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.

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

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

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

• #ReConnect – a hybrid festival featuring online and offline work by leading British art and cultural organisations and artists, launched by the British Council.
• Partnering with over 35 cultural organisations from the UK and China, the Festival offers thought provoking and stimulating experiences with British arts and culture.
• The Festival presents the diverse breadth of contemporary UK arts, culture and education to inspire and connect audiences in China and beyond with British creativity.
• The Festival aims to strengthen the connection between China and the UK through shared values in culture and education.

BEIJING, KUNMING, SHANGHAI, SHENZHEN AND ZHENGZHOU – Media OutReach – 6 September 2021 – The British Council launched the 2021 UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival. Titled #ReConnect, this year’s edition is a hybrid festival featuring work by leading British art and cultural organisations and artists via online and offline platforms, offering audiences in China an opportunity to reconnect with British art from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Organised by the British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and education opportunities, and sponsored by the Welsh Government, the festival will present nearly 40 cultural performances and projects online and offline in multiple cities across China between 1 and 20 September 2021.

“We are delighted to be a partner of the British Council, supporting the 2021 UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival to give people in China an opportunity to experience three wonderful examples of art and culture from Wales.The theme of the festival, reconnecting, is more important now than ever – reconnecting with our environment and our communities, both locally and across borders. I hope our contribution to the festival will encourage audiences to do just that, building new cultural connections between our two nations” said Rt Hon Mark Drakeford, First Minister of Wales.

Focusing on three different themes, the Festival will encourage audiences to #ReConnect with nature, community and the self through a variety of exhibitions, talks, panel discussions, film screenings and performances. #ReConnect with Nature will explore the deep relationship between humans and nature; #ReConnect with Community will explore the connection and consequence of human experience and our community; and #ReConnect with Self will support individuals to increase empathy and self-awareness.

Highlight projects under #ReConnect with Nature include:

• British visual artist Celyn Bricker’s first solo exhibition in China, titled The Fifth Season. Bringing together interactive, AI generated artworks, paintings and prototypes, the exhibition held in Beijing will explore our relationship with nature and new technology.
• An online talk held in partnership with the Natural History Museum, -titled Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It will see young changemakers from the UK and China debate why and how our relationship with the natural world needs to change.
• Eye of the Storm, a documentary film featuring Scottish landscape painter James Morrison will be screened in Shanghai, directed by award-winning director Anthony Baxter.
• Dog Ballet, from the London International Festival of Theatre, is a webinar about a new participatory work of public art to celebrate the community around dogs and their owners to appreciate the joy and tenderness that can be found in these relationships of mutual care.

#ReConnect with Community will share work from the UK that places emphasis on the changing nature of community, as well as talks from leading arts and cultural experts alongside knowledge sharing events from dance and theatre producers. Selected highlights include:

• O’r Graig, a short documentary featuring slate mines in North Wales, which have recently been designated UNESCO heritage status.
• Journey to the Eyeth Art, a virtual art gallery showcasing the creativity of deaf artists in an imaginary world called Eyeth and a celebration of inclusiveness in the art for all.
• Match Make is a series of short films which paired 8 dance artists and 8 artist collaborators during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which include natural, industrial, rural, urban and coastal settings throughout Northern Ireland.  

#ReConnect with Self will focus on activities that explore mental health and well-being. Highlight projects include:

• Time to Dance China, an international digital collaboration between the Scottish Ballet and Shanghai International Dance Centre designed to deliver dementia-friendly dance activities for elderly people as well as a dance film screening.
• An online solo exhibition of works by award-winning British artist Sir Christopher Le Brun, in addition to an online talk between Sir Christopher Le Brun and renowned art critic, writer and curator Shen Qilan.

“At this time of limited travel, we are excited to once again bring some of the most dynamic and vibrant artistic and cultural performances, exhibitions and talks from the UK to audiences in China and offer people the choice to experience these in person or online. With the theme of #ReConnect, we hope to inspire our audience to re-evaluate their relationship with the natural environment, their community, and themselves. The world is going though unprecedented changes at this time, and arts and culture have the power to bring people together through presenting programmes in partnership with institutions and artists in the UK and China. The Festival acts as a platform to share knowledge, spark discussions and stimulate thinking among our audiences.” Said Rehana Mughal, Director Arts for the British Council China.

Programme list

Media kit

#ReConnect

2021 UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival

Organiser: British Council

Sponsor: The Welsh Government

Period: 1-20 September 2021

Festival portal: http://reconnect.britishcouncil.cn/  

British Council WeChat ‘bc-china’ and ‘UK_NOW’

British Council Weibo @英国大使馆文化教育处, @艺述英国

Festival visual material bank:

Baidu Cloud Link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1v-0MiFLbomjVJFHsQVpUxw  

Pin: p7wt

Notes to editors

The Welsh Government

Wales is a country in the UK with distinctive traditions, heritage, culture and language. It is known as a land of song and a country steeped in myth and legend, which, when you see the awe-inspiring landscape, is no surprise.

The Welsh national anthem picks out ‘beirdd a chantorion’ – the poets and singers – for special mention. Today, the Welsh music and arts scenes are alive with the sounds of bilingual music, poetry, art, and everything in between.

Learn more about Wales at wales.com

#BritishCouncil #ReConnect

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture, education and the English language. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive a 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government.

www.britishcouncil.cn

Please visit our official website in Chinese and English for detailed programme.

Festival visual material bank:

Baidu Cloud Link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1v-0MiFLbomjVJFHsQVpUxw

Pin: p7wt

We will update our programme on daily basis through our social media accounts, please stay tuned with us on:

Weibo @英国大使馆文化教育处 @艺述英国

Wechat

bc-china (英国大使馆文化教育处)

UK_NOW (艺述英国)