BEIJING, July 24, 2021 — China’s Tibet Autonomous Region, known as "the world’s last piece of pure land" and "the roof of the world," celebrates its 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation this year, and the plans for its future development are becoming clearer.
 
At last year’s high-level meeting on Tibet, China mapped out policy directions for building a new modern socialist region that is united, prosperous, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful.
Tibet’s long-lasting peace and stability, as well as developing an ecological civilization and achieving high-quality development, were among the issues highlighted during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-day inspection tour of the region, which began on Wednesday, to mark the 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation.
The development of Tibet, an inseparable part of China, is a priority for the central government. Since taking the helm of the country in 2013, President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has paid close attention to the development of the region. Arrangements have been made to promote social stability, border development, ecological protection and ethnic unity in Tibet, opening a new chapter of improved governance, stability and people’s well-being.
Adherence to building ecological civilization
On Wednesday, President Xi arrived at Nyingchi Mainling Airport and was warmly welcomed by local people and officials of various ethnic groups before visiting the Nyang River Bridge to inspect ecological preservation in the basin of the Yarlung Zangbo River and its tributary Nyang River.
Tibet maintained stable environmental quality in 2020, according to a report by the region’s ecology and environment department.
Speaking at a meeting wrapping up his inspection tour on Friday, Xi reiterated his belief that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" as he called for greater promotion of biodiversity conservation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
"We should unswervingly give priority to ecology and pursue green development, strive for modernization focusing harmonious coexistence of man and nature, and protect the third pole environment," he said.
By the end of 2020, Tibet had built 47 nature reserves spanning 412,200 square kilometers, accounting for over one-third of the region’s total.
Pursuing high-quality development
"High-quality" is another keyword in the plan for Tibet’s development. President Xi outlined critical elements of the process: ensuring national security and enduring peace and stability, steadily improving people’s lives, maintaining a good environment, solidifying border defense and ensuring frontier security.
The process of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way has begun and Tibet has now reached a new historical starting point in its development, the president said on Friday, stressing the importance of consolidating and expanding China’s achievements in poverty alleviation and guaranteeing a smooth transition into rural vitalization.
During his stay, Xi visited a local city planning hall, a village and a park in Nyingchi, to learn more about the city’s development planning, rural vitalization plans and park building.
As transportation is critical to the economic development, he also visited Nyingchi Railway Station to see the design of the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and the operation of Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway section, and then took a train to the regional capital, Lhasa.
Officially put into operation last month, the Lhasa-Nyingchi Railway is Tibet’s first electrified railway.
Xi stressed the importance of blazing a path of high-quality development that suits Tibet’s actual conditions, and said the reform and opening-up process should be deepened, and the construction of railways, highways and other major infrastructure accelerated. He also urged the development of industries with local characteristics and a national base for clean energy.
Given that Tibet’s security and stability are closely related to the overall development of the whole nation, Xi also stressed that work related to Tibet must focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity.
President Xi was briefed on work related to ethnic and religious affairs at the Drepung Monastery, Barkhor Street and the Potala Palace Square in Lhasa, and he emphasized the importance of protecting freedom of religious belief, managing religious affairs in accordance with the law and guiding Tibetan Buddhism in adapting to the socialist society.
HONG KONG, July 24, 2021 — The Fusion NFT™️ blockchain company, Coinllectibles™️, a fully owned subsidiary of Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG), has announced its acquisition of collectibles from Dr. Herbert Lee at an aggregate value of more than HKD 10 million, which will be minted into Fusion NFTs™️.
The minted Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ will each contain a smart contract that unequivocally describes the ownership of, and the rights in, the collectible.
The collectibles are from Dr. Herbert Lee’s private collection, which reflects his interests in arts and collectibles all over the world including China. They will be minted into Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ after the acquisition.
At the request of the buyer, each of these collectibles may be exhibited in Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFT-art gallery at the Victoria Dockside, home also to K11 Musea, one of the most prestigious art real-estate in Hong Kong. For pre-purchase inquiries on these Fusion NFTs™️, please visit Coinllectibles™️ website. In addition, Coinllectibles™ will also cooperate with the world’s leading cryptocurrency spot and derivatives exchange, OKEx, in the Fusion NFTs™️ field in the near future.
"We are truly honoured by Dr Lee’s decision to entrust us with these precious porcelains from his private collection." Said Toby O’Connor, the CEO of Coinllectibles™️. "We hope our professonalism in handling the entire process will lead to more acquisitions, which will help Coinllectibles™️ build a diverse portfolio of both historical and modern art, to be minted into Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️." Added Toby.
About Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. Cosmos Group Holdings Inc. (OTC: COSG) was formerly a television network and multimedia information and distribution company focused on serving the homeland security and emergency preparedness industry. The group’s future will focus in the development of blockchain NFT technologies and platforms to facilitate the global trading of arts and collectibles.
About Coinllectibles™️ "Coinllectibles™️" is an ACT (Arts and Collectibles Technology) company, which is redefining how the world thinks about art and collectible ownership in the digital age.
Their minted curated Fusion NFTs™️, capture all the rights and independent valuation and ownership of physical arts and collectibles securely underpinned by smart contracts stored on the blockchain.
Coinllectibles™️ Fusion NFTs™️ bridge the physical and virtual dimensions of the arts and collectibles market, providing a pleasurable, transparent, and frictionless experience to customers from all walks of life.
BEIJING, July 24, 2021 — Rise Education Cayman Ltd ("RISE" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: REDU), a leading education service provider that focuses on the development of cognitive and aptitude training for young children in China, today noted that certain English and Chinese language media outlets reported that the PRC regulators are considering a new set of regulations concerning after-school tutoring service related to school subjects taught in China’s compulsory education system. The reported regulations have not been published, and the Company has not received official notification of the regulations. It is the Company’s policy not to comment on market speculations.
About RISE
RISE Education Cayman Ltd ("RISE" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: REDU) is a leading education service provider that focuses on the development of cognitive and aptitude training for young children facilitated by an integrated Online-Merge-Offline (OMO) teaching approach model. Since its establishment in 2007, RISE has focused on building a holistic education system that helps children develop well-rounded skills and cultivate their talents with vision, motivation and innovation.
The company’s mission is to create an aptitude education ecosystem that specializes in early child development, cognitive thinking, and aptitude training. Through digital transformation and continuous upgrading of its business and operations, RISE consists of five brands – RISE English, an aptitude training brand for students above six years old; Hiyeah, a brand focusing on social interaction and emotional development of children between three to eight years old; WhySTEAM, a brand focusing on STEAM-oriented aptitude development for children under eight years old; RISE Study Tour, a brand for students’ comprehensive practical aptitude development; and The Edge, a premium brand for academic tutoring, test preparation and admissions consulting services, please visit http://ir.risecenter.com/.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Aaron Li RISE Education Email: riseir@rdchina.net Tel: +86 (10) 8559-9191
GENÈVE, Switzerland, July 23, 2021 — On the occasion of International Self-Care Day 2021 and WHO Self-Care month, The Global Self-Care Federation (GSCF) underscores the importance of acting on self-care by engaging in positive and consistent self-care practices. Self-care produces overwhelming long-term benefits for your personal health, while alleviating resources for the most vulnerable. Adopting good self-care habits beyond the pandemic is one of the best ways we can continue to protect ourselves, our communities and our healthcare professionals.
GSCF’s 2021 International Self-Care Day campaign focuses on the #SelfCarePromise theme, encouraging people to actively take control of their own health by making a personal commitment to embrace a specific self-care action.
"We’re delighted to see so many people make self-care promises to, for example, better monitor their own health, increase their daily activity or improve their own health literacy," said Judy Stenmark, Director General, GSCF. "We are seeing that people truly want to manage their own health, particularly during the pandemic. It is essential that we provide them with the adequate knowledge and resources to do so, which will help us to build more resilient health systems."
Part of this will involve strengthening policy frameworks to ensure they are coherent and fully support self-care. GSCF’s forthcoming ‘Self-Care Readiness Index’ due to be published in September, will serve as a practical tool for self-care advocates to better understand and recognize the critical enablers of self-care, and help countries to integrate self-care into their national health policies.
Read GSCF’s policy statement calling for the integration of self-care into the healthcare continuum.
About The Global Self-Care Federation
The Global Self-Care Federation represents associations and manufacturers in the self-care industry, promoting sustainable and better global health outcomes for all. The Global Self-Care Federation is the go-to source of information for the self-care industry. We work closely with our members and relevant stakeholder groups to deliver better choice, better care and better value. By placing the benefits of self-care at the heart of what we do, promoting industry transparency, and supporting the regulated use of health data, we ensure that self-care continues to play its increasingly vital role in sustainable healthcare, worldwide. For more information please visit: www.selfcarefederation.org.
About International Self-Care Day
International Self-Care Day is held annually on July 24th (7/24), to highlight that the benefits of self-care are experienced 24 hours a day, seven days a week. International Self-Care Day raises awareness of the value of self-care and the benefit that effective self-care can bring to both individuals and healthcare systems as a vital foundation of health.
JOE BONAMASSA’S GROUNDBREAKING UPCOMING NFT AUCTION OFFERS THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THE MASTER AND PUBLISHING OF ONE OF HIS SONGS
GUITAR HERO WRITES NEW SONG "BROKEN RECORD" AS NFT TO ENCOURAGE GREATNESS FOR THOSE WHO CHALLENGE THEMSELVES TO BE BETTER
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2021 — For over 30 years now, acclaimed guitar hero Joe Bonamassahas paved his own path in the music industry. Now Bonamassa is teaming up for his latest venture with Heritage Auctions, where he and longtime business partner Roy Weisman are changing the rules of the NFT game to offer one of the most intriguing, high value offers out there. The truly unprecedented lot sets Joe as the first musician to sell his music publishing in an NFT as part of this digital + physical collection, which also features his own "Holy Grail" 1959 Gibson Les Paul Sunburst guitar and 1963 Fender Vibroverb amp that were used to record the song. What truly raises the stakes in the world of art and music, is the value. Here the reserve bid is worth the gear alone, yet Bonamassa is giving a once in a lifetime opportunity to ALSO become the owner of the master and publishing for one of his songs, "Broken Record." It’s an innovative move that shows just how ahead of the game Joe’s team is. Always on the quest to evolve artistically while simultaneously challenging the infrastructure of the music industry, and a true musical pioneer, Joe has done it again.
Bonamassa went to Oceanway Studio in Nashville in May 2021 to record a special song that he wrote just to be used for this special NFT. The song "Broken Record" is an ode to taking control, just as Bonamassa is doing with his NFT concept. He shares of the song’s origins, "it’s the same complaints. I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to do something with my life. I’m going to make changes. And they never do… and they sound like a broken record. I do that too. I decided to write a song about it. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, and when the idea came up for this project with Heritage, I thought ‘I should write that broken record song,’ and I did."
"Broken Record," along with the NFT auction, is a movement that’s meant to inspire not only artists and creators, but the everyday person. It’s a reminder for people to hold themselves accountable, stand up against the status quo, and make strides to be the best that they can. With this NFT, Bonamassa and Weisman didn’t want to sound like a broken record doing the same thing as everyone else who had jumped on the bandwagon. Instead, they wanted to take hold of the reigns, make it their own, and make it the best offering out there.
Bonamassa calls this lot "the one-song record company" because it totally transforms the way musicians can make a business from their intellectual property. Weisman elaborates: "That is what this NFT concept gives artists — the opportunity to raise capital on an independent basis that will allow them to overstep the so-called gatekeepers of the music industry."
"One of the things that I like about being an independent artist is that Roy and I came up with this idea," Bonamassa says. "We didn’t have to run it up any sort of chain of command. It was like, let’s do this because it feels right. And it’s the next logical step in how independent artists are going to be on equal footing with major labels."
Weisman says "we’re now truly in a unique time in the music business where it is completely just supply and demand. People can find artists online anytime, people can buy their music, investors can invest in them without an artist having to go through a typical major label or even large independent label system that is heavily weighted against artists from the start."
This history-making auction from the music-business revolutionary is far from routine; then, nothing Bonamassa does is ever ordinary.
Joe’s auction lot is filled to the brim with highly collectible items, including not only some of the most prized musical instruments on the planet, but pairing them with a series of certificates of authenticity as cutting-edge non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The type of guitar has been used by rock royalty such as Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield. The instrument with the "unmatched deep, throaty sound," as David Schiller writes in his book Guitar, was the ax that built rock and roll.
Non-fungible tokens are changing the business world and Bonamassa’s clever use of the new technology is now allowing other artists to build what is their own business. Bonamassa’s auction is unique and stands to reshape how musicians make and sell their art. This incredible lot includes 13 items individually tokenized on the Ethereum blockchain. Each physical item will have a digital NFT component. This lot is a dream come true for any serious collector of vintage gear or NFT investor looking to diversify their portfolio.
It should surprise no one who follows Bonamassa’s career that he’s leading this revolution. No guitarist has ever received as much coverage in the music and business media as the two-time Grammy Award nominee who has topped Billboard’s Blues chart 24 times – at only the age of 44, no less. Only last year, in fact, Forbes heralding the guitarist for "Taking Control Of His Business, Building A Brand And Investing In Himself."
Bonamassa, a wunderkind who opened for B.B. King when he was just 12 years old, learned early on never to trust the industry: His 2000 debut A New Day Yesterday, released on a Sony subsidiary, was a critical smash, with Billboard hailing the comer as "a bold talent who rises above narrow radio formatics." Problem was that major labels have no time for bold talents who don’t get played on the radio. Bonamassa and Sony parted ways.
For many musicians, that would have been the end of the story. For Bonamassa, it was only the beginning of the beginning: In 2002 the guitarist and his longtime manager and business partner Roy Weisman created J&R Adventures – a self-contained label, management, marketing and concert promotion company. Which has meant that for the last 20 years, they haven’t had anyone looking over their shoulder, anyone telling them what to do or where to go, anyone telling them no.
"We go against the grain by nature, and that’s how we’ve been successful," Weisman says. "I’m not really looking to get the input of the industry because quite frankly, I think the mainstream industry won’t like independence. And with this auction, we’re going to show the world how to merge their copyrights, their intellectual property and sell it directly to an investor without a middleman like a major record company taking a major piece of the money and leaving them without any core assets. Now with the NFT, artists have an opportunity to build capital for themselves to then build what is their own business. And that is a beautiful thing. It’s a game-changer."
The way both men tell it, the idea of selling the guitar and amp and the song in a single auction lot was an easy one, just another inevitable next step in the evolution of their revolution. It took Weisman and Bonamassa all of 20 minutes to settle on the concept and its eventual execution, which resulted in a full-blown studio session during which the guitarist recorded something of which he’s extraordinarily proud … which no one, outside of the winner, might ever hear.
Joe explains "if three people hear the song and that’s it, I’m still proud of the work. If it’s licensed for film or TV and everybody hears the song, even better. But the fact of the matter is, I’m proud of the song whether three people hear it or 30 million hear it. It doesn’t matter. My approach would not have changed."
"And in the end, we came to the conclusion that if we’re going to do this, let’s make a splash. This is going to be really cool."
To prospective auctioneers, Joe encourages people to get in on the action. "Enjoy your NFT and thank you very much for participating. And by the way, show this to all your friends. Hell, you own it!"
ITEMS IN THIS LOT:
1 Vintage Guitar from Joe’s Collection -1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Serial # 9 0346
1 Vintage Amp From Joe’s Collection -1963 Fender Vibroverb, Serial # 00352
1 Original Song by Joe Bonamassa -Track name: "Broken Record" -Written and Produced by Joe Bonamassa -Mixed and mastered by Kevin Shirley -Executive Producer: Roy Weisman -(will include WAV file for digital playback and Master for Manufacturing) -Master Rights and Publishing included – Rules as stated on Agreement
4 Videos -1 Full Live Studio Performance Video -EPK Interview about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video
Original handwritten Lyric Sheet – Signed by Joe
1 Original Cover Art design -1500×1500 digital JPEG image -J&R Retains Copyright of the design, NFT owner CANNOT use for Merch or Commercial use
1 Joe Bonamassa Hand-Signed Lithograph -Exclusive cover art printed and Hand Signed by Joe (1 of 1 original) -Framed, 21-inch X 21-inch
4 Concert Tickets & 4 Meet & Greet Passes to One Joe Bonamassa Show every calendar year. – Tickets and M&G passes must be used for the same show. – Where Joe Bonamassa is the sole headline artist (no festivals or special events). – Only if there is a scheduled Meet & Greet for the applicable show. – For as long as and until Joe continues to actively tour. – All costs to attend the show (travel, accommodations, etc.) other than the tickets and passes are the responsibility of the NFT owner.
1 Digital Photo Book – Includes 6 photos of Joe (in the studio and with the guitar & Amp) – These will be delivered digitally as JPEGs. – NFT owner will not own copyright of images
A Personal "Nerdville" Museum Tour and lunch with Joe Bonamassa – Choice of either Los Angeles or Nashville location – Date and Time Subject to Joe Bonamassa’s Schedule – Tour for Purchaser and 1 guest (2 people MAXIMUM) – Lunch will follow the tour at Joe’s residence – Subject to signature by Purchaser and guest of a confidentiality agreement – No filming or recording of any nature permitted – This is a ONE TIME ONLY event – All travel, accommodation and other expenses are the sole responsibility of the Purchaser
TOKENIZED ITEMS: (13 Different Minted items) -Song -Guitar -Amp -Tickets and Meet & Greet -Nerdville Museum Tour and Lunch with Joe -Full Music Video -EPK Video about Song -Guitar "Origin" Video -Amp "Origin" Video -Digital Cover artwork image -Litho Print -Hand-written Lyrics Page -Digital Photo Book
ABOUT JOE BONAMASSA: As a professional musician for over 30 years, Joe Bonamassa continues to blaze a remarkably versatile artistic trail, and amass an authentic, innovative, and soulful body of work. Bonamassa’s career began onstage opening for B.B. King in 1989 when he was only 12 years old. Today, he is hailed worldwide as one of the greatest guitar players of his generation and is an ever-evolving singer-songwriter with over 40 albums to date all under his own label, J&R Adventures.
Joe’s latest album, "Now Serving: Royal Tea Live From The Ryman" is available now for streaming, CD, DVD and Blu-Ray. It will also be released on Double LP July 9th. The DVD includes a film introduction narrated by actor Jeff Daniels. To order, visit shop.jbonamassa.com. The stellar performance from one of the world’s most legendary venues includes 12 incredible live tracks, featuring the best from his latest studio release Royal Tea, Joe’s 24th#1 record on the Billboard Blues chart, which was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. It also includes 3 electrifying tracks from his 20th anniversary album A New Day Now.
Joe is also hitting the stage again, with a string of tour dates across the US for summer and fall, starting the end of this month in California, with two incredible nights set for the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in August before jumping back to the Ryman Auditorium to kick off the autumn dates in October. For tickets, visit https://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/.
In addition to his music and shows, Joe continues to crank out weekly programming for his radio show "Different Shades Of Blue" for Sirius XM’s Bluesville channel. Last year, he kicked off a new at-home weekly video interview series "Live From Nerdville" which currently has over 50 episodes aired on his Facebook, YouTube, and podcast outlets. With a new episode each week, Joe has featured conversations with Neal Schon of Journey, John Oates of Hall & Oates, Glenn Hughes, Paul Stanley of Kiss, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’, Walter Trout, Steve Lukather of Toto, Todd Rundgren, comedian Jeff Garlin, esteemed singer-songwriter Dion, Peter Frampton, and is currently booking new guests for his 3rd season. In June 2020, Bonamassa and his manager Roy Weisman debuted their new record label Keeping The Blues Alive Records by releasing music icon Dion’s critically acclaimed latest album Blues With Friends. In February 2021, KTBA Records released Chicago’s reigning Queen of Blues Guitar, Joanna Connor’s new album 4801 South Indiana Avenue, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues chart.
ABOUT HERITAGE AUCTIONS: Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 1,400,000 registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of five million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit.
BEIJING, July 23, 2021 — Youdao, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE: DAO), a leading intelligent learning company in China, today noted that it was reported in the press that the PRC regulators were expected to publish new rules and regulations that are intended to, among other things, tighten the regulation over after-school tutoring services. As of the date of this press release, the Company has not received any official notification of the new rules and regulations reported in the press. The Company will closely monitor regulatory developments in the PRC education industry.
About Youdao, Inc.
Youdao, Inc. (NYSE: DAO) is a leading intelligent learning company in China dedicated to developing and using technologies to provide learning content, applications and solutions to users of all ages. Building on the popularity of its online knowledge tools such as Youdao Dictionary, Youdao Cloudnote and Youdao Translation, Youdao now offers online courses covering a wide spectrum of age groups, subject matters, learning goals and areas of interest. In addition, Youdao has developed a variety of interactive learning apps and smart learning devices. Youdao was founded in 2006 as part of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTES; HKEX: 9999), a leading internet technology company in China.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "target," "aim," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "potential," "continue," "is/are likely to" or other similar expressions. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding such risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
In China:
Jeffrey Wang Youdao, Inc. Tel: +86-10-8255-8163 ext. 89980 E-mail: IR@rd.netease.com
BEIJING, July 23, 2021 — Chinese President Xi Jinping’s speech at the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrations reflected the great achievements of the Party in leading China’s socio-economic development.
CPC sets example for global development
In this anniversary year, it will certainly be remembered how reform and people-oriented policies promoted by the CPC have transformed China, lifting 740 million people out of poverty in the last 40 years, reducing the poverty headcount ratio by 94.4 percentage points.
Mainstream Western economic thought and theory alone cannot explain the range of achievements China has made over the past 50 years, such as how it has grown from a poor and backward country to a global leader in manufacturing technical products today.
China’s infrastructure development, rapid urbanization, and ability to improve the well-being and happiness of its people are unmatched by other countries. China owes its economic miracle to the leadership of the CPC.
However, China cares about not only its own development. China has been making tireless efforts to promote multilateralism and solve global climate problems.
As former Prime Minister of Greece and President of the Socialist International George A. Papandreou said, China’s commitment to openness and multilateralism is of key importance not only for China’s prosperity but also for tackling effectively common global challenges. Common challenges ask for common solutions. Shared goals and embracing diversity is the path.
The current pandemic has shown how important the harmony between man and nature is. It has shown us in the cruelest way how there is a link between environment, nutrition, animal welfare and zoonotic diseases. We have become aware that policies for addressing climate change must go hand in hand with policies aiming to protect biodiversity.
China believes that addressing climate change is not simply a problem to be eradicated, but also an opportunity for sustainable economic growth. It can become a driving force for modernization with the potential to benefit the developing world as much as the developed along the lines of the UN SDGs (sustainable development goals).
All countries have a huge responsibility for mitigation in order to lower global emissions per capita. Of course, the richer nations must bear the heaviest burden and take into account the differences between the developed and the developing world.
"Decode the Real China" is a 13-episode series which invites 13 high-profile politicians, including former prime ministers and ambassadors to China, to interpret President Xi’s July 1 speech from the perspective of the development miracle created by China under the CPC, multilateral cooperation, the prospects of BRI cooperation and the response to global climate change.
The series focuses on the effectiveness of the leadership of the CPC and China’s development achievements through the eyes of other countries, with the aim of showing the world a real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China.
BEIJING, July 23, 2021 — A news report by China.org.cn on China’s wildlife protection:
 
Pandas must be quite familiar to you all. But it has recently been "downgraded".
However, this isn’t bad news. With more than 1,800 giant pandas now living in the wild, China has downgraded the animal’s status from "endangered" to "vulnerable." Back in 1988, the population of wild giant pandas in China was just 1,114.
Boosting the population by more than 60% has been no easy task. The protection of giant pandas requires extensive research and surveying, which cannot be done from inside an office. Rangers in nature reserves need to conduct habitat and bamboo surveys, as well as collect panda droppings in the field. Leaving early in the morning for work and returning late at night after walking dozens of kilometers along mountain paths, these have become their daily routines. But merely protecting animals themselves is not enough. Habitat contraction and falling bamboo yields due to monocarpic flowering and climate change all threaten the survival of giant pandas. Therefore, habitat conservation and reconstruction of bamboo forests are also essential tasks. Thanks to years of efforts, China has become well acquainted with the habits of giant pandas and developed more accurate survey and statistical methods. More than 60 nature reserves have been established to expand their habitats.
In recent years, China has made notable progress in protecting wildlife, especially rare and endangered species. The number of the previously critically endangered crested ibis has increased from just seven in 1981 to several thousand; the Chinese mountain cat, one of the rarest and most mysterious cat species, was spotted in Qilian Mountain National Park in Qinghai province; rufous-necked hornbills reappeared in the mountain forests of Yunnan province after disappearing for decades.
More recently, news stories about wildlife have captured public attention. While a herd of wild Asian elephants migrated northward, authorities redirected them away from densely populated areas using tempting snacks and roadblocks, and have started work on building an Asian elephant national park; multiple measures were taken to rescue melon-headed whales stranded in shallow waters; authorities restricted boat activities to protect a Bryde’s whale foraging in the waters off Shenzhen. These examples of wildlife conservation demonstrate the harmonious coexistence of human beings and animals.
To promote human progress while ensuring the survival of wildlife, we need to strike a harmonious and delicate balance. With continued efforts, more and more cute wild animals like giant pandas will appear all over the world.
In just the first four months of 2021, Trend Micro’s Research team detected 113,010 ransomware threats in Malaysia. Ever since the first detected case of ransomware infection in 2005 globally[1], ransomware has evolved. Over the years, ransomware has evolved and has resulted in the emergence of what is often termed modern ransomware; which is even more targeted and malicious in nature.
The recent attack on enterprise technology firm Kaseya[2], where hackers demanded US$70 million (RM290.92 million) worth of bitcoin in return for stolen data, is a stark reminder of the sweeping damage and disruption that modern ransomware is capable of.
Traditionally, ransomware attacks were conducted through a “click-on-the-link” that leads to compromised websites or spam emails. This was typically aimed at a random list of victims to collect moderate pay-out.
Today, threat actors have evolved their strategies to inflict greater damage on a company’s reputation and potentially collect larger pay-outs from high-profile victims. This is what is becoming known as a “double-extortion” strategy in modern ransomware attacks. According to Trend Micro’s research[3], criminals take these steps to personalize the attacks:
Organize alternative access to a victim’s network such as through a supply chain attack;
Determine the most valuable assets and processes that could potentially yield the highest possible ransom amount for each victim;
Take control of valuable assets, recovery procedures, and backups;
Steal and threaten to expose confidential data;
In Malaysia, Trend Micro found that the industries most targeted by ransomware are government, healthcare, and manufacturing[4]. As these sectors continue to play a role in driving economic growth in the country, it is clear that a multi-layered cybersecurity defence system is necessary. These enterprises will need to create such a defence to defend their networks and protect their business-critical data to keep up with the ever-evolving ransomware landscape.
In order to keep up with the ever-evolving ransomware landscape, among the three most important must-dos for Malaysian organizations are:
Maintain IT hygiene factors: Security teams should ensure that proactive countermeasures, such as monitoring features, backups, and trainings in security skills, are in place to enable early detection. Alongside that, everyone in an organization should also have the latest security updates and patches installed.
Work with the right security partners: Start by clearly defining the needs and priorities around enterprise security in an organization. Then, collaborate with a security vendor that aligns with these priorities to create a solid security response playbook to be used on an ongoing basis.
Have visibility over all security layers: In order for security teams to be able to detect suspicious activity early-on and to respond to cyber attacks quicker, organizations should utilize tools such as Trend Micro Vision One, which collects and automatically correlates data across email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks. By putting the right technologies in place, enterprises can also help reduce the alert fatigue commonly faced by security operations centers (SOCs), with 54% reporting that they are overwhelmed by alerts[5].
In today’s world of constant attacks, cybersecurity should be a top priority for everyone across the entire organization; and not just be the sole responsibility of the security team. While an organization can eventually recover its data or financial resources post-attack, the loss of trust among customers and partners will be a difficult challenge to remedy. All stakeholders must collaborate, invest in proper resources, and take proactive steps to transform workplace culture and best practices in order to stop pernicious ransomware threats at the door.
Nope, it is nothing revolutionary new. They call it the Wear OS 3, and nothing more. The name of the upcoming update to Google’s Wear OS is less revealing of the updates that is coming for Google’s wearable platform though.
Google Wear OS 3 can be seen as the biggest overhaul to the platform since its introduction. It started out, at least for us, when Google and Samsung announced their collaboration and commitment to smartwatches in the 2021 edition of Google I/O. The announcement from Samsung only means that the South Korean electronics giant is abandoning Tizen OS that they have developed and nursed over the years over Google’s Wear OS.
To be fair, while that is a huge commitment from Samsung, it is also a sensible move for them. It means that Samsung gets to merge their existing developer base to Google Wear OS’ larger developer base. It only means that they get more content and potentially more features for their Samsung Galaxy Watch platform too.
Source; Google
For Google, having a partner that is considered the best in the business with plenty more accolades than themselves means a lot more than just getting a helping hand. Sure, the extra hand in developing Wear OS is great. It is also a great way to understand how Samsung made the Galaxy Watch brand the brand that it is. Their partnership with Samsung is also quite natural in a lot of ways, since Samsung has been one of Google’s strongest partner brands in the Android smartphone world. Partly, it also means that Google have one less thing spend resources for development.
Samsung announced a few weeks ago that their upcoming Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, suspected to be launching in the August 11th Galaxy Unpacked event, will be the first in their line-up and the probably the world to be running this new mash up of Google’s Wear OS and Tizen OS. They called it their One UI; of course. But One UI is just an overlay of the Operating System (OS) that is the Wear OS. At that point, it was nameless.
Source: Samsung
Google sort of announced Wear OS 3 about 15 hours ago. While it was not a revolutionary name, it is a significant update over the older Wear OS. They have started detailing which devices will get the update, for example. Most of the older generation hardware will not be getting Wear OS 3, unfortunately. In that case, if you are running a Wear device that has existed in the market for more than a year, you might want to consider retiring it and getting a new one. Of course, we will tell you to wait for the first Google Wear OS 3 devices to hit the market first before deciding.
One of Google’s biggest Wear OS device partners, Fossil has confirmed that they will be updating some of their latest generation smartwatches to Google Wear OS 3 in the coming months. They are also promising new generation wearables later on after the launch of Wear OS 3. While not officially available in Malaysia, you might want to consider looking at Mobvoi’s latest generation smartwatches if you want something that can be updated to Wear OS 3. Of course, if you can wait until September 2021, why not just get the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4?
The next big update to Wear OS, the Wear OS 3 is expected to come to watches launching in this half of the year onward. You can expect Samsung to also be among the first manufacturers to boast Google Wear OS 3, albeit in their own One UI skin. Updates to current generation smartwatches to Wear OS 3 is expected to come in in the mid of 2022 onward.
