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WHO to Consider Whether Monkeypox a Public Health Emergency 

WHO Director General, Mr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesussaid

The World Health Organization (WHO) will make a decision on whether the Monkeypox outbreak is a world health emergency.

Boom in Skateboarding Builds Community, Lao Style

Participants at Goofy's Skate Jam in March (photo credit: Mon Jester)

A recent boom of skateboarding in Vientiane offers creative, welcoming spaces while reflecting Laos’ resourceful spirit and collectivist values, writes Bridget Dooley.

#bikelikeaboss Promotes Cycling’s Benefits for Health, Environment

Australian Embassy workers cycle as part of the challenge (source: Australia in Laos Facebook page)

#bikelikeaboss encourages cycling as one of a number of healthy options for people and the environment.

Asia Pulp And Paper’s Foopak Bio Natura Expands Global Plastic-Free Mission Into Singapore

Through its flagship brand, Foopak Bio Natura, Asia Pulp And Paper continues to make progress towards its ambitious commitments for a sustainable and plastic-free world.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 June 2022 – It is now easier for food and beverage (F&B) businesses in Singapore to achieve their sustainability goals with Foopak Bio Natura’s range of environmentally friendly and plastic-free food packaging, led by Asia Pulp and Paper.

The Indonesia-based manufacturing company is intensifying its actions to reduce 70% of plastic waste by 2025 and achieve net-zero by 2040 through its Sustainable Roadmap 2030. This year, the company announced that they are expanding into Singapore to provide F&B businesses with the solutions they need to meet their sustainability goals. F&B companies will gain access to a comprehensive suite of sustainable food packaging solutions as an alternative to packaging waste.

Certified Plastic-Free Food Packaging

Foopak Bio Natura holds a plastic-free certification from Flustix, an international plastic-free certification body based in Germany, after rigorous and stringent multi-tiered analytical testing.

In addition, it conforms to the US FDA standards and fulfils REACH requirements for direct food contact whilst addressing plastic waste concerns. OWS Belgium’s testing confirmed that Asia Pulp & Paper’s Foopak Bio Natura food packaging decomposes naturally into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass instead of traditional plastic-coated food packaging, which takes hundreds of years to decompose.

With 400 million metric tons of plastic waste produced annually worldwide, Foopak Bio Natura sets itself apart with not only recyclable and compostable products at both industrial composting facilities but also in the homes of consumers. Asia Pulp And Paper’s comprehensive range of Foopak Bio Natura packaging products can biodegrade fully in the backyards or gardens of homes within 24 weeks – all to support a greener and more sustainable environment.

Good For The People And Planet

In addition to achieving plastic-free certification, all Foopak Bio Natura also offers hard-sized, greaseproof, extensive KIT levels of papers and boards that are oven- and microwave-safe, as well as freezer-safe packaging. These products have also passed ISEGA testing, indicating that they can withstand a temperature of at least 200°C for the duration of heating without chemical migration, ensuring safety for consumption.

The Mission Behind Asia Pulp & Paper’s Launch Of Foopak Bio Natura

As sustainability continues to be one of the highest priorities in the food packaging industry, Asia Pulp and Paper brings a compostable option to one of the most underserved parts of the market. Many food packaging comprises plastic lining in them, even in paper-based containers. This poses a difficulty for recycling centres as they are not equipped with the technology to separate plastic waste from paper ones, and, therefore, send them directly to the landfill for disposal.

Recognising the need and lack of environmentally-conscious packaging against global plastic waste leakage, mostly from food and drink packaging in Asia, Asia Pulp And Paper’s Foopak Bio Naturais primed to combat the rising plastic pollution in the F&B industries across the world.

About Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) Sinar Mas is a trade name of pulp and paper manufacturing companies that delivers quality products to meet the growing global demand for tissue, packaging and paper. APP Sinar Mas’ products are marketed in more than 150 countries across six continents.

As a sustainable and responsible business, we create products and operate with care for our employees, society and the environment. We do this by leveraging technology and innovation, partnering the community and adhering to international business and operating standards across our production and supply chain.

We subscribe to the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and our Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2030 guides us in fulfilling our commitment to protect forests, support communities, conserve biodiversity and achieve carbon neutrality across our operations by 2030.


#AsiaPulp&Paper

Microsoft Hong Kong and CUHK Business School join hand to nurture future ready digital talent

The collaboration sees CUHK Business School become the first business school as the authorised exam centre for Microsoft Certifications in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 16 June 2022 – Microsoft Hong Kong and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School have formed a strategic partnership to nurture the development of digital skillsets that will be vital for future success in business.

CUHK Business School is the first business school in Hong Kong to become a Certiport Authorised Testing Centre, where students can obtain industry-recognised Microsoft Certifications starting in the new academic year, available to over 3,000 CUHK Business School students.

(From Left to Right) Prof. Seen-Meng Chew, Associate Dean (External Engagement) of CUHK Business School, Prof. Lin Zhou, Dean of CUHK Business School, Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau and Mr. Fred Sheu, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Hong Kong, announced the

(From Left to Right) Prof. Seen-Meng Chew, Associate Dean (External Engagement) of CUHK Business School, Prof. Lin Zhou, Dean of CUHK Business School, Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau and Mr. Fred Sheu, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Hong Kong, announced the “Strategic partnership to nurture elite digital talent” today.

The partnership gives CUHK Business School students access to Microsoft Fundamentals courses designed to equip them with in-demand digital skills in fields including AI, big data and the cloud. Training will be administered through the Microsoft Learn online platform. Upon successful course completion and passing the required assessments, students will be awarded with industry-recognised certifications.

With access to the education resources in Microsoft’s AI Business School, CUHK Business School will orchestrate digital transformation elements in its curriculum design, business case development and academic research enhancement.

CUHK Business School students will also have the opportunity to participate in capstone projects, chartered by Microsoft Hong Kong or its key partners or customers, to translate their knowledge and skills into innovative business solutions in practice.

Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau, added: “As digital transformation gathers pace, business leaders need to be increasingly adept in AI, data science and cloud computing. Microsoft understands that developing a transformation strategy extends far beyond business and technology to leadership and organisational capabilities. Microsoft certifications encompass both the technical and strategic side of transformation, empowering people with practical insights for their unique journey. We are thrilled to support the future-readiness of Hong Kong’s brightest talent through this partnership.”

“As a pioneer in business education in Asia, we are excited to partner with Microsoft to nurture a new generation of tech-savvy leaders ready for the future of work,” said Prof. Lin Zhou, Dean of CUHK Business School. “We are proud to be the first business school in Hong Kong designated as a Certiport Authorised Testing Centre to allow our students to acquire the in-demand industry-recognised certifications. The partnership is a testament to our commitment to developing relevant and competent talent and building the digital capabilities of our students to contribute to the digital transformation across different sectors in Hong Kong and beyond.”

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.

About CUHK Business School
Established in Hong Kong in 1963, CUHK Business School is the first business school to offer BBA, MBA and EMBA programmes in the region. The School currently has more than 4,500 students and the largest number of business alumni (40,000+) in Hong Kong.

More information is available at or by connecting with CUHK Business School on:
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WeChat: CUHKBusinessSchool

#Microsoft #CUHKBusinessSchool

tmtplaza Unveils Biggest Beauty Hub in Northwest New Territories: BEAUTY WORLD 40+ Trending International Beauty Brands Featured

HK’s First Mall to Create Green NFT Beauty Community with Membership Edge
1,000 Custom NFT Avatars Made with Local Green NFT Platform Articoin
$20M Enhancement & Promotion Projects to Drive 30% Beauty Business Growth

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 16 June 2022 – Following the rise of Metaverse, the non-fungible token (NFT) has taken the world by storm as a powerful catalyst for digital transformation in finance. The virtual investment tool also opens up new opportunities for business growth and marketing endeavours. Riding this new tide of business innovation, tmtplaza of Sino Group has incorporated NFT into its latest enhancement effort. The “Beauty Me NFT Community” is part of tmtplaza’s development strategy, launched in parallel with the new BEAUTY WORLD, the biggest beauty hub in Northwest New Territories, following a major facelift that brings together over 40 trending and international beauty brands and a multimedia campaign, making tmtplaza the first shopping mall in Hong Kong to offer an NFT-enabled membership programme. Members of this trailblazing community are in for the first-of-its-kind experience to personalise their NFT Avatars, with exclusive beauty experiences and offers to top off the membership privileges sustainably.

-Beauty-Me-NFT.jpg

Ms Bella Chhoa, Director – Asset Management of Sino Group, said the beauty floor of tmtplaza has undergone a renovation since the end of last year. The inauguration of BEAUTY WORLD marks the beginning of a relaunch campaign, including Hong Kong’s first membership programme run by a shopping mall to encompass green NFT in collaboration with the local green NFT platform Articoin. The project drives forward Sino Group’s vision of supporting sustainable development and entrepreneurship by reducing energy emission and carbon footprint, as well as helping start-ups in their efforts to transform innovative ideas into consumer experiences. A total of nearly $20 million in investments has been pulled for renovation and promotion projects.

Ms Chhoa said, “In the new era where the real and the virtual converge, tmtplaza incorporates NFT elements into its membership programme with a view to drawing 1,000 NFT owners into our ‘Beauty Me NFT Community’ as founding members, in particular the tech-savvy Millennials with purchasing power and a creative mindset. As we are unlocking the transformation of BEAUTY WORLD, it is about time to launch the ‘Beauty Community’ that combines virtual NFT and real-life membership programme to forge a lasting connection with our loyal customers. We are expecting that the campaign will bring a 15% increase in footfall and a 30% sales growth on pre-campaign figures for our beauty tenants.”

New BEAUTY WORLD Image as Biggest Beauty Hub in Northwest New Territories

The renovation project of tmtplaza’s beauty zone, which commenced in Q4 last year, was conceived to offer a more pleasant and intimate shopping environment where over 40 upmarket local and international beauty brands, equivalent to nearly 15% of the mall’s total number of tenants, craft inspiring and holistic beauty experiences with a stellar line-up of products in Northwest New Territories’ biggest beauty hub spanning over 50,000 square feet.

Virtual NFT Beauty Community with Real-life Membership and Personalised Avatars

The new image of BEAUTY WORLD will be unveiled in a series of beauty experiences and offers between 22 June and 26 July, alongside the launch of the “Beauty Me NFT Community” project, the first NFT-enabled membership programme run by a shopping mall in Hong Kong. Combining the best of both worlds, the programme allows customers to create their own avatars with the one-stop functionality of styling their favourite beauty looks – a proposition championed by BEAUTY WORLD. Customers with same-day spending totalling HK$2,000 at BEAUTY WORLD are eligible to create their own personalised avatars and own an NFT minted by the local green NFT platform Articoin. Serving as a non-monetary virtual ID, the exclusive NFT comes with the membership of the “Beauty Me” community. Customers do not need a crypto wallet to receive or store their own NFTs. This will allow all creative beauty enthusiasts to experience the innovation at the crossroads of the virtual and the real in an accessible way. The first instalment of the programme will give away 1,000 NFTs, whose owners will become the founding members of “Beauty Me NFT Community”, with exclusive and sustainable membership privileges including up to HK$1,088 welcome gifts, beauty experiences, dedicated beauty workshops, and shopping offers among others. tmtplaza will also roll out monthly, quarterly, and other campaign-driven membership perks for NFT-owners. What’s more, the city’s largest 540-inch in-mall LED display at the atrium will throw a spotlight on every NFT owner by dedicating screen time to their own avatar!

“Beauty Me NFT is an online-to-offline initiative combining NFT identification and real-life perk redemption as a win-win approach to enhance customer engagement and loyalty while drawing in footfall, sales and repeat customers. This NFT project is not a one-off event; rather, we aim to develop a long-term engagement with all NFT owners. tmtplaza will continue to grow this beauty-dedicated community, sustained via real-life membership offers and privileges and promoted through regular beauty campaigns,” Ms Chhoa added.

Green NFT Platform Articoin Tapped as Partner to Drive Sino’s Sustainability Goals

A staunch supporter of sustainability and start-ups, Sino Group invited local green NFT platform Articoin to mint green NFTs for tmtplaza. Sino Group initiated this partnership with a view to creating a platform for start-ups like Articoin to promote their messages and shared passion for sustainability.

Mr Wilson Ho, representative of Articoin said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Sino Group on this project. We share the same vision of integrating technology in everyday life and carrying through sustainability. The process emits an amount of carbon equivalent to ‘a minute’s human respiration’ for one ‘Beauty Me NFT’ – a substantial drop compared to the traditional minting method which gives off carbon of ‘two day’s breathing’.”

“BEAUTY WORLD Fest”: 5 Weeks of up to 74% Discounts
& 10,000+ Rewards Totalling HK$2M+ From 22 June

In addition to the “Beauty Me NFT Community”, visitors to tmtplaza are also invited to create their own avatars at the ‘BEAUTY WORLD Pop-up’. Better still, S⁺ REWARDS members can have their artworks printed as personalised collectible cards for a designated amount of points. There are also ‘Fun with Beauty’ claw machines giving away over 10,000 beauty gifts totalling HK$2 million+ to all shoppers at tmtplaza! During the “BEAUTY WORLD Fest”, 38 beauty brands will offer up to 74% discounts on 180 kinds of exclusive skincare and beauty sets.

What’s more, the BEAUTY WORLD Pop-up will feature five thematic weeks by five international beauty brands, with a fabulous stream of exclusive offers, unique beauty experiences, and workshops.

#tmtplaza #BEAUTYWORLD

Prime Day Returns to Singapore on July 12 & 13 with Thousands of Dream Deals on Amazon.sg

The two-day event will deliver incredible deals from top brands, including Dyson, PlayStation, Xiaomi, SK-II, LEGO, and across popular categories like Grocery, PC & Electronics, Household & Kitchen, Baby & Toys, Personal Care, and more

Members of the public can join us for the first-ever Prime Day ‘Pit Stop’ event from 9-10 July at Suntec City and 12-13 July at Ocean Financial Center to have a chance to win exclusive prizes, including Amazon.sg gift cards

Stay up to date with the latest Prime Day news at Amazon.sg/primeday

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 June 2022 – (NASDAQ: AMZN)Amazon’s annual Prime Day event is back in Singapore, offering Prime members two days of savings across thousands of deals at Amazon.sg/primeday. Prime Day kicks off at midnight SGT on July 12 and runs through July 13, exclusively for Prime members. Members will be able to save big on must-have products from top brands such as Dyson, PlayStation, Xiaomi, SK-II, and LEGO. They will also be able to explore incredible promotions from local brands and small and medium-sized businesses, including Pristine, Snailax, GINLEE, Epitex, and more.

To celebrate Prime Day, Amazon will be recreating a classic ‘carnival’ experience at the first-ever Prime Day Pit Stop event in Singapore. Members of public are invited to attend in-person and play classic games such as ‘cornhole’ to win exciting prizes, including Amazon.sg Gift Cards. Customers can find the Amazon truck at the entrance of Suntec Convention Centre along Temasek Boulevard on 9 and 10 July from 10am to 8pm, and at the main entrance of Ocean Financial Centre on 12 and 13 July from 10am to 7pm.

This year we’ve seen community and travel restrictions ease, and for many of us, things continue to look up as we adjust our way of living towards pre-pandemic normalcy,” said Henry Low, Country Manager of Amazon Singapore. “We’re very excited to celebrate Prime Day again this year to give our Prime members an incredible range of deals across a wide selection of items, while empowering local small businesses to reach new customers. We’re also looking forward to having our customers celebrate with us at our Prime Day Pit Stop event, as in-person activities start to become the norm again.”

Don’t miss all the deals you’ve been dreaming of this Prime Day

Prime Day is a celebration packed with new and unique benefits, offerings, and experiences just for Prime members. Here’s what to expect from July 12 to 13 on Amazon.sg/primeday. Please note, T&Cs apply to all promotions.

  • Thousands of Deals over 48hrs: Prime members will enjoy deals across a number of popular categories including Books and Toys, Grocery, Home and Kitchen, Electronics and PC, Baby, Beauty, Health and Personal Care, and more. Discounts include:
    o Buy 2 get 30% off or Buy 3 get 40% off selected Books and Toys products
    o Buy 3 get an extra 10% off selected products under Grocery and Beverages
    o Buy 2 get 1 free on selected Home and Kitchen products
    o Buy 3 for 2 on selected Electronics and PC products
    o Buy 3 get an extra 30% off on selected Baby, Beauty, and Health and Personal Care products
  • Curated selection of deals from small and medium-sized businesses: Shop from local and international small business sellers at Amazon.sg/smallbusinesses.
    o Buy 2 get 20% off selected products from GINLEE
    o Save up to 30% off Snailax, Epitex, Pristine Aroma, Manscaped, Renpho and more
  • Power through Prime Day with local favourite coffeestall chain Ya Kun Kaya Toast: From 12 to 13 July, get a S$5 Amazon.sg voucher with every purchase of a value set meal across Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlets in Singapore
  • New to Amazon.sg? Enjoy these perks:
    o First order on Amazon.sg? Get S$10 off S$50 with code NEWBIE
    o Get S$15 off S$50 on your first app purchase with code PRIMEDAY15
    o First order on Amazon Fresh? Get S$20 off S$70 with the code FRESH20. Prime members only.
  • Amazon Vouchers: Discover more ways to save with Amazon Vouchers. Find discounts on everyday essentials, as well as gifts, electronics, beauty, toys, and more. Simply clip the voucher and the discount will be applied at checkout. Visit Amazon.sg/vouchers for information.
  • Amazon.sg Gift Cards: Available during this Prime Day, Amazon.sg Gift Cards offer an easy, simple, and convenient gifting experience, providing access to an extensive selection of products on Amazon.sg at Amazon.sg/giftcard.

Shop Deals from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Prime Day provides small and medium businesses the opportunity to market their products to more than 200 million Prime members around the world. Last year’s Prime Day in Singapore delivered the two biggest days ever for small businesses on Amazon.sg, with more than 17,000 participating sellers, 7,000 of which joined Prime Day for the first time.

Tamir Niv, co-founder of womenswear label GINLEE, said: “We are very excited to be launching on Amazon.sg just in time to participate in our very first Prime Day event. As a small business, we are looking forward to growing our community of supporters through Amazon’s customer base locally, and eventually globally.”

Visit Amazon.sg/smallbusinesses to start shopping from small business sellers and visit Amazon.sg/primeday for the latest Prime Day news.

Every Day Made Better with Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime was designed to make your life better every single day. Over 200 million paid members around the world enjoy the many benefits of Prime, including the best of shopping and entertainment. Prime was built on the foundation of unlimited fast, free shipping. Prime members in Singapore enjoy access to tens of thousands of items available on Prime Now with free two-hour delivery on orders over S$60, as well as free one-day delivery on domestic Prime eligible items on . Members also enjoy access to millions of products on Amazon International Store on Amazon.sg with free international delivery on eligible orders over S$60. Prime is S$2.99 per month. Start a 30-day free trial of Prime at . In Singapore, Prime membership also includes unlimited access to award-winning movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, unlimited access to video game benefits with Prime Gaming, access to epic deals on Prime Day, and more.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, and Kindle are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit .

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NetApp Recognizes Achievements of Strategic Partners in Driving Digital Transformation at its FY22 APAC Partner Excellence Awards

Regional partners lauded for driving customer success with NetApp solutions and achieving revenue growth in cloud, AI, data protection, FlexPod® and ONTAP

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 June 2022 – NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, today announced the winners of its annual Asia-Pacific (APAC) Partner Excellence Awards at the NetApp Partner Summit 2022. These awards recognize partners that have demonstrated success in delivering new cloud experiences, unlocking greater business value for their customers, while driving impressive revenue growth over the past financial year.

The Award recipients showed outstanding results in NetApp® solutions sales in cloud, AI, data protection, FlexPod® and ONTAP by building specializations in key focus areas via the NetApp Unified Partner Program.

The award-winning NetApp Unified Partner Program enables participating partners to accelerate business growth, increase margin opportunities, and attain an optimal return on their relationship with NetApp and their customers.

Over the last year, NetApp has evolved its Unified Partner Program to better reflect the changing needs of customers. Partners are now working with NetApp in new ways, embracing the need to sell solutions, not just products, to address emerging customer demands and challenges in a data-driven digital world powered by the cloud.

With NetApp’s industry-leading portfolio of hybrid cloud data services and data management solutions, partners are well-positioned to help enterprises transition to the next stage of their digital transformation journeys and unlock the power of data wherever it resides: on-premises, in multiple public cloud environments, or anywhere in between.

“Data is now driving businesses, with the cloud becoming the IT infrastructure of choice. There are new buyers and decision makers among customers, and they are facing new complexities in IT,” said Sanjay Rohatgi, senior vice president and general manager, NetApp Asia Pacific & Japan. “We need to constantly innovate, specialize and learn new ways to serve customers in this data-driven world.

“We can only do this through a strong, highly capable and energized partner ecosystem. NetApp is putting massive investments to strengthen the capabilities of our Partners around the cloud. We are proud to recognize the impressive results and achievements of our partners at this Awards, and may they continue to prosper with us in unlocking the best of cloud for our customers.”

APAC Partner Excellence Award Winners for NetApp’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY’22):

  • Growth Partner of the Year: Softcell Technologies Global Pvt Ltd. (India)
  • New Account Acquisition Partner of the Year: Otsuka Corporation (Japan)
  • Cloud Partner of the Year: Meridian IT Pty Ltd. (Australia)
  • Solution Innovation (4 winners):
    • HKBN Enterprise Solutions Ltd. (Hong Kong)
    • PT Mitra Integrasi Informatika (Indonesia)
    • Kanematsu Electronics Ltd. (Japan)
    • KL Information Communication (Korea)
  • Service Partner of the Year: Itochu Techno-Solutions Corporation (Japan)
  • GSI Partner of the Year: Fujitsu Asia Pte Ltd. (Singapore)
  • Distributor of the Year: Zero One Technology Co Ltd. (Taiwan)
  • Partner of the Year: HwaCom Systems Inc. (Taiwan)

About NetApp

NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on-premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services and applications to the right people—anytime, anywhere. Learn more at or follow us on , , , and .

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at are trademarks of NetApp, Inc.

#NetApp