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Kerry Logistics Network Acquires Rehabilitation Equipment Supplier Pro-Med Technology To Strengthen Foothold in Medical Equipment Distribution in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – Kerry Logistics Network Limited (‘KLN’; Stock Code 0636.HK) announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Pro-Med Technology Ltd (‘Pro-Med’), a supplier of rehabilitation equipment based in Hong Kong. This move will further broaden KLN’s exposure in the medical field and strengthen its service capability in the medical equipment distribution business under the Kerry Medical brand.

KLN will support Pro-Med to grow in the rehabilitation device sector with KLN’s resources, including those of Kerry Medical and Kerry Pharma, in terms of customer base, logistics and reputation as well as to maximise the synergy with other businesses under the Kerry Medical and Kerry Pharma brands.

Samuel Lau, Deputy Managing Director – Integrated Logistics of KLN, said, “To welcome Pro-Med to KLN marks our determination to expand in the healthcare sector. For the last two years, KLN’s strength in pharmaceutical and medical logistics was one of the reasons we were able to contribute to managing a global health crisis. We are eager to expand our portfolio in the distribution of medical equipment and we are looking to support Pro-Med’s regional expansion.”

With the addition of Pro-Med to its portfolio, KLN can further diversify its product offerings and extend into the service industry, as well as consumer use in elderly care by building another specialised pillar in rehabilitation, as well as widen the range of products it sells to hospitals and residential care homes in Hong Kong. Currently, Kerry Medical’s expertise lies in cardiovascular, surgical and medical consumables. Going forward, KLN will be responsible for the logistics of Pro-Med’s supplies, including international freight forwarding for importing devices and integrated logistics in Hong Kong and Macau.

Founded in 1999 and managed by registered physiotherapists, Pro-Med mainly supplies a wide range of innovative and high-quality rehabilitation equipment, technologies and solutions from renowned manufacturers from all over the world to hospitals and clinics, elderly centres, universities and fitness centres in Hong Kong.

About Kerry Logistics Network Limited (Stock Code 0636.HK)

Kerry Logistics Network is an Asia-based, global 3PL with a highly diversified business portfolio and the strongest coverage in Asia. It offers a broad range of supply chain solutions from integrated logistics, international freight forwarding (air, ocean, road, rail and multimodal), industrial project logistics, to cross-border e-commerce, last-mile fulfilment and infrastructure investment.

With a global presence across 58 countries and territories, Kerry Logistics Network has established a solid foothold in half of the world’s emerging markets. Its diverse infrastructure, extensive coverage in international gateways and local expertise span across the Mainland of China, India, Southeast Asia, the CIS, Middle East, LATAM and other locations.

Kerry Logistics Network generated a revenue of over HK$53 billion in 2020 and is the largest international logistics company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

About Pro-Med Technology Ltd
Pro-Med Technology Limited was established in 1999. For over 20 years, the company has focused on exploring and introducing innovative and high-quality products, technologies and solutions from all over the world to professionals in the field of rehabilitation, wellness and healthcare in Hong Kong. Its customers span across a wide range of segments including hospitals, clinics, education institutions and schools, welfare organisations and various kinds of fitness centres. Pro-Med Technology works hand-in-hand with each of its customers in implementing supplied solutions in their daily practices. It is motivated by seeing patients and people in need benefitting from the equipment it supplied, which is the driving force for its continuous self-perfection.

#KerryLogistics

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

Laos Issues New Legislation Authorizing Natural Timber Product Exports

Cut timber in Laos (Photo: WWF)
Cut timber in Laos (Photo: WWF)

The Lao government has issued new legislation authorizing the export of natural wood products.

PTC Appointed as NVIDIA’s Partner for DGX-Ready Managed Services

Ready Solutions to Simplify Growing AI Adoption in Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – PTC System (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. (PTC), today announced an extended collaboration with NVIDIA Corporation in its DGX Managed Services Program. With this new partnership appointment, PTC will be able to help clients design and implement artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure solutions with assured service levels, thereby accelerating the deployment of AI applications.

“We are honoured to be selected as the first NVIDIA’s DGX-Ready Managed Services partner in Asia Pacific,” said IIJ Global Business Division Managing Executive Officer, Koichi Maruyama. “This is an extension of PTC’s collaboration with NVIDIA, and it demonstrates our strengths in this area. I’m incredibly proud of our team’s focus on thought leadership and the strive to leverage innovation and new technologies to drive growth.”

The NVIDIA’s DGX Managed Services Program allows clients of PTC in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to efficiently tap into the speed and scale of an DGX-based infrastructure without having to manage an in-house DGX-Ready Managed Services Program. Clients can therefore use the best in class infrastructure solutions to solve bigger and more complex data science problems with AI, and have access to the world’s universal systems for AI infrastructure.

PTC’s comprehensive services include managing the underlying NVIDIA DGX system, ensuring all software and firmware components are up to date, improving utilization rates and identifying bottlenecks. The team also helps customers utilize NVIDIA NGC, which empowers AI scientists and developers with GPU-accelerated containers. NGC features containerized deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, MXNet and more that are tested and certified by NVIDIA.

PTC is a member of SMART Urban Co-Innovation Lab (SMARTLAB), Southeast Asia’s first industry-led lab for smart cities solutions development, initiated by CapitaLand and supported by the IMDA and Enterprise Singapore. SMARTLAB will focus on six key industry verticals of advanced manufacturing, digital wellness, intelligent estates, smart mobile, sustainability, and urban agriculture. The collaboration will accelerate SMARTLAB projects.

Organizations that would like to accelerate AI workflow and applications with the DGX Managed Services Program can reach out to PTC at 65-62820255 for more information.

About PTC Systems (S) Pte Ltd

PTC System (S) Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. that specializes in providing enterprise data management solutions and services to manage the technology challenges of enterprise customers. Our strengths are built upon our passion, total commitment, and vision on data management services to help our customers to achieve the best business results like better performance, investment protection and maximum value. More information at .

#PTC

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

Laos and Brazil to Raise Cattle for Export to China

Brazil to farm cattle in Laos
Laos and Brazil sign cooperation agreement at the Embassy of Laos in Bangkok.

Laos and Brazil have signed an agreement that will see the two countries cooperate on cattle farming and other agricultural projects.

Aon: $72 Billion in Weather, Catastrophe-Related Economic Losses Reported in Asia in 2021

  • Insurance covered 9 percent of the economic losses in the region
  • Flooding throughout Asia was the primary driver of disaster-related fatalities
  • Record-breaking flash-flood loss in China in 2021

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 23 March 2022 – Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has published its 2021 Weather, Climate and Catastrophe Insight report, which evaluates the increasing frequency and severity of disruptive natural disasters and how their resulting economic losses are protected globally. This data serves as the foundation for insights that can help business leaders quantify and qualify catastrophe-related risk and assess how their organisations can increase resilience amid an increasingly volatile climate.

The report reveals a total of $343 billion in economic losses globally in 2021, $329 billion of which resulted from weather and climate-related events, making last year the third costliest year on record after adjusting for inflation. While losses were up from 2020 globally, the number of notable disaster events slightly decreased, demonstrating the heightened costliness and severity of these events.

For Asia, after three consecutive years (2018-2020) of economic losses topping $100 billion, the toll dipped to $72 billion in 2021. Of the 2021 losses, insurance covered only 9 percent of the losses compared to 38 percent of the losses covered globally.

“Clearly there is both a protection and innovation gap when it comes to climate risk,” said Owen Belman, head of Asia at Aon. “As catastrophic events increase in severity, the way that we assess and ultimately prepare for these risks cannot depend solely on historical data. We need to look to artificial intelligence and predictive models that are constantly learning and evolving to map the volatility of a changing climate and its interaction with a complex and ever-changing urban environment. With scalable solutions, organisations can make better decisions that make them more resilient as they continue to face interconnected and increasingly volatile risks.”

Key findings in Asia include:

  • Approximately 10,500 people lost their lives due to global natural catastrophe events in 2021; 46 percent of the fatalities occurred in Asia.
  • Flooding throughout Asia was the primary driver of disaster-related fatalities during the year, further accentuated by the trend of urbanisation, leading to higher population density.
  • Flash flooding in Henan in July led to an economic loss of $18.6 billion, and a record-breaking $1.9 billion in covered losses, the costliest weather-related event for the Chinese insurance industry
  • Super Typhoon Rai was the deadliest tropical cyclone of the year. Its landfall in late December left 409 people dead in the Philippines and one in Vietnam. Rai became the third-costliest typhoon on record in the Philippines.
  • Seasonal flooding in India led to 1,282 deaths.
  • The costliest tropical cyclone in Asia was India’s Cyclone Yaas, with almost $3 billion in economic losses.
  • Malaysia encountered its costliest and most extensive flood event on record in December, with total economic losses topping $2 billion.
  • In Japan, the most damaging catastrophes were attributed to the earthquake peril. The combined economic loss was nearly $9 billion, mainly from the Fukushima (February) and Miyagi (March) events.
  • Taiwan set a new national temperature record – 40.6°C (105.1°F) – on 11 August.

“Many Asian communities are exposed to increasingly volatile weather conditions that are in part enhanced by the growing effects of climate change,” said Brad Weir, head of Analytics, Asia for Reinsurance Solutions at Aon. “This includes record-setting rainfall and flooding, intense landfalling tropical cyclones, droughts and winter storms. With one of the lowest levels of insurance coverage and rapidly evolving urbanized centres, addressing vulnerabilities related to climate risk is not only critical but also presents many challenges. We can no longer build or plan to meet the climate of yesterday. With physical damage loss costs rising, this is also leading to lingering global disruptions to supply chains and various humanitarian and other asset-related services. There is an ongoing need for public and private entities to collaborate and help bridge the gap of insurance protection. The path forward for organisations and governments must include sustainability and mitigation efforts to navigate and minimize risk as new forms of disaster-related volatility emerge.”

The full report and a short video are available on Aon’s interactive microsite. Along with this report, readers can access current and historical natural catastrophe data and event analysis at catastropheinsight.aon.com.

About Aon

(NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

Follow Aon on and . Stay up-to-date by visiting the and sign up for News Alerts .

#Aon

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

SunMirror AG: Extension of Offer for Takeover Offer on Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited

ZUG, SWITZERLAND – EQS Newswire – 23 March 2022 – SunMirror AG (“SunMirror“; ISIN CH0396131929) hereby announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary SunMirror Luxembourg S.A. has filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission a 8-weeks extension notice in relation to the pending takeover offer regarding all outstanding ordinary shares in Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited (“Lat66“) by which the closing date of the takeover offer is further extended to 17 May 2022, 5:00 p.m. (AWST) and the date for giving a notice of the status of the bid conditions is further extended to 10 May 2022.

Under consideration of the upcoming extension of the takeover offer, the expected extended timetable for completion of the takeover offer and subsequent acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Lat66 (plus all performance rights) is as follows:

Offer Closes 17 May 2022
Dispatch of compulsory acquisition notices to non-accepting Lat66 shareholders 17 May 2022
Completion of compulsory acquisition of Lat66 shares from Lat66 shareholders 17 June 2022

About SunMirror AG

The Group invests into strategic mineral exploration assets with a focus on sustainable green battery metals, like cobalt, lithium and nickel, as well as iron ore and gold deposits in developed markets. The company aims to either produce minerals at a later stage or sell those assets to strategic buyers. SunMirror is differentiated by taking a “mine-to-market” approach to sustainability across the value chain, creating a mining industry “best practice.”

The company’s shares (ISIN CH0396131929) are listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange (official market, ticker: ROR1) and are traded on the regulated unofficial markets Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Berlin (ticker: ROR) as well as on tradegate and Xetra. For further information, please visit: .

#SunMirror

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

H&M Opens First Store in Cambodia

H&M Cambodia
H&M opens at the AEON MALL in Phnom Penh.

The first H&M clothing retailer opened in Phnom Penh last week with a celebration that featured celebrities and discounts.

Tongcheng Travel Core Business Recovery Outpaces Industry Average in 2021 on Strong MAUs and MPUs Growth

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 22 March 2022 – Tongcheng Travel Holdings Limited (“Tongcheng Travel” or the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries the “Group”, Stock Code: 0780.HK), an innovator and leader in China’s online travel industry, today announced its audited financial results for the year ended 31 December 2021 (the “period under review” or “FY2021”).

Tongcheng Travel remained resilient and delivered a strong rebound in revenue and net profit in 2021 despite continued headwinds in the domestic market due to the sporadic resurgence of COVID-19 cases in certain cities. Financial highlights for FY2021 with comparative figures of the previous year are as follows:

  • Revenue rose by 27.1% to RMB7.54 billion (2020: RMB5.93 billion)
  • Adjusted EBITDA climbed by 38.7% to RMB1.90 billion (2020: RMB1.37 billion)
  • Adjusted net profit surged by 35.9% to RMB1.30 billion (2020: RMB954.0 million)

Tongcheng Travel also achieved considerable year-on-year growth on operational fronts:

  • Adjusted net margin expanded from 16.1% to 17.2%
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin rose from 23.0% to 25.1%
  • Number of average monthly active users (“MAUs”) grew 34.2% from 191 million to 257 million
  • Number of average monthly paying users (“MPUs”) rose 36.1% from 23.0 million to 31.3 million
  • Number of paying users in FY2021 (“APUs”) increased by 28.2% from 160 million to 200 million, hitting a record high

Mr. Ma Heping, Executive Director and CEO of Tongcheng Travel, said, “We are pleased to report a year of growth amid challenging market conditions that brought hardship to the travel industry as a whole. Our focus in 2021 was set on achieving deeper market penetration by leveraging our stable and diverse traffic channels, competitive advantages in lower-tier cities, and comprehensive product and service offerings. The thrilling growth in MAUs, MPUs and APUs, which have all reached record highs in our corporate history in the period under review, attested to our business strategy. Going into 2022, while we will remain cautious and adjust our business strategy swiftly to market changes, we expect the domestic travel industry to recover gradually as vaccination rate increases nationwide and as the government announces more supportive measures, the business of Tongcheng Travel will also grow steadily.”

Tongcheng Travel derived its revenues mainly from accommodation reservation services and transportation ticketing services, which accounted for 32.0% and 59.1%, respectively, of its total revenue in 2021. In 2021, revenue from accommodation reservation services rose by 23.8% year-on-year to RMB2.41 billion, while revenue from transportation ticketing services grew by 28.4% to RMB4.46 billion. Benefitted from the rapid development of membership services and advertising services, Tongcheng Travel generated a revenue of 671 million from other businesses, representing a year-on-year increase of 30.0%.

As of 31 December 2021, Tongcheng Travel’s online platforms offered over 9,000 domestic routes operated by over 730 airlines and agencies, over 2.1 million hotel selections and alternative accommodation options, approximately 400,000 bus routes, more than 710 ferry routes and about 8,000 domestic tourist attractions ticketing services. With comprehensive product offerings, Tongcheng Travel further implemented cross-selling strategies across different business lines, including transportation, accommodation, and tourist attractions. The strong analytics capability enables it to provide users with precise and optimal recommendations, optimize user interface displays, and explore different cross-selling scenarios to tap into market potentials.

Expanded traffic channels and served online and offline all-scenario to
accelerate user acquisition

During the period under review, Tongcheng Travel further expanded and utilized its traffic channels within the Tencent ecosystem to explore business potentials. The Company further deepened its cooperation with Tencent during the period under review and co-launched a series of online and offline interactive marketing campaigns by leveraging several widely known IPs authorized by Tencent. These appealed to users, especially those of the younger generation.

To increase its online penetration, Tongcheng Travel collaborated with handset vendors to explore more application scenarios. It enriched the content on its App and optimized the interface. Innovative mobile features such as metasearch and voice assistant functions were launched by the Company to facilitate better user access to the Group’s products and services, thus greatly enhancing user experience. In 2021, Tongcheng Travel was awarded the Most Popular Quick App and Best Partner by one of the most influential handset vendors.

As part of its offline user acquisition initiatives, Tongcheng Travel partnered with hotels, bus operators and tourist attractions to expand its user base. These continued to contribute meaningfully to the growth of paying user base.

Increased the advantages in lower-tier cities and strengthened brand recognition through effective marketing campaigns

Tongcheng Travel continued to penetrate lower-tier cities by expanding its user acquisition channels to more townships across China. It established and strengthened cooperation with urban and rural bus operators to penetrate into counties and towns quickly and effectively. As of 31 December 2021, the registered users residing in non-first-tier cities in China accounted for approximately 86.7% of the total registered users. For the year ended 31 December 2021, about 61.7% of its new paying users on the Weixin platform were from tier-3 or below cities in China.

In 2021, Tongcheng Travel launched an innovative marketing initiative called the “Blind Box of Air Tickets”, which later evolved into a series of merchandise. This initiative has gone viral across social media platforms and earned Tongcheng Travel several marketing awards. It has also drawn a massive number of users of the younger generations to the Tongcheng Travel’s platform and boosted traffic and user engagement.

In an effort to further enhance its brand awareness, Tongcheng Travel increased its marketing and branding investments during the period under review. In addition to multiple online and offline advertising channels, it sponsored several top TV programmes and drama series and appointed a new brand spokesperson who is highly popular among the younger generation.

Committed to promoting the digitization of the travel industry and sustainable growth of
the Company and communities

Technology innovation is one of the core competencies of Tongcheng Travel. The Company continued to develop and apply proprietary technology to transform from an online travel agency (“OTA”) to intelligent travel assistant (“ITA”). During the period under review, Tongcheng Travel further optimized the Huixing system by integrating more supply chain resources such as airplane ticketing, train ticketing, bus ticketing and car-hailing services to provide users with more travel options under different scenarios. Tongcheng Travel also upgraded its AI-driven customer service to improve operating efficiency and established an intelligent customer experience platform to promptly address customer requests. Besides, a range of digitization support has been rendered to its suppliers and business partners. For instance, it also offered SaaS solutions to small and medium-sized hotels in lower-tier cities to help them improve daily operational efficiency. These initiatives are driven to facilitate the digitization of the travel industry as a whole.

Tongcheng Travel is committed to sustainable development, for the Company and for the communities it serves. The Company has set in place a board-level ESG committee and a corporate-level ESG and Data Security Committee during the period under review. It has launched a series of measures such as penalty-free changes or cancellations to provide users with peace of mind during the pandemic. It also provided migrant workers free public transportation service to help them return home safely. Applying its industry and technology expertise, Tongcheng Travel cooperated with Yan’an Airport and a local government in Yan’an to promote local produce there in a bid to revitalize rural areas and facilitate the sustainable development of local economy.

Promising business outlook

As the pandemic continues to accelerate the online penetration of the travel industry, the outlook for online travel agencies is promising. More importantly, the Chinese government encourages and supports the development and digitalization of the travel industry. The State Council has announced a development plan for the travel industry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), emphasizing the importance of promoting smart tourism with digital and artificial intelligence-powered engagement, as well as expanding the application of new technologies in tourism.

Looking ahead, Mr. Ma said, “Tongcheng Travel will further penetrate the travel market by leveraging our diversified and cost-effective traffic sources to grow our user base and generate more traffic. Utilizing advanced technological innovations, we will also further enhance our products and services and strengthen our technical capabilities to attain higher efficiency and transfer from an OTA to ITA. On top of that, we will adhere to our business strategies and seek investment opportunities. Last but not least, we will integrate economic growth, environmental protection, corporate governance and social responsibility in our business strategies to create sustainable value for our stakeholders and the communities.”

About Tongcheng Travel Holdings Limited (HKSE Stock Code: 0780.HK)

Tongcheng Travel (formerly known as Tongcheng-Elong) is an innovator and market leader in China’s online travel industry. It was formed out of the merger of Tongcheng and eLong, the leading online travel agencies in China, in 2018. It is a one-stop shop for users’ travel needs. With the mission “make travel easier and more joyful”, Tongcheng Travel offers a comprehensive and innovative selection of products and services covering nearly all aspects of travel, including transportation ticketing, accommodation reservation, tourist attraction ticketing, and various ancillary value-added travel products and services designed to meet users’ evolving travel needs throughout their trips primarily through its online platforms, which comprise its Tencent-based platforms, its proprietary mobile apps, quick apps and other channels.

As a technology-driven company, Tongcheng Travel leverages big data and AI capabilities to better understand the preferences and behaviors of users, thereby offering users customized products and services. Tongcheng Travel has a strategic focus on lower-tier cities in China and seized opportunities there supported by its and diversified traffic sources, product innovation capability and flexible operation strategies. Through the in-depth understanding of user experience and advanced technological capabilities, Tongcheng Travel has been revolutionizing what consumers expect from the online travel industry, making the entire travel process more convenient, personalized and enjoyable than ever. Tongcheng Travel aims to develop and apply its advanced technology to transform from an online travel agency to intelligent travel assistant.

For more information, please visit the Group’s website at

#TongchengTravel

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