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Four Years On, Attapeu Dam Collapse Victims Continue to Wait for New Homes

Attapeu dam disaster victims continue to wait for homes.
Unfinished houses built for victims of the 2018 dam collapse in Attapeu Province.

Victims of the dam collapse in Attapeu Province continue to wait for housing, four years after the disaster.  

Goodyear Joins Lockheed Martin to Commercialize Lunar Mobility

Vehicle Tires Designed for Extreme Temperatures in One Sixth Gravity on Crater-Filled Terrain

AKRON, OHIO – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company supplied essential products for NASA’s Apollo program, including the Apollo 11 mission which landed on the Moon 53 years ago today. The company will continue that tradition—focusing on lunar vehicle tires—by joining Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) in its development of a lunar mobility vehicle.

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Since Apollo, Goodyear continued innovating alongside NASA to advance designs for a lunar vehicle tire. The team of companies intends to be the first to establish extended-use commercial vehicle operations on the Moon. Goodyear brings its vast expertise in a mission-critical component to traverse the lunar surface, tires.

“NASA’s Artemis program to live and work on the Moon has a clear need for lunar surface transportation that we intend to meet with vehicles driven by astronauts or operated autonomously without crew,” said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin. “We’re developing this new generation of lunar mobility vehicle to be available to NASA and for commercial companies and even other space agencies to support science and human exploration. This approach exemplifies NASA’s desire for industry to take the lead with commercial efforts that enable the agency to be one of many customers.”

Goodyear is drawing from its advanced airless tire technology used on Earth with micro-mobility, autonomous shuttles and passenger vehicles, to advance lunar mobility and withstand the challenging conditions on the Moon. The companies are already applying existing expertise to the project including testing concepts in lunar soil test beds.

“Everything we learn from making tires for the Moon’s extremely difficult operating environment will help us make better airless tires on Earth,” said Chris Helsel, senior vice president, Global Operations and Chief Technology Officer at Goodyear. “This will contribute to our end goal of enabling mobility no matter where it takes place. Just as important, it is an honor to write history with this prestigious company who knows how to make giant leaps in exploration and mobility.”

The Apollo lunar rovers were purposely built for just a few days of use on excursions within five miles of their landing sites. Future missions will need to traverse rugged terrain over much longer distances while operating in greater temperature extremes. New tire capabilities will need to be developed for years of durability and even survive the night that sees temperatures of below -250 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime temps of over 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lockheed Martin leads this growing team by leveraging its more than 50-year-history of working with NASA on deep space human and robotic spacecraft, such as NASA’s Orion exploration-class spaceship for Artemis and numerous Mars planetary spacecraft. The company will also manage the development of the program’s commercial business operations and engagement with NASA and global space agencies. Lockheed Martin has also helped NASA explore every planet of our solar system, and continues to develop new technologies for future space missions.

Another teammate, MDA of Canada, recently announced its commercial robotic arm technology will be used on the human-rated lunar mobility vehicles. The arm will provide valuable contributions as support for astronauts as well as enabling greater functionality of the rover on fully autonomous missions.

Together, the teams are applying unique perspectives and shared expertise to new challenges and market approaches that are being considered for the first time. The companies expect to have its first vehicle on the surface of the Moon in time to support NASA’s first landed mission that will have the first woman and first person of color walk on the Moon, currently planned for 2025.

Hashtag: #Goodyear

About The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to .

About Lockheed Martin

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 114,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. Please follow on Twitter for the latest announcements and news across the corporation, and follow to learn more about the latest technologies, missions and people driving the future of space.

ERP Implementations Still Biggest Concern for About Half of Customers, Says 2022 Epicor Industry Insights Report

Annual Epicor Study Also Reveals 90 Percent of Cloud Users Believe the Flexibility, Agility, and Security Benefits of Moving to the Cloud Outweigh the Migration Effort

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 – According to a recent research study from Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software designed to promote business growth, a resounding 96 percent of organizations surveyed worldwide have confidence in their ability to navigate the early stages of the ERP purchase process, from initial evaluation to requirements planning. However, 48 percent cited a strong need for more support and partnership from their ERP providers during the latter stages of the purchase journey – from implementation, go-live, and ongoing customer care – to ease migration and realize faster time-to-value.

The 2022 Epicor Industry Insights Report surveyed more than 1,350 ERP users in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand to reveal what is driving organizations to look for – and expect more – from their ERP providers, especially critical as organizations are increasingly presented with a growing number of options in making the move to the cloud and expanding technology capabilities beyond traditional ERP.

According to the study, 82 percent of respondents were operating in a hybrid cloud environment, with 46 percent either primarily or entirely in the cloud, a slight uptick from survey findings in 2021 which saw a large increase in cloud consideration driven by the pandemic. In fact, 90 percent of decision makers indicated their move to the cloud was worth the effort, having realized a variety of transformational benefits including improved flexibility and adaptability, better security, simple regulatory compliance, and enhanced business resilience.

But while the vast majority of these respondents using cloud solutions – nearly 90 percent – said they feel loyal to their current ERP provider, nearly half of decision makers said they actively consider moving to a new ERP solution every one to three years, due in part to industry innovation and rapid digital transformation delivering a proliferation of new technologies. Common triggers cited for re-evaluation include better functionality from another provider, integration challenges with new technologies, cybersecurity concerns, and stronger customer support. For ERP providers, there’s no room for complacency.

“Companies are setting a higher bar for their ERP providers to deliver on more than just the technology itself,” said Steve Murphy, CEO of Epicor. “Our annual study shows that customers want a provider that can not only tailor their solution to the industry-specific needs that fit the customer’s business, but also collaborate closely throughout the entire purchase journey to provide transparency, strengthen onboarding and training, ensure dedicated support teams, and ultimately help realize meaningful business value. To do that, the ERP provider can’t just be a software expert, they must also act as a committed partner.”

The study identified five phases of the customer experience – from sales, planning, implementation, go-live, and ongoing support – and what respondents need across each. The collective insights from the study show a clear picture of what customers are really looking for from their ERP partner:

  • Industry-Specific Knowledge and Guidance: Customers need to be confident that their ERP partner knows their industry and understands their business. They want guidance and solutions that are curated to their specific needs, especially during the implementation and go-live phases of the journey.
  • Interoperability and Data Support: For successful migration and integration, having a dedicated support team is a must-have. From supporting backup and data hygiene issues, to ensuring successful interoperability across applications, expert support delivers a better experience for customers.
  • Staff Training and Materials: Migrating to a new ERP solution can feel daunting, and it is essential for customers to get staff up to speed as quickly and seamlessly as possible. Businesses value staff training and onboarding materials that help make the switch a successful and painless experience.
  • Greater Transparency: Businesses really value transparency and clarity, especially during evaluation and planning. They are concerned by a lack of transparency around pricing and security, and worried by a lack of clarity around training during migration.
  • Better Partnership: Teamwork and partnership are crucial. Businesses want a consistent team that supports them at every stage. From initial contact, to “on the ground” support for go-live and beyond, they need to know they are a priority.

To download a copy of the 2022 Epicor Industry Insights Report, please visit our website.

Survey Methodology
PSB conducted an online survey among 1,350 IT decision-makers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and New Zealand. The interviews were conducted in English from April 1 to 22, 2022. The margin of error for the total sample is +/-2.76 ppts, and larger for sub-groups.

Hashtag: #Epicor

About Epicor

Epicor equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Innovative Epicor solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to respond flexibly to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates its customers’ ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective. Visit for more information.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation. Results are not guaranteed, and each user’s experience will vary.

OR to invest in Traveloka, a travel and lifestyle platform

This collaboration will see OR expanding its reach into the travel sector, as well as strengthen their lifestyle business

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 –Traveloka, a travel and lifestyle platform in Southeast Asia, is pleased to announce that PTT Oil and Retail Business Public Company Limited (“OR”) will invest in Traveloka, through its subsidiary, PTTOR International Holdings (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (“SGHoldCo“). This is a major step for OR to expand into the travel sector and strive to become a one-stop solution for all lifestyles.

Traveloka-OR.jpg

From right to left: Ferry Unardi (Mr.), Jiraphon Kawswat (Ms.), Rajsuda Rungsiyakull (Ms.) present at the signing ceremony

Miss Jiraphon Kawswat, President and Chief Executive Officer of OR hosted a signing ceremony of the Collaboration Agreement between OR and Traveloka on 26 July 2022, where Mr. Ferry Unardi, Co-Founder and CEO of Traveloka was also present.

According to Miss Kawswat, the travel sector is an area of focus for OR, as tourism is one of the major economic contributors to the Thai economy. The tourism sector employs a large portion of the Thai population and many Thai SMEs are also reliant on this segment. The travel sector in Thailand and Southeast Asia has enjoyed high growth rates, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to rebound quickly following the easing of travel restrictions, and the recovery in travel demand. Collaborations between OR and Traveloka will provide additional lifestyle solutions to OR customers in line with OR’s strategy to become a one-stop solution for all lifestyles. This collaboration will also provide growth opportunities to both OR and Traveloka, in domestic and international markets in accordance with OR’s strategy to focus on Outside-In Growth, as both OR and Traveloka seek new investment opportunities together with partners, to provide more solutions to address customers’ needs. In addition, this will also create new opportunities for Thai SMEs and Thai individuals in the travel sector to grow together with OR.

“OR foresees many opportunities and possibilities that we can realize from this collaboration. Not only can this partnership provide new opportunities to OR in the travel sector, it can also provide additional venues for OR’s existing partners and business alliances to grow together with OR and to deliver greater offerings and experiences to OR customers. Given Traveloka’s position as a leading online platform for travel and lifestyle services in Southeast Asia, as well as its strong technology capabilities, I believe there is a range of areas OR can explore together with Traveloka, to further enhance our tech capabilities”, said Miss Kawswat.

This collaboration is also a positive step in furthering Traveloka’s mission of fulfilling the aspirations of its users and allowing its merchant-partners to thrive. “We see immense value from the collaboration as we see the region growing at a rapid pace, leading to greater opportunities in the industry. We are excited to work with OR, with its expertise in creating great businesses with a customer-focused approach, to capture the demand and provide enhanced solutions to our customers, while also creating new opportunities for our merchant-partners in Thailand and the region”, Mr. Unardi says.

Hashtag: #Traveloka

About Traveloka

Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s lifestyle superapp, provides users access to discover and purchase a wide range of travel, local services, and financial services products. Traveloka’s comprehensive product portfolio includes transport booking services such as flight tickets, bus, trains, car rental, airport transfer, as well as access to the largest accommodation inventory in Southeast Asia, including hotels, apartments, guest houses, homestays, resorts, and villas, making Traveloka a booking platform with the widest selection of accommodation and packages.

Traveloka is also a key player in the local services category (currently specific to certain markets), offering reservations for a wide range of local attractions, activities, wellness and beauty clinics, culinary directories as well as food delivery. Traveloka also offers financing, payment, and insurance products to help Southeast Asian consumers fulfill their lifestyle aspirations. Traveloka provides 24/7 customer service in local languages as well as more than 40 different local payment methods. Traveloka lifestyle superapp has been downloaded more than 100 million times, making it the most popular travel and lifestyle booking application in the Southeast Asian region.

For more information, please visit:

Laos Fights on Two Fronts as Dengue Strikes and Covid Returns to the Region

Covid-19 and dengue fever outbreaks in Laos(Photo:medicinasa).

During a peak in dengue fever, with more than 12,000 cases, Laos also faces a new wave of Covid-19 outbreak.

FastLane Group Celebrates 9 Years Partnership with Xero Working Together to Embrace Digital Transformation

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 – FastLane combines innovation and technology to provide professional services with a particular focus on entrepreneurs, start-ups, fast-growing technology companies and SMEs with a team of well-experienced and qualified accountants and auditors to ensure that companies comply with the Hong Kong regulatory requirements. It also provides one-stop service offerings from accounting, audit and assurance, taxation, company formation and corporate services, human resources and payroll outsourcing and CFO advisory services.

Being a Xero Platinum partner, the Group helps clients enter financial data using Xero as part of their regular accounting outsourcing service. Data will then be interpreted and analyzes and offers useful insights to run their business. Cloud-based services like Xero offer users the ability to digitally store, access, deliver and process data across several linked devices. Users are able to share information and resources anywhere and on any device. It has been utilized by small firms to scale their business without spending a significant amount of investment in their IT infrastructure.

Xero provides scalability, unlimited team members and integrates with numerous other apps in the Xero app ecosystem including Hubdoc and Xero Expenses, these apps work seamlessly with Xero to provide clients with an end-to-end cloud solution and help people to kickstart their move towards digital transformation easily.

Xero offers businesses a simple, yet powerful tool to manage their business’s finances through the cloud. This is especially useful for businesses that utilize the services of Hong Kong CPA and audit firms, like FastLane. From basic bookkeeping to efficient online invoicing and detailed financial reporting, all financial aspects of running a business can be completed online through the cloud. Access to applications like Xero allows businesses greater flexibility in dealing with their auditors.

With its emphasis on providing excellent accounting and advisory services to SME’s, FastLane understands the common business issues encountered by the SME community and it has seen the global economy become an increasingly difficult landscape to navigate and to the extent that the current economic landscape continues to develop for the worse, start-ups and SME’s will be increasingly susceptible to negative economic developments. As such, start-ups / SME’s must be able to ensure their businesses remain lean and flexible to hedge against such changes.

FastLane’s qualified accountants and auditors have the right knowledge working with start-ups / SME’s to deal with the unfavourable economic developments, developing measures in improving productivity, cutting cost and managing the cashflow.

To learn more, please visit https://fastlanepro.hk/.

Hashtag: #FastLaneGroup

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

Edvance Technology partners with TianJi Partners to provide Digital Risk Protection solutions for Hong Kong and Macau

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 – Edvance Technology (Hong Kong) Limited (“Edvance Technology”), a leading value-added distributor of cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has entered into a distribution partnership with Beijing TianJi Partners Information Technology Co., Ltd (“TianJi Partners”), a leading provider of Digital Risk Protection (DRP) solutions.

TianJi Partners’ DRP solutions protect against the risk of brand impersonation across multiple platforms such as web services, App stores, social media, and the deep and dark web. When the system detects new instances of brand impersonations, real-time alerts are sent to brand owners so that immediate mitigating actions can be taken to shut down these fake and often harmful services. This new partnership will enable enterprises in the market to access and deploy TianJi Partners’ DRP solutions, backed by Edvance Technology’s proven track record of implementing best-in-class cybersecurity solutions across different industries and government organizations.

“We are excited to partner with Edvance Technology which has an established track record in distributing cybersecurity solutions and a strong channel network that can effectively help to drive TianJi Partners’ strategic market expansion.” stated Mr. Yang Dalu, Founder & CEO, TianJi Partners. “This partnership is a great opportunity to expand our market presence in Hong Kong and Macau. We look forward to working with Edvance Technology to take our DRP solutions to the market.” Mr. Yang said.

“There is strong demand for DRP in the market, driven by the need for businesses to digitalize their processes and consumer experiences. TianJi Partners’ DRP solutions help enterprises to monitor and keep a finger on the pulse on threats as they emerge so that brand owners can take immediate mitigation actions. We see tremendous potential for TianJi Partners’ DRP solutions as enterprises often lack the resources and tools to effectively tackle bogus websites and platforms that are trying to do harm to their customers. Failure to properly defend against impersonation risks can result in huge reputational damage and loss.” said Ms. Sammi Tsai, CEO, Edvance Technology.

Hashtag: #EdvanceTechnology

About Edvance Technology

Edvance Technology (Hong Kong) Limited is a leading value-added distributor of cybersecurity solutions in Hong Kong. We have a proven track record of implementing best-in-class global cybersecurity solutions for enterprises across different industries and government organizations. Our specialist team of consultants and service delivery experts sets us apart to ensure clients’ investment in cybersecurity becomes a success.

Edvance Technology is a member of Edvance International Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 01410.HK).

Company website:

About TianJi Partners
TianJi Partners, founded in June 2015, is a leading Threat Intelligence solutions provider headquartered in Beijing, with our own research and development centre in Shijiazhuang. We deliver substantial business value to customers via our expertise in cybersecurity and digital risk protection. Our Threat intelligence applications and digital risk protection solutions are relied upon by hundreds of clients in China across multiple industries covering the government, finance, Internet, communication, energy and other industry sectors.

Company website :

Razer Merchant Services Partners With Atome To Expand BNPL Acceptance For B2C Merchants

The partnership will enable Buy Now Pay Later options to enable flexible deferred payments during checkout at online & offline merchants, including Starbucks.

SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA Media OutReach28 July 2022 – Razer Merchant Services (RMS), the B2B arm of Razer Fintech, has partnered with Atome, Asia’s leading Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) brand, to enable flexible deferred payment acceptance during checkout at online and offline RMS merchants. Starbucks is among the first RMS merchants to pioneer Atome’s flexible payment method through this partnership.

Through this partnership between RMS and Atome, customers of Starbucks and other B2C merchants with BNPL enabled can enjoy the benefits from flexible deferred payments, making their products more attainable.

BNPL, known widely as the payment option to enable flexible deferred payments at zero interest, has a booming market with expected growth of US$7.3 billion in 2019 to US$33.6 billion in 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2%, Coherent Market Insights estimates. According to the 2021 e-Conomy SEA report, the internet penetration in Southeast Asia has risen to 75%, with 40 million new internet users in 2021.

Atome today partners with over 3,000 merchants in the country since entering the market in Q3 2020. Average order value has increased by more than 30%, with an estimated 85% rate of return customers, while consumers using Atome have contributed over 25% of sales for merchants.

“RMS is very excited for this partnership with Atome, as it will benefit our merchants and their customers by offering the latest and most convenient payment methods across Malaysia. We look forward to extending this partnership with Atome to reach and penetrate the Southeast Asian market for consumers who do not have access to card scheme instalments.” said Lee Li Meng, CEO of Razer Fintech.

“Through our strategic partnership with RMS, we hope to continue supporting merchants by offering a flexible, secure, and seamless experience to their customers, to further drive their sales and conversions with flexible deferred payments. We are also excited for Atome users who can now pay for their purchases and for RMS merchants who can attract and retain customers with Atome’s BNPL,” said Jeremy Wong, Head of Strategic Partnerships at Atome.

To pay, users first have to download Atome’s app and register an account, before selecting Atome as the checkout payment option.

Hashtag: #RazerMerchantServices #Atome

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 ATOME
is a leading buy now pay later platform in Asia, partnering online and offline retailers to increase conversions and grow average orders and customer segments. It currently partners over 10,000 online and offline retailers in 10 markets (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, mainland China and Japan). Key merchant partners include Sephora, Agoda, ZALORA, SHEIN, Zara, Marks & Spencer, Charles & Keith, Aldo and Pandora. For consumers, Atome offers choice, convenience and flexibility in how they choose to shop and pay. Atome is part of Advance Intelligence Group, one of the largest independent technology startups based in Singapore. Founded in 2016, the Group has presence across South and Southeast Asia, Latin America and Greater China. The Group is backed by top tier investors SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Warburg Pincus, Northstar, Vision Plus Capital, Gaorong Capital, Pavilion Capital, GSR Ventures and EDBI.

Atome is available on the and on .