The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is expected to promote regional economic growth in the Lower Mekong River Basin and protect the mighty Mekong River which is under increasing threat, according to the MRC Secretariat CEO.
4th MRC Summit to Balance Economic Growth, Environment Sustainability

“Ear Up Plus” supported 18 indie music units to broaden the music spectrum in Hong Kong
This year, Ear Up Music stepped up their core programme – “Ear Up Incubation” – into “Ear Up Plus 2022: Indie Label Sponsorship Program” (“Ear Up+”). Sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, “Ear Up+” provided 18 music units with professional support including dedicated small group mentorship sessions about label management, music production, brand building and marketing strategy to assist their sustainable development in the music industry.
Among the 18 “Ear Up+” finalists, 8 shortlisted indie music units were entitled to a “label sponsorship” of HK$450,000 max. for music production and promotion. They were able to bring their music to the market with passion and strategic tactics in partnership with a commercial music company. The finalists displayed their talents at the Ear Up Music Festival in January. The remaining 10 finalists were entitled to a “production sponsorship” of HK$60,000 max for producing one song.
Startup Music to stand out from the mainstream
The 8 shortlisted performers (in no particular order) included Charming Way, Lester Lam, The Hertz, FIESTER, XTIE, Yack Studio, Prune Deer, and Virgin Vacation. Many of them were alumni of Ear Up Music programmes in the past.
With their label sponsorship funds, they created two songs and two music videos, as well as executed their own promotional plans. The overall outcome was in line with Ear Up Music’s mission to create a more diverse music ecology and encourage rising young musicians to experiment with creative promotional ideas, while injecting a new impetus into the local music scene and creating a multi-media dialogue.
With high circulation and streaming rates from certain indie musicians, it has been proven that the music industry in Hong Kong is no longer just a mainstream culture. Indie music has evolved over the years into a multicultural creative industry through the endless efforts of musicians.
A bright future for indie music
In recent years, local indie music has been thriving with indie musicians successfully attracting a wide range of fans with their unique music styles and genres and gradually forming an unprecedented music scene with its own unique vibe. This in turn influenced mainstream music labels to reposition themselves.
Without the support of major record labels, indie musicians lack the essential capital and connections which limits their development, connections within the industry, and exposure. From songwriting, post-production and music video ideas, to filming, hunting for performing opportunities, and marketing, their projects are either self-financed or rely on their own limited connections.
However, there are still many indie musicians who, through their own endless creativity and enthusiasm, overcame all these obstacles to produce great music with its own character. Ear Up Music is proud to support indie musicians in all aspects through “Ear Up+”. This project is not only about music, but also about the entire operation of a brand so fans will know more and fall in love with local indie music culture through more professional production and promotion.
All Ear Up+ performers rock the stage and extend the creative music industry
- The MV for indie rock band Charming Way’s new song “Imagine Imagine” is a montage of different scenes and surreal video spaces to express the richness of the scene and an imaginative dream world. The immersive new song release event was a cross-media event, using screen projections, lighting design, virtual reality, and mixed reality. At the same time, the band actively engaged in musical exchanges with Cantopop and R&B singers, sharing the delicate relationship between music and life through IG live broadcasts and inviting the KOLs popular with young people to film IG reels.
- The all-female heavy metal and electro rock band FIESTER collaborated with local video production team The Sumerian Studio to produce music videos for their new songs “It’s Time” and “Torrent Butterfly”. In addition, they launched a publicity campaign to attract more attention, such as advertising on public transport, collaborating with the social welfare sector for community activities, holding record release parties, selling related merchandises, holding Giveaway events, and collaborating with online media targeting teenagers.
- The Hertz is an indie-pop band with a diverse mix of funk and rock. Its self-financed independent label 852 HZ handled all aspects of production and marketing, organizing offline activities such as calligraphy or illustration exhibitions and collecting stories on social media platforms to interact with audiences. The band also collected pre-written time capsules from the participants during the song release event, which they will send them out on their behalf a year later.
- Singer-songwriter Lester Lam presented a multi-sensory immersive experience in his concept concert titled “Rainy days in the Blue Whale”, blurring the boundaries between reality and surreality, including hearing (music, sound design, etc.), sight (set design, lighting, dance, animation) and sensory (rain, snow, fog, wind, etc.), presenting a re-imagined version of The Blue Whale Jazz Club in Los Angeles.
- The instrumental rock band, Prune Deer, focused on artistic activities as local promotion, extending the MV story about the worldview “past, present and future” to reality, and collaborated with local art photographers to cross artistic boundaries. The band adopted the Arena Stage style in their release event to enhance the sensual excitement of instrumental rock to the audience at close range. The band also worked with overseas music curators to promote their music in Taiwan and Japan and collaborated with renowned Japanese sound mixers to further expand the reach of Prune Deer’s music to new markets.
- The experimental instrumental rock band – Virgin Vacation – teamed up with musicians, artists, and designers to produce new songs and MVs showcasing their unique musical style. These creative talents included Li Chi Tak, Lai Tat Tat Wing, Overloaddance, Romers Quartet, MV Director wootwoot and Aberto Gerosa@Thy Lab. The new songs were released at The Room in Freespace, with the participation of Fountain de Chopin. The show offered a unique experience for the audience to immerse in the music of Virgin Vacation through their performance, visuals, and lighting effects.
- XTIE is a new generation singer-songwriter who promotes body positivity through art and music. The music video of her song “Skin” was a combination of music, modern dance, and improvised performance. XTIE partnered with lifestyle brand Slowood to broaden her audience base. A charity sale was hosted for her new song to sell natural handmade soaps by Soapmum. Donations were made to non-profit organisations dedicated to researching allergies, skin problems, or promoting body self-love. In addition, XTIE also hosted an immersive song release event to share thoughts and feelings online and offline with fans through her music.
- Yack Studio is a Hong Kong-based hip-hop collective label that combines literature, rap, performance and fashion design. The lyrics of their music incorporates poetry to hip hop music with a mixture of local culture. In addition to the two founding rap artists Novel Fergus and SoWhat, Novel Flash from SMOB also joined Yack Studio last year, and his two songs “I’m Not Surprised” and “Underdog” featured his rap buddy Novel Friday and indie singer-songwriter Anna hisbbuR. The former’s MV was set in an art gallery reflecting on the value of art, while the latter is a visually stunning animated music video.
Ear Up Music Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/earupmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/earupmusic
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/earupmusic/
Hashtag: #EarUpMusic #EarUpPlus
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Ear Up Music
Ear Up Music is a music label that spotlights new music of Hong Kong to its neighbouring regions and beyond. The label, established by Renaissance Foundation Hong Kong in 2016, runs numerous projects from talent development to showcase events that connect with global music networks. These projects include Ear Up Incubation*, Ear Up Global*, Ear Up Tour* and Ear Up Gig On*.
In 2018, Ear Up Music founded Ear Hub to curate the latest developments in the Hong Kong, Asian and International music, media, production and interactive industry. Ear Hub is an international music conference and festival that offers an audiovisual feast as well as a cordial environment to initiate cross-border collaborations for music lovers and professionals.
*Sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
About Create Hong Kong
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) in June 2009 to spearhead the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. From 1 July 2022 onwards, it is under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community.
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
31 Young Siamese Crocodiles Released in Savannakhet Wetland
To help boost the population of the critically endangered species, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has released young Siamese crocodiles into the Xe Champhone Wetlands in Savannakhet.
Resumption of the Takamatsu (Kagawa prefecture in Shikoku, Japan) – Hong Kong route (scheduled flights)
For more detailed information, please visit https://www.hkexpress.com/zh-hk/see/destination-guides/takamatsu/.
The decision has been made to resume the third regular flight route among the four international routes at Takamatsu Airport, following the resumption of the Seoul route on November 23rd and the scheduled resumption of the Taipei route on January 19th.
Detailed schedules, including flight names and arrival/departure times at Takamatsu Airport, will be determined, and announced in due course.
*Please note that the above plans are subject to government approval.

<Tourism in Shikoku>
Shikoku consists of four prefectures: Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi. Enjoying tourism in Shikoku is a new style of travel that changes one’s inner self through activities in nature and experiences of different cultures.
Shikoku is situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Seto Inland Sea, with the highest peak in western Japan, Mount Ishizuchi, and the second highest peak, Mount Tsurugi, towering in the central region. It is a treasure trove of top-class natural features such as the sea, mountains, and rivers.
Moreover, various unique cultures rooted in Shikoku, such as the “Osettai” of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, are scattered throughout the region. While abundant activities utilizing nature are available, they are also compactly gathered in the area.
Adventure travel, which values the locals’ lives and minimizes environmental impact, is a “new style of travel” that leads to the future. It is particularly recommended for those who seek the extraordinary, want to refresh themselves in nature, want to experience diverse cultures and cuisine, and want to take on new challenges.
By experiencing the nature, activities, diverse cultures, and cuisine of Shikoku, you will surely discover a new self that you have never seen before.
For more information, please visit:https://shikoku-tourism.com/zh_TW
Hashtag: #TourismSHIKOKU
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Authorities in Two Provinces Close Schools Due to Air Pollution
Due to concerns about dangerous air pollution levels affecting the health of students, all schools in Thaphabat District, Bolikhamxay Province, and Xayaboury Province, have been ordered to close from 28-31 March.
GBS Simplifies Foreign Business Registration in Vietnam with New One-Stop-Shop Service
GBS offers a comprehensive service that includes key business registrations such as the investment registration certificate (IRC) and enterprise registration certificate (ERC), tax registrations, opening bank accounts, and more, all in one place. There is no need to contact multiple agencies or navigate complex bureaucracy. Additionally, GBS provides an all-in-one compliance solution that simplifies the process and ensures that foreign businesses operate legally in Vietnam without incurring any fines.
Sophie Dao, the senior partner at GBS, stated that “forming your company in Vietnam as a foreign investor is a lengthy process, and you’ll need to have all the necessary information at hand. Deciding to launch your own business in Vietnam is hard enough. GBS takes what is often a big headache of incorporation for founders and simplifies the process into an efficient, personalized one-stop-shop.”
Alexander Wood, an Australian entrepreneur, also shared similar sentiments, stating that “GBS provides a personalized and headache-free experience for incorporating your business in Vietnam. I highly recommend their services to anyone who wants to start a business in Vietnam.”
Founded in 2002, GBS has become one of the most prestigious business law firms in Vietnam, with a network in Asia and Europe regions. As a company formation agency, GBS offers its services at an effective cost and even provides cashback in credit if investors use related services with them.
To learn more about how GBS can help you start your business and succeed in Vietnam, please contact Ms. Sophie Dao at ask@gbs.com.vn, hotline/WhatsApp/Viber/iMessage: +84903189033, or visit the company’s website at https://gbs.com.vn.Hashtag: #GBS
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Vetter Performs Extraordinarily with Six Wins in the 12th Annual CDMO Leadership Awards
CDMO honored as winner in all six core award categories
- Vetter celebrates its second consecutive year earning this award in six categories with three additional honors in the CDMO Leadership Awards
- The results reflect the continuous effort taken every day to meet the high expectations and requirements of its customers
- Gaining champion status for quality, expertise, and compatibility, reaffirms the performance and the level of service the CDMO is offering
RAVENSBURG, GERMANY – Media OutReach – 29 March 2023 – Vetter, a globally operating Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), earned the esteemed 2023 CDMO Leadership Awards in all six core categories – quality, expertise, reliability, capabilities, compatibility and service. In addition, the company was awarded Champion Status for quality, expertise and compatibility – both recognitions for the second year in a row. In its 12thyear, now dubbed the CDMO Leadership Awards (formally, CMO Leadership Awards) and thus including the important clinical development support companies such as Vetter are offering, these prestigious honors were presented by Outsourced Pharma and supported by Life Science Leader. The choice to rename the award aligns with the fact that successful commercial market supply is often already founded in the early development phases of a drug candidate.


“Our organizational-wide mission is to provide patients around the world with high quality medications,” shared Vetter Managing Director Peter Soelkner. “We support our customers on their challenging path from early clinical development of their injectable drug candidates through regulatory approvals, to commercial production and long-term market supply. Receiving recognition as a leader in expertise, quality, reliability and service, to name a few, attests to the fact that we are meeting our common goals as a company very well.”
“Above all, this prestigious honor indicates that every one of our 6,000 employees brings a mindset driven by service and dedication to work each day – through that, we share a common understanding of unprecedented and robust internal processes,” explained Vetter Managing Director Thomas Otto. “This award is based on customer feedback which proves to us that our processes are working well.”
The CDMO Leadership Awards program offers a unique representation of the service provided to customers, as they are chosen according to customer evaluations of service providers, they have worked with in the past 18 months.
“Congratulations to the 2023 CDMO Leadership Award winners. You served our industry – and patients around the world – through some turbulent and unsettled times and rose above all others in meeting supply-chain and innovation challenges, and effectively advancing new platforms, technologies, and products. An award in any category – capabilities, compatibility, expertise, quality, reliability, and service – is one you and all your customers should be proud of,” says Louis Garguilo, Chief Editor and Conference Chair, Outsourced Pharma.
Find the Vetter press kit and more background information here.
Hashtag: #Vetter
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About the CDMO Leadership Awards
The CDMO Leadership Awards is an annual event now in its 12th year. In determining the award recipients, Life Science Leader teams up with (ISR) which conducted the research. For the 2023 award, more than 72 contract manufacturers were assessed by 23 performance metrics in ISR’s annual Contract Manufacturing Quality Benchmarking survey. Participants were recruited from pharma and biotech companies of all sizes and screened for decision-making influence related to working with contract manufacturing partners. Respondents only evaluate those companies with which they have worked on an outsourced project within the past 18 months. Through this level of qualification, survey responses are based on actual involvement with contract manufacturers and clear experiential data. www.cmoleadershipawards.com/
About Vetter
Headquartered in Ravensburg, Germany, Vetter is a family-owned, global leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with production facilities in Germany, Austria and the United States. Currently employing 6,000 individuals worldwide, the company has long-term experience in supporting biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers both large and small. Vetter services range from early stage development support including clinical manufacturing, to
commercial supply and
numerous packaging solutions for vials, syringes and cartridges. As a leading solution provider, Vetter appreciates its responsibility to support the needs of its customers by developing devices that contribute to increased patient safety, convenience, and enhanced compliance. Great importance is also given to
social responsibility including environmental protection and sustainability. Learn more about Vetter at
www.vetter-pharma.com
New research reveals the growing prevalence of “conversational everything” for customer communications
Infobip data from more than 449 billion interactions in 2022 shows conversational experience is becoming more popular across all forms of customer communication, from sales to customer support
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 29 March 2023 – New research from global cloud communications platform Infobip reveals the growing trend towards conversational experiences for customer communications. The data, from 449 billion communications interactions on Infobip’s platform across 2022, shows the rapid growth of interactions on chat apps such as WhatsApp Business Platform and social media channels such as Instagram for many customer needs.

Customer conversations on their preferred chat channel
Customers have access to more channels and devices than ever before. Infobip’s analysis shows that traditional channels like SMS still play an important role for time-sensitive messages, two-factor authentication, and one-time passwords. But when it comes to engagement and support, customers are shifting to more conversational experiences over chat apps.
The data shows a 73% and 51% increase in WhatsApp Business Platform and Email interactions in 2022 compared to 2021, highlighting the ongoing critical nature of these channels. Demonstrating the desire of customers to connect with brands on channels they already use, the data also reveals a thirty-fold increase in Instagram interactions last year. Meanwhile Google Business Messages and Apple Messages for Business interactions increased by 186% and 232%.
For customer engagement, WhatsApp Business Platform, Voice, and mobile app messaging saw the highest growth in 2022. Since the introduction of marketing messages over WhatsApp Business Platform, customer engagement and promotional usage increased interactions on the channel by 2.5 times. Meanwhile, Voice and mobile app messaging increased by 191% and 92%, demonstrating how customers now prefer instant, rich, and human-like experiences with a business or brand.
Chatbots with conversational experience for customer queries
The data also shows how customers increasingly prefer to seek answers to their queries through chatbots on channels they use every day and that have rich capabilities. For instance, WhatsApp Business Platform interactions on Infobip’s chatbot increased by 69% in 2022 while Telegram and SMS interactions increased seven-fold and five-fold respectively.
Conversational customer support
When it comes to customer support, Infobip’s analysis shows customers now seek support on the conversational channels they use with their family and friends. Reflecting the desire for instant and rich messaging experiences, WhatsApp Business Platform interactions for customer support increased by 91%. Voice remains popular with a 51% increase.
Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip, said: “Our data reveals that conversational everything is rapidly becoming the norm for customer communications. Whether for marketing, support, or sales, customers want a conversation with a brand or brand on the channels they already use. For customers, the benefits are clear. They get a richer, more convenient, and more personalized experience. Businesses and brands meanwhile benefit from better customer loyalty and ultimately stronger sales.”
The move towards conversational everything is mirrored across many industries:
- Reflecting the shift from traditional banking to conversational banking, rich messaging is picking up pace with huge increases recorded on Google Business Messages, Instagram, and Telegram
- The retail and eCommerce sector recorded significant increases in MMS, Instagram and mobile app messaging interactions in 2022
- The data shows skyrocketing growth among rich communications channels including Instagram, Telegram, and Messenger within the transport and logistics sector last year
- In 2022, marketing and advertising companies have increasingly turned to rich communication on MMS, Messenger, and Google Business Messages
- MMS and Google Business Messages are leading rich channels within the telecoms industry for customer communication
Ivan Ostojić continued: “We expect to see conversational experiences continue to expand across sectors from ride sharing to healthcare and even the public sector as organizations adapt to conversational everything. But organizations may struggle to meet customer demand for such experiences without scalable and easy-to-use omnichannel communications. That is why Infobip’s most comprehensive capacity and capabilities of any global communications provider helps ensure we are the one communication platform for every platform.”
Hashtag: #Infobip
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Infobip
Infobip is a global cloud communications platform that enables businesses to build connected experiences across all stages of the customer journey. Accessed through a single platform, Infobip’s omnichannel engagement, identity, user authentication and contact centre solutions help businesses and partners overcome the complexity of consumer communications to grow business and increase loyalty. With over a decade of industry experience, Infobip has expanded to 70+ offices globally. It offers natively built technology with the capacity to reach over seven billion mobile devices and ‘things’ in 6 continents connected to over 9,700+ connections of which 800+ are direct operator connections. Infobip was established in 2006 and is led by its co-founders, CEO Silvio Kutić, Roberto Kutić and Izabel Jelenić.
Recent award wins include:
- Infobip named a leader in the CPaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (February 2023)
- Infobip named a leader in the CCaaS Leaderboard, Juniper Research (Aug 2022)
- Omdia Ranks Infobip as Leader in CPaaS Universe Report (May 2022)
- Ranked the leading service provider in CPaaS by Juniper Research in its new Competitor Leaderboard CPaaS Vendors (October 2021)
- Infobip named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Communications Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) 2021 Vendor Assessment (doc #US46746221, May 2021)
- Best A2P SMS provider for the fourth year running by mobile operators and enterprises in ROCCO’s annual Messaging Vendor Benchmarking Report
- Best CPaaS Provider of the Year, Best RCS Provider of the Year, and Mover & Shaker in Telco Innovation at the 2021 Juniper Digital Awards