Tag: politics

Kao’s Laurier Launches New Brand Communication Initiative across Asia: Strengthening Global Integration as a Core Brand in Kao’s Asian Business

by jezzabellemente, posted in Uncategorized

Laurier Campaign Key Visual

TOKYO, March 4 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) — Starting on International Women’s Day, March 8, Kao Corporation (TOKYO:4452) will launch new brand communication campaign in nine Asian countries and regions for its feminine sanitary product brand, Laurier, which is the core of its Asian business.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303996141/en/

Laurier aims to help create more supportive and understanding environments around menstruation, so that women can feel more at ease, both physically and emotionally, under the key message “Comfort, Made Together,” which will be implemented simultaneously across Asia. Kao aims to further develop Laurier as a global brand.

Laurier, one of the core brands supporting Kao’s consumer care business in Asia, has been promoting globally integrated operations since 2023. Across all nine Asian countries and regions including Japan, Laurier has been working to unify product specifications and consolidate production sites to improve asset turnover ratio. Moreover, Laurier has promoted discussions to unify interpretations of the brand purpose and worldview, which varied across regions, and has renewed the global guidelines.

Through these efforts, in order to simultaneously communicate its value throughout Asia, Laurier is currently initiating a new brand communication initiative. By returning to Kao’s founding principle of a consumer perspective, Laurier will further strengthen brand equity by offering products designed for long-term use and advancing empathy-driven marketing through consistent communication across regions.

Laurier conducted a survey on attitudes toward menstruation among 4,500 women across nine Asian countries and regions.* The findings revealed that across Asia, many women feel that menstrual symptoms, concerns, and the limitations associated with menstruation have an impact on their overall sense of comfort in daily life.
*An online survey on attitudes toward menstruation was conducted by Kao among women aged 15–44 in nine Asian countries and regions, including Japan, in November–December 2023 and October–November 2024 (valid responses: 4,500).

Through this initiative, Laurier will further its efforts toward creating an inclusive environment where women can live lives full of possibilities without feeling restricted by their periods.
As a global brand, Laurier not only provides products but also supports women throughout their lives by providing information and educational support, contributing to the creation of a society where each woman can continue to live in a way that feels true to herself.

About the Brand Communication Initiative

– Key Message
Comfort, Made Together ―Laurier is here to listen.
It’s natural to find it difficult to be your normal self while you’re on your period. A woman shouldn’t have to find menstrual comfort on her own. We may not be able to completely eliminate physical discomfort or pain. But by encouraging understanding from those around us and shaping more supportive environments, we believe periods can feel a little more comfortable.
– Overview
This campaign will unify the brand’s worldview across nine Asian countries and regions, and will implement the following initiatives:

  • Development of a common key visual and message across Asia
  • Release of anthem films (9 country/regional versions) conveying Laurier’s message of menstrual support
  • Launch of a special campaign website

– Countries/Regions: Kao Corporation / Kao Commercial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. / Kao (Hong Kong) Ltd. / Kao (Taiwan) Corporation / Kao Vietnam Co., Ltd. / Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd. / Kao (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. / Kao Singapore Pte. Ltd. / PT Kao Indonesia
– Start Date: March 4, 2026

Ongoing Social Initiatives

As a brand that supports women, Laurier is continuously engaged in the following activities in each country and region.

  • Japan: “Laurier in Workplace” and “Laurier in School,” making sanitary napkins available as standard supplies at workplaces and schools
  • Indonesia: “Dr. Laurier,” providing expert knowledge on menstrual concerns that are hard to discuss with others

In addition to the above, Laurier provides menarche education to deliver accurate knowledge to individual in all nine countries and regions. Through these activities, Laurier will continue to be more than just a feminine sanitary product brand; it will continue to be a presence that supports women at all stages of their lives and in their social environments.

Comment from Kazuya Miyashita, President of the Sanitary Business, Kao Corporation

Laurier has been striving to strengthen its globally integrated operations. The launch of this new brand communication across nine Asian countries and regions marks the next stage in building a consistent global brand―one that transcends borders, listens to the voices of individual, and shares Laurier’s vision and values across Asia. While menstrual concerns and feelings vary from person to person, there are many aspects of menstruation that have been discussed as something to be endured or a personal issue. Through this communication campaign, Laurier aims to elevate menstrual concerns beyond a personal issue, encourage understanding from others, and foster an environment in which women can live with greater peace of mind. As a core brand in Kao’s Asian business, Laurier will continue to contribute to sustainable growth and the realization of a society where women can live their lives with comfort, confidence, and fewer limitations—no matter the day.

About Kao

Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Attack laundry detergent, Bioré and Jergens skin care products, Laurier sanitary products, Curél, SENSAI, and MOLTON BROWN cosmetics, and Oribe hair care products, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,630 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 32,600 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation. As an enterprise that provides products people use on a daily basis, the Kao Group takes responsibility to actively reduce the environmental footprint of its products throughout the product lifecycle. This is laid out in Kao’s ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, which launched in 2019.
Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260303996141/en/

Contact

Media inquiries should be directed to:
Public Relations
Kao Corporation
corporate_pr@kao.com

Source : Kao Corporation

GLOBAL WEALTH MIGRATION DRIVEN BY RISING PRIVATE HEALTHCARE COSTS – HENLEY & PARTNERS

by jezzabellemente, posted in Uncategorized

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 (Bernama) — A sharp acceleration in global wealth migration in 2025 is colliding with rapidly diverging private healthcare costs worldwide, making the availability and price of reliable private care a key factor for high-net-worth families deciding where to live, invest, or secure residence and citizenship.

New data released by Henley & Partners confirms record demand for cross-border planning and highlights healthcare cost exposure as a critical “hidden variable” shaping long-term destination choices for globally mobile families.

The firm in a statement said it has received applications from 92 nationalities this year and supported demand across more than 50 residence and citizenship programmes and has assisted applicants from 136 nationalities over the past five years.

Comparing the first three quarters of 2024 with the same period in 2025, Henley & Partners reported a 43 per cent increase in applications, underscoring intensifying cross-border mobility among affluent households.

To support destination planning, the firm is referencing the newly published SIP Health Cost Index (HCI) 2025—a benchmark of the true cost of private healthcare across 50 key countries, based on International Private Medical Insurance (IPMI) premiums.

While Henley & Partners focuses on residence and citizenship advisory, the Index provides a complementary view into how private healthcare costs can materially affect a destination’s long-term affordability and suitability, especially for families with children, ageing parents, or elective cross-border medical needs.

The Index identifies familiar high-cost markets, with the United States ranking as the world’s most expensive private healthcare market, with an average annual IPMI-based cost of US$17,969 per person, followed by Hong Kong and Singapore. (US$1 = RM4.11)

However, unexpected shifts are emerging beyond traditional hubs. Several markets in emerging Asia—including China, Thailand, and Taiwan—have now entered the global top 12 for private-care costs, driven by strong demand for premium hospitals and rising inpatient expenses.

Europe shows one of the widest spreads, with the United Kingdom (UK), Greece, and Spain among its most expensive markets, partly due to Insurance Premium Tax in the UK and Greece. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates ranks 10th globally, reflecting expanding high-end healthcare infrastructure and medical-tourism ambitions.

As global wealth migration continues to rise, Henley & Partners said private healthcare cost exposure is becoming a first-order consideration in residence and citizenship planning. The SIP Health Cost Index provides a practical comparison tool to help families anticipate long-term healthcare budgets and avoid hidden high-cost risks when choosing a home, second residence, or multi-base lifestyle.

— BERNAMA

Thai vocational education representatives visit Guangxi Financial Vocational College, jointly discussing a new blueprint for vocational education

by jezzabellemente, posted in Uncategorized

Teaching Building of the Digital Economy Modern Craftsman College at the Kuala Lumpur Campus of Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Technology, Malaysia

NANNING, China, Nov. 10, 2025 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/ — 

Recently, Minister Tanapat Saengchan of the Vocational Education Commission of Thailand visited Guangxi Financial Vocational College. This exchange is an important opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two sides, and it is expected that through pragmatic communication, in-depth collaboration in the field of vocational education between the two countries will be promoted.

Guangxi Financial Vocational College adheres to building a highland for open cooperation and innovation in vocational education in Guangxi facing ASEAN, actively explores new models of integration of production and education, helps the high-quality economic development of the ASEAN region, and constantly polishes the golden brand of “Modern Craftsmen” in international exchanges and cooperation.

Four-Party Collaboration Between Schools and Enterprises to Enhance the Ability of Vocational Education to Serve Industries

Focusing on the construction of the “China-Malaysia Digital Economy Modern Craftsman College”, the school has established a regular communication mechanism with Malaysian national universities and enterprises, forming a “school-school-enterprise-enterprise” co-construction model. It has jointly built a “1+1+N” production-education integration innovation and development carrier with “one industry community, one modern craftsman college, and N demonstration enterprises and branch colleges” as the core. Relying on the background of the digital economy industry, it serves the overseas expansion of products of Chinese enterprises and increases the output value of enterprises by about 13 million yuan.

Co-construction of Overseas Platforms to Promote In-depth Collaboration in China-ASEAN Vocational Education

The school has successively established foreign exchange projects such as the China-ASEAN Business Technology Innovation and Vocational Education Cooperation Center (Indonesia), Cooperation Center (Cambodia), and the overseas “Silk Road Finance College”, forming an all-round and sustainable pattern of vocational education exchanges. Relying on the intellectual resources of the “Zhongguancun Artificial Intelligence Large Model Industry Agglomeration Area” in Tsinghua Science Park, it has built 1 overseas digital intelligence center, 2 exchange centers, 3 technical service platforms, and 2 cross-border production-education integration bases. It accurately meets the technical and talent needs of enterprises in ASEAN countries and further promotes China-ASEAN vocational education collaboration.

Cross-border Ecological Integration to Empower the Training of “Modern Craftsmen”

With the help of the Modern Craftsman College project, schools and enterprises have built an international talent training matrix integrating “teaching, training, competitions, research, conferences, and exhibitions”. It has co-constructed and shared 6 standards, 4 international courses, 1 bilingual textbook, and 8 international training resource packages, and developed 6 teaching equipment. It has carried out 49 domestic and foreign skill training sessions, covering 8,251 participants. It has held 2 international skill competitions for ASEAN, attracting 303 teams from 7 countries to compete. The school also held the “2024 China (Guangxi)-ASEAN Vocational Education Development Exchange Conference”, jointly carried out research projects and exhibition activities with universities and enterprises in ASEAN countries, explored the “AI+X” compound talent training model, transported high-quality applied talents for the development of Guangxi’s digital economy and China-ASEAN artificial intelligence industry cooperation, and wrote a new chapter in vocational education serving the local economy.

Source: Guangxi Financial Vocational College

PROFESSOR SPYRIDON FLOGAITIS HONOURED WITH 2025 GLOBAL CITIZEN AWARD

by jezzabellemente, posted in Uncategorized

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 4 (Bernama) — The prestigious Global Citizen Award has recognised distinguished legal scholar and advocate for public governance, Professor Spyridon Flogaitis for his lifelong commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, and expanding legal access for vulnerable communities.

The annual tribute is presented by leading international residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners, in partnership with the Swiss non-profit humanitarian organisation Andan Foundation.

“Professor Flogaitis has demonstrated how the law can be a transformative force for peace, dignity, and inclusion. His commitment to justice, democratic resilience, and cross-border collaboration exemplifies what it means to be a global citizen,” said Henley & Partners Chairman and Andan Foundation Founder, Dr Christian H. Kaelin.

Presented at a gala reception during the 19th annual Global Citizenship Conference in London, the award honours individuals who show exceptional courage and commitment towards improving and supporting the global community.

Professor Flogaitis received the Global Citizen Award for his tireless work in advancing public law, legal education, and institutional reform, particularly in regions facing democratic fragility and post-crisis recovery.

As Director and President of the Board of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO), he has led groundbreaking initiatives to improve local governance, train civil servants, and expand access to justice for marginalised groups.

His efforts have had a lasting impact in Southeastern Europe and beyond, fostering legal frameworks that uphold human rights and enable civic participation, Henley & Partners said in a statement.

The Global Citizen Award selection process is based on a majority decision of the Global Citizen Award Committee. The award comprises a bespoke sculptural medal designed by Italian artist Antonio Nocera, an award certificate signed by the Committee Chairman, and a monetary prize of US$20,000 to support the recipient’s humanitarian work. (US$1 = RM4.19)

Henley & Partners also commits to a year-long collaboration with the recipient to raise awareness and amplify their impact through its global network of more than 70 offices.

— BERNAMA

Record water tariff increases finally end, but Europe emerges a new leader

by jezzabellemente, posted in Uncategorized

OXFORD, England, Sept 29 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Water Intelligence (GWI)’s annual Tariff Survey, published on 24th September, found that average global water tariff growth from 2024 to 2025 was 6.2%, putting an end to the record increases seen in the high-inflation post-pandemic years.

Where tariffs are increasing however, the decision is more frequently driven by the needs for long-term investments rather than operational cost recovery, which was driving early post-pandemic increases. 

Unusually, Europe is at the forefront of this year’s tariff increase, with new legislation and investments in climate change resilience driving higher-than-usual increases. Two countries join Europe at the top of the increase table, Turkey and Kazakhstan, with both countries taking seven of the ten spots for top increases in 2025.

In Kazakhstan, the authorities took the plunge with a shift to volumetric tariffs to meet investment needs in ageing infrastructure and resilience. Despite the large increase, tariffs remain low in absolute terms however.

Elsewhere in Asia, where GWI has surveyed 172 cities from 40 countries and territories, growth is sluggish. A few notable increases in India are far from enough to lift the country’s standing in the tariff ranking: South Asia remains by far the cheapest region in the world. 

In Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, after sustained growth over the past few years, growth is relatively subdued this year, with notable exceptions such as South Africa and Argentina. As for North America, tariff growth is stable, underpinned in many cities by increases in stormwater charges to cope with more extreme weather events.

Become a GWI Member today to access the full dataset, including detailed tariff profiles for 641 cities in 200 countries, in-depth articles, plus all previous tariff survey data dating back to 2011: http://www.globalwaterintel.com.

About Global Water Intelligence

Global Water Intelligence is the leading market intelligence and events company serving the international water industry. Over the last 25 years we have built our business around being a trusted interface between our clients and their markets, providing our customers with high-level intelligence that enables them to make the most informed strategic decisions for their business. We cover municipal markets and every industrial vertical as well as technology, finance and economics.

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SOURCE: Global Water Intelligence