In a free world where disseminating and receiving information is a sacred right, we must be critical of sources. We know that there are old and trusted publications we can trust. But in the age of the Internet, there are many new media outlets and foundations that give out a lot of contradictory information to the information market.
In addition, in recent years there have been many social networks where anyone can post any kind of information. While journalists, by virtue of their profession, have to verify what they publish, users of social networks often dump there a lot of contradictory and unverified statements. Open any of them, and you will drown in a flood of human verbiage.
Someone is just pouring out their grievances against people and writing all kinds of unpleasant things about them. Internet bickering and scandals became an everyday occurrence in the modern world and became the “flip side” of the convenience of communication that the global network gave mankind.
But domestic scandals between people on social networks are half the battle. A lot of people have appeared who consider themselves specialists and experts in various sectors of the economy. These impostors can have millions of fans who subscribe to their pages on the Internet. If in the past people learned business news from newspapers, where the authors of the notes check the facts and are responsible for the information, including legal information, then the modern self-appointed Internet expert with his incompetent post on the social network can, for example, bring down a major bank, where millions of depositors will rush to take money in a panic.
Even worse is the influence of bloggers on world politics. As easily as many of them argue about cooking recipes, some take too seriously judging political processes and decision-making as if they are professionals and are no longer joking. A self-taught blogger can easily cause riots in the streets of cities with his online post. A person who thinks he is investigating can buy up fake databases on the darknet, collect gossip on dubious sites, steal scraps of email correspondence, compile them all, and then pass them off as scoops. In this way, entire countries can be defamed without being held responsible for it: the internet is a space of freedom that is almost unrestricted by anyone.
Guided by feelings, emotions, and of course vanity, such people make a name for themselves and make a lot of money. Look at YouTube videos with hundreds of thousands and millions of views, they are perfectly monetized and can bring their creators tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Internet has allowed ambitious people who couldn’t fit into the traditional framework of media standards to become rich and famous. Did it make them, professional journalists and investigators? Of course not. Did they endanger traditional media? Of course, they did.
Here, for example, the Bellingcat website, which has become famous, is proud of its investigations. An entire film was made about it, which is being shown all over the world, claiming that a blogger who is serving a sentence in a Russian prison was poisoned by the Russian state. More recently, Christo Grozdev from Bellingcat shared his opinion about the explosive packages sent to the officials in Spain, also without providing any actual evidence, but blaming “Russian secret services or people hired by them”.
Meanwhile, Bellingcat exists on grants from the Dutch foundation Adesium, the famous American foundation NDA, the Danish National Postal Lottery, Zandstorm and Stichting Saxum Volutum, and the British foundation Sigrid Rausing. The main investigator of Bellingcat Hristo Groziev in general has been managing music radio stations all his conscious life, including in Russia, and then he had an “epiphany” and decided that now he turned from a DJ into an investigator.
As we see, in today’s world you have to be very careful with the information, trusting only proven and reliable sources. Geostrategic Research Center together with Slavia Info published their own investigation about Bellingcat and Hristo Grozdev’s activities, which you can watch on Geostrategy.Rs official YouTube Chanel
This designation signifies Cynotecks commitment to delivering high-quality technology solutions and services to its clients. As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Cynoteck gains access to a wealth of resources and tools that will enable it to provide even better support and guidance to its clients.
In addition to becoming a Microsoft Solutions Partner designation for Business Applications, Cynoteck Technology Solutions is also proud to announce that it has recently achieved the Salesforce Consulting Partner batch.
This achievement reinforces Cynoteck’s commitment to delivering top-notch CRM services to its clients across various platforms. As a Salesforce Consulting Partner, Cynoteck has access to a suite of tools and resources that enable it to deliver comprehensive Salesforce solutions tailored to meet clients’ unique business needs.
With both the Microsoft Solutions Partner and Salesforce Consulting Partner designations, Cynoteck Technology Solutions can provide an even wider range of CRM solutions and services to its clients, cementing its position as a top CRM services provider.
“We are delighted to have achieved the Microsoft Solutions Partner for Business Applications and Salesforce Consulting Partner badge, adding to our already impressive portfolio of services. This designation will enable us to continue delivering top-tier services to our clients while leveraging the full suite of Salesforce tools and resources at our disposal,” said Udit Handa, CEO of Cynoteck Technology Solutions.
About Cynoteck Technology Solutions
Cynoteck Technology Solutions is a leading provider of CRM services like Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Web App Development, and Mobile App Development. With a team of experienced and certified professionals, Cynoteck helps businesses of all sizes to streamline their processes, improve their customer engagement, and boost their bottom line. For more information, please visit cynoteck.com
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics (MCI) is preparing digital infrastructure to support the successful ASEAN Chairmanship 2023. Acting Director-General of Posts and Informatics Operations of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics, Ismail, stated that his ministry is continuously monitoring the telecommunications network to maintain its quality.
Indonesian MCI Ensures Telecommunication Access for Successful ASEAN Chairmanship 2023
“One of MCI’s tasks is to provide telecommunications networks and internet access to ensure the smooth running of ASEAN Chairmanship 2023,” he emphasized in Jakarta on Friday, March 31, 2023.
Ismail also stated that specifically for the ASEAN Summit slated to be held in May 2023 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, MCI has ensured adequate network infrastructure. There are 3,773.73 km of fiber optic network and 2,055 ODP points in the area. In addition, there are 1,635 4G BTS and 3 5G BTS.
Regarding the quality of the network, Ismail stated that Labuan Bajo, which had previously hosted the G20 event, has been served by 4G and 5G telecommunication networks. In fact, fixed broadband operators are also available in the area.
“78.12% of the Labuan Bajo area has been covered by 4G signals. Even in residential areas, the coverage has reached 94.51%, and some areas have been served with 5G signal,” he said.
The ministry is also monitoring the quality of mobile telecommunications networks. In fact, telecommunications service operators have taken anticipatory measures by upgrading their networks through Combat BTS provision.
“We are monitoring from our Telecommunications Monitoring Center. And for the needs of ASEAN Summit 2023, telecommunications operators, especially the Telkom Group, are making various preparations, such as providing Combat BTS and upgrading some existing BTS in Golomori and Labuan Bajo, which are currently in progress by 44.7% and targeted to be completed by the second week of April 2023,” he said.
ACROMETA Group Limited, an established specialist engineering service provider in the field of controlled environments serving mainly the healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and academia sectors, has entered into a Sales and Purchase Agreement (“the Agreement”) for an additional 40% of the outstanding shares of Life Sciences Incubator Pte Ltd (“LSI”) for a total consideration of S$1.6 million payable in tranches, based on the realisation of agreed milestones in its immediate expansion plan. Upon completion of the purchase, the Group will control 70% of LSI, up from the current 30%.
The Agreement updates and follows from the Letter of Intent (“LOI”) announced to SGXNet on 20 February 2023 for the proposed acquisition of an additional 40% stake in LSI.
A site visit to Brisbane and the due diligence carried out by ACROMETA Management have shortlisted the location of the proposed co-working laboratory in Australia as it found it suitable.
Mr Levin Lee Keng Weng, ACROMETA Chairman, said, “Brisbane is a booming hub for the Life Sciences sector in Australia. According to Global Australia[1], a government-industry development agency, Queensland is home to more than 250 life sciences organisations, 85 core biotech companies, and more than 100 biotech-related research organisations.
A whole ecosystem has emerged with clusters of dynamic and innovative SMEs and start-ups either conducting their R&D or supporting the multinationals and research centres focusing on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and specialist healthcare such as gerontology and neurology.”
Mr Lee added, “The demand for co-working laboratory space is strong. The performance milestones for the payment in tranches agreed to by the Vendor indicate that both the Purchaser and the Vendor have confidence in the co-working laboratory business in Australia and Singapore.
The proposed additional co-working laboratory space in Singapore is to cater for expected growth in demand. In addition, as Singapore transforms its economy towards high-value sectors, more and more SMEs and start-ups conducting their R & D will require co-working laboratory space.”
This Media Release is to be read in conjunction with the announcement on SGXNet on 31 March 2023.
ACROMETA (Previously known as ACROMEC Limited) is an established specialist engineering services provider with more than 25 years of experience in the field of controlled environments.
The Group has, over the years, acquired expertise in the design and construction of facilities requiring controlled environments such as laboratories, medical and sterile facilities and cleanrooms.
ACROMETA’s business is divided into three main business segments: (i) Engineering, procurement, and construction services, specialising in architectural, and mechanical, electrical, and process works within controlled environments; (ii) Maintenance and repair services of facilities and equipment of controlled environments and their supporting infrastructure. (iii) Co-Working Laboratory business; currently operates a 6,500 sq feet co-working laboratory space at The German Centre in Singapore serving SMEs and start-ups.
The Group mainly serves the healthcare, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, research and academia, and electronics sectors. ACROMETA’s customers include hospitals and medical centres, government agencies, research and development companies or agencies, research and development units of multinational corporations, tertiary educational institutions, pharmaceutical companies, semiconductor manufacturing companies, and multinational engineering companies.
The Company has been listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange since 2016. For more information, please visit www.acrometa.com
Media and Analysts Contact:
ACROMETA Group Limited Mr. Jerry Tan Chief Financial Officer Tel: +65 6415 0574 Email: jerry.tan@acromec.com
Waterbrooks Consultants Pte Ltd Mr. Wayne Koo Tel: +65 6958 8008 / +65 9338 8166 Email: wayne.koo@waterbrooks.com.sg Email: query@waterbrooks.com.sg
This media release has been reviewed by the Company’s sponsor, Evolve Capital Advisory Private Limited (the “Sponsor”). It has not been examined or approved by the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (the “Exchange”), and the Exchange assumes no responsibility for the contents of this document, including the correctness of any of the statements or opinions made or reports contained in this document.
The contact person for the Sponsor is Mr. Jerry Chua, 138 Robinson Road, #13-02 Oxley Tower, Singapore 068906, jerrychua@evolvecapitalasia.com
Legend Holdings Corporation (stock code: 3396.HK) announced its audited annual results for the year ended December 31, 2022 (the “Reporting Period”) on March 31, 2023. During the Reporting Period, Legend Holdings achieved revenue of RMB483.7 billion and net profit attributable to equity holders of the Company of RMB1.167 billion.
In 2022, uncertainties in the international situation continued to increase, including rising global inflation and significant volatility in international financial markets and commodity markets, which also had a significant impact on the Company’s performance. The industrial incubations and investments segment successfully promoted the listing of over 60 enterprises in the last three years, among the best in the industry. However, as these investments were measured at fair value, the segment’s performance was affected by the volatility of the capital market; in addition, Joyvio Group made a provision for goodwill and asset impairment in 2022 year due to factors such as rising operating costs caused by the increase in raw material prices and the interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Facing the challenges, the company carefully studied the layout and solidly promoted its strategy to strengthen its competitive ability while stabilizing its fundamentals and ensuring sustainable profitability.
Mr. Li Peng, Executive Director and CEO of Legend Holdings, said that during the reporting period, the company’s performance recorded a considerable decrease, but the company insisted on the goal of achieving high-quality development, with “industrial operation and technological innovation” as the core of its long-term development strategy. The company’s fundamentals are sound, and certain enterprises in the industrial operations and incubations & investments sectors have good long-term growth potential. The main task now is to further strengthen the existing business foundation and enhance industrial competitiveness, while actively adjusting the business portfolio and optimizing the business model to improve shareholders’ returns. During the reporting period, the industrial operations segment overcame various unfavorable factors and continued to promote management improvement and operation enhancement; the industrial incubations and investments segment focused on national key fields, supporting independent innovation and industrial chain upgrades, promoting the development of specialized and innovative enterprises, and linking economic chains in line with the dual circulation strategy. At the same time, the company continued to increase investment in scientific research and frontier layout, grasp green opportunities, promote energy saving and carbon reduction, and make positive progress in various businesses.
Driven by Technological Innovation, Continuously Expand R&D Investment in Frontier Technologies
In the current context of China’s implementation of science and technology innovation to lead high-quality development, Legend Holdings grasps the opportunities of the times and has been constantly improving its enterprise-led innovation system based on partnership among industry, academia and research institutes, and shaping a collaborative and efficient innovation pattern with specialized and innovative enterprises to promote the sustainable development of the enterprises.
In 2022, R&D expenses within the Legend Holdings system increased 21% year-on-year to RMB15.3 billion, with total R&D expenses of RMB37.8 billion in the past three years, representing a compound annual growth rate of 27%, with over 20,000 licensed patents, maintaining a leading position among large Chinese enterprises. Lenovo Group boosted its R&D investment by 21% year-on-year and has nine labs including artificial intelligence and enterprise cloud computing. The investment in R&D of Levima Advanced Materials increased by 21% year-on-year, and applied for 53 patents and obtained 58 granted patents during the reporting period. It focused on investment in the layout of high-end new materials, and achieved a breakthrough in the domestic production of electronic-grade hydrogen chloride and chlorine products after taking the lead in achieving the local substitution of photovoltaic film materials. The “20,000 tons/year UHMWPE (Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene) project” is expected to be put into operation in mid-2023, with the aim of reducing the UHMWPE import over-dependence. Fullhan Microelectronics’ R&D investment increased by 20% year-on-year, mainly in chip R&D field, with R&D staff comprising 85% of its workforce.
At the same time, Legend Holdings also promoted its funds to closely follow China’s national industrial plans and policy guidance and to intensively invest in national strategic industries, such as next-generation information technology, chips, new energy, new materials and AI. In 2022, the funds invested in almost 150 technology companies, and a total of 95 have been selected for the national list of specialized and innovative enterprises.
In the future, Legend Holdings will further focus on technological innovation when exploring new industrial areas and allocating resources, and will make long-term commitments in selected industries. The Company has set up the innovation and development center and planned to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with top universities and international institutions on early-stage technologies in key innovation areas.
Solidly Consolidate the Real Industry and Take Measures to Enhance the Quality and Efficiency of Real Economy
In 2022, Legend Holdings consolidated its business fundamentals, and withstood external challenges through management improvements and operational enhancements to ensure the steady progress of all businesses.
In the industrial operations segment, Lenovo Group continued to top the global PC business and was the world’s No. 1 supercomputing maker, while at the same time, it fully promoted the transformation of its business to intelligent services, with the revenue share of non-PC business exceeding 40%. Among them, the Infrastructure Solutions Group has achieved rapid growth by grasping the trend of accelerated transformation of the global digital economy and the opportunity of the new computing revolution; the Solutions & Services Group, as the core business of digital and smart transformation, continues to maintain growth momentum.
Levima Advanced Materials maintained its leading edge in the new materials niche market, and expanded into new business areas to seize the opportunity of green development. During the Reporting Period, it completed the technical upgrade and capacity expansion of its EVA devices to further enhance operational efficiency, and several key projects were progressing ahead on track. The project covering lithium battery electrolyte materials completed its interim delivery and is about to be put into operation. Levima also entered the field of electronic materials by investing in electronic specialty gas. Construction of projects covering new energy materials for battery and biodegradable materials are progressing into the construction phase. The “New Energy Materials and Biodegradable Materials Integration Project” has obtained approval and is now under construction in an orderly manner.
Banque Internationale a Luxembourg (“BIL”) has responded well to the challenges of the European economy and achieved good growth in all business indicators, while continuing to vigorously promote its business in China, helping Chinese enterprises issue overseas green bonds and contributing to the development of green finance; the bank’s CET-1 ratio was 13.35% and its international credit ratings remained high. Joyvio Group’s fruit business continued to reinforce its vertically integrated supply chain and core product strategy, and stepped up the development of new e-commerce retail channels.
On the other hand, a number of companies in the industrial incubations and investments segment have maintained their leading positions and steady development in their respective industries.
At the same time, Legend Holdings is also committed to promoting its portfolio companies to give full play to their advantages to empower the real economy.
Lenovo has been named to Gartner’s Global Top 25 Supply Chain ranking for eight consecutive years and was the only Asia-Pacific high-tech manufacturer on the list, with more than 850 manufacturing suppliers, promoting mutual development with SMEs along the industrial chain. In 2022, its manufacturing bases in Tianjin and Shenzhen commenced operations, and its Hefei base was recognized as a “lighthouse” factory by the World Economic Forum. Its new IT solutions to intelligent transformation were successfully deployed by nearly 1,000 companies across various sectors.
Promote Green Development, Help Rural Revitalization and Increase Investment in Public Welfare of Science and Technology
As a company growing up under the system of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Legend Holdings has been actively focusing on public welfare investment in the field of science and technology. In 2022, the company entered into a donation agreement with University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Education Foundation (UCASEF) to donate RMB60 million to set up the Scientific and Technological Innovation Project Fund of Legend Holdings, specifically for nurturing of the talents and basic researches in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, new materials and biotechnology of UCAS. Legend Capital has also set up the ” Legend Capital Scholars Program” to help the construction of China’s innovative talents; Lenovo Group has reached cooperation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tsinghua University and initiated donations to help the cultivation of R&D talents in universities.
Rural revitalization is an important part of Legend Holdings’ corporate social responsibility. In terms of industry, the company has cooperated with the China Women’s Development Foundation since 2018 to help women from low-income rural families to start businesses with local features through the “Revolving Fund for Mothers Project”, helping the local community to move towards the development path of quality-boosting agriculture, green-boosting agriculture and benefit-first. In terms of talents, the company has established Legend Holdings Rural Education Fund since 2004 to focus on rural education on an ongoing basis, helping students with limited family financial conditions realize their dreams of attending university.
The company continued to promote the focus on green and low-carbon development within the system, in active respond to the carbon peak and carbon neutrality strategy of the country. Lenovo is the first domestic high-tech manufacturer to pass the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) net-zero target validation, its Wuhan manufacturing base obtained the ICT industry’s first zero-carbon factory certificate, while its Tianjin industrial park completed a pilot project that met the ICT industry’s zero-carbon factory standard. As the “National Green Factory”, Levima Advanced Materials has improved self-sufficiency in terms of core raw materials in the photovoltaic industry, and landed its new biodegradable material PPC project. In addition, a number of portfolio companies of Legend Holdings have also helped to achieve the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality through green finance.
In addition, the public welfare program “Legend Star Entrepreneurial CEO Training Course” established by the company in 2008 has trained more than 1,000 innovative and entrepreneurial talents, and 50 of the enterprises founded by the trainees have been successfully listed and 73 have been selected as national specialized and innovative enterprises.
Grasping the opportunities of the times and working hard to make contributions to high-quality development
In 2023, Legend Holdings will continue to actively improve asset quality and solidify business fundamentals through substantive investment management and services. Focusing on the long-term development, it will improve the business to position it for steady growth. In the industrial incubations and investments segment, technological innovation remains a key area. While safeguarding against potential volatility in the capital markets, the company will be creative and strive to discover new values. At the same time, the company will also take a positive attitude and innovative approaches to further adjust its business portfolio, realize returns, and find new opportunities for strategic layout, especially in the field of science and technology innovation. Meanwhile, it will further optimize the organization development, increase the introduction of scientific and technological talents, and improve and enhance the human resource structure.
Despite the evolving international situation, China’s long-term positive fundamentals will not change, and Legend Holdings’ prospects are promising in deploying the country’s major strategic initiatives. The company will closely follow the national strategy of achieving high-quality development driven by technological innovation, carry out “Industrial operations and technological innovation”, and continue to fulfill the corporate social responsibility at a strategic level, advancing the ESG work in the system.
Mr. Ning Min, Chairman and Executive Director of Legend Holdings, said that in 2022, facing the great uncertainties and challenges brought about by global changes, Legend Holdings, while consolidating its business fundamentals, insisted on strengthening investments in science and technology innovation and promoting the development of real economy, to overcome difficulties with toughness and ride out the storm, further consolidating the foundation for long-term corporate development. 2023 is the opening year of the comprehensive implementation of the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. With the successful convening of the Central Economic Work Conference and the gradual emergence of the effects of various policies, China’s economy once again is enjoying a broader space for development. Legend Holdings will work together to seize the opportunity, continue to give full play to the enthusiasm and creativity of all employees, adhere to innovation orientation, promote industrial upgrading, work hard, actively participate in the overall high-quality national development, and continuously contribute to the construction of Chinese path to modernization.
