27.9 C
Vientiane
Monday, July 21, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 2902

Central Retail Vietnam partners with Ho Chi Minh City’s authorities to deploy BIPBIP apps for residents’ convenient online grocery shopping

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – Central Retail Vietnam, a leading multi-format and multi-category group, which owns and manages many hypermarkets and supermarket such as GO!, Big C and Tops Market, has suggested working with Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade to partner with the People’s Committee and local authorities of districts & wards to deploy BIPBIP application, an online grocery shopping platform that is user-friendly to order, easy to pay, and convenient to track shipments.

As Ho Chi Minh City residents are requested to remain in their homes for over 2 weeks, the local authorities and voluntary forces have been trying many ways to fulfill the grocery shopping needs of the most crowded city in Vietnam. 

However, the diversity of demand has created difficulties. Manual order forms for fixed combos managed by leaders of blocks or wards, redundant tasks and inefficient operation processes have left mistakes in ordered items, delivery and payments.

Via BIPBIP app, people can directly purchase a great number combo selections starting at only 120,000 VND. This partnership not only helps Ho Chi Minh residents to be more assured when shopping, but also reduces the workload for local authorities.

The districts of Binh Tan, Go Vap, 2 & Tan Phu are the first locations to apply and guide residents to use BIPBIP app as an additional method to purchase products for their families. Regardless of the short roll-out period, BIPBIP has received a great response.

Not stopping here, Central Retail Vietnam is working with more district authorities to expand the coverage of BIPBIP even further.

Olivier Langlet, Central Retail Viet Nam Group CEO, said. “Through the combination of applying technology solutions and strong quality grocery sourcing capability with affordable pricing, we are trying every day and committed to supporting our community to easily access a supply of quality necessity-products during this social isolation period.”

 

BIPBIP provides ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING – ANYWHERE, ANYTIME from Central Retail Vietnam with over 20,000 best-selling items from BIGC/GO! or TOPS MAKET.

Many payment methods are available and secure. The customer services are available in many methods such as in-app, a hotline, fanpages and Zalo official accounts.

Customers can use any method, are guaranteed to arrive at the correct addresses thanks to cooperation with local authorities.

#CentralRetailVietnam 

#BIPBIP

Hong Kong Baptist University study finds strong association between PM2.5 and neurological disorders

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – A comprehensive, systematic meta-analysis conducted by HKBU scientists found a significant association between exposure to PM2.5, i.e., fine particulates with equivalent diameters of less than 2.5 microns suspended in the air, and neurological disorders. These include stroke, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, posing serious challenges to global health.

 

Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam (right) and Dr Fu Pengfei, Postdoctoral Research Fellow of the Department of Biology of HKBU, find a strong association between PM2.5 and a wide range of neurological disorders

The paper with the study’s finding was published in the academic journal Science of the Total Environment, and has become the top 1% highly-cited paper worldwide by citation in the field of Environment and Ecology, according to Essential Science Indicators (ESI).

Comprehensive study covers 26 countries or regions

 

As systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the association between PM2.5 exposure and neurological disorders have been limited so far, the HKBU research team, led by Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam, Professor of the Department of Biology of the University, analysed a total of 1,645 articles published by June 2018, and identified 80 eligible studies that covered a population of more than 6.33 million from 26 countries or regions in all continents except Antarctica.

 

Previous meta-analyses of a similar nature covered at most seven countries, and nearly all of them were lightly polluted. In contrast, HKBU’s study covered countries and regions known to have more serious air pollution problems, such as Chile, China and India.

 

PM2.5 exposure increases stroke risks

 

After a series of statistical analyses of the data published in the selected studies, the research team used odds ratio (OR) to represent the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risk of different neurological disorders. Odds ratio, commonly used in public health analysis, is a measure of association between an exposure and an outcome. An odds ratio value of 1 indicates that an exposure does not affect odds of an outcome; a value of over 1 means an exposure is associated with higher odds of an outcome.

 

Analysis results of the association between PM2.5 exposure and stroke risks are tabulated as below:

 

PM2.5 exposure

Risk of stroke

(in odds ratio)

Risk of stroke mortality

(in odds ratio)

Short-term

1.01

1.02

Long-term

1.14

1.15

Lightly polluted areas

1.01

1.06

Heavily polluted areas

1.02

Data not available

 

The results revealed that exposure to PM2.5 in general increases the risks of stroke and stroke mortality, with the risk associated with long-term exposure more significant than with short-term exposure. It also showed that the risk of stroke in heavily polluted areas is higher than that in lightly polluted areas.

 

Neurological disorders strongly associated with PM2.5 exposure

 

Analysis results of the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risks of developing other neurological disorders are presented as below:

 

Neurological disorders

Risk (in odds ratio)

Alzheimer’s disease

3.26

ASD

1.68

Parkinson’s disease

1.34

Dementia

1.16

 

The results revealed that PM2.5 exposure is strongly associated with increased risks of Alzheimer’s disease, ASD, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

 

PM2.5 is typically made up of heavy metals, organic carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons suspended in the air. According to studies, some of the tiny particles and soluble components can enter the bloodstream by many pathways, such as crossing the blood-brain barrier and gaining access to the central nervous system. These particles can induce inflammation, death of cells and DNA damage.

 

Call to improve air quality for public health’s sake

 

“While various hypotheses were suggested on the underlying mechanisms of how PM2.5 causes different types of neurological disorders, it remains an area with many unknowns for biomedical scientists to explore. More vigorous research endeavours are required before we can fully understand the mechanisms, based on which we can formulate effective environmental and public health strategies in response,” said Professor Yung.

 

Tomorrow (7 September) will be the 2nd International Day of Clean Air for blue skies designated by the United Nations General Assembly, with the theme “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet”, which emphasises the health effects of air pollution.

 

“The International Day of Clean Air for blue skies reminds us of the urgency for national governments and the international community to collaborate and take swift, effective actions to improve air quality, given its extensive health implications. Our study made it clear that PM2.5 exposure, a typical indicator of air pollution, is closely associated with many neurological disorders, and thus improving air quality will be a direct response to this public health challenge,” said Professor Yung.

Laos Reopens Schools Online Across the Country Today

Laos opens schools online across the country
Lao Education and Sports Teaching and Learning Platform (Photo: UNICEF)

The Ministry of Education and Sports has scheduled the reopening of schools online across the country from today.

Property portal whyborder.com introduces Asia’s first reverse bidding system whybid to connect buyers to global developers

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – whyborder, a borderless property marketing platform, is introducing Asia’s first international reverse bidding auction on overseas properties. Hong Kong buyers who are seeking properties overseas can connect with developers who are offering premium discounted deals via whyborder.

 

With travel restrictions still in place in many countries and the oversupply of properties in some countries, whyborder offers a rare opportunity for investors and buyers to purchase properties at ideal prices directly from developers both from and outside their home countries. Purchasing properties in foreign locations has become a major trend in Hong Kong as people plan their retirement, children’s education and immigration overseas. Hong Kong buyers became the fifth largest foreign investors in central London as of August 2020[1].

Started in 2020, whyborder is an innovative web-based platform to facilitate cross-border real estate business for developers, agents, sellers and buyers. Managed by a team of real estate businessmen which believes in transforming the industry by providing greater transparency in property deals, whyborder makes available information that was previously difficult to access. These include live virtual tours, videos, photos, floor plans and construction documents for users to better assess and understand the property before making a purchase decision.

One of the highlights of whyborder is a unique reverse bidding feature known as whybid that allows buyers from across the globe to bid on international properties, from the comfort of their own homes.  Interested buyers can sign up to view and bid for their preferred price during the limited bidding period. Once the bidding closes, the buyer who had placed the highest bid and above the seller’s reserve price will be the eventual owner of the property. This entire transaction can be completed in just two months with this streamlined process.

The first whybid auction will be taking place from 08 to 15 October 2021, starting from the Thailand market. Properties listed include:

  • Maru Ladprao 15
  • Manor Sanambinnam
  • Hyde Sukhumvit 11
  • Supalai Sukhumvit 39
  • Supalai Elite Surawong
  • Supalai Prime Rama 9

“Buying properties is a major decision for many people. Our goal is to facilitate better decision making by offering transparency and a wealth of information and features to make buying and selling accessible to all, no matter where they are located. We hope to raise awareness and encourage more people to explore the buying and selling of properties online in a safe and convenient manner,” said Mr Dave Loo, Founder and CEO of whyborder.com.

 

whyborder also introduces whyrefer, a unique feature in the platform that allows its members to earn a 0.2% referral fee by sharing the properties that are listed in the whybid campaign via their personal referral links. Upon the purchase of said properties through one of these links, the referral fee will be transferred to the account of the member who owns the link.

 

With whyborder.com, buyers can liaise with agents and developers to address specific concerns on their interests. A wide range of properties spanning 54 cities and with a coverage of 6,173 districts, 555 train lines, 9,537 train stations, 9,649 landmarks is already listed on the platform. They include popular locations like Australia, Canada, Japan, Taiwan Thailand, and UK as well as emerging sites such as Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam.



[1] Source: London Residential at Sotheby’s International Realty

About whyborder

whyborder is an innovative web-based platform to transform and facilitate cross-border real estate business for developers, agents, sellers and buyers, backed by a management team with over 20 years of knowledge and experience in global real estate transactions. whyborder is the only platform to offer a wide selection of properties spans across 54 cities, covering 6,173 districts, 555 train lines, 9,537 train stations, and 9,649 landmarks.

The company’s mission is to enable and accelerate seamless property transactions all around the world, without borders. whyborder gives users a new level of transparency and market insights, from project / unit comparison and multiple-party virtual guided tours, as well as to searches for unit information in new properties.

For more information, visit whyborder.com.

#whyborder

Apical Secures Its First Sustainability-Linked Loan Facilities of US$750 million

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – Apical Group, a leading agri-business processor of palm oil and member of the RGE group of companies, has secured a US$750 million sustainability-linked loan from a syndicate of lenders. This is a first for Apical, and among only a few known in the palm oil industry, where borrowing is tied to sustainability targets and performance.

The loan, issued to Apical’s units AAA Oils & Fats Pte Ltd and Apical Middle East, is structured as a two-year revolving credit and four-year term loan facilities. Under the facilities, Apical is committed to meeting improvement targets for a range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics, as assessed by Environmental Resources Management, a London-headquartered global provider of environmental, health, safety, risk and social issues consulting services.

Andy Cairns, Head of Global Corporate Finance of First Abu Dhabi Bank, the Facility Agent, commented, “We congratulate Apical on this achievement. ESG is an increasing focus for borrowers and investors globally and it reflects very highly on Apical that it is among the first Asia names, and companies in its industry sector, to embrace this. I am confident that such forward-thinking commitment to achieving its sustainability goals will position Apical advantageously for the future.” 

The targets are based on Apical’s commitment to ensure a sustainable supply chain. Performance against the pre-determined targets will be assessed on an annual basis for the loan period, and incentives awarded accordingly. The loan will be used to finance working capital and capital expenditure requirements of Apical Group. 

Apical’s Executive Director, Pratheepan Karunagaran, said, “This is a milestone for Apical and a testament to the commitment and confidence we have in our ESG performance. The spirit of continuous improvement is deeply rooted in our corporate culture and we are motivated to perform even better to deliver against the loan targets set.  We are grateful for the enthusiasm of our financiers and hope that our success will serve as a catalyst in further developing sustainability-linked financing in the sector.”

The loan facilities received overwhelming demand with participation from 22 banks in nine countries. Among the Mandate Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners are E.Sun Commercial Bank, Ltd, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank Co., Ltd, MUFG Bank, Ltd, Bank Sinopac, and Taishin International Bank Co., Ltd.

About Apical

Apical Group is one of the largest palm oil exporters in Indonesia, owning and controlling a broad spectrum of the palm oil business value chain from sourcing to distribution. The company is also involved in the refining, processing of palm oil for domestic use and for international export. Its operations are located in Indonesia, China and Spain, and include six refineries, four biodiesel plants, two oleo chemical plants and a kernel crushing plant. Through joint ventures, Apical also has tolling and distribution operations in India, Pakistan, Philippines and Brazil.

Apical’s business is built on an extensive sourcing network in Indonesia with integrated refinery assets in strategic locations. This is reinforced by efficient logistics channels supported by Apical’s own infrastructure to deliver to a wide range of clients from international trading houses to local industrial buyers. With its unique business model, Apical has been able to control product quality and address sustainability and food safety concerns, while running highly efficient operations in world-class refineries and integrated storage and bulking facilities.

https://www.apicalgroup.com/

Apical 2020 Sustainability Report

#Apical

ILIFE Floor Washing Machine Shinebot W455 is now available in Europe

SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – ILIFE, a World-leading robot vacuum manufacturer, announced its availability of Shinebot W455 in Europe Today. Shinebot W455 not only maintains its traditional floor washing capability but also supports smart navigation and app control. With enhanced CV-SLAM Camera Module, W455 solved the problem of lacking user interaction and customize cleaning option.

 

As the upgrade version of the earlier Shinebot W400, W455 enhanced its Navigation accuracy and obstacle Avoidance. Equipped with 13 sets of high accuracy seniors, W450 could avoid dropping and colliding effectively. The new-added app control function helps customers gain more smarter experience by scheduling Cleaning, selecting clean areas, setting up no-go-zone and customizing cleaning modes.

 

Same with W400, W455 adopts dual water tanks design, so W455 can realize clean and dirty water separation easily. With ILIFE-innovated Tidalpower cleaning system, W455 could finish 4 steps cleaning cycle at one time: Moisten, Scrub, Suction and Scrape. That’s exactly how W455 works cleaning stubborn stains while protecting the floor.

 

As the star series of ILIFE, ILIFE Shinebot W-series attracted the eyes of thousands of people since its announcement in 2018. With the theme of “harsh to the stain, gentle to the floor”, ILIFE shinebot redefine the mopping market with hands-free mopping design and budget friendly price.

 

Earlier this year, ILIFE launched a fellow robot named W450 in US, which has earned good reputation from customers and high praise by media. By great expectation from European fans, ILIFE W455 finally debut on AliExpress today with an initial price of $199. This price only last 4 days from 9/6~9/9.

One thing worth mentioning is that together with shinebot W455, ILIFE also new launched a new steam mop S50 with the sub-brand name of Easine. Please check out here for more details.

About ILIFE

Founded in 2010, ILIFE Technology is an intelligent cleaning company focus on cleaning products including robot vacuums, floor washing machine and cordless vacuum cleaners. Follow us on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram. For more information, please visit: https://www.iliferobot.com/

#ilife

Digitrio promises to deliver Faster, Better SEO using the “Pareto Principle”

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – COVID-19 has changed the way companies around the world conduct their business. As a digital marketing agency, Digitrio has been able to observe first hand on how online marketing channel such as SEO has become even more key to fuel company growth and recovery in Singapore as the country start to move from pandemic to endemic.

Delivering SEO, Faster & Better

 

93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine like Google and by doing SEO, the company website will appear on page 1 of the search results, thus driving them more website traffic and visibility to their offering.

 

SEO is often done wrongly or not widely used by companies due to the speed of it being slow, not producing the results or a combination of both. But that is not true as Digitrio promises to deliver faster & better SEO by utilizing the “Pareto principle”.

 

80/20 rule or the Pareto principle states about 80% of results from 20% of all works and that is true even for SEO. By applying the Pareto principle to SEO, Digitrio has come up with a proven SEO framework & process called K.A.R.A that can help businesses achieve more traffic growth, not just ranking.

  • Keywords
  • Accessibility
  • Relevancy
  • Authority

You can learn more at https://digitrio.com.sg/seo/ and get a free SEO proposal on what is the expected performance and growth that they can help your business to grow using that SEO framework derived using the Pareto principle.

About Digitrio

Digitrio is a dynamic digital marketing company based in Singapore. Specializing in search engine optimization, Digitrio works with businesses to help drive faster organic traffic growth to their website, fueling the company growth in the online space.

#Digitrio

GEODIS in Hong Kong Unlocks Priority Customs Facilitation and Inspection with AEO Accreditation

Partnership with the country’s Customs and Excise Department strengthens GEODIS’ offering, as the APAC division expands its network of local infrastructures

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – GEODIS, a leading global transport and logistics services provider, today announced that its division in Hong Kong has been accredited as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department. AEO status recognizes excellent security and safety procedures amongst those within the supply chain industry. With the accreditation, GEODIS in Hong Kong will now be given access to priority customs facilitation and inspection, allowing the logistics provider to optimize its local operations, delivering agile, secure, and reliable solutions for customers.

GEODIS in Hong Kong Unlocks Priority Customs Facilitation and Inspection with AEO Accreditation

The need for such efficient systems has become more vital than ever, given ongoing supply chain disruption to shipping schedules and factory production across Asia. These delays have also been accompanied by a continuing surge in consumer demand for Asian goods, challenging logistics partners to cope with an increasingly volatile supply chain ecosystem. As a key link between Mainland China and the rest of the world, these service providers in Hong Kong, in particular must work to keep processes up-and-running in the most seamless way possible.

 

“By achieving AEO accreditation we are helping to strengthen Hong Kong’s logistics credentials as a major international trading center and regional hub,” said Onno Boots, President and Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, GEODIS. “AEO status reflects the team’s commitment to providing our clients with best-in-class services and expertise to not only navigate, but thrive, amidst the challenges brought about by the pandemic.”

 

“This initiative affirms our continuous efforts to reinforce the infrastructures, processes and information systems required to ensure the most advanced and reliable security measures within the current dynamic environment,” said Christopher Cahill, Managing Director, North Asia Sub-Region. “GEODIS will continue to innovate, leveraging on new technology and automation to keep our operations in Hong Kong scalable and efficient.”

 

Since its incorporation in 1989, GEODIS in Hong Kong has expanded its presence, investing in an Air Export warehouse at the world-class Airport Freight Forwarding Centre (AAFC) within the Hong Kong International Airport (60,000 sqf) in addition to a Contract Logistics Warehouses located at Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan, and Yuen Long (630,000 sqf).

 

GEODIS in Hong Kong prides itself in providing logistical support to businesses across key verticals such as High-Technology, Retail, Fast Moving Consumer Goods and Industrial goods.

 

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, global supply chain operator recognized for its commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s truly global reach thanks to a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries, translates in top business rankings, #1 in France, #6 in Europe and #7 worldwide. In 2020, GEODIS accounted for over 41,000 employees globally and generated €8.4 billion in sales.

#GEODIS