The 121st China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair or “the Fair”) has concluded with steady growth achieved in both volume of turnover and number of buyers. Total turnover of exports at the Fair sees a 6.9 percent year-on-year increase to 206.36 billion yuan ( US$30.02 billion )

• The number and quality of overseas buyers both increased

The 121st Canton Fair also saw steady growth in number of buyers. Total number of international purchasers and participants amounted to 196,490, increasing 5.87 percent from the 119th Canton Fair in 2016.

The number of buyers from the Americas increased the most, 9.6

percent year-on-year, while the number of buyers from Japan , America, Canada and Australia jumped 12.57 percent, 5.84 percent, 4.53 percent and 6.75 percent year-on-year respectively. 88,574 of buyers from the countries and regions in the Belt and Road Initiative attended with a year-on-year increase of 8.55 percent.

Xu Bing , spokesperson for Canton Fair and Deputy Director of the China Foreign Trade Centre said: “The Canton Fair is devoted to providing comprehensive exhibition platform and services for global exhibitors and buyers. Around 1,119 international chain enterprises took part in this year’s Fair.109 of the top 250 retail companies newly announced in 2017 joined the 121st Canton Fair, including Walmart, Walgreen, Carrefour, Aldi, Tesco and Amazon.”

• The Fair evolves: exhibitors invest more in design and R&D

This year’s Fair was mainly focused on promoting foreign trade and supporting supply-side structural reforms. Numerous exhibitors such as Haier, Midea, TCL and Galanz have been investing heavily in product design and R&D to foster competitive advantages in technology, quality and service, and to expand their business to the higher end of the value chain.

“Canton Fair is not only a platform for international trading, we are also leveraging six decades’ knowledge of international market to help exhibitors produce products that appeal to more international buyers in several ways,” added Xu Bing .

The 122nd Canton Fair will open on October 15, 2017 , providing another outstanding exhibition platform and superior support services for all attendees.

About Canton Fair

Since 1957, China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, has been held biannually inGuangzhou every spring and autumn.

For more information, visit: http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en/index.aspx

Every day, 6,300 people die as a result of occupational accidents or work-related diseases more than 2.3 million deaths per year. 317 million accidents occur on the job annually; many of these resulting in extended absences from work. The human cost of this daily adversity is vast and the economic burden of poor occupational safety and health practices is estimated at 4 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product each year.

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held yearly on 28^th of April and has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003. It is an awareness raising campaign intended to focus international attention on emerging trends in the field of occupational safety and health and on the magnitude of work-related injuries, diseases and fatalities worldwide.

The theme for the 2017 World Day for Safety and Health at Work is: “Optimize the collection and use of OSH data”, focuses on the critical need for countries to improve their capacity to collect and utilise reliable occupational safety and health (OSH) data. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted on the 25^th of September 2015 encompasses a global plan of action with specific targets to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. With its adoption, the capacity to collect and utilize reliable OSH data has also become indispensable for countries to fulfil their commitment to implement and report on some of the agenda’s 17 sustainable development goals and their targets.

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY) urges the community leaders and organizational representatives to uphold this day by speaking out on issues such as: workplace health and safety standards. Various media should continue to promote the day through news articles and broadcast programmes. They believe each of them is responsible for stopping deaths and injuries on the job. As governments they are responsible for providing the infrastructure both laws and services necessary to ensure that workers remain employable and that enterprises flourish. This includes the development of a national policy and programme and a system of inspection to enforce compliance with occupational safety and health legislation and policy.

Let them therefore, work together for safety and health culture to have a safe and healthy working environment that is respected at all levels, where governments, employers and workers actively participate in securing a safe and healthy working environment.

HAPPY WORLD DAY FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK!

Books are invaluable platforms for freedom of expression and the free flow of information these are essential for all societies today. The future of the book as a cultural object is inseparable from the role of culture in promoting more inclusive and sustainable pathways to development.

World Book and Copyright Day is an opportunity to highlight the power of books to promote our vision of knowledge societies that are inclusive, pluralistic, equitable, open and participatory for all citizens. It is said that how a society treats its most vulnerable is a measure of its humanity. When we apply this measure to the availability of books to those with visual impairments and those with learning or physical disabilities (with different causes), we are confronted with what can only be described as a ‘book famine’.

23 April is a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K.Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.

The Day also marks the beginning of the term of Conakry, capital of the Republic of Guinea, as World Book Capital (2017-2018). Conakry has been singled out by UNESCO and its partners “on account of the quality and diversity of its programme,” in particular ” its focus on community involvement,” as well as “for its well-structured budget and clear development goals with a strong emphasis on youth and literacy.”

The World Assembly of Youth (WAY), recognise that youth, nowadays, are struggling in extremely various situations with diverse traces and perspectives, mental and social growth. In addition, the existence of technology, which with no doubt brings in a lot of amenities into our life, has influenced young people’s preferences on entertainment leading most of them spending lesser leisure-time on reading.

Acknowledging on the challenges encountered in our society today, we urge young people to develop a habit of reading regularly so as to increase their knowledge on various subject matters. Our encouragement towards reading has even gone further than just raising awareness amongst young people as we continue to publish resourceful reading materials such as: news, press releases and even book especially those related to youth issues.

Therefore, through the commemoration of World Book and Copyright Day, we wish to reiterate our intention of encouraging young people to continuously appreciate books and treasure the value obtained by reading them. As we, at WAY, believe that books are the treasure of literacy, they are miraculous in their every word and imaginative sentences.

HAPPY WORLD BOOK AND COPYRIGHT DAY!

-END-

Apart from the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, eSports has also been added to the 2017 Ashgabat Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), and the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Leveraging its expertise in eSports promotion and event organization, Alisports, as OCA’s strategic partner, will be an active participator in helping expand the market for games organized by the association.

OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah , said, “The Olympic Council of Asia is committed to the heritage, development and improvement of Asian sports, and we are extremely pleased about the strategic partnership with Alisports. We are sure that the extensive organizing capabilities of Alisports, and their experience in eSports, will assist OCA in developing all sports.”

According to OCA , eSports to be contested at the 2017 AIMAG this September will include FIFA 2017, Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) and Real Time Attack (RTA) gaming types. These are the most popular gaming types among global eSports players and were incorporated into the World Electronic Sports Games (WESG), which was launched by Alisports last year and attracted players from over 100 countries.

Alisports actively promotes eSports and has a long-term goal of introducing these digital competitions into venues and events that have long been showcases for “traditional” sports. Zhang Dazhong, Founder & CEO of Alisports said, “It’s our pleasure to work with  OCA and we would like to thank them for their faith in Alisports. In the future, we will work closely together to develop new modes of developing big games and events, and to provide sponsors with more opportunities and value. We look forward to presenting more exciting video game competitions to not only eSports lovers but also a global audience.”

Zhang added that he expects eSports to eventually be featured at the Olympic Games, as digital games tournaments are being more professionally organized, and their competitions more accepted as mainstream entertainment. “It’s only a matter of time,” he said.

About The Olympic Council of Asia

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is the governing body that oversees all sports in Asia . It is one of the five continental associations recognized by the IOC.

OCA was formed in 1982 and has its permanent headquarters in Kuwait . The main objective of OCA is to develop sport, culture and the education of Asian youth as well as to promote international respect, friendship, goodwill & peace through sports.

About Alisports Group

Alisports Group (Alisports), founded in 2015 as Alibaba Sports Group by the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Goup, integrates e-commerce, media, marketing, video, home entertainment, cloud computing and other Internet-enabled technologies to form a sports platform that participates in different aspects of the professional sports industry, including sports copyrights, sports media, events, ticketing, and more.

Alisports leverages Alibaba Group’s vast e-commerce ecosystem, media resources and deep experience with China’s new media and sports sectors to create an Internet-based, consumer-centric sports platform that creates value for sports industry participants and enhances consumers and sports fans’ engagement with teams and brands.

SOURCE Alisports

Starting this May, homeowners in Stockholm can access pay-per-use power tools for the garden, eliminating the need to maintain and store hedge trimmers, chainsaws and other tools that are used less frequently. The project is a pilot, and part of Husqvarna’s commitment to explore innovative and sustainable solutions for taking care of gardens and green spaces.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8087051-husqvarna-pay-per-use-power-tools/

The Husqvarna Battery Box, is a “smart”, 8×3 meter, unattended container with 30 electronic lockers that store battery powered garden care products. Via an iPhone app, homeowners can reserve tools, get instructions, pay, and open the locker to pick up their pre-booked power tool. The “box” will be placed at Bromma Blocks, a shopping center 15 min west of Stockholm city. Renting a garden care product will cost 350 SEK a day (approx 35 Euros or 38 USD ).

” People are already sharing homes and cars. To share products that are only used occasionally, like a hedge-trimmer, makes a lot of sense for some users. Husqvarna Battery Box is proof of our commitment to explore new solutions that merge innovation and sustainability, benefitting the homeowner, the community and our distribution network, ” says Pavel Hajman , President of the Husqvarna division.

Sustainability and innovation put to the test

This pilot project supports Husqvarna’s sustainability agenda to drive the conversion from petrol powered products to silent battery products with no direct emissions in urban areas. Additionally, the purpose is also to test the real-world applications of this technical solution, as well as collect insights on market maturity, customer behaviour, and potential future revenue streams for Husqvarna’s distribution network. The test period runs from May 1 to October 31, 2017 .

How it works

After completing registration in the iPhone app (also called “Husqvarna Battery Box”), the customer can reserve one of the 30 available battery powered products (chainsaw, hedge trimmer, trimmer or blower). The app guides the user on how to open and close the door to the particular locker where the product they want to rent is kept. The app also includes “how-to-films” to explain how the product works. The Box, powered by solar cells, will be serviced by Husqvarna staff daily, ensuring that products are in good condition and that the batteries are fully charged.

The connection between the Husqvarna Battery Box and the customer is enabled via Bluetooth. For identification purposes, the customer uses the Swedish ID app “BankID”. Payments are charged to the registered credit card at the end of the month. During the pilot period, the app is only available on iOS.

Powerful and silent products in the box

From a performance perspective, the battery products in the box are equivalent to the petrol versions of comparable size, but without the noise and direct emissions. The battery series in the box is powered by a 36V Li-ion battery, and one battery fits all products in the box (chainsaw, hedge trimmer, blower, trimmer).

Project partners and set-up

Husqvarna Battery Box is the result of a partnership that includes Telenor Connexion, Flex, Zuora and HiQ. Flex builds the connected box and reports its status on events handled through a cloud solution with Telenor Connexion. Zuora supplies the subscription payment solution and HiQ builds the app and the system needed to bring everything together. The shopping center Bromma Blocks provides the space for the test.

” We are excited to be part of this innovative project.   For us,   Husqvarna Battery Box is a perfect project to apply our partner ecosystem , catered for businesses that want to take on th e digital transformation journey, ” says Mats Lundquist , CEO, Telenor Connex ion.

” HiQ’s driving force is to simplify and improve people’s lives through technology. The Husqvarna Battery Box Project demonstrates how we can ease everyday lives and take more responsibility for our planet – all with the help of modern technology platforms, ” says Lars Stugemo, ” President and CEO of HiQ.

” Zuora is excited to play its part in seeing the Husqvarna Battery Box come to life. We see consumers around the world welcoming the new world of the Subscription Economy. It ‘ s exciting to enable this 3 28year-old company lead the charge of innovation to build long-term relationships with their customers, “says Maria Johansen , Nordics Regional Director, Zuora.

” I n a period of technological transformatio n , when ordinary objects are bec oming connected , t here is enormous opportunity for companies that embrace the new business model s. Flex is thrilled to be helping Husqvarna integrate connectivity , creating a flexible experience for their customers , ” says Doug Britt , P resident of Industrial and Emerging Industries at Flex.

” Husqvarna Battery Box gives a glimpse of what shopping centers may look like in the future. We are excited to be the first in Sweden to host this service , as we believe it adds value to our offer and to   all our customers with a garden to care for, ” says Sanna Su l tan, manager of Bromma Blocks.  

Images are available at husqvarna.com/press

About Husqvarna

Husqvarna is a brand within Husqvarna Group, a global leading producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions for forest, park and garden care. Products include chainsaws, trimmers, robotic lawn mowers and ride-on lawn mowers. The Group is also the European leader in garden watering products and a global leader in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction and stone industries. The Group’s products and solutions are sold under brands including Husqvarna, Gardena, McCulloch, Poulan Pro, Weed Eater, Flymo, Zenoah and Diamant Boart via dealers and retailers to consumers and professionals in more than 100 countries. Net sales in 2016 amounted to SEK 36bn and the Group has around 13,000 employees in 40 countries.

Video:  https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8087051-husqvarna-pay-per-use-power-tools/

SOURCE Husqvarna

Kerui Petroleum attended to the 17th China International Petroleum & Petrochemical Technology and Equipment Exhibition (CIPPE) held in China’s capital city recently. CIPPE is the largest petroleum exhibition in the world, and this year with an area larger than 90,000㎡attracted more than 1,800 companies from 65 countries and regions. Kerui Petroleum , a comprehensive industrial group integrating high-end petroleum equipment research, development, and manufacturing, attended the exhibition with a plan that it themed as “A new ecosystem for the oil and gas industry”.

Kerui Petroleum has integrated international standard oil and gas resources and built a new connected ecosystem for the oil and gas industry consisting of products, technology, services, human resources, and finance, based on an Industry + Internet strategy.

Victor International Institute of Petroleum Training (VIPT) can offer clients across the global oil and gas sector customized talent training, human resource recruiting, labor outsourcing and technology solutions for all aspects of oil engineering. Dedicated to oil industry talent recruitment, international engineering projects contracting and capacity transfer, VIPT plans to dispatch some 15,000 medium and high-end talented individuals in the oil and gas engineering sector to the world.

Erui , an online platform for international industrial distribution embodies Kerui Petroleum ‘s “Industry + Internet” strategy, provides customers a one-stop shop for the purchase of industrial equipment, parts, materials, and tools. Erui also provides customers with a one-stop buying service based on the integration of quality resources across the industry. This service is an “innovation, open, cooperation and win-win” industry-wide ecosystem connecting buyers, suppliers, logistics operators, industry experts and financial entities, to create value across multiple applications including big data, cost control and brand promotion.

As a strategic partner of Kerui Petroleum , Regi Global has integrated the upstream and downstream resources of the oil and gas sector, to build an information platform for idle equipment. This platform will be available for trade or rent, offering both online and offline solutions for completing the transaction.  It will also provide customers with integrated equipment maintenance, upgrades, retooling, logistics, and finance services. Regi Global has already acted as the intermediary for the trade and rental of idle equipment for over 5,000 customers worldwide, helping customers to decrease the time that assets remain idle and enhance efficiency.

As an international and comprehensive industry group, Kerui Petroleum focuses on the integration of quality resources on global scale spanning oil and gas industrial products, technology, human resources, finance, and assets. In line with its theme at this year’s exhibition, Kerui Petroleum is building and completing a new ecosystem for the oil and gas industry by exploring diverse business models with the mission of managing efficiently the “new normal” for international oil prices and to help customers succeed on the projects they are involved with.

SOURCE Kerui Group

Food security is the state of having reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable food, which at the fundamental level means every individual has a right to have safe and nutritious food to consume.   As millions are brought out of poverty across the ASEAN region there is a need to have food security projects on different levels, including the community level.

A healthy life will directly increases productivity which contributes to the nation’s development. The causes of food insecurity varies from agricultural development, population growth, as well as economic downturns which has resulted in reduced global investment in food and agricultural development.  This makes food security not just a social issue but a matter of national importance.

Social projects can assist to increase food security across ASEAN by meeting basic needs, finding sustainable solutions and encouraging innovation, below are several notable projects that have created an impact in different communities across ASEAN.

LAOS 

The Upland Development in Nonheng or UDIN project is a 5 year plan across 30 underdeveloped villages that are situated in Nonheng District.  UDIN project by the European Union funded 80% of the development cost with the amount of €710,267 and HELVETAS Swiss Interco the remaining 20%.  This project has successfully promote food security at the 47^th poorest district in Lao PDR by sustaining upland agriculture and improved management of forest and aquatic resources.  The project completed a construction Gravity-Fed Water supply in 13 villages and 400 household’s latrine construction.  Moreover, UDIN project increased human, social and physical capital through numerous efforts such as pesticides training and awareness for the villagers, training for Traditional Birth Attendants and establishing a Community-based Learning Center (CLC).

VIETNAM

Vietnam’s project on Food Security improvement for small scale farmers aims to increase rice yield in mountainous areas in Vietnam and reduce food insecurity due to low income. The Vietnamese government gave a high evaluation due to the success of this project in addressing the issue and solving it.  The beneficiaries of this project are 85,745 residents across districts of Tay Giang, Nam Giang and Dong Giang. The catch of this project was educating the villagers with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method, which is a techniques that can be used in farming around the mountainous areas.  Therefore, numerous activities were provided to ensure the knowledge is spread amongst all farmers such as training on rice cultivation techniques at “Farmers Field School”, setting up and strengthening farmer’s network through workshops and regular meetings and production of SRI technique text books.

THAILAND

Thai food is no doubt a significant and popular cuisine among the foreigners, therefore the Thai government has implement a new policy to strengthen their image in the eyes of the world.  Thai Kitchen to the World project aims to promote Thai food products, create awareness of food security concerns and produce high quality foods complying with international standards at a competitive price. Their main strategy is adding value to agricultural produce with high technology production process and expanding agriculture and food business. Other than that, Thailand wants to support Thai investments abroad, especially in building a network of Thai restaurants overseas.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia started its “My Kampung, My Future” under the initiative of the National Blue Ocean Strategy to increase rural youth participation in economic activities and making an impact to the rural economy.  The first location for MKMF project started in Kg. Merotai Besar, Tawau, Sabah and Kg.  Gendong Simunjan, Sarawak and expanded to Kg. Pulau Tiga, Kg. Gajah, Perak in 2012.  In Sabah, Ms. Janariah, owner of a shrimp farm coaches 7 new entrepreneurs’ and started her business with 3 ponds only.  It has been reported that she managed to expand her business into 9 ponds with funds sponsored by MKMF and generated an income of RM86,003.40 from January to April 2013. The positive feedback received from this project has prompted the government to consider to expanding to other states such as Kedah, Terengganu and Pahang.  My Kampung, My Future will further assist the rural youth entrepreneurs’ and encourage them to stay and develop the agricultural and non-agricultural production in their own village.

INDONESIA

The smart satellite project in Indonesia is led by Inmarsat and partnering with Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries which focus to enhance the safety, productivity and food security of Indonesian Fishers and their communities by expanding the adoption of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). Moreover, they are also aiming to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and enforcement efforts by regulators through technology and process improvements, resulting in a reduction of illegal fishing activities and greater territorial sovereignty. Fishing sector in Indonesia has been a critical area as there are over 7 million fishers and is a global export business. By using the VMS program, the government hopes to tackle the illegal and unreported fishing that entire value chain.

Moving forward the region will need to continue to have food security projects on the micro or community level which reduces the burden on the overall supply chain, coupled with larger projects which will spur both major investment and sustainable development across the region.

The Malaysia Global Business Forum through the MGBF Food Security Initiative will continue to track key projects that have a direct impact on food security in the ASEAN region.  The MGBF Food Security Initiative is a stakeholder lead initiative designed to engage all stakeholders, public and private on a neutral platform to allow the exchange of ideas and capital.  For more information visit MGBF Food Security Initiative.

Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Laxamana Tunku Dato’ Seri Utama Naquiyuddin Tuanku Ja’afar recently celebrated his 70th birthday, and as one of the most prominent and influential members of the Asia Plantation Capital Board of Directors, was feted with panache and in customary style.

Tunku Naquiyuddin has long been a passionate and committed advocate of sustainability, environmental awareness and social responsibility – core tenets in Asia Plantation Capital’s corporate ethos – and joined the Board of Directors as a former high-level diplomat and a well-respected businessman with a wide range of interests and considerable expertise.

Asia Plantation Capital was honoured to be able to join in the celebrations of Tunku Naquiyuddin’s 70th birthday at a glittering event held in the Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur , where guests embraced the theme of the night with gusto. Drawing inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s multi-Oscar-winning film ‘The Godfather’, and Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, everyone gathered in their ‘Mafia-chic’ finery.

Royal families in Malaysia were well represented among the guests, as were dignitaries from many walks of life – reflecting the popularity, charm and inclusiveness of one of the country’s most popular Princes. Also present was Asia Plantation Capital Berhad’s CEO, Steve Watts , who was delighted to be able to represent the company at such an auspicious gathering.

“Everyone at Asia Plantation Capital wishes Yang Amat Mulia Tunku Naquiyuddin a very happy birthday,” he said,” and we hope that he and his family will continue to be blessed with good health, happiness, joy and success.”

Tunku Naquiyuddin was presented with a very special birthday gift, in the form a bespoke, original and utterly unique, luxury fragrance – commissioned by Asia Plantation Capital, and created by Fragrance Du Bois’ Perfume Specialist, Mathilde Haguier . Named ‘Minangkabau’ – reflecting the people, culture, language and architecture of Tunku Naquiyuddin’s home state of Negeri Sembilan – the fragrance is a delightful melange of superb ingredients, including 100% pure, organic and sustainably produced Oud, sourced from Asia Plantation Capital’s very own plantations.

“Creating a bespoke fragrance is always a great pleasure,” said Mathilde Haguier, “and in this particular case it was also a great honour to conceptualise and produce something unique for a man who is held in such high regard. We know how special Tunku is to Asia Plantation Capital, both in terms of support and shared values, as well as to the country of Malaysia as a whole.”