plenty of history and culture, and its popular delicacies have generated plenty of international discussion. Business visas are already available to visitors, and Taiwan will soon issue tourism visas. To promote the tourism of the City, the Tainan City Government has not only worked hard to promote its tourism online, but also to cooperate with various Asian countries’ big cities to promote Tainan, showcase the beautiful city, and welcome tourists once the borders have been reopened.

Hashtag: #TainanCityGovernment

Razer Merchant Services Enables MyDebit Secure To Further Streamline Online Card Payments

Razer Merchant Services (RMS) aims to enable MyDebit Secure payment methods for 1,300 online merchants by Q3 2023 in Malaysia.

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 29 September 2022 – Razer Merchant Services (“RMS”), the B2B arm of Razer Fintech, announces the expansion of its digital payments suite with live enablement of PayNet’s MyDebit Secure for its merchants in Malaysia.

With 46 million MyDebit ATM cards in circulation, the MyDebit Secure payment option would enable consumers the benefit of using their payment cards to pay for online transactions with reduced fraud risk through technological advancements such as 3-D Secure 2.0. According to the e-Conomy SEA 2021 report, digital payment volumes are forecasted to exceed USD $1.2 trillion by 2025 in Southeast Asia, as the ever-increasing smartphone usage and internet penetration contribute to the shift in consumer behavior.

“Razer Merchant Services is very proud to partner with PayNet to further streamline card payment for all Malaysian debit and credit card holders at our online merchant touchpoints. We will expand the MyDebit Secure services to our online merchants initially, and subsequently offer this to all our merchants, with the support of PayNet, to ensure frictionless and seamless payments are available to all card holders,” said Lee Li Meng, CEO at Razer Fintech.

“With the growing adoption of digital payments and Malaysia advancing towards a cashless society, PayNet continues to enhance our payment offerings to allow merchants to best position themselves for the future of commerce and cater to the needs of their customers. MyDebit Secure which supports the 3-D Secure 2.0 protocol provides a safer online payment method for both merchants and end-users and also improves the speed of check-out,” said Farhan Ahmad, Group Chief Executive Officer of PayNet.

3-D Secure (3DS) 2.0 analyzes richer data to assist merchants in accepting payments only from legitimate customers, thus reducing the risk of fraud. With this additional layer of security, MyDebit cardholders performing MyDebit Secure transactions can enjoy less friction with a faster check-out experience as the One-Time Password (OTP) may not be necessary for all transactions. Additionally, the liability for chargebacks due to fraud shifts from the merchants to the issuing bank.

The first 1,300 RMS merchants with the MyDebit Secure payment option enabled are from industry verticals such as Insurance, Health, Apparel, Online Malls, Telco, Cosmetic Products, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Digital Content, Books and Charity. These merchants would benefit from competitive Merchant Discount Rates (MDR) and the 3DS 2.0 authentication protocol.

Hashtag: #RazerMerchantServices #RazerFintech #PayNet #MyDebit

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

About Razer Fintech

Razer Fintech is the financial technology arm of Razer Inc. Established in April 2018, Razer Fintech has grown to become one of the largest O2O (offline to online) digital payment networks in emerging markets and has processed over billions of dollars in total payment value. Razer Fintech recorded a Total Payment Volume (TPV) of US$7 billion for FY 2021, representing an increase of 63.5% year-on-year.

RMS, a leading B2B (business-to-business) solution encompasses:

  • RMS Online: Card processing gateway supporting global scheme cards and over 110 payment methods, powering online payments for global and regional blue-chip merchants in SEA.
  • RMS Offline: SEA’s largest offline payment network of over 1 million physical acceptance points across SEA. RMS Offline also extends point-of-sale services (such as bill payments and telco reloads), cash-over-counter services including fulfilment of e-commerce purchases, distribution of third-party point-of-sale activation (POSA) cards, and merchant acquiring services for third-party e-wallets.

For more information, please visit our website at .
Merchants interested in online payment services, may email us at .
Merchants interested in offline reloads, may email us at .

About Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd

  • Payments Network Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (“PayNet”) is the national payments network and shared central infrastructure for Malaysia financial markets and operator of MyDebit domestic debit card scheme with over 46 million cards in circulation. We innovate, build and operate world-class payment systems and financial market infrastructures that safely, reliably and efficiently enable the functioning and development of Malaysia financial ecosystem as well as the economy as a whole. PayNet also serves as a platform to harness the collaborative efforts of all providers of payment services to accelerate the adoption of electronic payments.
  • For more information, please visit www.paynet.my

Southco Introduces Free-Swinging Hinges in New Materials to Meet Demanding, Heavy-Duty Applications

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 29 September 2022 – Southco Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Southco Inc., a leading global provider of engineered access solutions such as locks, latches, captive fasteners, electronic access solutions and hinges/ positioning technology has extended its successful line of externally mounted free-swinging hinges with three new options designed for heavy-duty applications. The EH Free Swinging Hinge is now available in corrosion-resistant aluminum for outdoor use, a lightweight plastic version that provides optimum strength for both indoor and outdoor applications and a zinc version for indoor use.

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EH Free Swinging Hinges

The newest additions to Southco’s EH Free-Swinging Hinge series offer new solutions for a broad range of door dimensions and weights. Available in sizes up to 100mm, the EH Plastic Free-Swinging Hinge series provides a high-strength, economical solution for multiple interior and exterior application zones. The EH-8C Aluminum Free-Swinging Hinge features corrosion-resistance, with adjustability for large panels where mounting space is limited. Together with the EH-7A Zinc Free-Swinging Hinge, these hinges deliver high strength in a compact package, lowering overall equipment costs and reducing application weight.

“Southco’s new plastic, aluminum and zinc EH Free-Swinging Hinges extend our trusted line of surface mount hinges to address the requirements of heavy-duty applications,” adds Global Product Manager Stewart Beck. “The plastic hinge is compact and powerful, the aluminum hinge provides corrosion resistance, and the zinc hinge features adjustable mounting, offering solutions for demanding industries including HVAC, Industrial Equipment and Transportation.”

For more information about the latest Southco’s EH Free Swinging Hinge, please visit https://southco.com/EH.

Hashtag: #Southco

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

About Southco

Southco, Inc. is the leading global designer and manufacturer of engineered access solutions. From quality and performance to aesthetics and ergonomics, we understand that first impressions are lasting impressions in product design. For over 70 years, Southco has helped the world’s most recognized brands create value for their customers with innovative access solutions designed to enhance the touch points of their products in transportation and industrial applications, medical equipment, data centers and more. With unrivalled engineering resources, innovative products and a dedicated global team, Southco delivers the broadest portfolio of premium access solutions available to equipment designers throughout the world.

Southco Asia Limited
2401, Tower 2, Ever Gain Plaza
88 Container Port Road, Kwai Chung
Hong Kong

Brookside Energy kicks off phase-two drilling program in SWISH AOI

PERTH, WA – News Direct – 29 September 2022 – Brookside Energy Ltd (ASX:BRK) managing director David Prentice speaks with Andrew Scott about securing a rig for the Wolf Pack Well. This is a vital precursor to starting the Phase Two development drilling program in the SWISH Area of Interest in Oklahoma’s world-class Anadarko Basin. “Latshaw provided us with the great people and equipment for the drilling of our very first operated well in SWISH – our wonderfully successful Jewell Well,” says Prentice.

Hashtag: #BrooksideEnergy

PolyU announces new programmes and optimised flexible admission arrangements for 2023/24, offering a variety of alternative admission routes to students with special talents

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 September 2022 – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has launched the new departmental scheme-based admissions arrangement as well as two new elements, namely “Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis” (AIDA) and “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” (IE), from the 2022/23 academic year onwards to better equip students for societal needs. The University is also offering a variety of admission schemes to provide quality tertiary education to students with special talents and help them excel in both academia and their area of expertise. Starting from the 2023/24 academic year, PolyU will further optimise some of the departmental scheme-based admissions programmes, the flexible admission arrangements and other admission schemes, so as to enrich students’ learning experience and prepare them to become “leaders of tomorrow” with a global vision and strong sense of social responsibility, enabling them to bring positive impact to the community.

Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education) of PolyU, and Prof. Ben Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) of PolyU, introduce new programmes and the optimised flexible admission arrangements in the 2023/24 academic year.

Prof. Kwok-yin Wong, Vice President (Education) of PolyU (centre), and Prof. Ben Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) of PolyU (3rd from right), introduce new programmes and the optimised flexible admission arrangements in the 2023/24 academic year.

New programmes: Focusing on Chinese history and culture to deepen and widen the scope of study

Hong Kong plays a significant role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as well as other national development strategies. As such, young people who are biliterate, trilingual and well versed in Chinese history and culture are talents that the city longs for. In this regard, PolyU’s Faculty of Humanities will launch the new BA (Hons) Scheme in Chinese History and Culture in the 2023/24 academic year. The programme aims to deepen students’ understanding of Chinese culture through various dimensions such as history, philosophy, religions, arts and technologies. With an emphasis on both integration and practicability, students will be given chances to learn outside the classroom and participate in activities like field trips and visits. The programme will be taught in both Putonghua and English to enhance students’ language ability and oral proficiency.

Besides, the Linguistics programmes offered by the Faculty of Humanities will be restructured as the BA (Hons)/BSc (Hons) Scheme in Language Sciences, Translation, and Speech Therapy to cultivate the next generation of language talents. The new programme will offer new elements such as Language Analytics and Speech Therapy, to better equip students for societal needs. Students can select their Major in their second academic year from Speech Therapy, Linguistics and Translation, and Language Sciences and Analytics according to their own interests and specialities. In particular, the curriculum of BSc (Hons) in Speech Therapy is designed with reference to the practice/registration standards of speech therapists in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. Graduates will be qualified to practise as registered speech therapists in different service settings, such as the Hospital Authority, schools and private clinics.

In addition, PolyU’s School of Accounting and Finance will launch the first BBA (Hons) in Digital Finance and Investment under the BBA (Hons) Scheme in Accounting and Finance to respond to the needs of fintech talents. PolyU’s School of Fashion and Textiles will also restructure and rename the BA (Hons) Scheme in Fashion and Textiles to BA(Hons) Scheme in Fashion to address the demands of industry talents.

PolyU’s Vice President (Education), Prof. Kwok-yin WONG, said, “We have been enhancing our undergraduate programmes in line with the needs of social development. Starting from this academic year, PolyU has launched the departmental scheme-based admissions arrangement and two new elements, AIDA and IE, so as to meet future societal needs. These developments are well-received by students in general, as they find that the enhanced curriculum can help broaden their perspectives, enrich their academic knowledge and improve their competitiveness. Looking forward, Hong Kong will give full play to its unique strengths to speed up its integration into national development. Meanwhile, PolyU will continue to nurture more talents for societal needs. I hope that all of our students can leverage the flexible study options provided by the University to better equip themselves for the opportunities in the future and make contributions to the community.”

STARS and other admission schemes unleash students’ potential

PolyU offers a variety of admission schemes to serve as alternative admission routes for those whose exceptional achievements cannot be fully reflected in their Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination results. In addition to the Outstanding Sportsmen Recommendation Scheme (OSRS), which has been running for over 20 years, the University has commenced the Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme (STARS) in the 2022/23 academic year. Students who have demonstrated remarkable talents in sports; arts and culture; community service and leadership; and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) will be provided with opportunities to receive quality tertiary education.

Under the scheme, the University will provide all-round support to students with the STARS Residential College and the STARS Scholarship. Prof. Ben YOUNG, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), said, “Harnessing our quality holistic education, PolyU has been committed to nurturing our students into ‘leaders of tomorrow’ with professional knowledge, as well as an affection for Hong Kong and the country and a global perspective. As we value our students’ talents in different areas, we enable them to cultivate their potential and help them excel in both academia and their domain of expertise. A total of 94 freshmen were admitted through STARS this year. Some of them have participated and won awards in major international competitions, while others have been active in volunteering, or achieved exceptional performance in the area of innovation and technology. I sincerely wish that all the students who joined us through the first cohort of STARS can flourish at PolyU, and fully participate in our vibrant and dynamic campus life.” Prof. Young reminds students with special talents to submit their records of non-academic achievements with their applications, and place PolyU’s programmes higher on their JUPAS list.

Support offered under STARS includes:

  • STARS Scholarship of up to HK$100,000 per year
  • priority to be allocated at the STARS Residential College in the Homantin Halls to experience the diversified activities in the halls
  • individual mentorship of academic work
  • flexibility in learning and study assessments
  • extension of study periods

For details of STARS, please visit https://www.polyu.edu.hk/ar/ug-scholarships/

Separately, designated programmes of PolyU participating in the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS) in 2023/24 will be increased to 30 from 23 in the previous year. Secondary school principals are invited to submit their nominations to PolyU via an online system between 6 October and 7 December 2022.

Flexible admission arrangements for 2023/24

The flexibility towards the minimum score requirement for JUPAS admissions will be continued in 2023/24. Students who fall slightly short of the general entrance requirements for degree programmes, i.e. “3-3-2-2-3-3” (level 3 in both languages and level 2 in Mathematics and Liberal Studies together with level 3 in two additional electives) but meet the following conditions will be given special consideration for admission:

  • one HKDSE subject result is one level below the required level “3-3-2-2-3-3” with a total score# in their best five subjects at least one point higher than the scheme-based average score for the best five DSE subjects of the last admission exercise
  • have selected PolyU’s degree programmes as their Band A choices, i.e. their first three priorities, in JUPAS


#HKDSE level attainments will be converted to score points where Level 5**=8.5, 5*=7, 5=5.5, 4=4, 3=3, 2=2, 1=1

For further information on applying for PolyU’s undergraduate programmes, please visit www51.polyu.edu.hk/eprospectus/

PolyU Undergraduate Info Day to be held on 8 October 2022

PolyU will hold the Undergraduate Info Day 2022 (Info Day) from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on 8 October 2022 (Saturday). A broad range of activities will be available on the Info Day, such as admission talks, information seminars, consultation sessions, student sharing sessions, guided visits, exhibitions, and consultations with PolyU academic staff. There will also be talks on the newly launched STARS and the flexible admission arrangements to help prospective students with non-academic talents make an informed choice about their future academic pursuits at the University.

Highlight Events:

  • one JUPAS admission talk for Secondary Six students;
  • two admission talks for non-JUPAS applicants with international qualifications or sub-degree qualifications;
  • one admission talk to introduce STARS;
  • over 70 programme seminars organised by various faculties, schools and departments;
  • over 60 guided tours to various laboratories or facilities; and
  • student sharing and consultation sessions arranged by the Academic Registry and academic departments.

The Info Day will be held in a hybrid format. Participants are required to register in advance and choose the desired format and sessions. Please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/infoday/ for further information.

Undergraduate admission in the 2022/23 academic year

  • Among PolyU’s full-time public-funded undergraduate programmes, BSc (Hons) Scheme in Hotel and Tourism Management was the most popular, being chosen by 1,123 JUPAS applicants as their first choice. BSc (Hons) Scheme in Computing and AI and BBA (Hons) Scheme in Management and Marketing placed second and third, attracting 1,083 and 1,036 applicants respectively. More than 91% of PolyU admittees this year chose the University’s programmes as their Band A choices.
  • In terms of admission grades, the top three programmes were, subsequent to the Main Round Offer of JUPAS, BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy (average score for the best six HKDSE subjects: 39.8), BSc (Hons) in Radiography (average score for the best six HKDSE subjects: 38.1) and BSc (Hons) in Occupational Therapy (average score for the best six HKDSE subjects: 37.6) respectively.
  • Among the admittees via JUPAS, the average score for the best five HKDSE subjects was 23.9.
  • 277 undergraduates admitted this year achieved 5** in at least one subject, with both Chinese and English at level 3 or above, in the HKDSE examination, attaining a notable admissions profile.

Hashtag: #PolyU