News In Brief

Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you and write them in no more than five paragraphs. Below are snippets of all the media releases that we received from October 4 till 10. Please check back throughout the week for more updates.

Qatar Airways Announced As ‘Airline of the Year’ By Skytrax 

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 4: Qatar Airways has been announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax, in addition to securing five additional awards including World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge, World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat, World’s Best Business Class Onboard Catering and Best Airline in the Middle East.
The airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry having now won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021).
Known as the Oscars of the Aviation Industry, the 2021 Skytrax awards covered the period from September 2019 to July 2021 with the results reflecting a mix of more normal travel times combined with travel during the pandemic.
The extended period clearly demonstrated the resilience and flexibility of Qatar Airways, as it not only delivered continued excellence during normal times, but steadfastly continued flights and offered a lifeline to its customers across the globe during the most challenging of times. Qatar Airways also became the first global airline to receive the Skytrax COVID-19 Safety Rating in January 2021 while its home and hub, Hamad International Airport, was recently voted the World’s Best Airport 2021 in August.

edotco Group Clinches Two Business Awards 

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 5 – edotco Group has clinched two awards at the Sustainable Business Awards Malaysia 2020/21, one of Asia’s most prestigious corporate sustainability awards programmes.
The recognition validates the Group’s commitment to best ESG practices that are aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 
“These recognitions attest to our efforts, and spur us on in our ambition to become a global Top 5 Next Generation Tower Company,”  edotco Group CEO Adlan Tajudin said.
‘Sustainability is a key pillar embedded in our business strategy and across our operations, which focuses on achieving sustainable growth.
“To ensure accelerated sustainable success, our business strategy is backed by a holistic future-proof modern workforce model that supercharges people’s transformation in this new norm world.” 

DOC2US Expands To Myanmar 

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 6: DOC2US, the first telemedicine provider in Malaysia will be expanding its services to Myanmar as the technical partner of HOPE Telecare.
HOPE Telecare, Myanmar’s latest all-in-one digital healthcare platform, is a joint venture between Myanmar’s Blue Ocean Investment Limited, TELEMED Company Limited, and DOC2US.
“This joint venture is the first step for DOC2US to extend our locally developed technology and healthcare solution to countries beyond Malaysia,”  DOC2US CEO Dr Raymond Choy said.
“By replicating DOC2US’ existing proven system and business model with “hyper-localised” elements, together with our partners, we aim to complement the physical healthcare ecosystem in Myanmar by freeing up physical medical resources to those who need it.”
DOC2US is the electronic prescription telemedicine provider in Malaysia that has been awarded the “First Digital Signature Electronic Prescription System” by Malaysian Book of Records.

Complaints About Four Major Banks Fall: AFCA

Sydney, Oct 6: Consumer complaints about the four major banks fell seven per cent in 2020-21, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) says in a new analysis of the 70,510 complaints it received overall in 2020-21.
AFCA also said seven of the 10 firms with the highest number of complaints in 2020-21 had fewer disputes raised against them.
The ombudsman service said it had now received over 216,000 complaints since it opened its doors in November 2018.
Chief Ombudsman and CEO David Locke said he was pleased to report a decrease in complaints about the major banks. “While we know there are challenges ahead in the coming months across the board, I hope all firms and customers continue to do what they’ve been doing – firms actively engaging with customers they think may be struggling, and customers talking to firms before a small problem becomes a bigger one,” he said.

The Fishy Business Of Artificial Reefs

Sydney, Oct 5: Australian scientists commissioned by University of New South Wales have uncovered why artificial reefs attract more small foraging fish, or baitfish, than natural reefs.
Using a high-tech fish finder called a multibeam echosounder, the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences researchers gained a 3D picture of five natural and three artificial reefs off Sydney during the day and at night and under different conditions.
They found that the tall vertical habitats provided by the 9-metre-high artificial reef allowed bait fish such as yellowtail scad and mado to spread out and feed much higher above the seafloor while still remaining close to the safety afforded by physical structures.
To know about the subject matter, check out the report Marine Ecology Progress Series lead by UK based researcher author Matthew Holland who wrote the paper when he was still a PhD candidate at UNSW Science not too long ago.

Catch Our National Shuttlers At The 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 7 : After an impressive run at the Sudirman Cup 2021, sports fans  can’t wait to cheer for our national shuttlers as they head for their next challenge, the 2020 Thomas  & Uber Cup held from October 9 till 17. 
Astro Arena (CH801), available on TV and Astro GO, will be bringing comprehensive coverage of both  events for all Astro customers.
Hosts Hafizal Hamad and Ahmed Sharazad Sani will bring coverage of  the Thomas Cup alongside ex-national shuttlers such as Roslin Hashim, Chong Wei Feng, Koo Kien Kiat  and Rashid Sidek.
Edleen Ismail along with other female ex-national shuttlers such as Sonia Cheah,  Goh Jin Wei, Goh Liu Ying and Woon Khe Wei will be sharing their thoughts on the Uber Cup.
Fans can watch live matches with commentary from Zainal Abidin Rawob, Sharon Wee and Syakirah  Zulkifly on Astro Arena, while Adam Zamri will be on site in Denmark to bring the latest news,  interviews, and updates on Nadi Arena from our national shuttlers at the 2020 Thomas & Uber Cup. 

The Women of the Future Awards Announced

Singapore, Oct 7: The fourth annual Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia – the only movement of its kind to recognise and nurture the pipeline of young female talent across the region – in association with NTT, announced 12 winners across the region via a virtual ceremony held live online for the public earlier this evening.
The awards ceremony began with a keynote speech from Indranee Rajah, Singapore’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, on inspiring female talent and empowering women in the region.
“It never ceases to amaze us how year after year these boundary-pushing young women keep proving what we’ve always known – that female talent in the region is deserving of recognition for their incredible achievements and the key role they play in spearheading change,” Pinky Lilani CBE DL, Founder, Women of the Future (WOF) Programme said.
The judges were leaders from a variety of fields and included Peta Latimer (CEO, Singapore, Mercer), and Wincel Kaufmann (VP, Blackrock Asia). The Chair of the Judging Panel this year was Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Group.
The winners of each category will gain access to many different opportunities, including the WOF network – a global and collaborative network of women who support and inspire each other to further professional and personal success.

Major Project To Examine Concussion In Australian Sport

Sydney, October 8: Research comparing the brain health of retired athletes from collision and non-collision sports will be part of a comprehensive and collaborative concussion project being led by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
The AIS has welcomed $340,000 in Australian Government funding for The Concussion and Brain Health project 2021-24, which will contribute to the evidence and understanding of sport-related concussion and continue to prioritise the health of Australian sport participants.
The Concussion and Brain Health project will begin this year and be delivered by 2024, comprising two major components.
The AIS will work with medical experts and researchers to update the Concussion in Sport Australia: Position Statement, a concussion management resource launched in 2019 and endorsed by more than 50 leading medical and sporting organisations.

Babylon Project 2.0: World Blockchain Hackathon in the Metaverse

San Francisco, Oct 8: The World Blockchain Hackathon returns this month with Babylon Project 2.0, its second annual virtual hackathon, focusing on the decentralised web, will be held in an interactive web-based virtual world, a metaverse experience with panels and development on CBDC, NFT, DeFI, DAO, Payments, DAPPs and Bitcoin scripts – and crowdfunding set up for the top 20 teams.
The Babylon Project is a hackathon initiative committed to democratising access to global innovation and the adoption of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies.
Last year, the hackathon attracted 1000 participants from 69 countries. 
This year’s virtual hackathon will be held in the metaverse for a month from October 29 till November 20, with each weekend packed with workshops, panels, talks and mentorship.
The goal is to increase engagement, allowing developers to have more time to learn, build and connect with sponsors and partners.
Participants are encouraged to form teams.
However, a single engineer can compete for prizes during the hackathon.

Stellar line-up of speakers join 7th AFC Medical Conference Qatar 2022

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 10: Renowned sports medicine and science professionals from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), FIFA, UEFA and Aspetar will form a stellar line-up of speakers at the much-anticipated 7^th AFC Medical Conference Qatar 2022 from 6 to 10 March.
Chairman of the FIFA Medical Committee Dr. Michel D’Hooghe will deliver a keynote address on the theme ‘Football and Sports Medicine – Celebrating Diversity’ to set the tone for the Conference.
AFC Medical Committee Chairperson Datuk Dr. Gurcharan Singh, an experienced sports medicine physician and expert in anti-doping programmes, will be joined by the FIFA Medical Director, Dr. Andrew Massey, Professor Roald Bahr, Head of the Aspetar Sports Injury & Illness Prevention (ASPREV) Programme and many other sports medicine and science experts from Aspetar and around the world.
Other invited speakers include Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Information Systems at the Hamad Medical Corporation Dr. Abdulwahab Al Musleh and Professor Yung Shu-hang Patrick, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, who holds various other medical positions in Hong Kong.
Please click here for more information on the programme and speakers at the 7^th AFC Medical Conference Qatar 2022, and how to submit your abstract or free paper application.