The United Nations has warned that many developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region are now off track to achieving their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
“The ReStart Art Club” Private Party Returns to Hong Kong
#RestartArtClub
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 March 2023 – “The ReStart Art Club”, the annual private party hosted by Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani during Art Basel Hong Kong returned on Thursday, 23rd March 2023 at K11 ATELIER King’s Road. This one-night only event brought together the global creative community and luminaries to celebrate the reinvigoration of the international art scene in Hong Kong.

Curated by Jason Swamy and produced by COI Communications, the event explored the binaries of art – familiar and foreign, digital and analog, acoustic and electronic, while showcasing the confluence of age, ethnicities, and cultures.
Alongside the hosts, this event was brought together by five distinguished Host Chairs: Adrian Cheng of K11 Group, Alan Lau of M+, Eva Chow of LACMA, Michael Govan of LACMA, Philip Tinari of UCCA, together with 18 Host Committee members.
Celebrating arts, culture, creativity
As guests arrived, they were met with a modern Chinese music performance where musicians performed amidst an elevated flower stage with dancers concealed within the installation.
Guests were invited to enjoy a Five Flower Tea Gin cocktail before traversing through the nature-themed digital exhibit created by d’strict at ARTE M, the first overseas showcase of Korea’s largest immersive media art exhibition. A molecular cocktail was then offered as guests were guided into a lift with an eccentric dancer. The lift opened into a mysterious speakeasy with traditional Hong Kong and industrial elements. Spectacular local and international performances were unveiled throughout the night such as Grammy-award winning musician Sly5thAve, accordion virtuoso Mario Batkovic, and other dance and DJ performances.
Princess Alia Al-Senussi and Dino Sadhwani, have successfully created yet another captivating and fun-filled event. It is hoped that the event will continue its success in celebrating the collaboration among people passionate about art, culture, performance, gastronomy, music and entertainment.
Sponsors: 11 SKIES, d’strict, Moët & Chandon, Don Julio, Cloudy Bay, KHEE Soju, Two Moons Distillery
Attended Host Committees: Alan Lo, Yenn Wong, Alison Chan, Claudine Ying, Edward Tang, Eugene Tang, Gilbert and Martina Yeung, Ivan Pun, James Neary, Jonathan Cheung, Katrina Razon, Lester Lam, Loui Lim, Marc Spiegler, Pranitan Phornprapha, Rishabh Tongya
Some notable guests: Sir David Adjaye, Cecile Debray, Marc Spiegler, Kyoko Hattori, Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, Marisa Chearavanont, Lim Se-Ryung, Beeple, Staffan Ahrenberg, Simon De Pury, Sean Lee, Aaron Cezar
Hashtag: #RestartArtClub
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Savannakhet Holds First Monkey Feeding Festival
Savannakhet welcomed international and regional tourists at its first-ever Monkey Feeding Festival which was held on March 24, in the province’s Champhone District.
Vientiane Authorities Clarify Reason Behind Sihom Night Market Shut Down
The famous night market in Vientiane, also known as Hengboun Food and Culture Street, has been closed by order of the Department of Industry and Commerce of Vientiane Capital. The closure is in preparation for the upcoming 2024 ASEAN Summit where Laos will serve as the ASEAN Chair.
S P Jain’s Data Science graduates sought after as they receive job offers from Australia, India and Vietnam
The School reported that the Class of 2022 has produced success stories, with graduates securing jobs at starting salaries ranging from AUD 78,000 to AUD 120,000 in Australia. A handful of students received offers from companies based in Vietnam while several others were accepted for higher studies at reputed universities in the US, Canada, UK, France and Australia.
Graduates of this latest class received offers from various organisations, including Fortune 500 companies, technology start-ups and government agencies. Some notable companies that have hired these graduates include Macquarie Group (Australia), EdgeRed Analytics Pty Ltd (Australia), Integrity Solutions (Australia), NSW Government -Grad Program (Australia), Amazon (India), Wolters Kluwer (India), Viettel Big Data Analytics Center (Vietnam), OCB Bank (Vietnam), Savills (Vietnam), and ITR (Vietnam). The rigorous program curriculum and a strong emphasis on skill development resulted in 100% employment rate within 6 months of graduation. Several of these full-time offers were result of successful Internships in the companies.
“The Bachelor of Data Science program at SP Jain is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of data analysis and the skills necessary to tackle complex business problems by effectively leveraging both quantitative and qualitative data. We are thrilled to see the success of our graduates and their impressive job offers from leading companies in the technology and e-commerce sectors. The curriculum at SP Jain is designed to keep pace with the fast-evolving digital landscape, and the participation of industry professionals from the technology sector demonstrates our commitment to providing a cutting-edge education. The high starting salaries our graduates have secured are a testament to the efficacy of our programme, and showcase the core skills and aptitudes that employers demand and appreciate,” shared Dr Abhijit Dasgupta, Director of BDS program at SP Jain.
One of the significant highlights of this program is that it offers students a variety of opportunities to gain real work experience with top companies and universities even before they graduate. Students of the program have previously interned at Adaptive Investments (US), the University of Massachusetts at Boston (under the guidance of renowned professor Dr Lawrence Pohlman), AI Australia (Sydney), VP Bank (Vietnam), Johnson & Johnson (Sydney), Instagram, Facebook, ISI, NITIE, Edify Accelerator, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Bombay and other top US and European universities.
“I did an internship with The University of Massachusetts and another one with HDFC ERGO, where I was a Data Science intern. One thing that SP Jain has always focused on, right from the beginning, is looking at real-world business problems and solving them, even in class. So, when I started my internship, I found it very easy to understand their workflow model and acclimatise because the kind of business problems I was solving at work were on the same lines as the ones I was solving in class,” shared Vedant Kabra from the Class of 2022. On completing the BDS program last year, Vedant landed a role with the Macquarie Group in Sydney, Australia.
The BDS is a three-year multi-city program accredited by the Australian government’s Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA). Students can opt to study in Mumbai (Year 1) and Sydney (Years 2 and 3) or complete all three years of the program in Sydney. Upon graduation, students may live and work in Australia by applying for a post study work visa* of up to four years.
The program curriculum is designed to provide a strong foundation in the principles and techniques of data science, programming and analytics, machine learning, simulation modelling, data mining, social web analytics, and big data processing techniques and platforms. The program is open to Grade XII students and is ideal for those with an aptitude for math and science.
*As an international student, you may be able to continue to live and work in Australia temporarily, following the completion of your undergraduate degree at S P Jain. While graduating students can apply for a post-study work visa, it is not a guaranteed outcome of the program. For eligibility and more information, please visit: https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/
The Bachelor of Data Science program is not offered in Singapore.
Hashtag: #SPJain
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
ABOUT S P JAIN SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT (SP JAIN GLOBAL)
S P Jain School of Global Management is an Australian business school that provides modern, relevant and practical global business education. With campuses in the dynamic business hubs of Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore and Sydney, S P Jain Global is renowned for its multi-city undergraduate and postgraduate programs as well as doctoral, executive and short-term online programs. For its flagship Global MBA program, the School has been ranked by reputed international publications such as Forbes,
Times Higher Education–Wall Street Journal,
Financial Times and
The Economist.
S P Jain Global is registered as an Institute of Higher Education by the Australian Government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). Upon graduation, students receive a degree conferred by SP Jain School of Global Management, Australia. The School is registered as a Private Education Institute (PEI) by the Committee for Private Education (CPE), Singapore, and permitted by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Government of Dubai, UAE. Click here to read more.
Skipton International: UK Rental Property Remains Focal Point for Hong Kong and Singapore Investors
Hong Kong, Singapore and U.A.E. investor appetite for UK property demonstrates continues in 2023 demonstrating resilience amidst financial market volatility
GUERNSEY – Media OutReach – 27 March 2023 – Skipton International, the award-winning Guernsey licensed bank, has revealed that UK property investors based in Hong Kong and Singapore favour London, North West and West Midlands. This is according to data provided by Hamptons, the premier UK estate agent who, along with Skipton International, are part of the Skipton Group.

In 2022, over 600 rental property sales were recorded by Hong Kong (over 400) and Singapore (over 200) investors using the Bank’s buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages.
The lion’s share of these sales, 40%, were in London, followed by the North West (Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester etc.) at 23% and The Midlands, including Birmingham, Coventry, and Nottingham at 15%. The remainder was split across numerous areas across the UK.
The table below details the buy-to-let property purchases made in key regions during 2022 via Skipton’s buy-to-let mortgage support for Hong Kong and Singapore -based investors.
HONG KONG | PROPERTIES | SINGAPORE | PROPERTIES |
London | 157 | London | 102 |
North West | 106 | North West | 34 |
South East | 58 | South East | 20 |
West Midlands | 58 | West Midlands | 38 |
Commenting on the research data, Lorraine McLean, Mortgage Sales Manager, Skipton International, said:
“The findings clearly show Hong Kong and Singapore BTL purchasers see UK property as a safe haven asset class amidst last year’s political upheaval and global market volatility. Through introducing new products and competitive mortgage rates, Skipton International offers customers additional opportunities to fund their property portfolios.”
These products include Limited Company (Special Purpose Vehicle) buy-to-let lending, Base Rate Trackers, and Fixed Rate mortgages at attractive rates, plus introducing US Dollar savings accounts to provide more choice for customers.
In first two months of 2023, Skipton International has completed on Buy-To-Let mortgages with a value of over GBP44 million from investors based in Hong Kong, Singapore and United Arab Emirates alone. In comparison, the same period last year saw a slightly lower value, indicating house prices are increasing in the UK.
“The UK property market appears attractive to overseas investors for various reasons including a stable and transparent legal system, an appetite for various cities and towns, and the demand for rental properties continues to outstrip supply,” added Jim Coupe, Managing Director, Skipton International.
Away from city centres such as Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester where house prices continue to increase, houses in commuter towns and villages attract higher rental rates.
Hashtag: #skiptoninternational #skipton #UKproperty #btl
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Skipton International www.skiptoninternational.com
Skipton International offers a range of offshore savings accounts and is one of the Channel Islands’ leading mortgage lenders for residential Channel Island mortgages and UK Buy-To-Let mortgages for expats and non-UK resident nationals.
It is a two-times winner of the Moneyfacts ‘Offshore Bank Account of the Year’ award 2022 and 2023, and the Mortgage Introducer ‘Top Mortgage Employer’ Award 2022.
Skipton International Limited (Skipton), registered in Guernsey: 30112, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society. It is also part of the Skipton Group, which includes Connells and Hamptons Estate Agents.
The bank is licensed under the Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law. Skipton is a participant in the Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme. The Scheme offers protection for ‘qualifying deposits’ up to £50,000, subject to certain limitations. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any five-year period. Full details are available on the Scheme’s website www.dcs.gg or on request. To help maintain service and quality, telephone calls may be recorded and monitored.
Skipton International has a customer service rating of 4.7 / 5 according to Feefo, an independent online assessor of customer service, and is a three-times Platinum award winner as a trusted provider.
Skipton International: UK Rental Property Remains Focal Point for Hong Kong and Singapore Investors
Hong Kong, Singapore and U.A.E. investor appetite for UK property demonstrates continues in 2023 demonstrating resilience amidst financial market volatility
GUERNSEY – Media OutReach – 27 March 2023 – Skipton International, the award-winning Guernsey licensed bank, has revealed that UK property investors based in Hong Kong and Singapore favour London, North West and West Midlands. This is according to data provided by Hamptons, the premier UK estate agent who, along with Skipton International, are part of the Skipton Group.

In 2022, over 600 rental property sales were recorded by Hong Kong (over 400) and Singapore (over 200) investors using the Bank’s buy-to-let (BTL) mortgages.
The lion’s share of these sales, 40%, were in London, followed by the North West (Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester etc.) at 23% and The Midlands, including Birmingham, Coventry, and Nottingham at 15%. The remainder was split across numerous areas across the UK.
The table below details the buy-to-let property purchases made in key regions during 2022 via Skipton’s buy-to-let mortgage support for Hong Kong and Singapore -based investors.
HONG KONG | PROPERTIES | SINGAPORE | PROPERTIES |
London | 157 | London | 102 |
North West | 106 | North West | 34 |
South East | 58 | South East | 20 |
West Midlands | 58 | West Midlands | 38 |
Commenting on the research data, Lorraine McLean, Mortgage Sales Manager, Skipton International, said:
“The findings clearly show Hong Kong and Singapore BTL purchasers see UK property as a safe haven asset class amidst last year’s political upheaval and global market volatility. Through introducing new products and competitive mortgage rates, Skipton International offers customers additional opportunities to fund their property portfolios.”
These products include Limited Company (Special Purpose Vehicle) buy-to-let lending, Base Rate Trackers, and Fixed Rate mortgages at attractive rates, plus introducing US Dollar savings accounts to provide more choice for customers.
In first two months of 2023, Skipton International has completed on Buy-To-Let mortgages with a value of over GBP44 million from investors based in Hong Kong, Singapore and United Arab Emirates alone. In comparison, the same period last year saw a slightly lower value, indicating house prices are increasing in the UK.
“The UK property market appears attractive to overseas investors for various reasons including a stable and transparent legal system, an appetite for various cities and towns, and the demand for rental properties continues to outstrip supply,” added Jim Coupe, Managing Director, Skipton International.
Away from city centres such as Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester where house prices continue to increase, houses in commuter towns and villages attract higher rental rates.
Hashtag: #skiptoninternational #skipton #UKproperty #btl
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Skipton International www.skiptoninternational.com
Skipton International offers a range of offshore savings accounts and is one of the Channel Islands’ leading mortgage lenders for residential Channel Island mortgages and UK Buy-To-Let mortgages for expats and non-UK resident nationals.
It is a two-times winner of the Moneyfacts ‘Offshore Bank Account of the Year’ award 2022 and 2023, and the Mortgage Introducer ‘Top Mortgage Employer’ Award 2022.
Skipton International Limited (Skipton), registered in Guernsey: 30112, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skipton Building Society. It is also part of the Skipton Group, which includes Connells and Hamptons Estate Agents.
The bank is licensed under the Banking Supervision (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law. Skipton is a participant in the Guernsey Banking Deposit Compensation Scheme. The Scheme offers protection for ‘qualifying deposits’ up to £50,000, subject to certain limitations. The maximum total amount of compensation is capped at £100,000,000 in any five-year period. Full details are available on the Scheme’s website www.dcs.gg or on request. To help maintain service and quality, telephone calls may be recorded and monitored.
Skipton International has a customer service rating of 4.7 / 5 according to Feefo, an independent online assessor of customer service, and is a three-times Platinum award winner as a trusted provider.
Inflation and supply chain fears easing, but global economy continues to face uncertainty
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 27 March 2023 –
- Sharp falls in inflation to leave behind some of the recent challenges for the global economy.
- Central banks approaching the end of the tightening cycle partly as a response to recent tensions in the banking system.
- Easing supply chain pressures and resilient labour markets to support recovery but uncertainty about the outlook remains high.
- KPMG forecasts world GDP growth of 2.1 percent and inflation at 5.3 percent for 2023
KPMG Global Economic Outlook H1 2023
The outlook for the global economy took a positive turn in the first half of 2023 as inflationary pressures began to ease, but ongoing geopolitical tensions and domestic challenges in key markets are slowing any return to sustained growth, according to the latest forecast from KPMG.
According to KPMG’s latest Global Economic Outlook report, global energy prices returning to levels last seen prior to the invasion of Ukraine, combined with easing commodity and food prices, have helped put further downward pressure on inflation for the rest of 2023.
Despite the positive news, major economies throughout the world – most recently the UK and USA – are facing their own domestic pressures, delaying any hopes of improving market conditions and a drop in inflation. The nuanced, complex picture in each country, region and territory is placing unprecedented pressure on central banks, with worries that core inflation could remain sticky and price rises could become entrenched due to the relatively tight economic environment facing a number of territories. Growing fears for the wider international banking system could further complicate matters for central banks as they weigh in financial stability risks against a plan to bring inflation back to target.
The global organisation is forecasting GDP growth of 2.1 percent in 2023 and 2.6 percent in 2024 with inflation forecast at 5.3 percent in 2023 and 3.2 percent in 2024, and global unemployment levels of 5.2 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2024.
Yael Selfin, Chief Economist at KPMG in the UK, said:
“Despite the resilience of the labour market and the improving inflation conditions, we expect global economic growth to be relatively modest over the next two years, and to stay below its long-term average. Global growth is expected to be driven by the recovery of the Chinese economy and a relatively strong growth in some of the emerging markets, while Eurozone and the US economy are expected to contribute less to global growth over the next two years. Risks to the outlook are broadly skewed to the downside given the volatility in financial markets.
“The global economy has been through a series of significant shocks over the past three years – the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict – and saw a major expansion to government debt and a significant hike in policy interest rates by central banks. The ramifications of some of these headwinds may not have surfaced yet and we are still to see their full impact and how they interact.”
With monetary policy focused on moderating inflation while stabilising financial markets, fiscal policy is left as the potential tool to boost economic growth. Unfortunately, the public finances have deteriorated significantly over the past three years. Governments have spent significant amounts on first shielding their economies from Covid-19 and subsequently on protecting households and businesses from higher energy prices. That left public debt at historically elevated levels, with less room for expansionary fiscal policy. Even in the U.S., federal spending is expected to slow despite the ramp up in infrastructure spending, although in China fiscal support is to be stepped up following the reopening of the economy. The rise in interest rates has made these larger debt levels more costly to service, putting further pressure on government finances. Nevertheless, some positive growth momentum is expected this year from the relatively smooth reopening of the Chinese economy following the lifting of Covid-related restrictions in December last year.
The pressure on global supply chains has eased significantly in recent months, while shipping costs have dropped too. This should help alleviate some inflationary pressures and improve supply capacity. Global trade remains relatively weak, although we would expect it to recover this year as trade flows normalise with the reopening of the Chinese economy and a recovery in global growth, while we expect geopolitical tensions to continue to exert some pressure on trade flows over the medium term. Consumer demand is also expected to pick up this year, with excess savings – money saved during the pandemic when spending on certain services was not possible – still relatively high in China and Europe, which could potentially be deployed once confidence returns. Indeed, consumer confidence has started to improve in Europe, although it remains at relatively low levels.
Paul Kent, Partner, Advisory, at KPMG in Singapore, said:
“Singapore stands out as a beacon of hope amid global economic uncertainties. Even as the world faces challenges such as geopolitical tensions and banking crises, Singapore continues to experience steady growth in its economy that is expected to remain notably higher compared with other regions – thanks to strong optimism in the ASEAN region and sustained international investment in the nation. Furthermore, unemployment levels remain low and are expected not to rise significantly this year, highlighting Singapore’s relative resilience in the labour market.
“To ensure that Singapore remains vibrant and competitive economically, businesses across sectors need to focus their efforts on increasing productivity and upskilling their workforce to weather any potential turbulence ahead. Moreover, Singapore must also continue to keep a close pulse on the implications of global developments on inflation and interest rates to ensure that households and businesses remain sufficiently cushioned from the rising costs.
“The good news is that Singapore has in place robust and sound controls to safeguard its financial systems, with overall limited risk and exposure to banks here so far. However, the country will have to tread cautiously amid heightened volatility in the global financial markets and be ready to respond decisively to any ‘black swan’ events that could destabilise the economy.”
Regina Mayor, Global Head of Clients & Markets at KPMG, commented:
“How we get back to sustainable, long-term growth is the big question facing boardrooms and political chambers around the world right now. Some of the biggest inflationary fears – widely predicted late last year – have been mitigated by more direct, pro-active political action geared especially towards getting rising energy prices down. There are also signs that other commodities and food prices are finally starting to ease – helping consumers and business owners who’ve been facing a significant financial squeeze.
“The actions taken over the coming months are likely to play a significant role in the pace and nature of the world’s economic recovery. KPMG’s forecasts show that employment levels should remain robust, even given recent tech layoff announcements – a sign that the tightness of the labour market faced post-pandemic shows little sign of easing. It’s an indication of the complexities the world faces today. Strong employment figures are often held up as an example of buoyant market conditions, but they can also reflect the challenges central banks are facing as they attempt to juggle wage expectations, tightened credit conditions and the ever-present danger that any shift in the conflict in Ukraine could bring inflation back into the mix. The upside of a strong labour market, combined with relatively strong personal savings among consumers – especially in Europe and the Americas – means we could start to see robust consumer spending, driving a return to slow-but-steady domestic growth in key markets.”
Download KPMG’s Global Economic Outlook H1 2023 report at this link.
Hashtag: #KPMG
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About KPMG Global Economic Outlook
KPMG’s Global Economic Outlook provides bi-annual economic forecasts, produced by macroeconomics teams across KPMG’s global network using a suite of external and in-house models capturing the main inter-relationships in the world economy. As with all forecasts, these are subject to considerable uncertainty and the outturn may differ significantly.
About KPMG International
KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organization or to one or more member firms collectively.
KPMG firms operate in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.
KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.
About KPMG in Singapore
KPMG in Singapore is part of a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.
© 2023 Copyright owned by one or more of the KPMG International entities. KPMG International entities provide no services to clients. All rights reserved.