News In Brief

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Welcome to our ‘News In Brief’ column in which we digest all the news releases for you in no more than five paragraphs. Below are snippets of all the media releases that we received from June 13 till 19. Please check back throughout the week for more updates.

Alibaba Rolls Out New Training Program

Kuala Lumpur, June 13 Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI), a professional training arm of  Alibaba Group, will launch a new edition of its Alibaba Netpreneur Training program in Malaysia with support from the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).
The four-week program will include a series of online classes to support local entrepreneurs across different sectors in harnessing digital technology to grow their businesses within the local economy.
Scheduled to run from July 12 to August 16, the latest edition of the Alibaba Netpreneur Training continues AGI’s efforts to equip entrepreneurs and business leaders with tangible and actionable steps they can take to advance in the digital economy.
To date, AGI has trained 317 entrepreneurs in  Malaysia through this program since its launch in 2019.
This year’s curriculum will offer a more dedicated focus on post-pandemic online commerce trends such as cross-border shopping and other digital economy developments, to align with businesses’ growing pivot towards e-commerce and their needs to navigate this changing landscape.
For more information on the enrollment criteria, the full program details and how to register, please visit here.

Shop More, Save More with Astro Go Shop 

Kuala Lumpur, June 13: Go Shop, Malaysia’s home shopping and eCommerce platform, launched their ‘Macam-Macam Ada’ campaign this month to offer customers the best deals across various categories including health and wellness, kitchen and dining, home and living, fashion and beauty, electronics, and a brand-new category – travel.
Customers can enjoy RM20 off by using the code ADA20 with a minimum spend of RM220 and will also receive another RM20 voucher for their next purchase.
Customers who are looking for short and sweet local getaways can purchase the ‘Let’s Go Cuti!’ travel packages for under RM80 to enjoy a trip to Cameron Highlands and Port Dickson.
In addition, Go Shop is offering travel essentials from brands like Urbanlite, Barry Smith, and discounts of up to 40 per cent from top digital and electronic brands such as Vivo, OPPO, Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung.
Find out more exciting deals and offers via Go Shop on Astro – Go Shop RUUMA (CH118), Go Shop GAAYA (CH120), Go Shop BAARU (CH111) in Bahasa Malaysia and CH303 in Mandarin. For more information, go to www.goshop.com.my or download the Go Shop app from Google Play and App Store.

MGRC Bhd Gets Affected Issuer Status Uplifted

Petaling Jaya, June 13: Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Bhd (MGRC), a leading genomics and biopharmaceutical specialist has announced that it is uplifted from being classified as an affected listed corporation effective today. 
This followed the decision by Bursa Securities Malaysia Bhd to grant the Group a waiver in submitting a regularisation plan after being classified as an affected listed corporation pursuant to Rule 8.03A of the Listing Requirements.
Bursa Securities had made the classification according to Rule 8.03A on 24 December 2019 and Malaysian Genomics had submitted an application seeking approval to exempt the Group from submitting a proposed regularisation plan on 24 March 2022.
The waiver was granted on June 10.
In a recent announcement on its 3Q 2022 performance, Malaysian Genomics reported a profit before tax (“PBT”) of RM1.96 million compared with a PBT of RM0.2 million in 3Q 2021.
Earnings per share (“EPS”) stood at 1.60 sen for 3Q 2022 compared with EPS of 0.19 sen in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year.

SCIB Provides Further Clarification 

Kuala Lumpur, June 13: Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd, a civil engineering specialist, wishes to clarify further on the Letter of Award (LoA) dated June 7 granted by Ennova Sdn Bhd appointing SCIB Properties Sdn Bhd as a sub-contractor to undertake engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contract in connection with the Integrated Smart Lamp Pole Replacement project for Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur.
In addition to the information furnished in the LoA, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SCIB, Rosland Othman, noted that SCIBP’s scope of work included but is not limited to site clearing, excavation and reinforced concrete footing structure, laying all reinforcement concrete, bolts and nuts, and plates on all mild steel structures, with the poles, fittings and accessories to be supplied by Ennova.
“The scope also includes perimeter chain-link fencing works, mild steel gates and erection; earthworks, levelling, setting out, making a point, and other related works; mechanical and engineering works such as wiring, switch boxes, connection to conduits, lay ground earth cable and rem as well as installation of the monopole.”
Ennova is to bear all construction costs of the poles, including the rental of each erected pole in accordance with the agreed rental price between it and DBKL.
“We are unaware of any funding or financing arrangement for the contract by DBKL.”

Seng Fong Holdings Berhad Launches Prospectus

Kuala Lumpur, June 14:  Seng Fong Holdings Bhd, a rubber processor producing and trading Standard Malaysia Rubber and premium grade block rubbers launched the company’s prospectus for the initial public offering (IPO) en route to a listing on the main market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd. 
Seng Fong’s IPO involves the issuance of 160.87 million ordinary shares or 31 per cent of the company’s enlarged number of issued shares comprising a public issue of 90.81 million shares and an offer for sale of 70.06 million shares.
“Our immediate objectives from the listing are to optimise production by increasing our total annual capacity through the hiring of additional workers for a second working shift and implementing the ESG initiatives to make our business to be more sustainable, “ Seng Fon Managing Director Er Hock Lai said. 
“We intend to use part of the proceeds raised in the IPO to fund our working capital requirements to expand annual production capacity to 166,000 metric tonnes by 2023 from the current capacity of 142,000 metric tonnes.
To further our ESG initiatives, we are also using proceeds raised from the IPO to repay bank borrowings that we have used to install two solar systems that will help reduce overall electricity expenses.” 

Carsome’s New Advisory Board 

Kuala Lumpur, June 14: Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform Carsome Group Inc (Carsome) had announced the appointment of its advisory board which comprises a multitude of expertise to lead the regional expansion and accelerate growth as the company continues to strengthen its leadership in Southeast Asia.
The advisory board is made up of individuals of various specializations, dynamic perspectives and deep expertise who will provide insights, connect networks and share experiences in building and scaling technology companies in the region.
The board currently consists of four members, namely Managing Partner & Co-founder of Asia Partners, Nicholas Nash, Founder of Smile Group, Harish Bahl, Managing Partner of Indies Capital, Pandu Sjahrir; and Vice President of Meta Asia Pacific, Dan Neary.
Carsome Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng mentioned that the advisory board adds great values to Carsome’s leadership team by elevating decision-making and affirming the company’s next steps on firmer, proven footing. 
“We are confident that their expertise, experience and network will invaluably help in Carsome’s mission to deliver trust, choice and transparency to our customers across the car transaction and ownership experiences across Southeast Asia,” Cheng said.

AFC Congratulates Australia 

Kuala Lumpur, June 14: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated Australia for becoming the record sixth AFC side to secure their place at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 after the Socceroos successfully navigated past Peru 5-4 on penalties as both sides played to a goalless draw after 120 minutes in a riveting FIFA World Cup Intercontinental Playoff on Monday.
“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Australia for qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” AFC President Shaikh Salman said:
“At the same time, we should also take a moment to reflect and acknowledge the incredible commitment of all our final 12 Participating Member Associations who had to endure great challenges over the last two-and-a-half years.”

Aurelius Expands To Kedah

Kuala Lumpur, June 14:  Aurelius Healthcare Group has finalised a collaboration with Intan Medical Centre Sdn Bhd to be the majority shareholder and operator of a private hospital in Alor Setar, Kedah, which shall be renamed with the new trade name of Aurelius Hospital Alor Setar.
This is the group’s second venture in Malaysia and is a testament to Aurelius’ strategy to transform healthcare delivery and expand medical access to all Malaysians. 
Soon to be known as Aurelius Hospital Alor Setar, it is currently under construction and aims to be operational by Q4 2023, catering to the city’s growing population.
The hospital will have a 200-bed capacity, making it the largest private medical facility in Kedah. Located in Mergong, a bustling business hub in Alor Setar, the six-storey private hospital will be equipped with the latest technology and top-notch medical equipment to provide a complete spectrum of services and care in its Centre of Excellence. 
A full array of medical services will be available, including general surgery, a dental and skin specialist clinic, a hybrid operating theatre, MRI, CT Scan, endoscopy, and more.

MR D.I.Y. Lends Support To MACO        

Kuala Lumpur, June 14:  MR D.I.Y Group Bhd recently lent its support to the Computer Empowerment Programme, an initiative by Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO).   
The latter is an NGO formed by a group of specialist doctors and non-medical volunteers who provide free medical services, meals, food aid, and refurbished computers to the underprivileged. Under the Computer Empowerment Programme, MACO repurposes computer sets to equip computer laboratories in schools. 
Over 2,000 computer sets have been repurposed by the organisation as of April.  
MR D.I.Y’s IT team volunteered to support the programme by refurbishing 110 complete computer sets inclusive of Central Processing Units (CPU)s, monitors, keyboards, and accessories, ready for schools across Peninsular Malaysia to use in their computer labs. 
The refurbished computers were sourced from MR D.I.Y’s headquarters in Seri Kembangan as well as its stores around the country. 

Airbnb A Lifeline To Many

Kuala Lumpur, June 14: Airbnb’s latest survey has found that the homeowners are using platforms to help them cover the rising cost of living.
As the pandemic saw businesses and livelihoods impacted and costs of living rise across Malaysia, income earned through hosting became an essential part of navigating these challenges. In response to a question about why they host their space on Airbnb:
Against the backdrop of higher prices for everyday goods, almost 60 per cent of hosts surveyed in Malaysia said they use the income earned through hosting on Airbnb to buy food and other necessities that have become more expensive.
Beyond paying their rent and mortgages, more than half of the hosts surveyed indicated that they use the money earned through hosting to improve their homes.
As Malaysians come together to rebuild the country’s economy, the support lokal spirit continues to thrive among Airbnb Hosts as they contribute to the local community and economy by recommending locally-owned businesses to guests.

New Data Shows Higher Survival Rates

Sydney, June 15: New research from the Cancer Council has revealed clear evidence of ongoing progress in survival for  Australian children with cancer. 
In a new report titled Childhood cancer survival and avoided deaths in Australia, 1983 to 2016,  researchers found that due to improvements in survival over the last 40 years, the actual number of deaths due to cancer among children under 15 years old has decreased substantially since the mid-1990s compared to the expected number of deaths if survival rates had remained the same. They concluded that survival for childhood cancer has continued to improve over recent years due to ongoing progress in the development of new and better treatments combined with improved supportive care.
To conduct the study, researchers from Cancer Council Queensland, Queensland Children’s Hospital,  The University of Queensland and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute used information from the Australian Childhood Cancer Registry (ACCR), one of the longest-running and most comprehensive national databanks of childhood cancer in the world.
The ACCR is funded and managed by Cancer Council Queensland.  

CommBank Partners With Mambu 

Singapore, June 15: Australia’s leading bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), has selected market-leading SaaS cloud banking platform Mambu as the technology foundation of its next-gen digital mortgage brand, Unloan.
Mambu is a true SaaS cloud banking platform and has a uniquely composable approach that enables the assembly of independent components, systems, and connectors to meet business needs and end-user demands.
This approach aligns perfectly with CBA’s goal to understand and anticipate its customers’ evolving needs, utilising next-gen technology like data analytics, AI and cloud to deliver personalised, agile and flexible finance solutions to consumers.
Unloan is set to be a revolutionary force in the Australian mortgage industry, with the new offering able to provide loan refinancing applications in as little as 10 minutes and a discount that increases every year for up to 30 years.
Unloan was launched to the Australian market last month.

FastJobs Seeing Hiring Boom 

Kuala Lumpur, June 15: FastJobs Malaysia has observed that the non-executive labour market has boomed again since Malaysia’s economy reopened in April.
With the opening of the economy, the number of vacancies posted on FastJobs’ mobile app and web platform has significantly increased year on year in sales, retail, marketing, hospitality, food and beverage, and administrative and clerical.
According to the platform’s latest data, job postings across industries increased by 106.6 per cent in May compared to the same period last year.
The hospitality and food and beverage industries had the most vacancies with a 205.3 per cent increase in openings compared to last year.
The company said vacancies in the administrative and clerical fields increased by 84.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, even exceeding the number of available jobs before the pandemic.
Comparatively, the number of sales, retail, and marketing jobs posted to the platform has increased by 64.4 per cent since the same period last year. 

Health And Wellness Tourism For Sabah 

Kota Kinabalu, June 15: A plan is in the works to establish Sabah Health and Wellness Tourism Council (SHWTC) to market Sabah as a destination for medical tourism.
Led by Dr Anil Kumar met with the Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai to discuss the formation of the Council.
Dr Anil, who is Medisinar managing director, said the SHWTC act as a one-stop centre for all matters related to the health paradigm.
Bnagkuai gave an assurance that the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) would work closely with members of the local medical community to make Sabah a choice of destination for health care tourism.
“We’ve had success in other sectors of tourism, such as rural tourism, and there’s no reason why Sabah can’t do the same in medical tourism,’ he said. 

Choco Up Launches Choco Payment  

Singapore, June 16: Choco Up, a global technology and financial services platform offering revenue-based financing for digital merchants and startups has announced the launch of Choco Payment.
Embedded with Choco Up’s flagship underwriting capabilities and powered by the global financial infrastructure platform Stripe, Choco Payment is an integrated payment solution that provides revenue-based financing of up to US$10 million to businesses with recurring revenues in verticals such as eCommerce and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), among others. 
“This partnership platform allows Choco Up to perform best-in-class risk management that troubles many payment processing solutions, such as client onboarding, managing payouts, handling refunds, and reducing chargebacks,” Brian Tsang, Co-founder and COO of Choco Up said.
Powered by Stripe Connect, Choco Up now offers Choco Payment, a global payments processing solution embedded with growth funding, helping digital merchants overcome barriers to business growth. 
The Choco Payment platform integrates Stripe’s multi-currency payment processing capability with a single embedded payment gateway, allows digital merchants to accept online payments in more than 135 currencies across 180+ countries, and manage funds through over 10 different payment methods including credit cards, digital wallets, bank transfers, etc.

ALTY Orthopaedic Teams Up With Viatris 

Kuala Lumpur, June 16: Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that most often is diagnosed in adolescents. ​Most cases of scoliosis are mild, but some curves worsen as children grow and severe scoliosis can be disabling.
An especially-severe spinal curve can reduce the amount of space within the chest, making it difficult for the lungs to function properly, thus creating complications such as chronic pain, breathing difficulties, and a reduced capacity for exercise.  ​
In conjunction with the official awareness month of Scoliosis held in June, ALTY Orthopaedic Hospital, the preferred orthopaedic healthcare service provider has partnered with a pharmaceutical company, Viatris to drive awareness of Scoliosis among Malaysians. The collaboration will be held across four pharmacy branches in the Klang valley and walk-in visitors will receive a complimentary posture screening to detect early signs of Scoliosis if any.
Parents with young children along with the youth are highly encouraged to undertake the posture and for more information, please visit www.altyortho.com. 

‘Sail Malaysia Passage to the East’ Returns To Sabah 

Kota Kinabalu, June 16: The ‘Sail Malaysia Passage to the East’ 2022 Yacht Rally is scheduled to sail across the waters of Sabah next month, with about 20 boats participating.
With Kota Kinabalu as the starting point, the rally billed as one of Asia’s most anticipated sailing events is slated to begin from July 17 to August 27 with the final destination being Tawau.
On Wednesday, Sail Malaysia Managing Director Sazli Kamal Basha and SM Yachting Eastern Sabah Rally Director Wong Ming Rui met with the state’s assistant minister for Tourism, Culture, and Environment cum Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, to brief about the event.
Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Canada, France, Thailand, Sweden, and the United States of America will be among the 10 countries represented by yachts during the ‘Sail Malaysia Passage to the East, which returns to Sabah this year.
A cultural festival is also planned for Lahad Datu on Aug 15, with Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri due to attend.

Delyva Launches New International Shipping Service

Petaling Jaya, June 16:  Delyva Sdn Bhd has launched a new international shipping service targeting local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.
The new service, which is available now, features multiple international courier service providers covering more than 100 countries around the world and is accessible with DelyvaNow delivery booking platform.
The new service allows SME sellers to get more cost-effective rates for international courier services and sell to more markets regardless of the volume of delivery or number of international courier services used.
They also get access to a unified tracking feature where they can track all of their international shipments in one place and provide real-time tracking updates to their customers.
With this new service, the Company hopes to help encourage more sellers to consider expanding their market reach outside of Malaysia.

Aussie Bartenders Unite For Cocktail Book

Sydney, June 16: While the Fourth of July is not an occasion widely honoured in Australia, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the quality of the American spirits we all know and love.
Ahead of Independence Day, twenty-two of Australia’s leading bartenders and mixologists have partnered with ‘Cheers! Spirits from the USA’ to create a free cocktail book containing a range of localised versions of cocktails that hero American spirits.
Whether it’s Dan Gregory from The Gresham putting his spin on the iconic Old Fashioned, Jack Patchett from Black Bottle Bar with his adaptation of the much-loved Whiskey Sour, or Talis Heggart from Memphis Slim’s House of Blues modernisation on the Lynchburg Lemonade, there is a recipe in this book suited to every taste.
Plus, these recipes created by these world-class bartenders have been designed specifically for Aussies to make and enjoy at home.
The cocktails will highlight the quality and versatility of American spirit brands including Angel’s Envy, Jack Daniels, Koval, Maker’s Mark, Old Forester, Wild Turkey, Westland, Westward American Single Malt Whiskey and Woodford Reserve.
Once you download the Fourth of July 2022 cocktail book, you’ll be able to make these unique cocktails all year round and for one week only, the participating bartenders will also have them available at their venue.

Sydney Powerhouse Museum Wins Award

Sydney, June 17: The Powerhouse has been awarded a prestigious Museums and Galleries National Award for Research for The Invisible Revealed exhibition at a ceremony in Perth this morning.
It was among 30 exhibitions nominated across five award categories, which spotlight the Australian cultural sector’s most creative and innovative cultural projects.  
The Invisible Revealed features collaborative investigations initiated through a unique research partnership between the Powerhouse and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO).
ANSTO’s world-class research facilities, featuring neutron instruments, synchrotron X-ray beams and particle accelerators, provided chemical, material and manufacturing insights into objects from the Powerhouse collection.
“The Powerhouse is honoured to have our research partnership with ANSTO acknowledged with this prestigious award. The non-destructive analytical processes applied in The Invisible Revealed will make a significant contribution to contemporary collection practices across conservation, and research documentation,” Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah said. 

Sydney Walks With Christ

Sydney, June 17: Thousands of Catholics are set to return to the streets of Sydney this weekend, proudly proclaiming their faith with a procession through the city to celebrate the Feast of Corpus Christi.
Alongside Easter and Christmas, the Feast of Corpus Christi is one of the most important celebrations of faith in the Catholic calendar; however, a full procession through the streets of Sydney has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID pandemic.
Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Most Rev. Anthony Fisher OP will lead the procession through the CBD on Sunday with Catholics coming from across NSW.
“This is the first time in three years Catholics have been able to gather in the thousands to proudly profess our faith on one of our holiest of feast days. Celebrating the Eucharist at the Feast of Corpus Christi is a source of hope and spiritual nourishment”, Archbishop Fisher said.
The procession will start at 2:30 pm in Martin Place and travel along the streets of Sydney to St Mary’s Cathedral.

40 Rolex’s Up For Grabs 

Sydney, June 17: Millions of dollars of Rolex Watches, Louis Vuitton and Hermes handbags high-end shoes, jewellery and opulent items are set to sell in this weekend’s Lloyds Auction sale.
“We are seeing more high-end watch brands such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Breitling and others coming forth to auction as they are achieving these record prices across the board and those with the disposable income are happy to pay that bit more to own it and have it in their hand now rather than later,” Lee Hames, Australian Chief Operations Officer for Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers said.
Knight Frank’s 2022 Luxury Investment Index Report stated that fine wine and watches led with the highest increase in investment, both rising an impressive 16 per cent through the year with handbags increasing by seven per cent in asset performance.
The auction is online now and opens for bidding and closes on June 19 at 7 pm (AEST). 

Sabah Maintains Its Tourism Lead 

Kuala Lumpur, June 18: Sabah’s tourism recovery efforts are showing signs of success with a growing number of direct international and domestic flights into the State.
While flight domestic connectivity is back in full swing, state Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said international connectivity is also making great strides to make Sabah accessible within the Southeast Asia region.
“I am pleased to inform you that our domestic connection is expanding, with a total of 389 weekly flights now available since the interstate travel was lifted late last year and the international border reopened in April this year. There used to be 445 weekly flights before the pandemic.
“To date, Sabah has welcomed five direct international flights and we will receive two more direct flights from Incheon, South Korea to Kota Kinabalu next week.
“We are also expecting a Bangkok-Kota Kinabalu direct flight to resume. This is indeed an extremely positive scene for the Sabah tourism industry,” he said at the launching of Bazaar MATTA 2022 at the Sunway Velocity Mall here, on Saturday.

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