The Lao Ministry of Health has mandated that 75 percent of all cigarette packages must feature graphic health warning images by December this year. This initiative aims to curb smoking and its associated health risks, particularly among the nation’s youth.
North Korea’s World Cup Qualifiers Moved from Pyongyang to Laos
North Korea’s World Cup qualifying matches against Syria and Myanmar have been relocated from Pyongyang, North Korea, to Vientiane, Laos. This decision marks the third and fourth time in recent months that international football matches have been moved out of North Korea.
World Bee Day: Celebrating the Role of Bees in Our Ecosystem
Today, 20 May, the world celebrates World Bee Day, an international event dedicated to recognizing the critical role bees and other pollinators play in sustaining our ecosystem.
Jessica Mudditt Chronicles Her Journey Through Southeast Asia in New Memoir
It was the early 2000s when Jessica Mudditt spent months wandering through Southeast Asia, immersing herself in the stories of locals, channeling the spirit of Martha Gellhorn, an iconic journalist, and jotting down thousands of words of stories in hostel rooms. Little did she know, these diaries would become the foundation of her new life, which she skillfully described in her latest book, “Once Around the Sun.”
In this book, which is the first of two, Mudditt shares her transformative journey, stepping away from her ‘ordered’ life, leaving behind family, friends, and a career to embrace her “freedom.”

Mudditt began her journey in Southeast Asia at just 25, humble, lost in life, and unsure about her future. She is now an accomplished journalist with over a decade of experience, “I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to stay and have a boring 9-5 job in Melbourne, so I took off and traveled,” Mudditt said. “Asia called me, and there I went.”
Her experiences in Asia encompassed love, culture, friendship, and risks, illustrating a young adult’s deep dive into the region.
In Laos, one of her first stops, she began her journey with a backpack heavy with uncertainty.
Mudditt’s story resonates with many, evoking memories of their own transformative journeys in Asia. Her account of traveling from Cambodia to Tibet, through Vietnam, China, Laos, and Hong Kong, shares the highs and lows of backpacking.
“Traveling could be totally amazing and intensely uncomfortable – all within the space of a day,” she writes.
In her insightful narrative, Mudditt depicts the dual nature of travel, where moments of solitude intertwine with shared connections, often with fleeting companions whose names may fade from memory over time.

Through her storytelling filled with sensitivity, honesty, and humor, readers are transported to lesser-known landscapes of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China, such as the then-unique experience of tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos.
“It was in early 2000, not many tourists were there and there certainly was no social media,” Mudditt said. “It was just me with a few other backpackers and nature. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.”
But it was only a few months later, in Pakistan, that clarity found her unexpectedly. Over tea at a military museum, a simple question—”Are you a journalist?”—ignited a spark within. Suddenly, the path ahead seemed clearer, and Jessica dared to believe that, maybe, she could really be a journalist.
“It took someone else saying it for me to believe it,” she said. “But that wasn’t the end of the story. I’d still have to fight imposter syndrome.”
Soon after that backpacking trip, Mudditt decided to take a step in a new professional direction and after two years of hard work, she became an accredited journalist in the United Kingdom in 2009, but Asia never stopped calling for her. From unpaid internships in the UK to an unexpected journey in Bangladesh, Jessica’s path took another surprising turn.
But things weren’t easy for the industry. The media landscape in the UK was facing a severe crisis. The London newspaper scene was bleak, with local papers shutting down. Journalists lost their offices due to unpaid rent and were forced to file stories from park benches in freezing conditions, highlighting the severe lack of resources. Amidst this turmoil, Mudditt found an opportunity in Bangladesh, where what was intended as a short-term gig quickly blossomed into love, marriage, and motherhood. Bangladesh became more than a stopover; it became home.
“Well, I married my translator so things got pretty personal in Bangladesh,” she admitted.

Three years later, Southeast Asia’s flourishing media environment secured her a position at a local newspaper in Myanmar. It felt like the chance of a lifetime.
In stark contrast, Asia’s media environment was booming. In Myanmar, for instance, the media landscape was thriving, with between 20 and 40 newspapers publishing in both Burmese and English. That growth in Myanmar stood in sharp contrast to the decline of print media in the UK, marking a period of media expansion in the region.
During her extensive overland backpacking trip, she missed out on visiting Myanmar. However, while in Bangladesh, from 2009 to 2012, she got in touch with a mutual friend who owned the ‘Myanmar Times.’ She reached out to him and asked to go over there for a trial period. He agreed, and she arrived in Myanmar in July 2012.
She couldn’t miss the chance, she said. After two years at The Myanmar Times, she became the first foreign editor at the state-run newspaper in the lead- up to the historic elections. Mudditt spent a total of seven years reporting in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
“It was in 2015 when Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide. We watched the results in the newsroom, we watched the votes being counted and everyone knew it was history unfolding in front of your eyes. That was my life.”
But only a year later, she left Myanmar and returned to Australia.
Even though she separated from her husband after a decade and now lives in Australia, Bangladesh remains a significant part of her life. “My heart still beats for Asia,” she said, reflecting on the lasting connection she feels to the region.
Mudditt is the author of two memoirs and the founder of Hembury Books. Her first book, “Our Home in Myanmar,” was published in 2021 and she is now preparing for the launch of the second part of “Once Around the Sun,” “Kathmandu to the Khyber Pass,” slated for publication in 2025.
US Ambassador Heather Variava Outlines Vision for Strengthening Relations with Laos
Heather Variava, the United States (US) Ambassador to Laos, who assumed her position in February this year, spoke with Lao media officials on 14 May in a press conference where she officially introduced herself and shared the vision for her three-year tenure in Laos with the public.
China Identified as Most Influential Economic Power in Southeast Asia, Survey Finds

A recent survey of nearly 2,000 respondents from the 10 ASEAN countries has identified China as the most influential economic power in the region.
The Rhenus Group Appoints Moritz Becker and Colin D’Abreo as Co-Vice President Directors of Project Logistics Global

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 20 May 2024 – Moritz Becker and Colin D’Abreo will spearhead the global Rhenus Project Logistics unit with a dedicated focus on expanding and driving innovation. Becker will lead operations in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Southeast Asia and the Pacific (SEAPAC), and D’Abreo will oversee operations in the Americas, India, China, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). They will replace Carsten Schröter, who has left the company.
Becker and D’Abreo bring valuable experience and expertise to their new roles within the Rhenus Group. With nearly two decades of proven leadership, Becker has consistently demonstrated dedication and exceptional capabilities. Joining Rhenus in 2017 as the Head of Projects in Germany, he later advanced to become the Managing Director of Project Logistics Germany. His unwavering dedication and strong leadership skills culminated in his appointment as Managing Director of Rhenus Offshore Logistics Germany in 2023.
D’Abreo’s extensive leadership experience spans over 30 years, commencing his logistic career at KOG Transport Inc. Following the Rhenus acquisition of KOG in 2015, he served as Executive Vice President and later as President of KOG until the company rebranded and operations transitioned to Rhenus in 2019. He continued his leadership journey as President of Rhenus Projects Logistics in the USA.
Together, they will spearhead Rhenus Project Logistics on a global scale, with a strategic focus on network expansion and product development within renewables, energy, mining, oil & gas, and steel plants. Furthermore, they will lead decarbonization efforts and prioritize chartering and engineering as key success factors for global development.
Taking the lead in expanding project logistics across Europe, Becker will particularly prioritize strengthening the company’s presence in the renewables sector and providing turnkey solutions for industrial projects in Turkey and the CIS. Additionally, he will supervise the network’s expansion in SEAPAC.
Meanwhile, D’Abreo will concentrate on bolstering the North American market, specifically in oil, gas, and renewables. Additionally, he will further expand Rhenus offshore services in Eastern Canada and grow Rhenus project logistics services in Latin America, particularly in mining and solar industries. D’Abreo will also strengthen connections in India’s export market for industrialized and project cargo, maintain the Rhenus Group’s position as the top provider of choice in China for project cargo, and establish a robust project structure in the MEA region.
Commenting on the appointments, Jan Harnisch, Global CEO of Rhenus Air & Ocean, said: “We have the utmost confidence in Colin and Moritz as Co-Vice President Directors of Project Logistics. With their combined expertise and proven track record, we trust their strategic leadership will play a pivotal role in propelling the ongoing success and expansion of Rhenus Project Logistics on a global scale.”
Their combined expertise and strategic vision will drive the Rhenus Group’s continued success and growth in the global project logistics sector while leveraging the company’s unique assets, such as its own terminals, barges, and vessels to provide unparalleled service to clients worldwide.
Hashtag: #Rhenus
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Rhenus
The Rhenus Group is one of the leading logistics specialists with global business operations and annual turnover amounting to EUR 7.5 billion. 40,000 employees work at 1,320 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.