The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) has received 15 complaints regarding Sri Lankan citizens being trafficked into Laos on alleged job scams.
Laos-China Railway Sets Record With 10,000 Travelers in One Day

The Laos-China Railway made a new record when 10,000 passengers availed of its services on Saturday, marking the highest passenger transport record since the railway opened in December 2021.
Coca-Cola Hong Kong certified as a Great Place to Work®

More than 80% of The Coca-Cola Company associates in Hong Kong reported a positive work experience and company culture, with 88% saying “Taking everything into account, I would say this is a great place to work!” This compares to 59% of employees of all companies registered for the certification process in Hong Kong.
“Cola-Cola is one of the strongest, most recognizable and most chosen brands in the world. At The Coca-Cola Company, we believe in the power of human potential, and thus are committed to recruiting and nurturing the best local and diverse talent to help us all thrive, and to providing our people with an unmatched career experience that is highly inspiring, engaging and fulfilling. This Great Place to Work Certification™ is an acknowledgement of our ongoing dedication to the employee experience, which is tremendous because it’s the only official recognition determined by our associates’ real-time reports of our company culture. Earning this designation means that Coca-Cola Hong Kong is one of the best companies to work for in the market,” commented Tim Warwick, Vice President of Franchise Operations, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and Mongolia, The Cola-Cola Company.


“The Great Place to Work Certification™ is an incredible honor that reflects our people-first, caring culture, as well as our steadfast commitment to making Coca-Cola Hong Kong an exemplary workplace. We’ve been building a great place to work and weaving associate engagement into the fabric of everything we do day in and day out, embedding it into how we refresh the world and make a difference. Competitive compensation packages and benefits, flexible working hours, work-from-home options for our associates as needed to take care of their families, fun and engaging team activities to celebrate important moments and key milestones, and importantly too, incredible space and opportunities for professional and personal growth and development … these are among the things people enjoy as part of the exciting career experiences at Coca-Cola. In everything we do, we strive to build and encourage a high-trust, high-performance culture that can bring the best out of the best talent in the market,” said Marella Canepa Risso, Franchise Operations Director, Hong Kong and Macau, The Cola-Cola Company.

Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture, employee experience and leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. The certification was based on employee feedback on workplace culture using the Great Place to Work® Trust Index Score.

Hashtag: #CocaColaHongKong
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is a total beverage company, offering over 500 brands in more than 200 countries. In Hong Kong, the company has a portfolio covering sparkling, sweetened and unsweetened tea, juice, sports drink, water, enhanced hydration beverages, etc. We have 13 brands offering 70 different variants such as “Coca-Cola”, “Coca-Cola No Sugar”, “Coke Plus”, “Sprite”, “Fanta”, “Schweppes”, “OOHA”, “Bonaqua” Mineralized Water, “Authentic Tea House”, “Minute Maid”, “Minute Maid Qoo”, “Glaceau vitaminwater”, “Yeung Gwong”, “Aquarius”, “Healthworks”, and “Kochakaden””CRAFTEA”. We are constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. Learn more at https://www.coca-colacompany.com/ and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Inflation Rate in Laos Continues to Soar in February at 41.3%
Inflation in Laos increased to 41.3% in February, according to information from the Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB). This is slightly higher than January’s inflation rate of 40.3%.
Singapore Botanic Gardens inspires “Nature of Art” exhibition by Inessa & Alice Kalabekova, to be hosted at The Fullerton Hotel.
Kazakhstan-born, Singaporean artist looks at nature through the eyes of mythology and poetry. Bamboos, rustic benches, butterflies, and water lilies… you won’t be able to see them the same way again.
- “Nature of Art” art exhibition & book launch by Inessa & Alice Kalabekova (The Fullerton Hotel Singapore)
- Inspired, curated & initially exhibited at Singapore Botanic Gardens (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- Unique perspective on familiar scenes of Singapore nature. Bamboo, banana trees, butterflies, leaves, birds, flowers, and water lilies are not just decorative elements, or a backdrop to a peaceful walk. For the artist, they are animated entities, and each bush or branch can be the hiding place of a mythological creature.
- Mother & daughter collaboration: art by mother & poems by 12 y.o. daughter
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 6 March 2023 – Griness presents Inessa Kalabekova’s solo exhibition in Singapore, called “Nature of Art,” from March 1 to March 31, 2023. Here the artist explores the sights and secret corners of Singapore’s parks and gardens, through the medium of painting and collage. Each painting is in a dialogue with the poems of Alice Kalabekova, Inessa’s young daughter, a burgeoning writer in her own’s right. A book, specially published for the exhibition, will comprise both the artworks and the poems, as well as sketches and photographs.

The eighteen paintings on show have been originally exhibited in the form of prints. They were shown within the original context that inspired them, namely Singapore’s Botanic Garden, in July last year. This is the first time the original artworks – plus some newest, previously unseen paintings – will be presented to a Singaporean public in a gallery setting.
In the show Inessa looks at the peculiar Singaporean natural context with child-like eyes, operating a magic spell of sorts. Bamboo, banana trees, butterflies, leaves, birds, flowers, and water lilies are not just decorative elements, or a backdrop to a peaceful walk. For her, they are animated entities, and each bush or branch can be the hiding place of a mythological creature.
Legends are indeed at the very center of Inessa’s imaginary dimension. Her representations draw from both Eastern and Western traditions, ultimately converging into personal mythologies. An example is the figure of the dragon; while this is usually represented as an evil creature in Western culture, it is a rather positive one in Chinese myths. In her ouvre Inessa creates her own interpretation of the dragon, which encompasses both positive and negative elements. Of course, viewers themselves can give their interpretation of the dragon, according to their own background.
The artist says that making art is a way for her to record and express her emotional journey between her internal self and the nature of life. When Inessa tackles a new canvas, she doesn’t just make a decorative piece, but rather creates a whole, complete world to share with others.
The inspiration from the paintings came to the artist as much from a direct appreciation of nature and ancient legends, as from the delicate and poignant poem written by her daughter. Involving Alice in the creative process came naturally to Inessa; her entire family is a participant in her world of art and imagination. Mother and daughter spend a lot of time together, and love to create stories about their adventures in nature. They let each their individual gaze on their surroundings influence each other, and together they are able to transform the most mundane aspects into moments of beauty and wonder. It’s really a process of co-creation, where the pure stare of the young girl meets the trained – but just as sincere and spontaneous – eye of the professional artist. It’s not a coincidence that in Inessa’s work, childhood memories are often recurring, and the past imagination merges with the present.
In the context of Singapore, this process and compassionate gaze takes up even more meaning. We know that what we call nature (forest, the shores, vegetation) has been artificially modified in Singapore since the ’70s, when the government started presenting Singapore as a “Garden City”, later to be rebranded as “City in a Garden”. The whole City in the Garden project has been about recreating a natural environment with a strong artificial element akin to urban planning. So what we have today in Singapore is that nature – in order to simply exist – needs to be either decorative or efficient.
In this context, Inessa’s work creates a special enchantment; she is able to find the beauty in the efficient, transmuting something grown and modified to be practical and transactional, into a place of beauty, possibility, and storytelling.
The artist was born in the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan, part of the former USSR. She studied not only visual art, but also music, dance, and architecture academically. This varied and diverse education provided her with a synesthetic understanding, developing her capacity to translate music into visuals and movement, as all these forms of expressions are animated, in her view, by the same energy source.
At the time the educational model in Kazakhstan was the Russian one, with a big stress on technique, versus concept. The artist had the chance to focus on the conceptual aspect of her practice at a later time, when she enrolled in the prestigious art college Central Saint Martins in London. This opened up the artist to a variety of expressive possibilities. She complemented her artistic studies in Oxford, where she learned about the nitty-gritty of building herself as an artist within the art system.
Over the years Inessa has exhibited internationally and her artworks were collected by museums such as the Haegeumgang Theme Museum in South Korea, as well as private collections in over eleven countries, including of Japan, Australia, Portugal, Austria, USA, and Dubai. Among her most recent awards, she won the International Art Competition “Waters” at Art Room Gallery in 2020 and was a finalist of the Prisma Art Prize International in Rome. Last year a Special Mention Award at Art Vue Foundation and Honorable Mention, Palm Art Award, Germany.
Being classically trained and with a big awareness of painterly tradition, it’s only natural that Inessa would start a piece from the composition. A very important part, the foundation of the artist’s inner world, are her sketchbooks, full of images as well as quotes and ideas. Some depictions are from real life – some of the initial inspiration for the “Nature of Art” series have been made en plein air – or they might be images and phrases or stories that just pop into her mind, and are deemed suitable to be translated into painting. From the initial sketch to the final piece, the idea might change completely. The following steps involve balancing colours within the composition. The collage is then built by overlapping layers of paper cuts on top of those colours.
The layering of different strata involves also going back to the sketchbooks, to retrace the original idea. It’s really a back-and-forth, based on a strong intuition; the artist can feel which part is working and which one doesn’t. In the collages, Inessa uses also some little tricks that she learned from classical painting. One is the interplay between warm and cold colours, which create vibrancy and movement, a sense of aliveness. Although they look very contemporary, in Inessa’s paintings there is always a subtle dialogue with the masters of the past, especially Marc Chagall, Sargent, Rembrandt, Fechin, Carel Fabritius, William Morris. The latter is directly referenced in the use of his famous wallpaper patterns as part of the collage.
With a passion for collecting items and images, Inessa incorporates not only wallpapers, but also postcards, musical scores, and maps within the canvas. There are also a lot of easter eggs and references inside the collages. For example, the artist’s passion for museums is found in the use of museum tickets, which are not immediately visible, but revels themselves to the viewer slowly. The cues Inessa inserts in the canvas are meant to unfold, rather than be appreciated at a glance. This corresponds to the artist’s approach to the technique, which is laborious and involves many steps; similarly, also the appreciation of the canvases promotes a slower, more mindful approach, in contrast with the fast-consuming culture that in starting to permeate the art world, as well as societies at large.
As Lao Tzu famously said: “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Going against the grain, the artist defines “The Nature of Art” as a “slow art exhibition, meant to be cosy.” When preparing a show, she always considers the location, and this is perhaps due to her architectural background. Changing the exhibiting space from the Botanic Garden to an exhibiting space, naturally changes also the fruition of the paintings by visitors.
The space of the East Garden Gallery, within The Fullerton Gallery Hotel Singapore is small and intimate, it and carries with it the history of the heritage building before it was transformed into a world-class hotel. The history of places and objects is part of the storytelling element central to Inessa’s artistic vision. It might now be an entire story told by one canvas, other times is just a hint, like a song that evokes a possible unfolding of a story, without being too descriptive.
One of the most interesting elements of “The Nature of Art” exhibition is to bring the magic powder of spirit and imagination, to a context that is goal-oriented and highly bureaucratic. The question the artist seems to ask is: what is that propels the world forward? Transactions, efficiency and economics, or rather love, curiosity and storytelling?
Exhibition details:
“The Nature of Art”, Inessa & Alice Kalabekova
Venue: East Garden Gallery, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, 1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178
Duration: March 1 to March 31, 2023
Opening hours & admission: open 24/7, free admission
Meet the artist: Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-7.30pm, March 1-31, 2023
To arrange interview or other media enquiries: +65 92255563 inessa.k@griness.com
URL: https://www.inessak.com
Book Launch (family-friendly event):
Book: “Nature of Art”, artworks by Inessa Kalabekova, poems by Alice Kalabekova
Date: March 25, 2023 (Sat)
Time: 11.30am-12.30pm & 4pm-5pm
Admission: free
Suitable for 6-12 y.o. children & their parents
Programme highlights:
– be surprised by artist’s stories on how ordinary sights of Singapore parks led to creation of
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Inessa Kalabekova
Quad Countries Call for End to Bloodshed in Myanmar
Foreign ministers of the Quad group, consisting of Australia, India, Japan and the United States, held a meeting in New Delhi to discuss regional issues of mutual interest, including the situation in Myanmar.
Deloitte Consulting releases 2023 China Consumer Insight and Market Outlook White Paper
In 2023, China’s consumer market will face growth challenges given the impact of pandemic fluctuations and the arrival of the post-pandemic era. On the other hand, the Government has continuously introduced policies to expand domestic demand, encourage new forms of consumption, and drive high-quality growth. This reflects how China’s consumer market is undergoing rapid upgrading and innovation in consumption patterns and business models, ushering in a new phase of development. Against this backdrop, Deloitte Consulting has released the 2023 China Consumer Insight and Market Outlook White Paper.
“Deloitte Consulting has been cultivating China’s consumer market for a long time. The white paper provides an analysis of the predictable future development trends of the consumer goods and retail industry based on changes in consumer behavior and attitudes during the post-pandemic era and technological advancements. We hope to help consumer goods and retail companies deepen their understanding of consumers and the market, explore new consumer trends, and grasp the keys to winning in the market” says Woolf Huang, Deloitte Consulting China Clients, Industries, & Markets leader.
The insights of the white paper are based on the nationwide consumer survey data: This study was conducted in November 2022, using an online questionnaire, with respondents ranging in age from 18 to 73. The questionnaire covers consumer background information, consumer attitudes, shopping behaviors, lifestyles, interests, values, and more. This online survey sample set quota is based on the demographic structure data from the Seventh National Population Census, with a sample size of 2,000 covering 301 cities or autonomous regions from the 1st- to the 5th-tier in China.
Based on the analysis first-hand survey data, the 2023 China Consumer Insight and Market Outlook White Paper highlights five major trends for the consumer goods and retail industry in 2023. Michael Deng, Deloitte Consulting China Consumer Products and Retail, Wholesale & Distribution Industry leader, introduced the report.
The top 5 trends in consumer goods and retail
Return to rational consumption: In the aftermath of the pandemic, consumers have become more pragmatic and rational in their purchasing decisions, based on reduced consumption needs and increased economic pressures and life uncertainties. They have reduced impulse purchases, prioritizing product quality and value, taking advantage of promotions, and comparing prices across multiple sellers before making a purchase.
With much more information available, consumers are taking recommendations with a pinch of salt, making their own choices after careful research and comparison instead of blindly following trends. This shift in consumer behavior favors domestic brands, which are seen as more cost-effective and have a better understanding of Chinese consumer habits.
The pursuit of pleasing experiences: As people have become more affluent and product and channel options have increased, consumers today not only seek to satisfy their material needs, but also hope to achieve physical and emotional satisfaction and pleasure by seeking out pleasing experiences. Social attributes are now deeply embedded across the entire shopping journey, where consumers enjoy interactions at various stages such as information research, decision-making, and experience sharing.
Meanwhile, many consumers value bricks-and-mortar retail for its more transparent information, more intuitive and hands-on experience, and immediate access. They are increasingly concerned about the security of their personal information and are often frustrated with the current state of privacy protection, prompting them to take active steps to protect their privacy and interests.
Embracing diverse innovation: The rise of technology, changes in the social environment, and policy incentives have created fertile ground for business model innovation. A variety of new retail channels and scenarios have emerged this decade, ushering in the era of the “Now Consumer” who pursues new lifestyles and consumption habits, embraces innovation, enjoys trying new things, and is highly energetic and receptive. Live streaming, instant retail, and home leisure consumption have become popular trends in new retail channels and buying scenarios.
Deloitte Consulting’s research found that live streaming and instant retail are increasingly becoming the norm for consumers. The pandemic led consumers to passively adopt “home mode,” unlocking various opportunities for leisure consumption at home. Consumers have discovered the joy of these at-home activities and are pursuing them. The rise of the “home economy” could become a long-term consumption focus.
Being green and sustainable: China’s promotion of green and sustainable development, including its efforts towards advancing peak carbon and carbon neutrality, its participation in global climate change governance, and its pursuit of a harmonious relationship between society and nature, has led to widespread public acceptance and recognition of the concept of greenness and sustainability. This concept is also reflected in consumption patterns, as consumers are aware of the social responsibility associated with their consumption behavior.
Following the proposal of “promoting green consumption and establishing green, low-carbon production and lifestyle” by the 20th National Congress, consumers have increasingly incorporated the idea of greenness and sustainability into their consumption. Some consumers are also willing to pay a premium for green consumption, which is expected to remain a lasting trend for consumers as awareness and adoption of sustainable practices in consumption behavior continue to grow.
Pursuing technological advances: The past decade has been a period of rapid internet development, with continuous innovation in Internet technology, service forms, and business models. With the advent of the “new infrastructure,” the retail ecosystem is becoming more digitalized, intelligent, and efficient. The widespread adoption of the latest innovations in underlying technologies, such as 5G, cloud computing, IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence, is propelling advances in retail technology.
Chinese consumers exhibit strong curiosity and acceptance of new technologies and are eager to experience the convenience and innovations they bring, creating a positive feedback loop that drives even further advances in technology. For example, around 2015, the sharing economy began to boom, with shared bikes, power banks, massage chairs, and more entering the market. This highlighted the strong ability of the internet to allocate physical resources to meet consumer needs. Around 2016, visual media such as live streaming and short videos further enriched internet services, satisfying consumers’ entertainment needs while providing new business models for traffic monetization.
Today, mobile internet is widely popular, and the proportion of elderly internet users is surging. Consumers remain enthusiastic about new technologies and look forward to the maturation and application of the Metaverse.
Michael Deng says, “Based on the above trends derived from Chinese consumer insights, Deloitte suggests that to better serve consumers, consumer goods and retail companies should strive to capture shares of consumers’ time, minds, and wallets 24/7, both online and offline. We present the following recommendations for consumer goods and retail companies:
- focus on product value for money;
- lead with a strong value proposition and build brand trust to win recognition;
- build a brand’s private domain, lay out Omni-channel consumer operations, and create unique brand experiences;
- prioritize omni-channel integration to meet diverse consumer needs; and
- create an open business ecosystem that can adapt to changing consumer needs.”
Click here to download the full report.
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About Deloitte China
Deloitte China provides integrated professional services, with our long-term commitment to be a leading contributor to China’s reform, opening-up and economic development. We are a globally connected and deeply locally-rooted firm, owned by its partners in China. With over 20,000 professionals across 30 Chinese cities, we provide our clients with a one-stop shop offering world-leading audit & assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, business advisory and tax services.
We serve with integrity, uphold quality and strive to innovate. With our professional excellence, insight across industries, and intelligent technology solutions, we help clients and partners from many sectors seize opportunities, tackle challenges and attain world-class, high-quality development goals.
The Deloitte brand originated in 1845, and its name in Chinese (德勤) denotes integrity, diligence and excellence. Deloitte’s professional network of member firms now spans more than 150 countries and territories. Through our mission to make an impact that matters, we help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), its global network of member firms, and their related entities (collectively, the “Deloitte organization”). DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) and each of its member firms and related entities are legally separate and independent entities, which cannot obligate or bind each other in respect of third parties. DTTL and each DTTL member firm and related entity is liable only for its own acts and omissions, and not those of each other. DTTL does not provide services to clients.
Deloitte Asia Pacific Limited is a company limited by guarantee and a member firm of DTTL. Members of Deloitte Asia Pacific Limited and their related entities, each of which are separate and independent legal entities, provide services from more than 100 cities across the region.
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This communication contains general information only, and none of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), its global network of member firms or their related entities (collectively, the “Deloitte organization”) is, by means of this communication, rendering professional advice or services. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your finances or your business, you should consult a qualified professional adviser.
No representations, warranties or undertakings (express or implied) are given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information in this communication, and none of DTTL, its member firms, related entities, employees or agents shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever arising directly or indirectly in connection with any person relying on this communication. DTTL and each of its member firms, and their related entities, are legally separate and independent entities.
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Laos Secures Financial Deal on Region’s Largest Wind Farm
A developer alongside a regional bank has signed an agreement to fund USD 692 million for the 600MW “Monsoon Wind Power Project,” Southeast Asia’s largest wind power project based in Laos.