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AI CAR Launches DFSK E5 Plus and SERES 5 in Laos

The DFSK E5 Plus and SERES 5 has officially been launched, during a grand opening event held on 10 May at Parkson Shopping Mall in Vientiane. (Photo by TOH)

AI CAR has officially launched two new electric vehicle models, the DFSK E5 Plus and SERES 5, during a grand opening event held on 10 May at Parkson Shopping Mall in Vientiane.

The launch marks another step in the company’s expansion of the electric vehicle market in Laos, introducing new models equipped with intelligent driving technology and modern design features.

The DFSK E5 Plus is positioned as a smart SUV designed for family use, offering spacious interior capacity, multifunctional features, and energy efficiency for daily driving.

Meanwhile, the SERES 5 is introduced as a premium electric sports SUV featuring intelligent driving systems, high-performance capabilities, and advanced safety standards.

The event was a showcase of AI CAR’s vision of promoting clean energy transportation and expanding access to modern electric vehicle technology in Laos.

Customers can now test drive the new models at AI CAR showrooms in Phonsavath Village, Wattaiyai Village along T2 Road, and the Parkson Shopping Mall showroom in Vientiane.

Rhenus Extends Capabilities in Specialized Warehousing in Thailand with new Dangerous Goods Warehouse in Bangkok

  • The new warehouse enhances the company’s footprint in providing companies support in specialized goods logistics
  • The addition is in line with the company’s plans in Asia Pacific to better support present and future storage needs for general commodities and specialized goods
BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 May 2026 – Rhenus Group, a leading global logistics provider, has opened a new dangerous goods warehouse in Bangkok, Thailand. Strategically located near key ports, and next to its current KM19 warehouse in Bangna Trad, the new warehouse aims to strengthen its capabilities in Thailand, as well as the region, in specialized warehousing services.

Thailand’s warehousing market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2023 to 2028. This is primarily due to the expansion of the e-commerce sector, increasing foreign direct investment in manufacturing, and the rising demand for third-party logistics services. The development of specialized warehousing is also gaining traction due to growing demand for temperature-sensitive and high-value goods.

The 5,817 sqm purpose-built Dangerous Goods compliant facility connects conveniently to key logistics infrastructure and its existing KM19 warehouse, optimizing operational efficiency for its customers. The warehouse will open in phases from now onwards, to support companies with a mix of dangerous and non-dangerous goods cargo, enabling integrated storage and handling within one site while maintaining clear segregation and compliance requirements. Key features of the warehouse include 90-minute fire-rated walls and doors, explosion-proof electrical components, fire pumps and sprinklers rated for dangerous goods and explosion-proof ventilation.

Marcus Fornell, Regional Head of Rhenus APAC Warehousing Solutions, said, “As more manufacturing businesses incorporate the China+1 strategy and increase capabilities in Southeast Asia, Rhenus is scaling up its presence in this region to support the varied storage needs – from general to specialized manufacturing industries’ needs. As one of our regional hubs, we will continue to invest in Thailand with more flexible resource allocation solutions.”

Rhenus in Thailand

Established in 1994 and with 14 locations across Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen, Rhenus offers services across a large variety of industries such as consumer retail, high-tech, industrial, agricultural, chemical, automotive, fashion, e-commerce, life sciences & healthcare, aviation and manufacturing industries. On top of its warehousing capabilities, various services are also available including air, ocean and road freight, project logistics, on-board courier and 24-hour NFO (next flight out) services.

“The new facility enhances our ability to provide fully integrated warehousing solutions for customers with both DG and non-DG requirements. Positioned within our KM19 main site, the key logistics hub in Thailand, we can leverage on shared resources, optimize costs, and deliver operational flexibility while maintaining the highest safety and compliance standards. This also enables us to offer scalable and efficient solutions which align with customers’ evolving supply chain needs,” said Pakpoom Chaokaweepong, General Manager – Warehousing Solution Operations, Rhenus Thailand.
Details of the new warehouse:
Address: 601 Moo 15, Bang Sao Thong Sub-District, Bang Sao Thong District, Samut Prakarn Province 10570.

1 https://mobilityforesights.com/product/thailand-warehousing-market

Hashtag: #Rhenus

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About Rhenus

The Rhenus Group is one of the leading logistics specialists with global business operations and annual turnover amounting to EUR 8.2 billion. 39,000 employees work at 1,300 business sites in more than 70 countries and develop innovative solutions along the complete supply chain. Whether providing transport, warehousing, customs clearance or value-added services, the family-owned business pools its operations in various business units where the needs of customers are the major focus at all times.

Katie Rodgers’ ‘Garden of Time’: SAINT BELLA Redefines the Postpartum Journey Through Art


SHANGHAI, CHINA – EQS Newswire – 11 May 2026 – For Mother’s Day 2026, SAINT BELLA, the luxury maternity and infant care brand, chose a more intimate approach. Through an artistic collaboration with American contemporary artist Katie Rodgers, the brand transformed the 28-day postpartum journey into five artful keepsakes — physical expressions of its enduring belief: to love the baby, you must first love the mother. In doing so, SAINT BELLA moved beyond conventional celebration and offered something deeper: recognition, understanding, and quiet reverence for the postpartum period.

Katie Rodgers’ 'Garden of Time': SAINT BELLA Redefines the Postpartum Journey Through Art

Mother’s Day has long been framed as a season of gratitude — a moment to thank mothers for their devotion and to celebrate the grandeur of maternal love. Yet this perspective often remains incomplete, viewing motherhood primarily from the outside, and too rarely from within. The postpartum experience — those fragile, transformative weeks after childbirth — is too often glossed over in the rush to celebrate the arrival of a new life.

At the heart of the campaign is SAINT BELLA Lullaby, a co-created artwork with Rodgers. Known for her nature-inspired, impressionistic style, Rodgers renders swans, fledglings, and flowering branches in soft, dreamlike strokes — evoking the gentle, protective atmosphere that a new mother needs during her postpartum recovery. The work becomes the visual and emotional nucleus of the project — a quiet, luminous world shaped by tenderness rather than commerce.

In SAINT BELLA’s philosophy, motherhood is not a single triumphant moment, but a gradual, vulnerable, and deeply human passage — and the postpartum phase is its most intimate chapter. Through this collaboration, the brand reframes that passage as something worthy of ritual, beauty, and lasting memory.

Beyond Praise: The Desire to Be Understood

Over the past eight years, SAINT BELLA has consistently asked a more nuanced question: what, precisely, should be remembered about becoming a mother? The answer centers on the postpartum experience — a period that is often medically managed but rarely emotionally honored.

The answer begins with a feeling many new mothers know intimately — the sense of becoming a “tool” in the intensity of newborn care, valued for function rather than presence. During the postpartum weeks, women are often praised for their sacrifice but rarely asked how they are truly feeling. SAINT BELLA’s campaign gently resists this reduction. It proposes that becoming a mother is not an event to be staged, but an experience to be honored over time — especially in the vulnerable postpartum days. Today’s women do not only wish to be celebrated; they long to be truly seen and understood.

A World Rendered in Softness: Katie Rodgers’ Vision for the Postpartum Mother

To translate this philosophy into visual language, SAINT BELLA partnered with Katie Rodgers. Her signature imagery — swans, chicks, deer, and delicate blossoms — creates an atmosphere of renewal, quiet abundance, and gentle protection — exactly the emotional landscape a mother needs during her postpartum journey.

The resulting piece, SAINT BELLA Lullaby, serves as more than an artwork; it is an atmosphere — a sanctuary where the postpartum mother is restored to the center, where her recovery is honored, and where the baby’s earliest days are enveloped in beauty.

From Service to Keepsake: Honoring the 28-Day Postpartum Journey

The 28 days of the postpartum journey consist of fleeting, often invisible moments — tender, repetitive, and profoundly personal. These are the moments that define early motherhood — a middle-of-the-night feeding, a quiet tear, the first time a mother looks in the mirror and barely recognizes herself. SAINT BELLA transforms these moments into tangible keepsakes that can be touched, held, and cherished for years to come.

  1. The 100% Cotton Nursing Dress — Reimagined in premium natural cotton with thoughtful side openings for nursing and delicate embroidery at the hem, this dress combines ease with quiet elegance — honoring the postpartum mother’s body with both comfort and dignity.
  2. The Custom Walnut Chopsticks Gift Set — A quietly powerful gesture that acknowledges a subtle truth: during the postpartum period, mothers are so often expected to nourish others while neglecting themselves. By elevating the mother’s own dining utensils into refined walnut art chopsticks, SAINT BELLA affirms that her nourishment matters too.
  3. The Artistic Umbilical Cord Bottle — The severing of the umbilical cord marks the first tender separation in the postpartum journey. Preserved in a translucent, jewel-like vessel, this fleeting fragment becomes a ceremonial keepsake — a symbol of origin, connection, and the beginning of two separate journeys.
  4. The Newborn Handmade Soap Gift Box — With the guidance of a dedicated concierge, mothers may choose from 12 custom molds and 6 natural fragrance notes to create a soap that is uniquely theirs. In the midst of the postpartum transition, the process offers a moment of tactile authorship and calm reflection.
  5. Art Coloring — Mothers are invited to bring their personal vision of the “Garden of Time” to life, blending colors and lines in a gentle, therapeutic journey co-created with artist Katie Rodgers. Each brushstroke becomes a moment of self-reflection; every splash of color, an emotional release that blooms freely on the page.

“We are not simply offering a room and a care service — we are offering a stretch of time that deserves to be remembered,” said Minee Lin , co-founder of SAINT BELLA. “The postpartum period is not a problem to be solved, but a passage to be honored.”

With this Mother’s Day initiative, SAINT BELLA further establishes itself not merely as a postpartum care provider, but as a curator of a more elevated, intentional way of living. In its Garden of Time, there is no urgency, no excess, only softness, ceremony, and the unmistakable feeling of being deeply held — as a mother, and as oneself — through every stage of the postpartum journey.

Hashtag: #SAINTBELLA

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About Saint Bella Group

Since its establishment in 2017, Saint Bella Group has been deeply engaged in the family care field, adhering to international standards for standardized services. It has now grown into Asia’s and China’s largest postpartum care and rehabilitation group. With an extreme pursuit of quality and forward-looking industry layout, the group has built a service network of 140 high-end postpartum care centers across 41 cities worldwide. Its business covers postpartum care, postpartum rehabilitation, in-home family services, and new retail of women’s health foods, forming comprehensive, full-cycle coverage of family health needs and redefining the quality standards of modern family care.

Morinaga Introduces Mori-Mama, Reflecting an Advanced, More Holistic Approach to Maternal Nutrition

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 May 2026 – Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd. (Morinaga), a Japan-based nutrition company and Japan’s leading dairy producer, today launched its maternal milk, Mori-Mama, an advanced maternal product developed to support women from preconception through pregnancy and lactation.

With over a century of expertise in nutritional science, Morinaga has long focused on providing essential nutrition across different life stages. The introduction of Mori-Mama reflects a broader shift in maternal and early life nutrition — one that is increasingly centred not only on nutrient intake, but on how effectively nutrients are absorbed and utilised by the body.

This shift comes amid ongoing nutritional challenges. In Malaysia, anaemia during pregnancy remains a notable concern, with approximately 28.8% of pregnant women affected as of 2023, according to World Bank data. Studies have also shown that prevalence can range widely from around 19% to over 50%, underscoring the variability in maternal nutritional status.

This shift is particularly relevant during pregnancy, where nutritional demands are heightened and tolerance to certain supplements can vary. Iron deficiency remains one of the most common contributing factors, while increasing attention is being placed on how well nutrients are tolerated — particularly as some women experience discomfort with conventional supplementation. As a result, there is growing emphasis on approaches that support both efficacy and overall maternal experience.

Mori-Mama was developed in response to these evolving needs, bringing together key nutrients with functional ingredients such as lactoferrin — an iron-binding protein naturally found in high amount in breast milk alongside a synbiotic blend of Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and FOS (prebiotic fibre), supporting both iron absorption and gut health.

“Maternal nutrition today is being viewed through a more holistic lens, with greater awareness of how the body responds to what is consumed,” said Ms. Brenda Liew, Managing Director, OZ Marketing. “This is shaping the way nutritional solutions are developed, with a stronger focus on absorption, tolerance and overall well-being.”

Rather than segmenting support across different stages, Mori-Mama is positioned as a single, continuous formulation, aligning with the needs of women seeking more streamlined and practical approaches to nutrition from preparing for pregnancy through to motherhood.

As expectations around maternal health continue to shift, there is increasing recognition that nutritional support must begin earlier and extend further — from pre-conception through to pregnancy and beyond. The introduction of Mori-Mama reflects a more deliberate move towards solutions that address this continuum, supporting women in a way that is both relevant and responsive to their real experiences.

Hashtag: #Morinaga

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

About Morinaga Milk Industry Co., Ltd.

Morinaga is one of the leading dairy product companies in Japan with a century of history harnessing the nutritional properties of dairy products and functional ingredients.

About Bifidobacterium longum BB536 Probiotic

Morinaga is also a key global probiotics manufacturer that excels in innovative technology and offers a premium line of probiotics and functional ingredients worldwide. Since the 1960s, Morinaga has been engaged in research on the safety, functional health benefits, and mechanisms of action of probiotic bifidobacteria to better understand their role in maintaining human health.

About Lactoferrin

Present in most exocrine secretions such as breast milk and saliva of humans and other mammals, lactoferrin is a component with a wide range of physiological functions. The high amount of lactoferrin found in human breast milk, especially in colostrum, is considered to offer
important and protective benefits to newborns.
Paying high attention to the fact that lactoferrin is highly abundant in colostrum, Morinaga has been focusing its research efforts on lactoferrin over the long term to develop infant formula that closely resembles breast milk. Since its initial publication of a research paper on lactoferrin in 1963, Morinaga has been reporting its benefits through academic forums, conferences and publications.

InvestHK promotes Hong Kong as strategic gateway for African enterprises to expand in Asia


HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 May 2026 – Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is set to broaden its strategic engagement with the African continent as Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Ms Loretta Lee today (May 10) embarks on an eight-day visit to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Kigali, Rwanda. The mission aims to strengthen economic ties with African economies and promote Hong Kong as the premier springboard for African enterprises to tap into the Chinese Mainland and Asia-Pacific markets.

InvestHK promotes Hong Kong as strategic gateway for African enterprises to expand in Asia

Ms Lee said, “Africa holds a strategic position in the Global South, representing a vital engine of growth in an era of global economic uncertainty. Interconnectivity is the key to unlocking this potential, and Hong Kong plays a strategic role in linking capital, talent, and innovation and technology between Africa, the Chinese Mainland, and international markets to drive high-quality, multilateral growth. As the Government’s arm for both inward investment and Chinese Mainland enterprises aiming to go global, InvestHK facilitates two-way investment through strategic market insights, extensive global access, targeted promotion and policy facilitation. ”

Ms Lee will visit Johannesburg from May 10 to 13 to meet with representatives from the local chambers, financial institutions, banks, fintech interests, and business and professional services sectors. Extending her mission to Kigali, Rwanda, from May 13, Ms Lee will represent InvestHK at the Africa CEO Forum to drive high-level exchanges with C-suite executives from the continent’s leading multinationals.

African enterprises establishing a presence in Hong Kong can benefit from a globally recognised common law system and Asia’s most competitive tax regime. Most recently, Hong Kong has further sharpened its competitive edge by announcing a halve in the profits tax to 8.25 per cent from the standard 16.5 per cent for qualifying physical commodity traders. By combining this fiscal incentive with the city’s status as the world’s pre-eminent offshore Renminbi hub, Hong Kong offers African commodities exporters a high-liquidity, efficient gateway to Asian markets.

In line with the advancement of the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong is leveraging its status as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” to support national development. As China-Africa economic relations pivot towards high-value trade and investment, Hong Kong is uniquely positioned to accelerate two-way capital flows – spurring growth across finance, shipping, and innovation and technology.

Citing the South African national rugby team’s recent first-ever title at the Hong Kong Sevens, Ms Lee emphasised that such vibrant people-to-people connections are not merely symbolic, but serve as a meaningful foundation for driving bilateral economic connection.
Hashtag: #InvestHK

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Laos Eyes China’s Hainan Port as New Trade Gateway

China’s Hainan port (Photo: ARC Advisory Group)

Laos is looking to China’s Hainan province as a potential maritime gateway to expand international trade, according to comments made by a Lao official during a regional economic forum in China this week.

Speaking in an interview with China Daily during the 2026 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Media and Think Tank Forum in Haikou on 9 and 10 May, Viengsavang Thipphavong, a senior official from the Lao Institute for Industry, discussed how Laos could benefit from stronger trade connectivity through Hainan’s seaports.

In the video, Viengsavang said Laos sees opportunities to use Hainan’s port to export products to third-country markets and import raw materials more efficiently, particularly in the agriculture and logistics sectors under the RCEP framework.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a major Asia-Pacific trade agreement that includes all ASEAN member states alongside China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The agreement, which came into effect in January 2022, covers nearly 30 percent of global GDP.

Access to the Sea

For Laos, improving access to maritime trade routes has become increasingly important as the country seeks to strengthen its position as a regional logistics hub despite being landlocked.

A key part of that strategy is the Laos-China Railway, which began operations in late 2021 and links Vientiane to China’s rail network through Boten. The railway has significantly reduced transport times for goods moving between Laos and China and is increasingly being viewed as a corridor that could connect Lao exports to international shipping routes through Chinese ports.

Hainan, China’s southernmost island province, is home to the Hainan Free Trade Port, a major Chinese initiative aimed at transforming the island into a large-scale free trade and logistics hub with simplified customs procedures and expanded trade access.

Agricultural exports such as bananas, cassava, rubber, sugarcane, and coffee are among the Lao products that could benefit from faster and more cost-efficient shipping routes through southern China.

Lao Authorities Link Cassava Factory Wastewater to Xe Don Fish Deaths

A picture of Sanasomboun and local authorities collecting dead fish remains along the banks of the Xe Don River. (Photo by Champamai Newspaper)

Lao authorities have concluded that wastewater released from a cassava starch factory in Salavanh province caused the recent mass fish deaths along the Xe Don River. 

In a video published on the Lao National Radio Facebook page, Chitthamom Ounsida, Deputy Director General of the Department of Environment, announced the findings. Inspections were conducted between 23 April and 5 May along affected sections of the Xe Don River, where local communities had reported hundreds of dead fish.

Investigators found that the Khounmeexay Khongsedone Cassava Starch Factory had illegally released wastewater from its treatment ponds directly into the Xe Don River system. 

Authorities said the discharge caused dissolved oxygen levels to fall below national environmental standards, depriving fish of oxygen and causing them to suffocate and die.

Around 460 kilograms of dead fish were collected across several villages in Khongxedon district after residents first reported floating carcasses and foul-smelling water on 23 April.

Officials said rainfall and rising river levels in late April likely carried decomposed carcasses further downstream into Sanasomboun district, Champasak province, where additional fish deaths were recorded between 28 April and 3 May.

Water Testing Results 

Earlier water tests on 2 May in Champasak found unusually high pH levels ranging from 10.16 to 11.3, raising concerns over possible industrial contamination. 

Later on, the environment department conducted more water quality measurements from 2 to 5 May across 11 monitoring points in Salavanh and Champasak showed that pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, and temperature levels had since returned to within national standards, though some dead fish were still found in certain areas.

The authorities have ordered the factory to suspend operations while legal and environmental action proceeds under Laos’ environmental protection regulations. 

The government also said the factory owner will be required to take responsibility for environmental restoration and address damages caused by the pollution.

Meanwhile, local authorities continue advising residents not to consume dead fish found in the river and to avoid using river water for household activities or livestock until conditions fully stabilise.

Russia Considers First Fuel Shipment to Laos

Motorbike riders line up to refuel at a petrol station in Vientiane in March 2026 as fuel prices surge amid the global oil crisis. LSFC Sengsawang Patrol Station. (Photo: The Laotian Times)

Russia is weighing its first-ever delivery of petroleum products to Laos, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced Saturday, 9 May.

According to the Russian media,  Russia is currently evaluating the logistical possibilities for the initial export. With Laos landlocked and unreachable by sea, Russia would route shipments through Vietnamese ports,  the same transit corridor Vietnam opened to Laos earlier this year.

The announcement followed high-level talks at the Kremlin between President Vladimir Putin and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith on the sidelines of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, where the two leaders focused on boosting bilateral trade and deepening energy cooperation.

Laos Still Recovering From Devastating Fuel Crisis

Laos has been reeling from one of the worst fuel crises in its recent history, triggered by the Middle East conflict and its knock-on disruptions to global supply chains. The country imports around 97 percent of its refined fuel from Thailand, leaving it acutely exposed when supplies tightened earlier this year. 

At the height of the crisis in mid-March, more than 1,000 of Laos’ 2,538 petrol stations had shut, long queues formed across Vientiane, and diesel prices more than doubled. The government slashed fuel excise taxes, deployed mobile fuel services, and instructed ministries to cut consumption through remote working policies.

Vietnam stepped in as an emergency supplier, committing 50 million liters of fuel and agreeing to allow Laos to transit petroleum from third countries through Vietnamese territory,  the very corridor Russia is now considering for its planned deliveries.

The urgency of the region’s energy predicament was on full display just days earlier. 

At the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, The Philippines, on 7 to 8 May, leaders agreed to activate a regional fuel-sharing mechanism and accelerate the rollout of an ASEAN Power Grid to better interconnect electricity networks across Southeast Asia,  a direct response to the vulnerabilities exposed by the Middle East Crisis.

A Major Producer Expanding Its Reach

Russia holds the eighth largest proven oil reserves in the world at approximately 80 billion barrels, yet consistently ranks among the top three global producers and exporters. With Southeast Asian demand surging. Countries including Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka have all been turning to Russian oil to offset Middle East shortfalls.