Security researchers have identified a 2005-era malware framework that appears to have targeted high-precision engineering software, raising new questions about covert attempts to disrupt Iran’s nuclear programme before Stuxnet became the defining case of cyber sabotage. The malware, tracked as Fast16, was analysed by SentinelOne researchers Vitaly Kamluk and Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade, who found that its core components pre-date the earliest known Stuxnet operations by at least […]
Annual Linkflow Capital research finds SME credit conditions thawed modestly in 2025, with SME borrowing rate declining to an average of 8.18% from a high of 8.47% the preceding year. Bank disbursement times stretched to 33 days on average, against just 7 days for non-bank funders, reshaping where SMEs source credit.
SINGAPORE – Media Outreach Newswire – 29 April 2026 – Singapore’s SMEs experienced their first easing in borrowing costs in three years, with average unsecured lending rates falling to 8.18% per annum in 2025 from a multi-year high of 8.47% in 2024, according to Linkflow Capital’s latest SME Financing Accessibility Survey. Larger loan approvals above $500,000, which had disappeared entirely in 2024, also returned to form 5% of approvals in 2025.
The recovery, however, was uneven. Bank loan processing times stretched to 33 days on average, up from 22 days in 2024, while non-bank funders disbursed approved cases in just 7 days. The widening gap reshaped lender competition through the year.
Key findings from the 2025 survey:
Borrowing costs eased modestly: Average SME loan interest rate fell 29 basis points to 8.18% per annum but remain stubbornly high against the backdrop of a significant decline in benchmark 3-month SORA rate throughout 2025.
Larger loans returned: Approvals above $500K returned to 5% of approved loan dollar volume in 2025 after disappearing entirely in 2024. Loans in the $300K–$500K bracket also expanded from 3% to 7%.
Loan approval rate recovered to 74%, up from 70% in 2024 (a 5-year low).
Foreign banks extended their market share of loan origination within our platform: Foreign lenders grew their share of approved loan dollar volume to 38% in 2025, up from 26% in 2024 and 19% in 2023, while local banks fell to 46% (from 59%). Digital banks recovered modestly to 11% (from 8%).
Credit-related rejections nearly tripled: Among unsuccessful applicants, those rejected due to adverse personal credit records jumped from 3% in 2024 to 11% in 2025, signalling rising personal credit stress among SME owners.
“2025 was the year SME credit conditions began to thaw after the 2024 squeeze, but the recovery was uneven,” said Benjamin Teo, spokesperson for Linkflow Capital. “Banks gradually reopened to larger loans, yet took meaningfully longer to process applications. Some SMEs facing immediate cash flow pressure turned to non-bank funders for speed, even at higher costs.”
A new and more severe headwind for 2026
Linkflow Capital flagged the Middle East conflict which began in February 2026 as the most consequential macroeconomic event facing Singapore SMEs in the year ahead. The conflict has elevated freight, energy and shipping costs through Iran’s intermittent disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.
“Singapore SMEs entered 2026 facing a potential macro shock with the Middle East conflict,” Teo said. “The inflationary price pressures feed directly into SME operating costs through fuel, freight, and energy. We expect credit conditions to re-tighten, and the modest 2025 thaw could partially reverse if the conflict escalates.”
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Linkflow Capital
Founded in 2012, Linkflow Capital is a leading SME loan consultancy in Singapore. Through its loan comparison portal and advisory services, Linkflow Capital assists SMEs in navigating the financing landscape and securing funding solutions from an extensive network of banks and financial institutions.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – Phancy Group Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 6682.HK), a leading Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) company, today announced the launch of PhanthyModel, a powerful new AI tool built specifically for scientists, engineers, and developers.
By enabling AI to train and refine models, PhanthyModel tackles one of the biggest pain points in complex modeling: the long hours and heavy reliance on expert experience. The launch marks a significant step forward in the Company’s push toward “AI autonomous evolution.”
In research and industrial settings, modeling is a critical step for predicting outcomes, simulating experiments, and analyzing data. Traditionally, building a model often takes experts five to six hours or more to complete a single project. With PhanthyModel’s end‑to‑end automation, the same work can now be completed in about 10 minutes.
This innovation represents a fundamental shift in how AI works: moving from a passive assistant to an active collaborator that continuously learns and improves through real-world use. For organizations in scientific research, engineering, manufacturing, and data analysis, PhanthyModel significantly lowers the barriers to advanced modeling, accelerates experimentation and R&D cycles, and helps turn innovative ideas into reality much faster.
Hashtag: #Phancygroup
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Phancy Group
Phancy Group (6682.HK) is a leading full-stack AI cloud services platform, providing comprehensive solutions for the AI 2.0 era. Its offerings include SageAIOS, HAMi vGPU, and ModelHub XC, delivering efficient and scalable AI infrastructure with end-to-end capabilities. The Company provides a complete solution from heterogeneous compute resource management and optimization to the deployment of intelligent agent models. These solutions empower digital transformation across a wide range of industries, supporting the Company’s vision of building a large-scale and efficient “Token Factory.”
Guided by the mission of “AI for Everyone” and positioned as the “Navigator of AI,” Phancy Group is committed to becoming a global leader in general-purpose artificial intelligence.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi has moved to leave OPEC and OPEC+, ending nearly six decades inside the producers’ group and sending a sharp signal through an oil market already strained by geopolitical risk, supply disruption and shifting energy strategies. The decision, announced on Tuesday and set to take effect on May 1, marks one of the most consequential breaks inside the oil-exporting bloc since Qatar’s […]
Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP) is the world’s first agentic payment framework designed for mobile interfaces, including digital wallets, super apps, and wearable devices.
Fully open-sourced, the protocol enables LLMs, platforms and merchants’ seamless agentic connection to 4.4 billion digital wallet users worldwide through simple and secure integration.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – Ant International is introducing the Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP) for the agentic commerce industry to enable secure, AIOps-native agentic payment connection to mobile services including digital wallets, banking apps, super apps, and mobile portals from phones to wearable devices.
Ant International launches Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP), the world’s first agentic payment framework designed for mobile interfaces, including digital wallets, super apps, and wearable devices.
“We are deeply grateful for partners, acquirers and developers who contributed to this project. An agentic protocol for mobile commerce that ensures superior efficiency and security results will be key for businesses large and small expanding into the world’s fastest growing markets. We look forward to expanding our multi-layered partnerships to enable real-world successes of AI commerce,” said Jiang-Ming Yang, Chief Innovation Officer, Ant International.
Wallets and mobile payment key driver for agentic commerce
The global agentic commerce market could reach around USD 28 billion by 2030 with a 46% CAGR as the industry fast-forwards from pilot AI agent programs to full-scale autonomous transaction systems[1]. The number of global digital wallet users reached 4.4 billion in 2025, and is expected to exceed 6 billion – over 75% of the global population – by 2030[2].
While the new payment rails are positioned to become a primary interface for AI commerce, current AI payments protocols are designed largely for card rails. Merchants and digital wallets need to be able to offer smooth payment experience, authenticate trusted agents and verify credentials without disruption, as well as seamlessly handle post-checkout settlement and transaction management tasks in a mobile- and AI-native environment.
With the Agentic Mobile Protocol, merchants – LLMs, AI platforms, merchants with self-developed agents, and agent builders – and digital wallets can embed agentic payment functionality directly into their workflows, eliminating the need for system overhauls.
Ant International has open-sourced the AMP to help establish a universal, auditable standard to ensure that AI agents can transact securely and seamlessly across any global platform.
The AMP framework features:
A superior agentic checkout experience through:
Faster agent integration: reducing the number of steps required to link a payment agent to a digital wallet by 50% compared to traditional card-binding methods.
Money-back guarantee: every agent-initiated transaction is backed by a money-back guarantee mechanism for payment partners in cases of account takeovers.
Cross-device compatibility: payment agents can work on mobile interfaces across smartphones, smartwatches, AR glasses and in-car systems, a capability absent in card-based systems.
A more efficient and secure trust architecture for agent delegation to ensure secure and precise delegation of payment authority to AI agents — whether it is ordering coffee, booking a ride, or planning a trip – with full visibility and the ability to revoke or modify tasks at any time.
A high-frequency agent-to-agent (A2A) settlement mechanism enables automated, ultra-small transactions between AI agents. It’s capable of handling nano-transactions as small as $0.000001 between agents with real-time accounting and clearing. A2A settlement is crucial to agentic economy, which requires the capacity to process high-frequency, sub-cent agent transactions that traditional payment rails cannot support.
A full-spectrum Know Your Agent (KYA) framework establishes an agent’s digital identity and certifies its authorised capabilities. The proprietary Agent Trust Rating mechanism offers an additional layer of protection, a dynamic risk-management tool that determines whether an agent is trustworthy and controls the level of autonomy.
A 40 member-strong wallet ecosystem in cross-sector coordination
Ant International is working with wallet partners of Alipay+, the company’s global wallet gateway, to implement the AMP. Alipay+ now connects over 40 digital wallet partners, covering 1.8 billion user accounts and 150 million merchants globally.
Building on this payment partnership network that spans wallets, acquirers, super apps and cards, Ant International is among the first partners of Mastercard and Visa to pilot card-based transaction capabilities for AI agents, while collaborating with Google on its protocols for agentic commerce and payments.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Ant International
Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions. To learn more, please visit https://www.ant-intl.com/
Aldar has acquired a portfolio of industrial and logistics assets in KEZAD for AED650 million, strengthening its exposure to Abu Dhabi’s warehouse market as demand for modern supply-chain space continues to build across the emirate. The transaction, announced on 23 April 2026, involves three purpose-built, multi-let warehouses sold by Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of AD Ports Group. The assets add about 163,000 square metres […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s Emirati Human Resources Development Council and Dubai International Financial Centre have launched a specialist programme to prepare UAE nationals for roles in wealth management, private banking and financial technology, strengthening the emirate’s push to deepen local participation in high-value financial services. The Wealth Strategist Programme is designed to equip Emirati talent with practical skills required by private banks, asset managers, family offices, […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is preparing a major expansion into the United States natural gas sector, with plans that could commit tens of billions of dollars to assets spanning production, pipelines, liquefaction, export infrastructure and downstream supply. The push is being led through XRG, ADNOC’s international investment arm, which is examining 29 potential transactions as it seeks to build a vertically integrated […]
SUBANG JAYA, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – China-based home furnishing brand 居然之家 Easyhome has officially launched Easyhome Mall in Kuala Lumpur on 26 April 2026, marking its first major step into the Southeast Asian market and a key milestone in advancing China–Malaysia economic and trade cooperation.
From left: SUPT. Tan Shyong Shan, ACP Wan Azlan Wan Mamat, Philip Ho, Datuk Ab Wahab Bin Khalil, Wang Ning, Li Zhiqiang, KH Lim, and Vincent Lee Seng Chiang officiated the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Easyhome Mall.
The grand opening ceremony welcomed a distinguished lineup of guests, including Wang Ning, Chairman and CEO of Easyhome; Tuan ACP Wan Azlan, Subang Jaya Police Chief; Tan Shyong Shan, Staff Officer for Enforcement (Inspector-General of Police’s Office); Vincent Lee Seng Chiang, CEO of Nanyang Siang Pau; Li Zhiqiang, Vice President of CECA and General Manager of China Telecom Malaysia; Dato’ Sri Dr. Philip Ho, CEO of Pavilion Group; KH Lim, Founder and CEO of Senheng; Dato’ Abdul Wahab, Advisor to Pavilion Group; and General Manager Xue Yaqi. Strategic Entry into Southeast Asia
Wang Ning expressed strong confidence in Malaysia’s development prospects, positioning the country as a key starting point and strategic hub in the company’s global expansion roadmap.
He noted that as China’s manufacturing capabilities continue to advance, its products have become increasingly competitive globally, making international expansion an inevitable direction. At the same time, younger consumer demographics worldwide are driving demand growth, further reinforcing the push into overseas markets.
Malaysia’s mature business environment, openness to foreign investment, and strategic role as a gateway to Southeast Asia were key considerations. Moving forward, Easyhome Mall will serve as a base to expand into Southeast Asia, as well as into the Middle East and Central Asia.
Wang also revealed that the internationalisation strategy began approximately three years ago, with Malaysia being the first large-scale overseas implementation. Over the next three years, the company plans to strengthen its local supply chain and expand into key cities such as Johor Bahru and Penang, alongside other major regional markets. A New Benchmark in Home & Lifestyle Retail
Established in 1999, Easyhome has grown into one of China’s leading home furnishing retail groups, operating nearly 400 stores nationwide. Its business ecosystem spans design services, furniture and building materials retail, smart logistics, and commercial operations, with strong emphasis on customer-centric service standards.
The Malaysia debut represents a replication of its proven “one-stop home solution” model, integrating China’s advanced supply chain with local consumer needs to deliver a seamless and innovative retail experience.
The project is developed in collaboration with Pavilion REIT, combining operational expertise and resource strengths to establish a benchmark for China–Malaysia commercial cooperation. Empowering Smart Living Through Innovation
A representative from Pavilion REIT noted that the opening of Easyhome Mall marks a new phase for the Subang project, reflecting continuous upgrades and transformation to better serve the local community.
As technology reshapes lifestyles, homes are evolving into more intelligent and interconnected spaces. In response, Easyhome Mall introduces a new retail concept that integrates smart home technologies with modern living experiences, bringing a new dimension to Malaysia’s retail landscape. A Fully Integrated One-Stop Home Destination
General Manager Xue Yaqi highlighted that home-related consumption typically involves multiple stages—from design and renovation to building materials, furniture, and appliances—often requiring consumers to visit multiple locations.
Easyhome Mall addresses this by consolidating the entire value chain into a single destination, enabling a seamless one-stop shopping experience. The “what you see is what you get” concept reduces information gaps and enhances decision-making efficiency.
This integrated model allows consumers to complete their home planning and purchasing journey within one space, significantly improving convenience and overall experience. Comprehensive Lifestyle Offering
Located in USJ 1, Subang Jaya, Easyhome Mall is easily accessible via major highways including KESAS, NKVE, ELITE, and the Subang–Kelana Jaya elevated highway, as well as nearby LRT and BRT stations.
The mall features a carefully curated, multi-level layout:
• LG Floor: Supermarket, dining, and lifestyle offerings
• Ground Floor: Customised furniture and smart home appliances with integrated home solutions
• First Floor: International home furnishing brands with global design standards
• Second & Third Floors: Local brands focusing on mattresses and home essentials
• Fourth Floor: Dining and event spaces
This tenant mix brings together premium Chinese brands and local businesses, creating a complete “shop, dine, and experience” destination.
Driving Digital Transformation
Easyhome’s expansion is supported by its digital ecosystem, including platforms such as Doorverse, Homestyler, and Easyhome IoT.
Homestyler, developed in collaboration with Alibaba Group and enhanced through AI technologies with NVIDIA, enables advanced 3D design and immersive user experiences.
The Doorverse platform has achieved rapid growth, surpassing RMB100 billion in gross merchandise value within three years, reflecting the strength of Easyhome’s digital capabilities.
These technologies support the transition from traditional retail to a digitalised industry service platform, enhancing both operational efficiency and customer experience. Strengthening Regional Presence
Malaysia represents a key milestone in Easyhome’s global expansion and serves as its first large-scale integrated overseas development. Following earlier ventures in Phnom Penh and Macau, the Kuala Lumpur launch marks a deeper commitment to Southeast Asia.
Beyond retail, Easyhome Mall acts as a platform connecting high-quality Chinese home furnishing brands with the Malaysian market, while simplifying the traditionally complex home furnishing process into a more efficient and enjoyable experience.
Looking ahead, Easyhome plans to further integrate its supply chain, establish overseas warehousing, and support the global expansion of Chinese home brands—from product export to full-scale internationalisation of brands and manufacturing. Grand Opening Highlights
The opening ceremony featured lion dance performances and a series of promotional activities, including exclusive offers and “crazy sales” deals, attracting strong public turnout and long queues from early morning.
The successful launch of Easyhome Mall marks a promising beginning in Malaysia and sets the foundation for continued growth across the region.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), a leading global manufacturer of viscose rayon, has reinforced its long-term commitment to customers in Indonesia and India through a series of targeted industry engagements.
The company recently marked its eighth consecutive participation at Indo Intertex Expo in Jakarta, where it showcased new opportunities for viscose and lyocell fibres and strengthened relationships across the textile value chain. The exhibition brought together suppliers and buyers seeking new product ideas and business opportunities, giving APR a platform to deepen collaboration and expand market connections.
Central to APR’s Jakarta presence was a showcase featuring seven partner companies spanning spinning, weaving, knitting and garment manufacturing. By presenting these partners together, APR, a member of the RGE group of companies founded by Sukanto Tanoto, demonstrated the interconnected ecosystem underpinning Indonesia’s textile sector and the shared value created through close collaboration between fibre producers and downstream manufacturers.
A highlight of the showcase was a dedicated display of lyocell fabrics designed for batik applications. Batik, the wax-resist dyeing craft recognised by UNESCO as part of Indonesia’s cultural heritage, remains central to the nation’s textile identity. Lyocell’s compatibility with traditional dyeing methods offers artisans the opportunity to combine heritage craftsmanship with modern fibre innovation.
Building on this momentum, APR continued its engagement in India through participation in the Fibers & Yarns Expo in Mumbai, one of India’s premier textile trade fairs and a vital networking platform for the country’s extensive supply chain. The event enabled APR to deepen market engagement, forge new partnerships and reconnect with a rapidly expanding customer base.
At the Mumbai exhibition, APR introduced BVF, a finer denier viscose engineered for fine count spinning applications and targeting premium segments such as high-end fashion, athleisure, intimate apparel and home textiles. The Indian market continues to present significant growth potential as manufacturers seek reliable fibre supply, consistent product quality and proactive technical support to meet evolving consumer demands both domestically and internationally.
Sachin Malik, Commercial Head, Asia Pacific Rayon, said: “In the current market scenario, success is not a solo pursuit. It is about how effectively we integrate into our customers’ reality. Our strategy in Indonesia and India demonstrates that fibre producers must align their growth with the success of customers and the wider textile value chain.”
As regional supply chains face increasing pressure to become more resilient, APR’s exhibition strategy underscores a clear message: in textiles, competitive advantage is built not through scale alone, but through trusted partnerships that deliver stability, technical expertise and shared progress. Hashtag: #RGE #APR #viscose #rayon #Indonesia #India
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Asia Pacific Rayon
Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), based in Indonesia, is Asia’s first fully integrated viscose rayon producer, from plantation to fibre. APR, which has a capacity of 325,000 tons per year, is located in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau Province, Indonesia. APR is committed to becoming a leading viscose staple fibre producer with the principles of sustainability, transparency and operational excellence, and serving the interests of the community, country and climate, while providing value to customers. APR is part of the RGE group of companies.
Brussels has moved to compel Google to share key search data with rival search engines and AI-powered services, raising the stakes in Europe’s effort to curb the dominance of large digital platforms under the Digital Markets Act. The European Commission’s preliminary measures would require Alphabet’s Google to provide eligible third-party search providers with access to anonymised ranking, query, click and view data on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory […]
Retail and hospitality companies are facing a widening extortion campaign by BlackFile, a financially motivated hacking group using voice calls, fake helpdesk scripts and spoofed caller identities to steal credentials and force ransom negotiations. The group has been linked to attacks that began surfacing in January 2026, with sustained targeting of customer-facing businesses from February. Its activity has been tracked under several names, including CL-CRI-1116, UNC6671 and […]
OpenClaw has issued security updates for three vulnerabilities in its autonomous AI agent framework, warning administrators that older npm package versions could expose systems to policy bypasses, unauthorised configuration changes and API credential leakage. The flaws affect versions released before 2026.4.20, with one issue limited to versions between 2026.4.5 and 2026.4.20. The patched version tightens how the framework handles trusted operator settings, bundled tools and workspace environment […]
Fake software downloads promoted through YouTube are being used to infect corporate employees with Vidar, an information-stealing malware that harvests passwords, browser data, session cookies and cryptocurrency wallet files before stolen credentials are traded through Russian-language cybercrime markets. The campaign shows how threat actors are shifting from noisy phishing emails to search-driven lures that exploit ordinary workplace behaviour. Employees looking for software tutorials, installers or utilities on […]
Singapore car buyers still lack confidence due to unclear pricing and inconsistent information, even after weeks of research.
Consumers spend up to four weeks researching before visiting a dealership, yet gaps in consumer trust persist.
Buyers are up to 3 times more likely to return to the same dealership when pricing is clearly itemised.
Trust is becoming a stronger decision driver than price when comparing similar vehicles.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 28 April 2026 – More than half of Singapore used car buyers compare multiple options before making a purchase, yet many still experience uncertainty due to unclear pricing and inconsistent information across the market.
Navigating the Market: The Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026 provides Singaporean car buyers with data-driven insights and a clear path toward transparent vehicle purchases.
This tension between effort and confidence is a key finding from the Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026, based on insights from over 5,000 respondents, pointing to a growing gap between how informed buyers are and how much they trust the process.
More effort, same uncertainty
Consumers today are spending significantly more time researching before committing. On average, buyers take between two to four weeks to evaluate listings, compare options, and review information online before visiting a dealership.
Yet, despite this increased effort, confidence remains uneven. Many respondents cited persistent concerns around hidden fees, unclear valuation methods, and inconsistent inspection standards and issues that continue to undermine trust at the point of decision.
Transparency emerging as the deciding factor
The study found that transparency – particularly in pricing, vehicle condition, and trade-in valuations – is now a key driver of consumer confidence.
Buyers who received clear, itemised pricing breakdowns were up to three times more likely to return to the same dealer, underscoring how trust directly influences long-term customer relationships.
While price remains important, factors such as warranty clarity, after-sales support, and dealer credibility are increasingly shaping final decisions, particularly when comparing similar vehicles.
Persistent risks continue to shape buyer behaviour
The findings reflect ongoing challenges in Singapore’s used car market, where buyers continue to encounter issues such as:
– Hidden or unexpected charges
– Disputes over warranty coverage
– Lack of clarity in transaction processes
These risks reinforce the importance of due diligence and consistent standards across the industry.
Industry context: strengthening consumer protection
The findings come amid broader efforts to improve transparency and accountability within the sector.
The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) has consistently encouraged buyers to transact with accredited dealers that adopt clear contractual practices and provide additional consumer safeguards.
“Consumers are encouraged to look out for CaseTrust-accredited motoring businesses when making a purchase,” said Mr Melvin Yong, president of CASE. “These accredited dealers are required to adopt clear agreements and maintain safeguards that provide an added layer of protection for consumers.”
A market at an inflection point
The findings suggest that Singapore’s used car market is entering a more mature phase – where informed, cautious buyers expect greater transparency, consistency, and accountability.
As expectations continue to rise, the ability to provide clear information and build trust will increasingly define both consumer confidence and long-term competitiveness in the market.
For a deeper look into the factors and data which shapes today’s car-buying decisions, please access the full Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026 for more information on the used car landscape.
Download the Motorist SmartBuy Guide 2026: link Hashtag: #Motorist #Automotive
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Motorist
Motorist is a Singapore-based automotive platform dedicated to help drivers manage vehicle ownership through services such as buying and selling cars, insurance comparison, and financing tools. The Motorist Super App provides a comprehensive range of services, catering to all aspects of vehicle ownership and management.
SANYA, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 April 2026 – The 6th Asian Beach Games officially opened on Tuesday evening in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province. An opening ceremony titled “A Sky-Ocean Meeting” unfolded against a natural backdrop of ocean and sand, welcoming athletes from 45 countries and regions across Asia.
The 6th Asian Beach Games is being held from April 22 to 30 in Sanya, a coastal city in south China’s Hainan Province.
Over recent months, the host city has established a comprehensive, high-standard service system, now fully operational, to support what organizers describe as a “splendid, exceptional and outstanding” event.
The success of the Games, organizers say, begins with a smooth and welcoming arrival experience. Benefiting from policies under the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP), entry procedures have been streamlined.
Jože Zidar, a veteran Slovenian sports journalist who visited earlier this year, said he experienced “one of the most efficient border clearances” he had encountered. Such feedback has since been echoed by many participants.
High service standards extend throughout the event. The Games adopt a coastal venue layout described as a “pearls-on-a-string” coastal layout, integrating multiple sites and combining beach sports with the surrounding natural environment to create a “sports and tourism” experience.
All venues have been built or upgraded in line with green standards and are now operational. In terms of logistics, 22 designated hotels, more than 1,000 new energy vehicles, and around 4,700 volunteers have been deployed. The Main Media Center is providing one-stop services for over 1,000 registered journalists from China and abroad.
Given the nature of beach and marine events, Sanya has also established a citywide emergency medical system featuring a “30-minute response network.” A total of 71 on-site medical stations, supported by additional medical posts, 285 medical staff and 46 ambulances, form a comprehensive response system covering on-site treatment, patient transfer and specialized care.
The opening ceremony itself broke with the traditional stadium format, instead integrating performance elements into the natural beach setting of sand, sunshine and palm trees.
Artistic segments combined local Hainan culture, the vision of the Hainan FTP, and the spirit of sport.
The Games mascot “Ya Ya”, the Eld’s deer, appeared throughout the ceremony as a cultural symbol linking the city’s past and future.
Environmentally friendly technologies and virtual imaging were also incorporated to create a visual experience blending digital and real-world elements. Sanya has positioned the Games as a catalyst for urban development under the concept of “promoting construction and improving quality through sports.”
Preparations have contributed to infrastructure upgrades and environmental improvements.
At the same time, a “sports, tourism and consumption” model has been introduced.
More than 200 licensed products have been launched, while promotional campaigns linking tourism resources across the island are underway.
Supporting events, including an international diving festival and cultural exhibitions of intangible heritage, have also been organized to enhance the experience for visitors and participants.
From preparation to opening, Sanya aims to deliver on its commitment to the Asian sporting community through comprehensive services and an open, dynamic city environment.
The Games are expected to serve as a platform to promote unity, friendship and development across Asia.
Hashtag: #Sanya
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
By Nantoo Banerjee Only six months in power, Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has emerged as the world’s most powerful woman reshaping the country’s domestic social and economic policies and international relations, taking a hard line on China. Takaichi has taken a firm stance on China suggesting that a “Taiwan contingency is a […]
Focus on the “Four Evolutionary Capabilities” of Private Enterprises as European Delegation Joins Efforts to Foster a China-Europe Cooperation Bridge
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 April 2026 – “Momentum Unleashed, Time is Now · GE Jun 2026 Grain Rain Speech” was recently staged in Hangzhou. GE Jun, the Chairman and CEO of TOJOY Shared Smart Enterprise Services, joined more than 2,000 private entrepreneurs, a visiting European political and business delegation, and leading scholars and experts in a far-reaching dialogue on how private enterprises may endure, adapt and evolve in a new era.
Pictured: GE Jun, the Chairman and CEO of TOJOY, shares his perspective on the evolution of private enterprise with an audience of more than 2,000 entrepreneurs at the 2026 Grain Rain Speech.
This year marks the third consecutive edition of GE Jun’s annual Grain Rain Speech. From “Leap Ahead Again” in Shenzhen in 2024, to “With Belief, The Road Opens Up” in Chengdu in 2025, and this year’s “Momentum Unleashed, Time is Now” in Hangzhou, the series has maintained a clear thematic continuity. Across the three editions, it has attracted more than 6,000 entrepreneurs to attend in person and reached tens of millions online, and has become a signature public intellectual platform amid the transformation wave facing private enterprises.
Focusing on Three Major Currents and Advancing Four Evolutionary Capabilities
GE Jun, formerly Global Vice President at Intel, Apple and NVIDIA, brings extensive global management experience. In a three-hour address, he structured his remarks around four major chapters — “Great Rivers and Mighty Currents,” “Big Waters, Big Fish,” “The Evolution of Fish,” and “Deep Bonds Between Fish and Water” — offering a systematic reading of the three great currents confronting private enterprises in 2026: technology, globalization and policy.
He pointed out that enterprises in 2026 are confronting three key realities: competition is shifting from “manufacturing capability” to “scenario-solving capability”; overseas expansion is moving from “product exports” to “capability exports”; and policy is evolving from a “traffic light” into a “navigation system.” Only by cultivating four evolutionary capabilities — antifragility, multi-generational continuity under the “new three generations,” ecosystem positioning, and two-way engagement — can enterprises truly navigate economic cycles.
European Delegation Attends Event in China as TOJOY Builds a Bridge for China-Europe Collaboration
During the speech, GE Jun said that true globalization is about “two-way engagement” — not only Chinese enterprises going abroad, but also international partners coming into China, with both sides enabling one another and pursuing shared prosperity.
Of particular interest, Ralf, founder of the European thought exchange platform Big Improvement Day, led a 30-member European political and business delegation to China specifically to attend the event. Big Improvement Day is understood to enjoy wide influence in global economic thought circles and is often described as a “mini-Davos.” During the event, TOJOY and the delegation jointly organised the 2026 Sino-European Entrepreneurs Cooperation Forum (SEEC) and Global Innovation and Development Conference, providing a long-term cooperation platform for entrepreneurs from China and Europe.
As a concrete implementation of the “two-way engagement” concept, TOJOY announced the launch of the “Global Shared Office.” Backed by the Group’s entrepreneur resource-sharing platform with more than 6 million registered users, the initiative will create overseas footholds for small and medium-sized enterprises expanding internationally and support the high-quality global expansion of private enterprises.
New Book “A Distant Drum” Released at the Event, Highlighting the Global Evolution Path of Private Enterprises
At the event, GE Jun officially released his new book, A Distant Drum: Evolution of China’s Private Enterprises in a Global Context. The book systematically sets out the evolutionary logic and practical pathways of Chinese private enterprises within a global framework, bringing together the intellectual essence of GE Jun’s more than three decades of global perspective and deep practical engagement with the private economy. “All those who stand apart do so because they have heard the drumbeat from afar.” With these words, GE Jun offered his message to entrepreneurs on the journey ahead.
GE Jun said: “Over the past 30 years, China’s economy has been defined by ‘big waters, big fish.’ Over the next 30 years, it will surely be marked by ‘deep bonds between fish and water.’ I am willing to be a resolute builder of bridges, gathering millions of ‘I’s into a shared ‘we.'”
Hashtag: #TOJOY #天九 #戈峻
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 April 2026 – Lee Kum Kee Sauce (“Lee Kum Kee”), the global leader in Asian sauces and condiments, served as Official Sauces and Condiments Partner at the four-day Young Chefs Grand Prix at Food & Hospitality Asia (FHA) 2026. Through this partnership, Lee Kum Kee reaffirmed its dedication to global youth culinary immersion, and inspiring the next generation of chefs to create with authentic Asian-inspired flavours.
Emerging chefs craft exceptional dishes using Lee Kum Kee’s signature sauces
Held from 21-24 April 2026 at Singapore EXPO, the competition attracted over 180 young culinary talents from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the UAE and the USA to show their ingenuity and determination in shaping the future of foodservice.
As Official Sauces and Condiments Partner, Lee Kum Kee sponsored its signature sauces throughout the competition, including Premium Brand Oyster Sauce, Supreme Authentic First Draw Soy Sauce, Seafood XO Sauce and Premium Mushroom Powder, enabling contestants to refine their seasoning and create dishes with exceptional flavour profiles.
The competition was a collaboration between FHA, the Singapore Chefs Association and the Singapore Junior Chefs Club, and was endorsed by the World Association of Chefs’ Societies. As well as being a test of traditional cooking skills, it provided a globally recognised platform that challenged participants to demonstrate creativity, adaptability and culinary confidence in a realistic foodservice environment.
During the competition, young chefs who participated in either the Team Challenge or the Skills and Innovation Challenge showcased their technique and creativity under time constraints. The Grand Prix reached its climax with the Team Challenge Finals, with the top eight teams from an initial field of 14 presenting an intense lunch service for invited guests that required contestants to prepare a three-course menu using mystery basket ingredients. Judges evaluated their performances based on Worldchefs Judging Criteria, underscoring the competition’s high standards of excellence and professionalism. Korea Cooking Art Academy was crowned Champion of the Team Challenge Finals.
As part of its participation at FHA, Lee Kum Kee presented its signature products at a dedicated booth, featuring a range of offerings designed for professional chefs, HoReCa practitioners and industry players. Daily tastings of specially crafted dishes made with Lee Kum Kee sauces were offered to visitors during the exhibition, which invited them to appreciate the quality of the products.
Lee Kum Kee showcases the versatility of its foodservice solutions
Vincent Wong, President – APAC of Lee Kum Kee Sauce, said: “Supporting the Young Chefs Grand Prix at FHA 2026 underscores our commitment to nurturing future culinary professionals. The event went beyond competition, helping to inspire enduring interest in Asian cuisine and showcasing Lee Kum Kee’s product excellence to the next generation.” Hashtag: #LeeKumKee, #LKK
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Lee Kum Kee
Lee Kum Kee is the global gateway to Asian culinary culture, dedicated to promoting Chinese culinary culture worldwide. Since 1888, it has brought people together over joyful reunions, shared traditions and memorable meals. Beloved by consumers and chefs alike, Lee Kum Kee’s range of more than 300 sauces and condiments sparks creativity in kitchens everywhere, inspiring professional and home chefs to experiment, create and delight. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, and serving over 100 countries and regions, Lee Kum Kee’s rich heritage, unwavering commitment to quality, sustainable practices and “Constant Entrepreneurship” combine to enable superior experiences through Asian cuisine for people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.LKK.com.
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 April 2026 – As a leader in China’s fragrance industry driving sustainable development, Eternal Beauty Holdings Limited (“Eternal Beauty” or the “Group”; stock code: 6883.HK) today announced the launch of “Green is Eternal,” Hong Kong’s first rinse-free recycling program for fragrance and skincare cosmetics. The initiative works hand in hand with customers to build a greener, more eco-friendly ecosystem.
The program has brought in local recycling startup The Loops Hong Kong (“The Loops”) as its strategic partner. By leveraging advanced recycling equipment and a well-established processing system, the initiative introduces a breakthrough approach—rinse-free recycling. Customers no longer need to wash out bottles or disassemble components. Instead, they simply hand over used fragrance bottles or skincare cosmetics containers to store staff for collection. The materials are then sent to The Loops’ Hong Kong facilities for processing and ultimately transformed into recycled resources—lowering the barrier to recycling and making participation far more convenient.
Hong Kong’s first rinse-free recycling program
“Green is Eternal” is built on two key advantages: rinse-free and all brands. It greatly simplifies the recycling process—customers do not need to wash away any residue left in the bottles, nor do they need to remove decorative elements from packaging. Eligible glass or plastic bottles can be handed directly to store staff at designated Eternal Beauty locations to complete the recycling process.
The eligible recycling scope includes fragrance bottles, skincare product bottles, home fragrance bottles, and cosmetics packaging from various brands. Excluded from the program are personal care products (such as shampoo and hair-care products, body wash, body-care products, aerosol spray containers, and makeup tools), as well as fragrance bottles with a capacity of less than 10ml.
To encourage widespread public participation, the program features an incentive mechanism: for every eligible fragrance or skincare cosmetics bottle recycled, customers receive an electronic stamp. After collecting 10 electronic stamps, they can redeem them for a shopping voucher.
The program is already up and running at the Group’s eight outlets and offices across Hong Kong. The Group has also provided dedicated environmental recycling training for frontline staff to ensure the recycling process is standardized, efficient, and seamlessly woven into everyday customer service. Throughout the year, the Group will collaborate with a local charity to host recycling facility tours, guiding the public and students through the inner workings of recycling operations—raising environmental awareness and helping cultivate lasting recycling habits.
Beyond recycling: Advancing sustainability at the community level
“Green is Eternal” is more than an environmental recycling initiative—it is a structured sustainability project that blends retail-based education with deep community engagement. According to industry data, packaging is one of the major sources of carbon emissions in the sector. Furthermore, recycling fragrance and makeup bottles poses significant challenges due to the complexity of residual ingredients, which limits the adoption of recycling practices and results in persistently low voluntary recycling rates for these containers.
Drawing on its industry expertise, the Group partners with The Loops to tackle the challenges of traditional recycling through professional technology. The company also works with community organizations to build an educational and awareness platform, bringing employees, community members, and students into recycling facilities for in-depth environmental learning, while encouraging the public to integrate recycling into daily life. The goal is to establish a sustainable corporate model that is both socially responsible and environmentally friendly.
Wendy Lau, Executive Director of Eternal Beauty and Chairperson of its ESG Committee of the Group, commented: “Understanding the core challenge in traditional recycling systems—that customers are required to put in effort to clean bottles—explains why many people give up on participation. We are delighted to work with The Loops, whose advanced recycling system and equipment can effectively address the impact of residual ingredients in fragrances and cosmetics, truly enabling rinse-free recycling. We hope this program motivates more customers to take the initiative in environmental protection and, together with our partners, promotes sustainable development across the fragrance and beauty industry.”
Jorch Wong, Founder of The Loops Hong Kong, added: “This program marks a major milestone for sustainability in the fragrance and beauty industry. In recent years, while the number of recycling programs has increased, recycling fragrance and beauty packaging has remained difficult and cumbersome, leading to persistently low recycling rates for this category. As an industry leader, Eternal Beauty has proactively taken the lead in launching Hong Kong’s first rinse-free recycling program. This not only strengthens consumers’ environmental awareness but also helps the public build long-term recycling habits—an important encouragement for the entire recycling industry and a replicable model for sustainable development.”
As a leader in China’s fragrance industry, the Group fosters sustainable development through four key pillars: Environment, People, Product, and Community, while actively fulfilling its corporate social responsibility. Following the successful launch of “Green is Eternal” in Hong Kong, the Group aims to expand the program to its distribution points across Mainland China within the year—strengthening environmental collaboration between Hong Kong and Mainland markets, extending the program’s environmental impact, and encouraging the broader industry to move toward sustainability.
Note: The recycling scope does not include personal care products (such as shampoo and hair-care products, body wash, body-care products, aerosol spray containers, and makeup tools), nor fragrance bottles with a capacity of less than 10ml.
Green is Eternal Collection Points:
District
Location
Brands
Address
Causeway Bay
wwwtc
Jimmy Choo Parfums
Shop No L1-05, Level 1 280, Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island
Parfums de Marly
Shop No L1-05, Level 1 280, Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island
Tsim Sha Tsui
K11 MUSEA
BABOR
Shop No. B223, Basement 2, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui Kowloon, Hong Kong
Harbour City
Dolce&Gabbana
Shop 2522, Level 2 Gateway Arcade Harbour City, Kowloon
Kowloon Tong
Festival Walk
Acca Kappa
Kiosk E1, UG Level, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
BABOR
KIOSK Q, UG Level, Festival Walk, 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Mong Kok
Langham Place
Laura Mercier
Shop L2-08, Langham Place, Mong Kok Kowloon, Hong Kong
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Eternal Beauty Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 6883.HK)
Eternal Beauty Holdings Limited is the largest perfume group (apart from brand-owner perfume groups) in China (including Hong Kong and Macau) in terms of retail sales in 2023. It primarily sells and distributes products procured from third-party brand licensors, and deploys market for these brand licensors, offering such services as brand management, and designing and implementing customized market entry and expansion plans for their brands. The Group boasts large and diversified brand portfolios that include not only perfumes, but also color cosmetics, skincare products, personal care products, eyewear and home fragrances. As at 30 September 2025, it conducted product distribution and market deployment for a total of 74 external brands, including Hermès, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chopard, Albion and Laura Mercier, with products in different pricing tiers and of versatile features that meet the differentiated demands of consumers in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and/or Macau.
About The Loops Hong Kong
The Loops, founded in 2019, is Hong Kong’s premier one-stop recycling center, offering door-to-door collection, sorting, and reporting. Handling over 40 recyclable types in a single basket, we simplify waste management for homes and businesses, provide real-time ESG data, innovative food waste recycling, and dirty recycling services, fostering sustainable practices. The Loops also empowers disadvantaged homemakers with flexible work, supports families, and transforms waste into resources for a sustainable future through a circular economy.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has approved a new set of Cabinet decisions aimed at strengthening the UAE’s industrial base, led by the creation of a AED1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund to localise critical industries, secure supply chains and accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in manufacturing. The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai reviewed the measures during a Cabinet meeting that also […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 April 2026 – Hong Kong is one of Asia’s most active Copilot markets. At the same time, Hong Kong enterprises are entering a new phase of AI adoption—one that moves beyond pilots and proofs of concept, toward changing how work gets done at scale. At the Microsoft AI Tour in Hong Kong, Microsoft outlined how organizations can achieve Frontier Success: where AI agents become part of everyday operations, delivering real business impact with trust and governance built in. AIA and AS Watson Group are among the early pioneers locally that have already begun their Frontier journey.
Photo1: Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business, delivers a keynote at the Microsoft AI Tour in Hong Kong, outlining Microsoft’s Frontier Success Framework and how agentic AI is moving from experimentation to enterprise wide impact.
“Across Hong Kong, organizations are rethinking how work gets done with agentic AI—moving beyond experimentation to running operations at scale,” said Judson Althoff, CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business. “Frontier Transformation is helping them deliver business impact and measurable outcomes by embedding AI into real workflows, with trust, security, and governance fully integrated throughout.”
Frontier Success Framework: How Microsoft Helps Organizations Scale Agentic AI with Confidence
As AI matures, success is no longer defined by deploying individual tools. At the AI Tour, Microsoft shared its Frontier Success Framework—a practical approach designed to help organizations turn agentic AI into business real, measurable business value. The framework centered on four outcomes: enrich employee experience, reinvest customer engagement, reshape business process, and bend the curve on innovation.
As part of this journey, Microsoft announced that Wave 3 of Microsoft Copilot, delivered through Microsoft 365 E7 (Frontier Suite) will reach general availability in Hong Kong on 1 May 2026. Built on the principles of Intelligence and Trust, Microsoft 365 E7 brings together Microsoft 365 Copilot, Work IQ and Agent 365, alongside enterprise security, identity, and agent governance. By grounding AI in deep work context—understanding how people collaborate, what they work on, and how decisions are made—Work IQ enables Copilot and AI agents to operate with relevance and accuracy. At the same time, Agent 365 provides a centralized control plane to govern agents, while integrated security and governance ensure AI can scale responsibly across the enterprise.
Frontier Success in Action across Hong Kong
Across industries, Hong Kong organizations are already demonstrating what Frontier Success looks like in practice.
AIA –AdvancingAgentic AI Across Its Enterprise: AIA is applying Microsoft’s AI platform to deploy a holistic, agentic AI strategy across its operations. This includes agentic AI supporting product training, lead management and knowledge access, automated claims processing and customer self-service. In addition, a citizen developer program using Copilot Studio to increase productivity. Together, these capabilities enable AIA to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and scale operational efficiency while meeting the requirements of a highly regulated industry.
AS Watson Group – Driving Scaled AI‑Powered Personalization Across O+O Retail Channels: AS Watson Group has adopted a wide range of AI tools in its Retail HK businesses, including Microsoft Copilot and its AI capabilities across its O+O (Offline plus Online) platform to enhance productivity and decision‑making. Key use cases include AI‑driven product discovery, AI skin analysis, and in‑store personalization to enhance customer engagement, alongside employee‑focused applications such as AI‑enabled store support and AI‑generated marketing content. By scaling generative AI across operations and customer insight analysis, the Group achieves efficiency, effectiveness and cross-team collaboration in its unique O+O business model.
These examples reflect a broader shift across Hong Kong’s business community: organizations are no longer asking whether AI works, but how it should sit inside the operating model to drive meaningful outcomes.
Looking Ahead: Sustaining Frontier Success Through Continuous, Enterprise‑Grade Trust
Microsoft has been part of Hong Kong’s technology and business community for 35 years, supporting enterprises as the city evolves into a hub for innovation and global impact.
“Over the past 35 years, we have had the privilege of supporting Hong Kong through multiple waves of digital transformation. Today, as this momentum carries Hong Kong into the frontier era of AI, where organizations are not just adopting new technologies, but rethinking operating models across the enterprise,” said Leo Liu, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau. “As this frontier journey accelerates, Microsoft is committed to empowering local customers and partners to get ahead in the age of AI while maintaining strong data governance and enterprise‑grade privacy—ensuring human judgment remains firmly in control and enabling Hong Kong to define what Frontier Success looks like on the global stage.”
As AI adoption accelerates, Microsoft emphasized that Frontier Success is not a single milestone, but a continuous transformation—one that requires clarity of purpose, strong governance, and real-world execution. Through its platform, partners, and ecosystem, Microsoft aims to support Hong Kong organizations as they move from experimentation to sustained, responsible AI driven growth.
Hashtag: #Microsoft #AI #FrontierSuccess
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
POL remained under selling pressure over the past 24 hours as traders struggled to rebuild momentum despite Polygon Labs’ deeper push into stablecoin payments, leaving the token below key intraday recovery levels and close to the lower end of its short-term trading range. The Polygon ecosystem token traded near $0.09 on 26 April, with market capitalisation hovering below $1bn and daily sentiment still cautious after failed rebounds […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Qatar’s media-sector push has gained fresh momentum after Media City Qatar and the International Association for MediaTech entered a Platinum Partnership designed to raise the country’s profile as a regional centre for media, technology and content creation. Announced in Doha on 26 April 2026, the agreement gives Media City Qatar wider access to IAMT’s international platforms, industry events, market intelligence and training […]
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