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GS1 Hong Kong Summit 2021 Scaling Digital Transformation • Cultivating Digital Assets

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 June 2021 – The GS1 HK Summit 2021 (“the Summit”) was held successfully today at the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre attracting more than 1,300 delegates from cross-sector trades joining in-person and online. Broadcasted live for the first time, the Summit steps into its 20th edition this year. The full-day event covered hot topics in digital retailing, digital trade finance, smart business operations, global supply chain resilience and business trends in the Greater Bay Area. With the aim to help enterprises embrace virtual business opportunities, the Summit was co-located with the GOVirtual Business Expo, jointly hosted by GS1 HK and Baobab Tree Event Management Co., Ltd. (BTE), running from 10 June to 12 June.

Mr. Alfred Sit, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, inaugurated the Summit as the Guest of Honour and delivered the opening address. “Today’s summit and the Expo is an opportune time for the industry to re-adjust business strategies after consolidating the experiences under the ‘new normal’, creating new value for both the business community as well as Hong Kong economy. Digital transformation is indeed the ‘hope’ to businesses under the ‘new normal’. The Government has made strenuous effort in assisting enterprises in this regard, including the Distance Business Programme, the Public Sector Trial Scheme, the Technology Voucher Programme and the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme. All these are conducive to the development of “Industry 4.0″ and smart city in the aftermath of the epidemic,” said Mr. Sit at the start of the event.

Mr. Victor Lam, Government Chief Information Officer and Legislative Councillors Mr. Frankie Yick and Mr. Peter Shiu, were joined by Mr. Kelvin Leung, Chairman of GS1 HK; Ms. May Chung, Vice Chairman of GS1 HK; Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 HK and Mr. Ricky Wong, Vice Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Television Network Limited as officiating guests. In Dr. Leung’s welcome remarks, he underlined the role of digital transformation in business development, where reliable, transparent, accurate, timely data is the key. He explained the GS1 global standards ensure the availability of high-quality data and help bridge the physical and digital worlds, by creating a digital version of a product called digital twin. This online identity allows sellers to list their products easily on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay and other e-marketplaces, while supporting Google to correctly classify products and match relevant online information to consumers’ queries, improving search results, generating sales leads and increasing conversion.

Ms. Lin echoed the importance of standards in the collection and sharing of quality data, and believes data analytics can separate leaders from followers. “Data intelligence helps enhance market forecast and drive better business decisions. With emerging technologies like AI and video analytics, retailers can capitalise on ‘Smart Retail’ solutions to collect consumers’ demographic and behaviourial data and deliver more engaging experience to boost sales. The use of IoT sensors and RFID devices in daily workflow has helped manufacturers, logistics service providers and the like to monitor operational data in real-time and optimise resources as needed. Enterprises equipped with such kind of “Smart Operations” systems will be able to improve productivity, reduce wastage, ensure safety and quality, and shorten their time-to-market.”

Mr. Ricky Wong, Vice Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Television Network Limited kicked off the Summit with a keynote speech titled “Way Beyond eCommerce” urging businesses to be agile and always thinking out of the box. He encouraged enterprises to draw strength from partners and allies for more innovative cross-sector opportunities. In the Executive Panel, CEO Panel, various plenary sessions and track sessions that followed, thought-leaders from a mix of industries presented ideas that can help businesses stay ahead of the curve. Some of the most topical discussions included COVID-19 vaccine traceability and the evolution of supply chain strategy from “just-in-time” and “just-in-case”.

Culminating the event was the Closing Plenary: The Entrepreneur Forum where inspiring stories of how three local companies charted their own course into the new future were told. Localla diversified its bike sharing business to food ordering service; Culture Homes transformed traditional elderly homes into technology-enabled neighborhood; German Pool tapped into the Greater Bay Area with new marketing stunts such as live commerce. These new business strategies all stemmed from the entrepreneurial spirit to “Go Digital * Go Smart” and have set the foundation for long-run success.

Many more similar business anecdotes are included in a new report, Retail Realignment: The road ahead for omnichannel in the Greater Bay Area, jointly published by KPMG China, GS1 Hong Kong and HSBC. The report is based the collective wisdoms of 400 senior retail executives and a survey conducted among 2,053 consumers in Hong Kong and nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. It examines the changing consumer behaviours and expectations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the latest technology and retail trends in the Greater Bay Area sector, and provides recommendations for businesses to advance their corporate strategy and digital offerings to satisfy consumers’ evolving preferences. Please read the press release “Greater Bay Area retailers increase focus on digital strategies” for more details.

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) is the local chapter of GS1®, which supports companies’ digitalisation to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, and facilitate online and offline commerce with global supply chain standards (product identification key and barcode) and a full spectrum of standard-based platforms, solutions and services.

Currently, GS1 HK has around 8,000 corporate members covering close to 20 industries including retail consumer goods, food and food services, healthcare, apparel, logistics as well as information and technology. By engaging with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, and technology providers, GS1 HK is fostering a collaborative ecosystem with the vision of “Smarter Business, Better Life”.

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1® is a not-for-profit, standards organisation that has 115 national chapters serving 150 economies globally. For more information, please visit www.gs1hk.org .

#GS1

GS1 Hong Kong Summit 2021  Scaling Digital Transformation • Cultivating Digital Assets

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 June 2021 – The GS1 HK Summit 2021 (“the Summit”) was held successfully today at the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre attracting more than 1,300 delegates from cross-sector trades joining in-person and online. Broadcasted live for the first time, the Summit steps into its 20th edition this year. The full-day event covered hot topics in digital retailing, digital trade finance, smart business operations, global supply chain resilience and business trends in the Greater Bay Area. With the aim to help enterprises embrace virtual business opportunities, the Summit was co-located with the GOVirtual Business Expo, jointly hosted by GS1 HK and Baobab Tree Event Management Co., Ltd. (BTE), running from 10 June to 12 June.

Mr. Alfred Sit, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, inaugurated the Summit as the Guest of Honour and delivered the opening address. “Today’s summit and the Expo is an opportune time for the industry to re-adjust business strategies after consolidating the experiences under the ‘new normal’, creating new value for both the business community as well as Hong Kong economy. Digital transformation is indeed the ‘hope’ to businesses under the ‘new normal’. The Government has made strenuous effort in assisting enterprises in this regard, including the Distance Business Programme, the Public Sector Trial Scheme, the Technology Voucher Programme and the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme. All these are conducive to the development of “Industry 4.0″ and smart city in the aftermath of the epidemic,” said Mr. Sit at the start of the event.

Mr. Victor Lam, Government Chief Information Officer and Legislative Councillors Mr. Frankie Yick and Mr. Peter Shiu, were joined by Mr. Kelvin Leung, Chairman of GS1 HK; Ms. May Chung, Vice Chairman of GS1 HK; Ms. Anna Lin, Chief Executive of GS1 HK and Mr. Ricky Wong, Vice Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Television Network Limited as officiating guests. In Dr. Leung’s welcome remarks, he underlined the role of digital transformation in business development, where reliable, transparent, accurate, timely data is the key. He explained the GS1 global standards ensure the availability of high-quality data and help bridge the physical and digital worlds, by creating a digital version of a product called digital twin. This online identity allows sellers to list their products easily on Alibaba, Amazon, eBay and other e-marketplaces, while supporting Google to correctly classify products and match relevant online information to consumers’ queries, improving search results, generating sales leads and increasing conversion.

Ms. Lin echoed the importance of standards in the collection and sharing of quality data, and believes data analytics can separate leaders from followers. “Data intelligence helps enhance market forecast and drive better business decisions. With emerging technologies like AI and video analytics, retailers can capitalise on ‘Smart Retail’ solutions to collect consumers’ demographic and behaviourial data and deliver more engaging experience to boost sales. The use of IoT sensors and RFID devices in daily workflow has helped manufacturers, logistics service providers and the like to monitor operational data in real-time and optimise resources as needed. Enterprises equipped with such kind of “Smart Operations” systems will be able to improve productivity, reduce wastage, ensure safety and quality, and shorten their time-to-market.”

Mr. Ricky Wong, Vice Chairman & Group Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Television Network Limited kicked off the Summit with a keynote speech titled “Way Beyond eCommerce” urging businesses to be agile and always thinking out of the box. He encouraged enterprises to draw strength from partners and allies for more innovative cross-sector opportunities. In the Executive Panel, CEO Panel, various plenary sessions and track sessions that followed, thought-leaders from a mix of industries presented ideas that can help businesses stay ahead of the curve. Some of the most topical discussions included COVID-19 vaccine traceability and the evolution of supply chain strategy from “just-in-time” and “just-in-case”.

Culminating the event was the Closing Plenary: The Entrepreneur Forum where inspiring stories of how three local companies charted their own course into the new future were told. Localla diversified its bike sharing business to food ordering service; Culture Homes transformed traditional elderly homes into technology-enabled neighborhood; German Pool tapped into the Greater Bay Area with new marketing stunts such as live commerce. These new business strategies all stemmed from the entrepreneurial spirit to “Go Digital * Go Smart” and have set the foundation for long-run success.

Many more similar business anecdotes are included in a new report, Retail Realignment: The road ahead for omnichannel in the Greater Bay Area, jointly published by KPMG China, GS1 Hong Kong and HSBC. The report is based the collective wisdoms of 400 senior retail executives and a survey conducted among 2,053 consumers in Hong Kong and nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area. It examines the changing consumer behaviours and expectations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the latest technology and retail trends in the Greater Bay Area sector, and provides recommendations for businesses to advance their corporate strategy and digital offerings to satisfy consumers’ evolving preferences. Please read the press release “Greater Bay Area retailers increase focus on digital strategies” for more details.

About GS1 Hong Kong

Founded by the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce in 1989, GS1 Hong Kong (GS1 HK) is the local chapter of GS1®, which supports companies’ digitalisation to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency, ensure product authenticity, and facilitate online and offline commerce with global supply chain standards (product identification key and barcode) and a full spectrum of standard-based platforms, solutions and services.

Currently, GS1 HK has around 8,000 corporate members covering close to 20 industries including retail consumer goods, food and food services, healthcare, apparel, logistics as well as information and technology. By engaging with communities of trading partners, industry organisations, government, and technology providers, GS1 HK is fostering a collaborative ecosystem with the vision of “Smarter Business, Better Life”.

Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, GS1® is a not-for-profit, standards organisation that has 115 national chapters serving 150 economies globally. For more information, please visit www.gs1hk.org .

#GS1

ASEAN and Chinese Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss Myanmar and Other Regional Issues

Lao foreign minister Saleumxay Kommasith attends ASEAN-China meeting
Lao foreign minister Saleumxay Kommasith attends ASEAN-China meeting (Photo: MOFA)

Foreign ministers from ASEAN nations met with the Chinese foreign ministry in Chongqing on Monday to discuss regional issues at the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Blue Cross Insurance Launches COVID-19 Travel Protection, Offering “Free Vaccine Cash Allowance” up to HK$10,000

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 10 June 2021 – As the COVID-19 epidemic slows down and many residents are getting vaccinated, travel restrictions between Hong Kong and mainland China as well as other countries/regions are expected to gradually relax. Blue Cross (Asia Pacific) Insurance Co., Ltd. (“Blue Cross”) has always put customers first and announces the extension of COVID-19 protection to travel insurance products by offering “Free Vaccine Cash Allowance” up to HK$10,000 for vaccinated travellers. From now until 30 September 2021, customers who successfully enrol in Travel Smart single-trip travel insurance, Annual Infinity Travel Insurance Pass, Overseas StudySafe Insurance, Working HolidaySafe or SmartGo GBA Travel Insurance can enjoy this free extra protection.

During the covered period^, if an insured is diagnosed and confined in hospital after immunisation due to any of the following two reasons: 1) confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19; or 2) the insured suffers from serious sickness within 30 days after immunisation, a Daily Hospital Cash Allowance up to HK$500 shall be payable, subject to a maximum of 20 days in respect of different travel insurance plans.

Mr. Patrick Wan, Managing Director of Blue Cross, said “The epidemic situation in various places is gradually easing with the implementation of vaccination programme. We expect that travel restrictions in various places will gradually be relaxed. At the same time, some individual countries/regions may require travellers entering into their territory to provide proof of vaccination. Therefore, we launched the COVID-19 Travel Protection “Free Vaccine Cash Allowance”, so that people who travel abroad for reasons such as business trip, overseas study or working holiday, can enjoy an extra layer of protection. “

Besides, the insured can still enjoy Medical Expense and Personal Accident Benefits, Overseas Hospital Cash Allowance*, Travel Delay Benefit*, 24-hour Worldwide Emergency Aid, as well as coverage for Trip Cancellation* or Trip Curtailment* due to unfit to travel as a result of the confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

For more details about the COVID-19 Travel Protection “Free Vaccine Cash Allowance” and promotional offers on travel insurance, please visit Blue Cross website at www.bluecross.com.hk or download the Blue Cross HK App.

^ Covered period is from maximum 14 days before the journey until the end date of period of insurance originally scheduled or 31 October 2021 (whichever is the earlier) in which the policy is in effect.

* Not applicable to SmartGo GBA Travel Insurance.

Disclaimers:

  • This press release is for distribution in Hong Kong only. The distribution of this press release is not and shall not be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy or a provision of any insurance product outside Hong Kong.
  • Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited is a subsidiary of The Bank of East Asia, Limited and a member of the BEA Group. It is not affiliated with or related in any way to Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association or any of its affiliates or licensees.

Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited

Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance Limited (“Blue Cross”) is a member of The Bank of East Asia Group. With over 50 years of operational experience in the insurance industry, Blue Cross provides a comprehensive range of products and services including medical, travel and general insurance, which cater to the needs of both individual and corporate customers.

In 2020, Blue Cross was assigned a financial strength rating of A (Excellent) and the long-term issuer credit rating of “a” by A.M. Best, a global full-service credit rating firm specialising in the financial service industry. For the latest rating, please access www.ambest.com.

#BlueCross

Southeast Asia eCommerce platform Lazada launches public bug bounty program with YesWeHack

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 10 June 2021 – Southeast Asia’s leading eCommerce platform Lazada announces the launch of a public bug bounty program with YesWeHack, after running a successful 18 month-long private program. Since January 2020, Lazada has worked with over one hundred ethical hackers to surface vulnerabilities, and has awarded over US$150,000 in bounties to security researchers as part of a private bug bounty program.

Southeast Asia eCommerce platform Lazada launches public bug bounty program with YesWeHack (Copyright YesWeHack)

Kevin Gallerin, Managing Director APAC at YesWeHack (Copyright YesWeHack)

Lazada is now taking additional steps in providing transparency and security to its customers, by transferring the areas previously tested in the private program to a public program. This allows cybersecurity researchers from all over the world to participate in the program and report vulnerabilities to the eCommerce platform.

Protecting customer data is a top priority

With the launch of this public Bug Bounty program, Lazada is making a statement to the eCommerce industry, and highlighting the priority it places on security and transparency for its customers and partners.

“By launching this latest public bug bounty program, we are sending a clear message to everyone, that we value the importance of data in our possession. We believe in the expertise of the YesWeHack community and are excited to continue to work with ethical hackers in identifying new attack methods and countering them. This is about protecting our data, protecting our employees and protecting our customers against vulnerabilities,” says Franck Vervial, Head of Cyberdefence at Lazada.

Furthermore, special attention will be paid to vulnerabilities that affect personal data and have severity levels of “high” or “critical.” For submitted reports on critical vulnerabilities, Lazada will pay out up to US$10,000 to security researchers.

More information of the public bounty program can be found here.

#YesWeHack

Covid Restrictions Fail to Slow Expansion of Synthetic Drug Production in Southeast Asia

Covid Restrictions Fail to Slow Expansion of Synthetic Drug Production
“Authorities in Bangkok, Thailand display a large crystal methamphetamine seizure from the Golden Triangle concealed in Chinese tea bags totaling 700 million baht (US$22.42 million) Photo: UNODC

A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) confirms that the synthetic drug market in East and Southeast Asia has proven highly resilient to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with production and trafficking surging again in 2020.

Nearly 600 nominations submitted for Vietnam’s first-ever global sci-tech prize

HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach10 June 2021 – Vietnam’s VinFuture Foundation announces that it has officially closed the nomination portal for the 2021 VinFuture Prize, recording nearly 600 nominations from more than 60 countries across six continents. The result has exceeded expectations, particularly for a newly established sci-tech prize opened for nominations less than four months ago, affirming the global scientific community’s favorable response to VinFuture’s mission of serving humanity.

Members of VinFuture Prize Council

With a vision “to create meaningful change in the everyday lives of millions of people by promoting breakthrough scientific research and technological innovations”, the VinFuture Foundation and the VinFuture Prize have drawn great enthusiasm from the global scientific and technological community.

Notably, VinFuture has attracted prominent scientists and the world’s leading research and academic institutions as well as innovators from developing countries. Nearly 100 nominated projects belong to the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists, many of whom are laureates of prestigious awards such as the Nobel Prize, the Breakthrough Prize, the Tang Prize, the Japan Prize, among others.

While the majority of candidates are from North America (31.6%), Asia (33.9%), and Europe (21%), VinFuture has received significant nominations from scientists in Oceania, Latin America, and Africa. In particular, female scientists were nominated in all four prize categories, accounting for 34.3% of the total nominees.

All share the same aspiration of doing science for humanity, offering highly applicable and practical solutions to improve the quality of people’s lives.

These positive results are attributed to the strong support of prominent individuals and organizations, world-renowned scientists, as well as distinguished professors and experts from the Prize Council and Pre-screening Committee who have endorsed the VinFuture Prize among the global scientific community.

Therefore, just four months after the initial call for nominations, the Prize has attracted nearly 1,200 nominators from the world’s most reputable academic circles. These include Harvard University, where many prominent scientists converge; the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, home to many Nobel laureates and well-known for its natural sciences and engineering programs; the University of Tokyo, Japan’s leading higher education organization; and other recognized organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – the leading U.S. government agency in public health, the Max Planck Society – the world’s leading research organization in science and technology, and the Chinese Academy of Science, one of the world’s largest research organizations, to name but a few.

“We are very pleased to see that the VinFuture Prize, while being the first of its kind from Vietnam, has been received so warmly by the global scientific community. Particularly, many prominent scientists have been nominated for the Prize. They have made truly meaningful contributions to the future of humanity by tackling global challenges from infectious diseases, environmental pollution, climate change to shortage of natural resources. The nominations for female scientists, scientists from developing countries, as well as pioneers in emerging fields are also very impressive,” said Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, University of California, Santa Barbara, Co-Chair of the VinFuture Prize Pre-Screening Committee.

In addition to the impressive number of nominations and the prestige of nominated scientists and researchers, the VinFuture Prize has also seen an impressive diversity and depth of areas that address humanity’s common challenges after its inaugural call for nominations. A significant number of nominated innovations focus on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases on a global scale, sustainable poverty elimination, smart agriculture, clean food supply, renewable energy, and applications of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in education and life.

Going forward, nominations will be reviewed by a twelve-member Pre-Screening Committee – prominent scientists and experts from various disciplines and countries – who will present the shortlisted candidates to the Prize Council in August 2021.

Laureates will then be selected independently by the Prize Council comprising eleven distinguished individuals in academia, research, and industry with significant achievements and contributions to advancing human progress.

The VinFuture Grand Prize will be awarded to innovators whose work has been proven to create the largest impact on humanity. It is also one of the world’s largest prizes for science and technology to date, valued at US$ 3 million (equivalent to 70 billion Vietnamese Dong). Additionally, three special prizes will be awarded to innovators from developing countries, female innovators, and innovators with outstanding achievements in emerging fields, each worth US$500,000 (equivalent to 11.5 billion Vietnamese Dong).

The laureates of the 2021 VinFuture Prize will be announced on December 20th, 2021 and the official award ceremony will be held in Vietnam on January 20th, 2022.

About the VinFuture Prize

The VinFuture Prize is a global science and technology prize founded by Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup, and his wife, Madam Pham Thu Huong, to recognize groundbreaking scientific discoveries and technological inventions proven to create, or having the potential to create, better changes in the everyday lives of millions of people and foster a sustainable living environment for future generations.

To learn more, please visit: https://vinfutureprize.org/

#VinFuturePrize

#Vingroup

Xlife Sciences AG (XLS DE): Breakthrough in Drug Development

First available holistic medical drug to treat Covid-19 and flu viruses

 

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – EQS Newswire – 10 June 2021 – As a project company of Xlife Sciences AG (XLS DE), inflamed pharma GmbH has developed a revolutionary and holistic therapeutic approach to treat both SARS-CoV-2 and flu viruses. The patented active substance ProcCluster(R) reduces the viral load by 90% and acts against infection-related inflammatory processes without developing a resistance. It is already used on humans.


The active pharmaceutical ingredient ProcCluster(R) developed by inflamed pharma GmbH is membrane permeable and is based on the active ingredient procaine. It acts both locally as well as systemically and is characterized by a wide range of applications in inflammatory diseases. ProcCluster(R) is already used for various prescription drugs for humans. In various case studies, renowned medical doctors have now been able to successfully demonstrate the effectiveness in the treatment of Covid-19 and Long-Covid patients. In studies with various cell lines, especially lung cells, the active ingredient was able to reduce the viral load by 90% in an early phase and effectively inhibit inflammation in a later phase. These effects can be transferred to other RNA viruses.

Oliver R. Baumann, CEO of Xlife Sciences AG, comments: “ProcCluster(R) has enormous market potential because, in contrast to other active ingredients, both the inflammatory processes and the viral load in the body are significantly reduced. This means that it can be used at different points in time during the course of the Covid-19 disease”. It is of inestimable value that this active ingredient is already produced by inflamed pharma GmbH in high quality at low cost. “Another key advantage compared to vaccines and antibodies is that ProcCluster(R) does not lead to resistance development and can also be used against virus mutants”, continues Baumann. In addition, ProcCluster(R) has a stimulating effect on the microcirculation, which is particularly important for Long-Covid patients. So far, no negative side effects have been observed either.

According to the management of Xlife, they are already in various discussions with possible industrial partners in order to have ProcCluster(R) industrially manufactured. The aim is for the active ingredient to be licensed out as quickly as possible.

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

About Xlife Sciences AG

Xlife Sciences AG is a Swiss company with focus on investing in promising technologies in the life science industry. Xlife Sciences AG is building the bridge from research and development to healthcare markets by supporting researchers and entrepreneurs in positioning, structuring, developing and implementing their concepts. Together with industrial partners or universities, Xlife Sciences AG leads projects through the proof-of-concept phase after an invention disclosure or start-up. Subsequently, the firm focuses on out-licensing or selling the company, often with a combination of a strategic partnership. Xlife Sciences AG offers its investors direct access to the further development of innovative and future-oriented technologies at a very early stage. For more information, please visit: www.xlifesciences.ch

#XlifeSciencesAG