News In Brief

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 we received from Sept 16 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

Beetlejuice Tops Box Office

Sydney, Sept 16: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” continued to lead the national box office this weekend, adding $2.41M and bringing its total to $7.12M.
In second place, The Wild Robot took $851K during preview screenings, while Deadpool & Wolverine remained strong, earning $827K in third place.
James McAvoy’s Speak No Evil debuted at fourth with $706K, and It Ends With Us held fifth place, adding $479K, reaching $21.77M total.
New releases this week include Transformers One and the official release of The Wild Robot. Also opening is the Australian film Runt, starring Celeste Barber.

UGG Goes Vegan

Sydney, Sept 17: UGG has launched its first-ever vegan boots in collaboration with New York fashion brand Collina Strada. The boots are made from sugarcane, TENCEL, and recycled polyester microfibre.
This move comes after years of pressure from PETA, including shareholder activism, viral campaigns, and support from celebrities like Pamela Anderson.
PETA has long exposed abuse in Australia’s wool industry and hopes to see all UGG footwear become animal-friendly.

Renovation Loans Surge

Sydney, Sept 17: Homeowners are opting to renovate instead of buying, with renovation loans becoming the fastest-growing segment of new loans.
Data from Money.com.au shows a 43 per cent monthly and 7 per cent annual increase in alteration loans, with 3,113 new loans issued in July 2024.
The average loan amount has also risen to $272,085. Rising property prices and stamp duty costs are prompting homeowners to renovate rather than relocate, particularly in Western Australia, Victoria, and Queensland, which saw significant growth in alteration loans.

Intel and AWS Expand Partnership

Sydney, Sept 17: Intel and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a multi-billion-dollar co-investment to design custom chips, furthering their long-standing collaboration.
Intel will produce an AI fabric chip on its advanced 18A node for AWS, while also developing a custom Xeon 6 chip.
The partnership aims to enhance AI application performance and strengthen U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.
AWS is investing $7.8 billion in Ohio to expand its data center operations, supporting Intel’s semiconductor production in the state.

Future for Female Electricians

Sydney, Sept 17: With only 5.5 per cent of Australian electricians being women, the sector faces a skills shortage. NECA, a leading Group Training Organisation, is aiming to boost female participation, currently at 7.9 per cent nationally.
NECA’s new Female Engagement Officer, Jane Ewing, is focused on increasing this number by promoting Pre-Apprenticeship Programs for female high school students.
Ewing emphasizes the need to dismantle barriers and foster inclusive workplaces.
NECA apprentices like Rachael Blair and Sophie Liney highlight the benefits of the programs, including practical training and supportive environments that cater to women in the trade industry.

Samaiden Expands in Indonesia

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 17: Samaiden Group Berhad has formed a joint venture with PT MCS Bina Energi to tap into Indonesia’s renewable energy market.
Through Samaiden SG Pte Ltd, the company will hold a 70 per cent stake, while MCS will own 30 per cent.
This partnership will focus on developing solar photovoltaic systems, power plants, and other renewable energy projects.
Samaiden’s role will include providing technical expertise, while MCS will handle business development and regulatory matters in Indonesia. This move is part of Samaiden’s broader strategy to expand its renewable energy presence in Southeast Asia.

BAM Mutual Enters Australia

Sydney, Sept 17: BAM Mutual, a bond insurer focused on reducing debt costs for essential infrastructure, has launched in Australia.
The company will begin insuring bonds and loans for energy transition projects, social infrastructure, and transportation facilities in Australia and New Zealand.
BAM’s AA-rated guarantee lowers borrowing costs, expands investor access, and provides greater certainty for project financing.
This marks BAM’s first expansion outside the U.S., with a new Melbourne office led by Andrew Bevan, a veteran of the capital markets in the region.

Wayne Lim Joins PUC

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 18: PUC Berhad has appointed Wayne Lim Beng Chai as Group Chief Commercial Officer.
Lim brings nearly 30 years of experience in the MSME sector, having founded Malaysia SME Media Group and launched fintech platforms like Kongsi and MySubsidi.
He aims to strengthen PUC’s commercial growth and enhance its media subsidiary, Redhot Media Sdn Bhd, by tailoring services for MSMEs.
PUC CEO Cheong Chia Chou expressed confidence in Lim’s ability to boost the company’s leadership in digital solutions and drive growth across sectors.

Hansaplast Launches Scar Patch

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 18: Hansaplast Malaysia celebrated First Aid Day 2024 with the First Aid Conference, introducing the Scar Reducer patch, clinically proven to reduce hypertrophic and keloid scars within weeks.
The company also partnered with St. John Ambulance of Malaysia to launch a national ‘Wound Care Education Program’ in schools, emphasizing first aid education.
Hansaplast remains committed to providing innovative wound care solutions and empowering individuals to manage injuries confidently.

ACS Sponsors ACIS 2024

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 18: ACS has been announced as the Gold Sponsor of the Australasian Conference on Information Systems (ACIS) 2024, set for 4-6 December in Canberra.
The conference, now in its 35th year, will focus on how technology can drive economic resilience, digital sovereignty, and social equity.
Sessions will explore emerging technologies, digital innovation, and ethical issues like data privacy and AI, while also featuring industry case studies and research presentations.

Jurassic World Breaks Records

Sydney, Sept 19: TEG’s Jurassic World by Brickman has set a new record as the highest attended exhibition at Queensland Museum, with over 250,000 visitors.
The LEGO® Brick exhibition, created by The Brickman Team, also toured Australia and New Zealand, drawing over a million attendees.
A second version of the exhibit has toured internationally, with stops in Sweden, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and plans to reach the United States.
The Brickman team’s Wonders of the World exhibition is also among Queensland Museum’s top five attended shows.

Mecwacare’s Digital Transformation

Sydney, Sept 19: Mecwacare has partnered with Cognizant to launch a comprehensive digital transformation, modernizing its healthcare services and enhancing experiences for clients, families, and employees.
The initiative will integrate Salesforce and Workday into a single platform, driving innovation and operational efficiency.
By leveraging data, analytics, and AI, mecwacare aims to optimize care delivery and create a person-centric service model.
This multi-year project underscores mecwacare’s commitment to improving aged care services through technology.

Hub Australia Tackles Office Culture

Sydney, Sept 19: Hub Australia’s Love Where You Work report highlights the rise of ‘workplace window dressing,’ where employers make superficial claims about flexibility and culture without delivering real value.
Surveying 775 members, the report found social connections and meaningful office experiences are key reasons employees prefer returning to the office.
Over half of respondents favored flexible work arrangements, and 87 per cent said social activities were in high demand.
Hub’s report offers a roadmap to improve workplace environments, focusing on employee engagement and tailored workspaces that foster productivity and collaboration.

Sepiring Marks Nine Years

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 19: Sepiring, a beloved Halal-certified Malaysian restaurant, celebrates its 9th anniversary with a series of activities across Klang Valley throughout September and October 2024.
The festivities include surprise house visits and a special fans get-together for loyal customers and sedapZ app members.
Known for its authentic local dishes like Nyonya Nasi Ulam Platter and Penang Rojak, Sepiring offers nostalgic flavors with a modern twist.
To mark the occasion, Sepiring will offer a one-day promotion on 20 September 2024, with Nyonya Nasi Ulam priced at RM9.90. Other promotions include up to 50 per cent off selected items until 3 November.

Kula Launches AI Hiring Platform

San Francisco, Sept 20: Kula has introduced an AI-powered hiring platform aimed at transforming the recruitment process.
The platform addresses challenges recruiters have faced for years by automating sourcing, screening, scheduling, and analytics.
Launched in San Francisco, the platform marks Kula’s evolution from a sourcing tool to a comprehensive hiring solution. It integrates generative AI to streamline candidate management and boasts features like intelligent screening, automated outreach, and real-time analytics.
Kula’s co-founder and CEO, Achuthanand Ravi, emphasized that the platform is designed by recruiters, for recruiters, with AI at its core, offering a seamless experience for talent acquisition teams. Expansion into Europe is also planned for the future.

Alibaba Cloud’s AI Expansion

China, Sept 19: Alibaba Cloud has unveiled over 100 open-source Qwen 2.5 multimodal models and introduced a revamped full-stack infrastructure at the Apsara Conference in Kuala Lumpur.
The new models, ranging from 0.5 to 72 billion parameters, support over 29 languages and various AI applications.
The cloud provider also introduced Qwen2-VL, a video comprehension model, and a text-to-video model under its Tongyi Wanxiang family.
Additionally, Alibaba Cloud launched new data management tools, a next-gen data center architecture, and the 9th Generation Elastic Compute Service, enhancing efficiency for global customers.

AR Transforms Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 20: AR FEST KL is bringing Augmented Reality to 10 iconic locations across Downtown Kuala Lumpur from 30 August to 30 November.
Featuring over 30 AR activations, the festival blends art, history, and technology through four key programmes: StreetARt, ARca, ARtworks, and CheritAR.
Visitors can experience interactive murals, digital sculptures, and AI-powered avatars at notable sites such as the National Art Gallery, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, and Victoria Fountain.
The festival is co-organised by EDT, Studio Behind 90, and Evertreasure, with support from various partners including Think City and DBKL.