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Lao Airlines to Operate Extra Flight to Pakse Every Sunday

Lao Airlines increase its flights to Pakse. ( Photo: Lao Airlines).

Starting 15 January, Lao Airlines has added an extra flight on the Vientiane-Pakse route that will operate every Sunday morning.

Solitaire Official Unveils Singapore’s First Of Its Kind Rubber Watch Straps For Rolex 40MM Sports Model

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 January 2023 – A new sweat-proof, lightweight and classy line of watch straps is now revolutionising watch-wearing. Introducing: The Solitaire Rubber Straps. The latest launch by homegrown bespoke craftsman Solitaire Official is an innovative response to customer needs, the first of its kind in Singapore and globally for its unrivalled flexibility, style and durability. Expect weather-resistant vulcanised Fluoroelastomer (FKM) rubber in unmatched colour variations and effortless suitability; they are precisely sized for Rolex 40MM Sports models, including Daytona, GMT Master II, Submariner 40MM and Yachtmaster 40MM. Taking the bold step towards the unknown, Solitaire Rubber Straps reveal themselves as the epitome of cutting-edge in the world of craftsmanship.

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Artful Colour Choices & Patent-Pending Mechanism

Revel in the sleek and smooth textures of these rubber straps, paired with dual linings on each side for a distinctive flair. Contrasting the market’s present simple matte straps, this collection comprises five different colours – black, blue, green, orange and white – and nine possible design combinations for an improved visual appeal.

With a quick release functionality for flexibility, wearers can switch between straps wherever they are without any hassle. A user-friendly mechanism makes removing and installing straps a breeze, offering convenience while accommodating various style inclinations.

Depending on the amount of links worn on both sides, the straps can cater to different wrist sizes, allowing wearers to find their perfect fit with ease. While the new rubber straps reuse the original Rolex deployment buckles, Solitaire Official will launch more designs to suit different buckle preferences in the near future.

Sustained Quality, Durability & Comfort

Created using FKM rubber, a high-density synthetic rubber, these straps are incredibly soft and light on the skin, and resistant to perspiration and humidity. The latex undergoes a strict heating procedure that solidifies the components. The result is improved textile strength and durability, matched with waterproof properties and high resistance to heat, cold and UV rays.

Competitively Priced For Greater Accessibility

Despite high upstart costs entailing investments in research and development, craftsmanship and usage of the more expensive vulcanised FKM rubber, Solitaire Official has priced the all-new Solitaire Rubber Straps at S$179 / USD$129 at launch, lower than competing brands in the market. This demonstrates its commitment to delivering quality products at reasonable price points, allowing more wearers to take pleasure in the prestige of Rolex while celebrating their individual aesthetics.

Solitaire Official Rubber Straps are now released in limited quantities, available for both local and international shipping.
Hashtag: #SolitaireOfficial #SolitaireRubberWatchStraps


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

Solitaire Official

Founded in 2013, Solitaire Official started with its founder, Ren Yi, embarking on his journey as a leather craftsman. Burning with a passion for providing the finest bespoke leather products, he sought to combine the best level of workmanship with outstanding quality leather to deliver the true definition of refined luxury products. Its suite of products includes , and more.

Vietnam Seizes Drugs in Passenger Buses from Laos

Police search for narcotic substances in in Quang Tri Province. (Photo: VnExpress).

Vietnamese police discovered narcotic drugs on passenger buses traveling from Laos to Vietnam last week at the Lao Bao Border Checkpoint, which connects Savannakhet to Quảng Trị province in Vietnam.

5X Capital acquires stake in Colony Coworking Space to capitalise on booming flexible workspace market

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 16 January 2023 – 5X Capital, a private equity fund with a diverse portfolio of companies including BFM Radio and Vida has acquired a stake in Colony Coworking Space.

Colony Coworking Space, which currently operates 12 locations in Kuala Lumpur between its namesake brand and its mass-market brand Jerry, has a total footprint of 170,000 square feet in Kuala Lumpur. The group’s revenue grew 74% in 2022 and EBITDA grew by 265% year-on-year to an all-time high.

With this strategic investment, 5X Capital is looking to capitalise on the growing Flexible Workspace Market in Malaysia by investing in one of the largest Coworking operators in the country.

“We feel privileged to be invested into Colony, a team whose offering we love, has great execution and business acumen. This is an incredible opportunity and we will meaningfully support them for greater growth,” said a representative of 5X Capital. “Their success in being one of the few profitable coworking operators in the industry is a testament to the company’s strong brand and execution”.

“Colony has always been about sustainable growth: Growing while maintaining a minimum of being EBITDA neutral so we don’t burn cash. With that we find 5X Capital as partners that are aligned with our goal of sustainable growth,” said Timothy Tiah, CEO of Colony Coworking Space. “Their experience and resources will be invaluable as we continue to expand and meet the growing demand for coworking spaces in the region.”

Colony earlier this month also announced a new deal with property developer Sunsuria Berhad to open a new Colony in Sunsuria Forum at Setia Alam.
Hashtag: #Colony



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

About 5X Capital

5X Capital is a dynamic private equity fund that focuses on investing in and growing a diverse portfolio of companies in Southeast Asia. With a strong track record of success, 5X Capital is dedicated to identifying and supporting companies with high growth potential in the region. The fund typically invests up to RM20 million in its portfolio companies, helping them to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. 5X Capital’s team brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, and is committed to working closely with its portfolio companies to drive growth and success.

About Colony Coworking Space

Colony Coworking Space is a leading provider of flexible workspace solutions in Malaysia. With 12 locations across Kuala Lumpur, Colony offers a range of options for its clients, including its flagship luxury brand as well as its mass-market brand, Jerry. Since its founding in 2017, the company has raised close to RM30 million from investors and landlords to build its spaces, and is today one of the top flexible space operators in the country. Backed by prominent family offices and private equity funds, such as Oak Drive Ventures and Cornerstone Partners Group, Colony provides an unparalleled level of service and amenities to its clients.

Cambodia, Japan Offer Training to Ukraine for Demining Efforts

Content image - Phnom Penh Post The Cambodian government and the Japanese government have provided support to CMAC for running the humanitarian mine clearance training course for deminers from Ukraine. The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) will run a training course on mine clearance technology for Ukrainian deminers in Cambodia in January

Ukrainian deminers will receive a training course on mine clearance technology from The Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC) this month. 

Asendia Deepens Commitment to Asia-Pacific with Strategic CEO And Managing Director Hires

Senthil Kumar joins as CEO of Asendia Singapore/South Asia and Stuart Foster joins as Managing Director of Asian Desk, APAC in January 2023

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 January 2023 – Asendia, one of the world’s leading e-commerce logistics providers, announced today the strategic hire of Senthil Kumar as CEO of Asendia Singapore/South Asia (Asendia Singapore Pte Ltd) and Stuart Foster as Managing Director of Asian Desk, APAC (Asendia Asian Desk). The hires of Senthil and Stuart strengthen Asendia’s commitment to Asia-Pacific, in-line with its e-commerce logistics solutions that offer e-commerce focus companies a strategic foothold in the growing South-East Asia and North Asia.

“We are pleased to kick-start a new year by welcoming two industry stalwarts to Asendia. Senthil and Stuart are both highly experienced and bring with them a deep understanding of the industry and the region. They have great strategic vision to grow Asendia in Asia-Pacific while better serving our fast-growing customer-base. Asendia is on an expansion plan in Asia-Pacific, and we are excited by the region’s unexploited potential that we aim to be a market leader for sustainable cross-border e-commerce solutions by 2025.” said Lionel Berthe, Head of Asendia Asia Pacific.

The Asia Pacific B2C E-commerce Gross Merchandise Value is projected to increase from US$3,082.3 billion in 2021 to US$5,306.2 billion by 20261. Based on external data, Singapore has a significant 78% of online consumers shopped with international merchants, and cross-border e-commerce. While in Hong Kong, cross-border transactions make up 25% of all e-commerce sales2. “All these data forecasted great opportunity for brands and retailers, and Asendia is the perfect partner to support them as they leverage the full growth potential through the best and comprehensive e-commerce solutions. I am confident of Senthil and Stuart’s leadership and look forward to seeing them take the company to greater heights in the years to come,” Lionel commented.

Tapping on Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific boosts a growing middle-class with increasing levels of disposable income. This combined with high levels of internet penetration and accessibility, and smartphone ownership has driven an organic demand for e-commerce. The demand has also been driven by the popularity of social media amongst the youth with retailers using social media platforms to advertise and promote e-commerce3.

Senthil Kumar’s hire as the CEO for Singapore and South Asia is key to tapping the immense growth opportunities in Asia-Pacific for brands and retailers.

“Although the current market situations are not ideal from a macro-economic perspective – South and Southeast Asia is still very rife with opportunities from a cross-border logistics perspective. Having successfully deployed growth strategies in various companies in prior years, I look forward to working and implementing fresh growth trajectories by synergizing the strong Asendia products with the market needs. Further to this, I look forward to working with the entire Asendia team and contribute to the company from all angles in these challenging and exciting times!” said Senthil Kumar, CEO of Asendia Singapore/South Asia.

Senthil is a highly experienced leader who brings with him over 15 years of experience in general management, e-commerce and logistics and has held senior leadership positions in DHL E-commerce, Samsung and most recently Janio Asia. He has an intimate knowledge of, and experience across various facets of logistics and e-commerce and utilized this experience to build cohesive teams and grow sustainable revenue and profit in challenging market environments.

He was awarded the Asian Business Fellowship Award (by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore) in the early years of his career and has had market exposure and hands-on knowledge across various geographies (South Asia, Southeast Asia, North Asia and Oceania) that would be critical in his new role with Asendia Singapore.

Breaking Cross-Border Barriers

Stuart brings with him 19 years of extensive and rich experience in the parcel delivery industry. He has built his career working in diverse functions from sales to the management of the pricing and customer solutions, and to international sales director. He believes that the success at an international level can be achieved with committed local partners and e-commerce players driven by good customer satisfaction.

Remarking on the need efficient Europe-Asia goods flow, Stuart Foster said: “The shipping routes from Asia to Europe are constantly evolving and the Asian Desk department of Asendia APAC is the single-entry point for all Asian clients who have facilities in Europe. We are taking care of the client on the operation and sales level. With Asendia APAC, we are not only talking about last mile but the entire parcel journey including the custom clearance. Joining a leader like Asendia, with its positioning across Asia, Americas, and Europe, is key to answer Asian client needs. Products like e-PAQ are aimed at ensuring that client needs are fully supported to high standards. We are also developing additional solutions to increase volume exchanges between Europe and Asia. Asian consumers are very keen on buying European goods. We want to facilitate the shipping process to empower European sellers on this strategic market.”

Stuart started his career with UPS before moving to La Poste France where he successfully launched the International Sales department of Colissimo (a subsidiary of La Poste) as the Head of International Sales. He led his team to support clients and local partners to develop cross-order shipments to France and Europe. His last stint was as Managing Director Asia for Seven Senders, a European leading delivery platform, where he oversaw the optimisation of international delivery services from Asia to Europe, and vice versa.

1 Asia Pacific B2C Ecommerce Market Report 2022
2https://www.scmp.com/presented/business/topics/global-trends-e-commerce/article/3188145/changes-consumer-behaviour-mean
3 https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/asia-pacific-ecommerce-market

Hashtag: #Asendia

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

Asendia Asia-Pacific

In Asia-Pacific, where Asendia has been active since its creation in 2012, the group has subsidiaries in Singapore, Hong-Kong, Australia and New-Zealand. We provide brands, retailers, marketplaces and consolidations logistics and digital solutions access to global markets through our extensive and innovative distribution solutions, harnessing our worldwide postal partnerships.

About Asendia

Asendia is one of the world’s leaders in international e-commerce and mail, delivering packages, parcels and documents to more than 200 destinations across the globe. Combining the experience and expertise of its founding companies, La Poste and Swiss Post, the Asendia Group brings together a wealth of international and local know-how. Asendia’s expertise is broad-reaching encompassing different aspects of e-commerce, from webshop software and marketplace management to international logistics. Asendia is committed to sustainability, offsetting all CO2 emissions worldwide. Since January 2022, Asendia is 100% carbon neutral.

Asendia employs over 1’500 people in Europe, UK, Asia Pacific and the USA – a global network blended with a local presence.

Find out more at

Carro issues epic 160-character #CarroProsperityRap challenge for Lunar New Year with big prizes worth over S$6,000

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 January 2023 – Southeast Asia’s largest used car marketplace, Carro, is spreading the festive cheer and challenging everyone to an epic 160-character #CarroProsperityRap on social media this Lunar New Year! Singaporeans can look forward to winning prizes worth over S$6,000, including a reunion dinner for 10 pax at award-winning Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel worth S$1,688 and other cash prizes.

Users are challenged to nail the full #CarroProsperityRap under 30 seconds, or show their best and most creative takes on Instagram or TikTok.

Co-founder and CEO Aaron Tan says, “This will be the first Lunar New Year since COVID-19 without major social distancing restrictions, and I believe everyone is looking forward to gathering and having fun together. We thought this epic 160-character rap would be perfect to share blessings with friends and family, and also an interesting way to recreate and remember the classic Lunar New Year greetings together.”

The auspicious 160-character rap takes inspiration from Carro’s very own 160-point inspection for all cars, a rigorous process that starts from understanding the vehicle’s full history, to inspecting every nook and cranny in and around the car. The 160-point inspection is part of the process that goes into Carro’s stamp of assurance for every vehicle: Carro Certified.

Carro Certified includes the following key touchpoints:

160-point inspection – a comprehensive evaluation and refurbishment of the car’s mechanical parts and details on key areas: exterior, interior, road test, safety and underbody
5-day money back guarantee – full refund, with no questions asked
12-month warranty on gearbox and engine – covers the costs of repairs and replacements, including spare parts and repair work
No mileage tampering – assurance of no mileage tampering
No major accidents, fire and flood damage – 100% transparency around data about the car’s previous usage history, any damage, accidents, or repairs made by past owners

Katherine Teo, Regional Head of Marketing says, “The 160-character rap is meant to be a fun twist on the 160-point inspection. Much like how ‘8’ is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture, we wanted to bring out how special and important ‘160’ is for us in a memorable way.”

Working on this campaign with Carro is local Key Opinion Leader Karyn Wong (@iamnotagirl on Instagram), who’s also an emcee, radio DJ and singer.

The social media challenge is issued on Carro’s Instagram (@carro.sg) and TikTok (@carro.sg) accounts and will run from 9-28 January. Winners will be announced on 30 January. Carro is giving away:

● Top prize: Reunion dinner at Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel worth S$1,688
● Second prize: S$588 cash
● Third prize: S$288 cash
● Next 20 prizes: $88 cash card

See the full lyrics and English translations for the 160-character #CarroProsperityRap: https://go.carro.co/CarroProsperityRap

Hashtag: #Carro

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

About Carro

Founded in 2015, Carro is Southeast Asia’s largest online car retailer. By offering a trustworthy and transparent experience, Carro transforms the traditional way of buying and selling cars through proprietary pricing algorithms, AI-enabled capabilities, and innovative technological solutions.

Headquartered in Singapore, Carro has a strong presence in Asia Pacific supported by more than 5,000 employees across Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Carro has raised over S$700M from Softbank Vision Fund and several sovereign funds. For more information, please visit:

Floristique Singapore Gets ‘Greener’, as The First Florist To Transition to Electric Vehicles

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 January 2023 – Floristique Singapore starts 2023 as a trailblazer, being the first Florist to transition away from diesel-powered vehicles — known for their high CO2 emissions — towards electric-powered ones. With a debut fleet of 7 electric vans to lead the way of this transition, Floristique aims to reduce its carbon footprint in a meaningful way with the reduced emissions.

Founder Wendy Han with delivery drivers and EV fleet
Founder Wendy Han with delivery drivers and EV fleet

A Pressing Impetus Towards Sustainability

Most online florists, like many other service on-demand businesses, heavily rely on diesel-powered vehicles to manage their volume of deliveries. Unfortunately, diesel engines are a significant source of CO2 emissions. What’s more, compared to gasoline-powered engines, diesel-powered engines emit higher amounts of CO2 per mile travelled. The high percentage of CO2 emissions harm the environment, exacerbating the pressing issue of climate change. As such, it is vital to reduce environmental footprints where possible. From decreasing the dependence on fossil fuel in its operations, Floristique helms the beginning of the paradigm shift towards a more sustainable future.

An Electrifying Solution

Since the purchase of its fleet of 7 electric vans, Floristique is now able to operate with the assurance that they have now made a more impactful step towards sustainability. Furthermore, this shift towards electric vehicles has serendipitously brought about a reduction in operating costs.

“I believed that we could, and should be doing more [as a business]. It was a good investment that has only provided benefits — both environmentally and as an added bonus of being more cost-effective to business operations,” shared Han, founder of Floristique Singapore.

“Personally, I do not hold much regard for being the first florist to make this transition but I do hope that it might inspire more businesses to do the same,” she continues.
Hashtag: #floristique #florist #flowers #ecofriendly #environment


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

Floristique

Brainchild of floral-enthusiast Wendy Han, Floristique specialises in floral arrangements of all types, from , , and even to . With free flower delivery across Singapore, Floristique ensures that flowers are readily available to those who need them. Same-day deliveries are also available for orders made before 2 pm on weekdays and 12 pm on weekends. For more information, visit their website: .