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US Ambassador Donates to Conserve Ancient Wall Paintings in Savannakhet

Photo credit: Savanhphathana News

The US Ambassador to Laos, Mr. Peter Haymond has donated almost USD 50,000 to preserve wall paintings in three ancient temples in Savannakhet.

Protecting the Best Moments: Reckitt’s brand Dettol named Official Hygiene Partner for the 2022 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens

  • All-round hygiene protection for world class players and over 30,000 participants at the first Hong Kong Sevens tournament since the pandemic
  • Engagement with local rugby stars in a series of brand videos shows how Dettol helps ‘protect the best moments’
  • Renowned former sports anchor Vince Ng to share experience at the tournament on social media

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – As part of its ongoing partnership with the Hong Kong Rugby Union, Reckitt’s brand Dettol is joining as Official Hygiene Partner of the world-renowned Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, helping to implement enhanced hygiene protocols for the tournament. Returning for the first time since the pandemic, the tournament will see 16 teams battle it out over three days from 4th – 6th November 2022.

Dettol-x-HK7-Visual.jpg

“At Reckitt, we put people first. This passion drives us in seeking new opportunities to build shared success with our partners from different segments. It is our great honour to collaborate with the Hong Kong Rugby Union once again as part of our deepened partnership, to protect all fans at the first Hong Kong Sevens since the pandemic so that everyone can enjoy the three-day event to the fullest,” said Boudewijn Feith, General Manager, Hong Kong/Taiwan at Reckitt.

“As one of the world’s most trusted disinfectant brands, Dettol will continue to protect everyone’s best moments with our expertise, to help enable the safe return of more much-anticipated mass events.”

In keeping with Reckitt’s purpose in pursuit of a healthier and cleaner world built on the foundation of good hygiene, Dettol will promote positive public hygiene practices and provide easy access to its widely trusted hygiene and disinfectant products for supporters, players, and officials throughout the weekend.

Providing All-rounded Protection with Dettol’s Extensive Range of Products

Throughout the three-day extravaganza of international rugby revelry, Dettol will provide all-round onsite hygiene protection with the setting up of Dettol hand sanitizer stations at over 130 spots covering the executive suites, concourse, entrances and security check zones across the Hong Kong Stadium. Dettol disinfectant products will be used in the comprehensive sanitisation protocols of the players’ changing rooms, and Dettol will provide personal hygiene and disinfectant solutions as care packages to the players. This extensive protection is the key to ensure a safe and confident return of mass participatory events like the Hong Kong Sevens.

Engaging Local Star Players and Popular Sports Influencers throughout the Campaign

With the goal of vividly illustrating how Dettol can protect everyone’s best moments, star players from the Hong Kong Team and popular sports influencers have been engaged throughout the campaign. Players from the Men’s and Women’s team have taken part in three brand videos encouraging good personal hygiene protection practices using Dettol’s products such as hand sanitiser and body wash. The players used these practices to protect the most important moments in a game, such as the half-time break and victory celebrations. Renowned TV and sports programme host Johnny Hui Pok-man narrated the videos, and his lively commentary helps convey the brand’s messages in an impactful and engaging manner.

In order to share the fast and furious rugby action and Dettol’s enhanced hygiene protocols with those outside of the stadium, Dettol also engaged former sports news anchor Vince Ng as an onsite commentator. He will report on the best moments of the long-awaited tournament, interact with spectators and share across social media throughout this unmissable event.

“We are thrilled to have Reckitt and Dettol’s continued support for our flagship event. This engagement follows Dettol’s successful Principal Partnership of the Hong Kong Rugby Premiership. As the first Hong Kong Sevens tournament since the pandemic, the partnership with a globally trusted hygiene brand like Dettol is instrumental in helping us return safely and successfully.”

“The wait is now over and we are looking forward to welcoming the crowd back at the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, and bringing more truly unforgettable moments to all,” said Bryan Rennie, Head of Commercial and Business Development of the Hong Kong Rugby Union.

Globally, Dettol has partnered with many leading organizations and supported major events worldwide, including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the English Football Association (FA), Cricket Australia, Hilton Hotels, and British Airways, to deliver its brand purpose of protecting what people love — be that families, sports, or day-to-day life moments.

Hashtag: #Reckitt #Dettol

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Reckitt

Reckitt* exists to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We believe that access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment is a right, not a privilege.

Reckitt is the company behind some of the world’s most recognisable and trusted consumer brands in hygiene, health and nutrition, including Air Wick, Calgon, Cillit Bang, Clearasil, Dettol, Durex, Enfamil, Finish, Gaviscon, Harpic, Lysol, Mortein, Mucinex, Nurofen, Nutramigen, Strepsils, Vanish, Veet, Woolite and more.

Every day, more than 20 million Reckitt products are bought globally. We always put consumers and people first, seek out new opportunities, strive for excellence in all that we do and build shared success with all our partners. We aim to do the right thing, always.

We are a diverse global team of c. 40,000 colleagues. We draw on our collective energy to meet our ambitions of purpose-led brands, a healthier planet and a fairer society. Find out more, or get in touch with us, at

* Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies

About Dettol

The brand first started in hospitals 80 years ago, where Dettol Antiseptic Liquid was first used for the cleaning and disinfection of skin during surgical procedures. As a trusted brand by doctors, Dettol was also used to protect mothers from illness after childbirth.

Ever since then, Dettol has been trusted around the world to help prevent wounds from infection, prevent sickness and help mums protect their families by killing harmful germs and helping to create safe environments for them to thrive in.

The brand continues to be one of the most trusted protectors of health. It’s still valued today as a reliable and effective product which is safe to use on skin but also powerful enough to use for environmental germ-killing tasks.

For more information, please visit:

About HKRU

The Hong Kong Rugby Union (HKRU) was founded in 1952, and became an affiliated union of World Rugby in 1988. In 1968, the HKRU became a founding member of Asia Rugby and remains committed to the development of the game in Asia. In 2008, the HKRU presented the first neutral-venue Bledisloe Cup – followed by a second match in 2010. In 2013, the HKRU hosted the first British & Irish Lions match played in Asia and the following year hosted the first regional Olympic qualifier tournament for Rugby Sevens. The HKRU is a member of the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China and provides competitive and social rugby opportunities for men and women at every age and skill level. For more information, please visit:

Bokeo International Airport’s Construction to Wrap up by 2023

The nearly finished construction of Bokeo International Airport. Photo credit: thaipublica.org/

Bokeo International Airport, whose construction started in 2020 is expected to be complete by next year.

Russia Starts Direct Flight to Laos from Vladivostok to Vientiane

Ural Airlines flight at Wattay Airport in Vientiane.

The first flight operated by Ural Airlines flying non-stop from Vladivostok, Russia, landed at Wattay International Airport on Saturday evening.

Kenanga Investment Bank and AntChain Technology Inks Agreement to Adopt ‘mPaaS’ Technology for Malaysia’s First Wealth SuperApp

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (“Kenanga”) has entered into an agreement with AntChain Technology Pte. Ltd. (“AntChain”), part of the Ant Group, to build Malaysia’s first wealth SuperApp using AntChain’s proprietary mobile platform solution. This agreement follows from its recent MoU with AntChain.

Kenanga’s SuperApp aims to help Malaysians save and grow their wealth through our innovative and interactive platform – one that delivers our competitive financial products simply and transparently, enabled by our extensive experience in wealth creation and in today’s leading technology.

“The SuperApp will integrate a spectrum of financial and wealth offerings under one easy to access ecosystem, transforming how Malaysians view and approach wealth creation,” commented Datuk Chay Wai Leong, Group Managing Director, Kenanga.

“A big part of Kenanga’s SuperApp success will ride on our ability to deliver a seamless and engaging digital customer experience. This is primarily the reason Kenanga is adopting AntChain’s mPaaS solution because it allows us to rapidly evolve the SuperApp to keep up with changing needs of our customers and react quickly in today’s fast-changing world,” added Datuk Chay.

AntChain’s proprietary solution, known as the Mobile Platform as a Service (“mPaaS”), is a cutting-edge product which originated from Alipay App and a one-stop mobile app lifecycle management solution that will enable Kenanga to realize its SuperApp ambitions in an expedient yet robust and secure manner. The mPaaS product has been trialed and tested by numerous successful e-commerce and e-wallet brands around the region.

“We are excited and honored to provide mPaaS to Kenanga, and support Malaysia’s leading investment bank in building its wealth SuperApp with speed and reliability,” said Geoff Jiang, President of Digital Technology Business Group, Ant Group.

Ant Group Digital Technologies is a global leader in blockchain, privacy computing, security technologies and distributed databases. The technology provider is proactively committed to driving change and enhancing trust with its leading-edge digital services and solutions for consumers, businesses and partners in the digital economy.

The SuperApp will extend the suite of digital products that Kenanga has successfully rolled out, from Rakuten Trade, Malaysia’s fastest growing online stock trading platform, to Kenanga Digital Investing, a robo-advisor that has amassed more than RM250 million* in AUM since its launch in February 2022.

*As at end September 2022

Hashtag: #Kenanga

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (197301002193 (15678-H))

Established for more than 45 years, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad (the Group) is a financial group in Malaysia with extensive experience in equity broking, investment banking, treasury, Islamic banking, listed derivatives, investment management, wealth management, structured lending and trade financing with strong foundations in regulatory compliance and risk management.

An innovative and established home-grown brand, the Group’s digital ambition includes building a robust digital ecosystem that meets the needs of its clients and businesses. Some of its game-changing products includes Malaysia’s fully online digital stockbroking platform Rakuten Trade and a fully A.I. robo-advisor, Kenanga Digital Investing. The Group also launched Malaysia’s first securities broking e-wallet, Kenanga Money, paved the way in AI-led Quan and algorithmic trading, kick-started a revolutionary supply chain financing solution for SMEs and made inroads into the digital assets space through its investment in Tokenize Technology (M) Sdn.Bhd.

The Group has garnered a host of awards and accolades reflecting its strong market position. It was awarded under the categories of Highest Returns to Shareholder Over Three Years, Best Overall Equities Participating Organisation by Bursa Malaysia, Best Overall Derivatives Trading Participant, Best Structured Warrant Issuer, Best Retail Equities Participating Organisation, Best Institutional Equities Participating Organisation Investment Bank; along with Best Trading Participant and Best Institutional Equities Participating Organisation and for Equity and Financial Derivatives for 18 consecutive years. The Group was also accorded the title of Best Institutional Derivatives Trading category by Bursa Malaysia.

The Group continues to be a regular and repeat recipient of distinguished industry accolades, such as the Lipper, Fundsupermart and Morningstar awards. Rakuten Trade, Malaysia’s first fully digital securities broker in 2017 via a joint venture with Japanese fintech giant Rakuten Securities Inc was also named Malaysia’s fintech company of the year in 2018 by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). For its continued efforts towards community outreach and employee volunteerism, the Group was awarded the coveted Company of the Year award for environmental and sustainability at Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards 2021. The Group is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principle-based approach to responsible business.

Today, Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad is an award-winning leading independent investment bank in the country with a continuous commitment towards driving collaboration, innovation, digitalisation and sustainability in the marketplace.

This Press Release was issued by Kenanga Group’s Marketing, Communications & Sustainability department.

Swiss Chamber Eyes Bigger Role in Singapore: Businesses to Drive Innovation, HR Development

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry Singapore (SwissCham) said it aims to leverage on the core strengths of innovation and the people-centred expertise of its member businesses to deliver a stronger presence in Singapore and foster cross-border collaboration.

Singapore DPM Heng Swee Keat (L) with SwissCham Chairman Mr Georg von Wattenwyl at SwissCham event

Singapore DPM Heng Swee Keat (L) with SwissCham Chairman Mr Georg von Wattenwyl at the SwissCham Gala event

SwissCham members have increasingly harnessed their core competencies of innovation and people-focussed expertise to develop a pole position in Singapore. With the onset and through the Covid pandemic, Swiss companies doubled their efforts in people retention and development by supporting, training, and developing their Singapore staff. This has increasingly given SwissCham members greater recognition as employers of choice. SwissCham announced this at their annual gala event.

Present as Guest-of-Honour at the SwissCham Gala event over the weekend was Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Mr Heng Swee Keat.

Speaking at the event, SwissCham Chairman, Mr Georg von Wattenwyl, shared a four-pronged strategy will help deliver on the bigger goal. These are:

– Providing a more conducive platform for cross-border knowledge transfer and creation. Four sub-committees – Climate­Tech, Digital Transformation, International Relations Asia, and Hospitality – will support Swiss businesses in their pursuits.
– Widening and fostering stronger collaboration with Singapore-based trade associations and chambers and government agencies. A new “International Relations” sub-committee will build on this new initiative.
– Strengthening networking within the business community, both through informal and formal channels. Such regular engagements aim to deliver on this strategy.
– Increasing the profile and presence of SwissCham so that it can be a more prominent “voice” in the Singapore business community.

He said: “The Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry is eager to foster and recognise innovation in the business communities and sectors that we work in and this drives us. A key undercurrent is the understanding that innovation is a key focus of Swiss businesses, in fact, innovation is in the DNA of Switzerland.

“Innovation equally applies in good measure to human resource development. Socio-economic developments over the past three years have intensified the need for good talent, especially from the positions of acquisition and retention. Much can be learnt from Swiss businesses how innovated and adapted to these new realities by relying on emerging business practices, showing creativity and innovation, while developing sustainable activities in new formats,” he said.

Currently, SwissCham comprises 200 companies and collectively these businesses account for 25,000 jobs in Singapore. These companies come from a cross section of industries, notably, Technology, Finance & FinTech, Pharmaceutical, and Luxury.

Globally, Switzerland recently received the top accolade as the most innovative country in the world in 2022 from the Global Innovation Index, which is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Looking ahead, SwissCham will be a key participant under the Swiss Pavilion – hosted by Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) and the Swiss Business Hub ASEAN – at Singapore Fintech Festival 2022. Running from 2 – 4 November 2022 at the Singapore Expo, the event is organised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore in collaboration with the Association of Banks in Singapore.

In recent years, Switzerland has become a vibrant hub for emerging technologies, such as fintech, blockchain, and distributed ledger technology (DLT). With regard to the new DLT Framework coming into effect in 2021, Switzerland became one of the first countries in the world to deliver advanced regulatory solutions and specific amendments for fintech and blockchain, among others.

In 2023, Swiss Cham will launch the 6th edition of its Business Excellence Awards in the first quarter of 2023. The award recognises excellence in the categories of People & Skills Development and Digital Transformation. More details on the awards will be made available at https://swisscham.sg/.

In the 2021 Awards, Swiss-based DKSH Singapore was chosen as the grand winner for the People & Skills Development Award 2021 by an independent jury of experts.

DKSH Singapore Human Resources Director Lee Yu Chuan then said “As a people-driven company, we seek to be an attractive employer known for our commitment to developing our talent, embracing diversity and inclusion, and offering a supportive work environment. This award is a great acknowledgment of the progress achieved through the outstanding efforts of our team.”

Another winner for the People & Skills Development Award in 2020 was Acronis, whose core business lies in protecting organisational data, applications, systems and productivity – safeguarding them against cyberattacks, hardware failures, natural disasters and human errors. The citation said that Acronis exemplified a corporate culture focused on making a positive impact on the lives of employees and the communities in which they operate.

Hashtag: #SwissChamberOfCommerceAndIndustrySingapore #SwissCham

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Myanmar Warns that ASEAN Pressure for Peace Could Have ‘Negative Implications’

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn spoke on Thursday during a meeting with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at the secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Last week, Myanmar’s military government warned that any coercion from ASEAN member nations to put a time frame on peace negotiations would have “negative implications.”

SDAX lists private real estate fund to drive social impact in the UK with social housing

CR Global Social Housing Fund, in its second series, will continue to invest in a portfolio of UK social housing to achieve social impact

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 31 October 2022 – SDAX, a leading integrated investment and trading platform based in Singapore, will list CR Global UK Social Housing Fund II, a social housing fund-managed by FXHB Asset Management Pte Ltd, a Registered Fund Management Company in Singapore, to drive social impact in the UK. The second series of the GBP 200M fund will be tokenised and be made available for trading on SDAX’s platform at the end of its fund-raising round, where the first series is being listed.

(From Left to Right)
Raymond Poh, CEO of SDAX & Dr Paul Inthaseni, President & CEO of Century R Pte Ltd

A report from the UK government in December 2021 highlights that 8.5 million people in England are facing some form of unmet housing need, with approximately 1.6 million households on urgent need for social rented housing[1]. Overcrowding is also the largest problem in this statistic, with almost 2 million children living in such households. With the purpose of driving social impact in the UK, the fund will be channelling the investments towards real estate supporting the cause of meeting these social housing needs, with payments guaranteed by the local housing associations.

CR Global UK Social Housing Fund II is structured as a sub-fund of CR Global Investments Variable Capital Company (VCC) as the investment vehicle. Introduced by the MAS, the VCC is a new corporate structure for investment funds that provides greater flexibility and improved operational and tax efficiency, thereby facilitating investment fund operations and addressing global investment funds’ needs. CR Global Investments VCC works with a multitude of institutional stakeholders ranging from multi-family offices, asset management companies, securities companies, corporate clients, listed companies, and pension funds to banks.

The first series of the CR Global UK Social Housing Fund was closed for subscription and has been listed on SDAX Exchange since July 2022 for trading. The second series of the fund will continue to focus on investing in UK social housing to serve urgent social needs. Adopting a core-plus strategy with capital preservation through an asset-backed structure, the fund has an investment tenure of two-plus-two years, providing up to 7% per annum coupons with the potential for capital appreciation up to 7% upon exit.

SDAX partners with CR Global Investments VCC to raise funds in a fast, secure and cost-effective way through blockchain technology, tokenising the fund and making the investment accessible to investors through fractionalisation. With the partnership and the technology of tokenisation, investors from both the first and second series of the fund are able to trade their tokens on SDAX’s trading platform. Fractionalisation allows for investors to access this investment from GBP 50,000.

“Our partnership with SDAX helps to bring this investment opportunity to more investors in the market. The fund will address a social need and we believe in making a difference for those in need of it most in the UK. With the VCC, the economies of scale achieved will help in cost efficiencies and bridge capital channels to the UK,” said Dr Paul Inthaseni, President & CEO of Century R Pte Ltd and cornerstone investor of the fund.

The fund is managed by an experienced team of real estate professionals, and holds strong ESG credentials, including being a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. The fund had also undergone SDAX’s proprietary ESG assessment framework to ensure the fund’s adherence to internationally recognised ESG standards for driving social impact.

“We are excited to be partnering with CR Global Investments VCC in this investment that drives tangible social impact, and bring this opportunity to our investors. With the increasing scrutiny of ESG investments in recent months, it becomes more of a necessity to exercise rigorous financial stewardship. Our ESG investments serve as a pillar of what we stand for at SDAX, and this is an excellent opportunity for us to further a social cause with rigor. We hope to work with more partners such as CR Global Investments VCC to finance towards more social causes, as well as initiatives towards net-zero (FTT),” said Raymond Poh, Chief Executive Officer, SDAX.

For more information on SDAX’s digital investment services and solutions, visit: SDAX.co

Hashtag: #realestate #socialhousing #uk

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About SDAX

SDAX is a MAS-regulated investment and trading platform serving institutional, accredited and retail investors. We provide access to uniquely curated assets that until now have not been available to most investors, through asset tokenization. Our strength lies in real estate, ESG and impactful investment opportunities. SDAX partners with corporate and institutions to raise capital more efficiently to support their growth and expansion.

In everything that we do, we commit our energy, technology and expertise to unlock innovative investment opportunities that drive sustainable, impactful growth.

SDAX represents the merged entities of digital asset exchange Digiassets Exchange Singapore (SDAX) and fintech company Minterest Holdings. The merger and rebranding bring synergy for SDAX by combining capabilities to offer both a Digital Asset Exchange, regulated under its Recognized Market Operator (RMO) licence, and Capital Markets Services, regulated under its Capital Markets Services (CMS) licence.

Find out more about us