Laos sees some 7,000 deaths each year from smoking-related illnesses, or 19 individuals per day, including nonsmokers who inhale secondhand smoke.
Laos-China Railway to Link with Thanaleng Dry Port
Authorities have begun preparations to link the Laos-China Railway to the Thanaleng Dry Port to better facilitate freight transportation.
Pfizer to Sell Drugs at Cost Price for Poorest Nations including Laos
Pfizer Inc intends to offer its full portfolio of brand-name pharmaceuticals at cost in up to 45 low-income countries, including Laos and Cambodia.
SOLARR CEO Alex Lee to Speak at Artaverse in Hong Kong
Lee will be a featured speaker presenting on “The Future of Utility NFTs”
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 26 May 2022 – SOLARR, Asia’s first decentralized NFT-Fi platform, announced today that Alex Lee, Founder and CEO of SOLARR, is scheduled to present on the future of utility NFTs at Artaverse on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 1:45 PM HKT.

Commenting on his upcoming talk at Artaverse about how utility NFTs will transform the future of NFTs, Lee says, “The first wave of NFTs – ‘digital collectibles’ – was merely a discovery and speculative process where the allure of verifiable ownership and collection was not enough to sustain attention in this nascent market. A new wave of NFTs – utility NFTs – has now emerged to reveal the real-world use cases of NFTs.”
“The NFT hype may die down, but its technology is here to stay. Utility NFTs possess a greater degree of dynamism and real-world application scenarios than their predecessors. And now, they can be designed to add utility value to our lives and transform the way businesses interact with customers,” Lee added.
For his upcoming talk, Lee, a seasoned financier and pioneer in digital assets, will be drawing upon his experience in the digital asset space, where he was most recently the Head of Institutional Coverage & Strategic Initiatives at HashKey Group. He participated in building the group’s client franchise, crypto-fiat transaction capability, licensing strategy, and in the duo-listing of the first-ever U.S. SEC-approved token offering on HashKey’s digital asset exchange in 2019. Lee was formerly Deputy Chief of Staff to the CEO at BC Group (SEHK:863), whose subsidiary OSL is Hong Kong’s first SFC-licensed virtual asset trading platform.
Lee also has over a decade of experience in private equity investing and financial services including investment banking and asset management at Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan, and Morgan Stanley, besides serving as a Director at various Hong Kong-listed companies.
Artaverse, one of Hong Kong’s largest NFT and local art outdoor exhibition sprawling over 150,000 square feet of event space, has attracted luminaries in the NFT space, art lovers, and collectors. The event from June 3-12, 2022 at Central Harbourfront, Hong Kong, will feature more than 100 brand partners and artworks by famous local contemporary and digital artists.
About SOLARR
SOLARR is Asia’s first decentralized NFT-Fi platform, empowering users to increase utility, unlock value, and liquify NFTs within a secure multi-chain ecosystem with integrated economic infrastructure, paving the way into the metaverse virtual economy.
For more information, visit:
- Website:
www.solarr.xyz
- Telegram:
https://t.me/solarrxyz
- Twitter:
https://twitter.com/solarrxyz
- Discord:
https://discord.gg/bx29yxDggd
- Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/solarrxyz
#SOLARR #NFT #DeFi
OctaFX wins Best Mobile Trading Platform award at Forex Brokers Award 2022
OctaFX’s mobile trading platform was recognised as the best of its kind by public voting held by fxdailyinfo.com as part of its Forex Brokers Awards 2022.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 26 May 2022 – The global broker OctaFX received the ‘Best Mobile Trading Platform’ award from the international Forex news portal fxdailyinfo.com. The winners in 27 nominations of the Forex Brokers Award 2022 were determined by public voting, which makes the award particularly relevant, as it reflects the views of the global trading community.

‘OctaFX constantly works to ensure the highest quality across its extensive range of financial products. Its mobile trading platform has everything users need—from one-tap trading and easy account management to convenient analytical tools and user-friendly design,’ said Saifur Rahman Sumon, the official representative of fxdailyinfo.com.
The OctaFX press office commented on the award. ‘This vote of confidence we received at Forex Brokers Award 2022 from the Forex community confirms our ability to lead the mobile trading industry with our lightning-fast application enabling traders to effectively manage their accounts and make timely investment decisions.’
The OctaFX Trading App, which won the award, allows users to trade, access analysis tools, and manage their personal profiles in one easy-to-use mobile platform compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Multiple built-in tools help traders control real, demo, and contest accounts simultaneously, as well as make deposits and withdrawals.
OctaFX has repeatedly received awards in the Forex Brokers Award organised by fxdailyinfo.com, including ‘Best ECN/STP Broker’ in 2019, ‘Best Forex Broker Asia’ in 2019 and 2020, and ‘Best Trading Platform’ in 2021.
About OctaFX
OctaFX is a global broker that provides online trading services worldwide since 2011. The company is involved in a comprehensive network of charity and humanitarian initiatives, including improvement of educational infrastructure, short-notice relief projects, supporting local communities and small to medium enterprises.
In that sense, OctaFX has won more than 45 awards since its foundation, including the 2021 ’Best Forex Broker Asia’ award and the 2020 ‘Most Transparent Broker’ award from Global Banking & Finance Review and Forex Awards, respectively.
#OctaFX
Incoming Australian Government to Focus on Relationships with Southeast Asia
The incoming government of Australia, headed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Labor party, intends to focus on relationships with Southeast Asia and on climate change, an issue especially important in the region.
PolyU research reveals that over 10% Hong Kong people exhibit PTSD symptoms one year after the onset of the pandemic; Severity of symptoms is associated with time spent watching pandemic-related news

Researchers from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences: Prof. David SHUM, Yeung Tsang Wing Yee and Tsang Wing Hing Professor in Neuropsychology, Chair Professor of Neuropsychology and Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences (middle), Dr. Judy Yuen-man SIU, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences (left) and Dr. Sally Yuan CAO, Research Assistant Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences (right).
With support from the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Food and Health Bureau, a research team from the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) started a mixed-method study in 2020. The objective of the study was to explore the level of adult psychological trauma one year after the onset of the pandemic through a telephone survey and in-depth individual interviews, so as to identify the impact of the pandemic on Hong Kong people’s mental health. Additionally, the study aimed to discover the demographics in relation to compliance with preventative measures, and to discover the determinants of motivation for vaccination for the disadvantaged, especially the elderly. The study results were published in the academic journals BMC Psychiatry and BMC Geriatrics respectively in April 2022.
This study comprised two components. The first component, a large-scale telephone survey study involving over 3,000 Hong Kong residents, was completed between December 2020 and February 2021, i.e., during the fourth wave of the pandemic and about one year after its onset. Among the respondents, 69% were aged between 18 and 59, and most of them were working adults. The survey found that:
- More than one in ten (12.4%) of the respondents had exhibited post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, indicating that they might have PTSD
- Being unemployed or having no personal income, and with lower educational attainment were associated with a higher chance having of PTSD symptoms
The research team noted that the survey was conducted when the epidemic had been persisting for over one year, when the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among Hong Kong people was generally lower than at the early stage of the pandemic. This reflected not only the fact that people had been learning how to cope with the impacts of the pandemic, but also that they had started to become insensitive to its volatility.
In terms of the compliance with preventative measures, it was found that:
- Married females in their middle age or older with higher educational attainment were consistently more compliant with various preventative measures
- Among all the preventative measures, maintaining good hand-hygiene and environmental hygiene were reported to be the most difficult to follow
- About 46% of the respondents expressed willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the majority of whom were married males in their middle age or older who were family caregivers with lower educational attainment
Furthermore, the amount of time spent watching pandemic-related news was found to be associated with the severity of PTSD symptoms. Respondents who watched pandemic-related news for over one hour a day were found to be associated with increased compliance with anti-pandemic measures and related advice, but also with more severe PTSD symptoms.
The second component of the study involved qualitative in-depth interviews. The objective was to understand clearly the mental status of the older adult population when facing the pandemic, including their understanding, feelings and behaviour, as well as their perception of vaccine. Between November 2020 and February 2021, i.e., during the fourth wave of the pandemic, 31 adults over the age of 65 were interviewed, among whom about 70% were retired. Through the interviews, it was found that the elderly generally believed COVID-19 was highly transmissible. As such, most of them avoided leaving home for exercise and had halted many regular activities. In addition, most of them had experienced worry, helplessness and depression, while some of them even expressed their frustration in interviews.
Regarding the perceptions of vaccination, it was found that the interviewees’ vaccine willingness was primarily affected by their personal experiences and opinions of their peers and families. Lack of understanding about the vaccines, cultural perception and peer pressure were the main contributors to hesitancy, while fragile social networks and weak family support were the greatest barriers to vaccination.
Prof. David SHUM, Yeung Tsang Wing Yee and Tsang Wing Hing Professor in Neuropsychology, Chair Professor of Neuropsychology and Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at PolyU who led the study pointed out that: “The elderly were still suffering from the negative impacts of the pandemic despite the fact that the fourth wave (when the survey was conducted) had been gradually subsiding after persisting for a period of time. Being in a constant state of stress and not managing it could cause adverse impacts on our mood and daily lives, may lead to mental health problems in the long run.” Prof. Shum stated that while society is beginning to resume normal life, people’s mental health should also return to normal at the same time. He appealed to the public to carefully assess PTSD symptoms caused by the pandemic and pay close attention to changes in their own bodies, feelings, behaviours and socialising activities. They should seek help from professionals or social welfare organisations once symptoms begin to affect their daily lives for a period of time.
Dr. Judy Yuen-man SIU, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences and one of the research team members, advised that clearer health information about the vaccines should be disseminated to the elderly. In addition, more resources should be invested in the elderly support networks, in particular strengthening the support to the elderly before and after vaccination so as to allay their concerns about receiving vaccines. “Anti-pandemic supplies and information provided by various sectors of society have become the greatest source of support to the elderly. We suggest enhancing the connection between the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the elderly to help ensure their good physical and mental health,” said Dr. Siu.
According to Prof. Shum, the PolyU team will continue to collaborating with various NGOs to provide professional advice tailored to the elderly’s physical and mental health needs amid the pandemic. He hoped a cooperative network comprising the Government and the educational and social welfare sectors could be established to reinforce the support provided for protecting Hong Kong people’s mental health.
#PolyU
Enapter AG: Enapter enters strategic partnership with Johnson Matthey as new partner invests 20 Million Euros in ongoing capital increase
– Strategic partnership offers synergies for accelerated scaling of AEM technology
– Joint development planned to increase performance and reduce costs
BERLIN, GERMANY – EQS Newswire – 25 May 2022 – Enapter AG (ISIN:DE000A255G02) announces a strategic partnership with Johnson Matthey. At the same time, Johnson Matthey has invested 20 million euros in Enapter as part of the ongoing capital increase (see announcements of 06 and 07 April 2022) and will thus hold more than 3% of Enapter AG. Enapter’s strategic partnership with the global specialty chemicals company and market leader in environmental technologies includes joint research and development for advanced materials and components for AEM Electrolysers. The aim is to accelerate production scale-up at Enapter and to achieve ongoing continuous improvements in the performance of AEM Electrolysers.
Enapter is currently constructing a plant for mass production of AEM Electrolysers in Saerbeck (NRW), Germany. At present, the devices are already made in series production at its plant in Pisa, Italy. From 2023, the company expects to build up a production capacity of 120,000 electrolysers per year at the Enapter Campus in Saerbeck. The now concluded partnership will significantly accelerate this targeted scaling of production capacity.
Enapter’s goal is to develop the new campus on the principals of circular economy, without any negative impact on the environment during operation. For example, the site will run all of its production on 100% on renewable energy, without connection to the grid. Further, Enapter and Johnson Matthey will jointly explore options for the reprocessing and recycling of production waste and end of -life components and devices.
“Our mission is clear: we want to make green hydrogen cheaper than fossil fuels to enable the energy transition at the scale needed. We are pleased to be working with Johnson Matthey to make our contribution towards a cleaner planet. Johnson Matthey’s extensive knowledge and capabilities will help us make our production better, faster and cheaper – because that is what the world needs now,” says Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, founder and CEO of Enapter.
Liam Condon, CEO of Johnson Matthey, said: “This investment and strategic partnership is at the heart of our strategy as we focus our resources on growth areas targeted at climate change solutions. Working with Enapter is a great opportunity for us to further expand in green hydrogen and deliver on our vision for a cleaner, healthier world.”
Both companies are firmly committed to supporting the transition to zero emissions production (Net Zero) across the entire process chain for highly efficient yet standardised AEM electrolysers. These will enable the production of green hydrogen from the kilowatt range up to large-scale megawatt plants at the lowest cost for a wide range of applications.
Enapter was advised on this transaction by investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co.
About Enapter
Enapter is an innovative energy technology company that manufactures highly efficient hydrogen generators – known as electrolysers – to replace fossil fuels and thus drive the global energy transition. Their patented and proven Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) technology enables the mass production of cost-effective plug-&-play electrolysers for green hydrogen production at any scale. Their modular systems are already used in 47 countries across the energy, mobility, industrial, heating and telecommunications sectors. Enapter has subsidiaries in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Enapter AG is listed on the regulated market of the Frankfurt and Hamburg stock exchanges, (WKN: A255G0 ISIN:DE000A255G02)
#Enapter
About Johnson Matthey
Johnson Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies that enables a cleaner and healthier world. With over 200 years of sustained commitment to innovation and technological breakthroughs, we improve the performance, function and safety of our customers’ products. Our science has a global impact in areas such as low emission transport, chemical processing and making the most efficient use of the planet’s natural resources. Today about 15,000 Johnson Matthey professionals collaborate with our network of customers and partners to make a real difference to the world around us. For more information, visit www.matthey.com
Inspiring science, enhancing life
Further Information on Enapter
Website: https://www.enapter.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Enapter_
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/enapter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enapterenergystorage
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.