BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan.28 (Xinhua/APP): Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between China and Brunei, held a blood donation at its headquarters office at Pulau Muara Besar (Great Muara Island).
According to a press release from Hengyi on Thursday, the blood donation was held in collaboration with Blood Donation Center, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (RIPAS), Brunei’s most prominent hospital. A total of 52 staff and the management of Hengyi volunteered to donate their blood during the event.” A total of 52 pints of blood was collected and will be used to replenish and ensure the blood supply in the nation’s hospitals is sufficient,” Li Peng, director of general affairs of the joint venture, told Xinhua on Thursday.
“This is the third blood donation drive organized by Hengyi as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility initiative to raise awareness on the importance and benefits of regular blood donation, as well as to encourage Hengyi’s staff and management to help save lives through the act of donating blood,” he added. Hengyi Industries is a joint venture between China’s Zhejiang Hengyi Group and Damai Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary under the Brunei government’s Strategic Development Capital Fund, owning 70 percent and 30 percent respectively.
Hengyi invested about 3.45 billion U.S. dollars in the first phase of its oil refinery and petrochemical project in Brunei, which went into full operation in November 2019. The company’s 13.654 billion U.S. dollars second phase project is currently awaiting the green light from the Brunei government. Zurich, Jan 28 (AFP/APP): Swiss watch giant Swatch Group said Thursday it suffered a net loss of 53 million Swiss frances (49 million euros) last year as the coronavirus ravaged the global economy. Sales were down more than 32 percent at 5.5 billion Swiss francs, short of analyst forecasts compiled by the AWP agency for 5.8 billion Swiss francs.
In 2019, the company, famous for its trendy multi-color plastic watches, had posted a profit of 748 million Swiss francs. Swatch said the pandemic slashed sales by more than 43 percent in the first quarter last year as the authorities imposed a sharp lockdown to try and curb the spread of the virus. As restrictions were subsequently eased, sales picked up again but remained well below normal levels, with business in tourist hotspots and airports hit badly. Swatch said it closed 384 outlets over the course of the year, with Hong Kong especially hard hit, falling from 92 in 2019 to 38 last year. For this year, the company said it hopes sales will recover to close to 2019 levels as the economy stabilizes, citing China’s example.
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