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 Jan 20 till the end of the week.
This article updates throughout the week.

SMEs Face Peak Pressures

Sydney, Jan 20: New research from YouGov, commissioned by Prospa, highlights financial and emotional strain on Australian small businesses as the peak sales season approaches. Nearly one in five small businesses lack cash reserves, and over three-quarters of leaders report significant personal impacts, including reduced income and increased stress.
Top concerns include reduced consumer spending (33 per cent), high operational costs (28 per cent), and maintaining service quality (27 per cent). In response, 26 per cent of business leaders plan to seek financial support within the next year, up from 23 per cent in 2023.
Encouragingly, businesses are beginning to rebuild cash reserves, with a 4 per cent improvement in six months. An anticipated rate cut early next year offers further hope for small businesses to end the year strong and prepare for 2025.

Family Films Dominate

Sydney, Jan 20: Family-friendly films ruled the Australian box office this weekend, with four of the top five movies catering to younger audiences. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 remained in the top spot, earning $2.13M and bringing its total to $25.01M. Mufasa: The Lion King followed, grossing $1.96M for a total of $23.12M. Paddington in Peru took third place with $1.75M, reaching $12.33M overall.
New release We Live in Time debuted fourth with $1.52M, while Moana 2 secured fifth place, adding $1.17M to its $48.51M total. The weekend’s box office totalled $14.28M across Australia.
Upcoming releases at HOYTS include the award-nominated A Complete Unknown starring Timothée Chalamet, The Brutalist featuring Adrien Brody and Guy Pierce, and a slate of international titles and advance screenings. Highlights include Flight Risk with Mark Wahlberg, the Spider-Man film series re-release, and more.

Negeri Sembilan Duo Triumph

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 20: Negeri Sembilan father-son duo, Imran Mohamed and Adam Darwisy, claimed victory in MR. TOY’s Remote Control Car Tournament held in Kuala Lumpur. They outperformed 10 teams nationwide in a tense two-hour race, clocking a winning time of 1 minute 2 seconds in the final round.
The national tournament aimed to promote family bonding and teamwork through a two-lap relay race. As champions, Imran and Adam received RM3,000 in cash vouchers and a trophy. Teams from Johor and Perak secured second and third places, winning RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.
The event, held at MR D.I.Y. PLUS IPC Shopping Centre, attracted over 740 entries and featured prizes worth RM10,000, including cash vouchers, trophies, and medals. Organizers hailed the tournament’s success in uniting families and showcasing racing skills.

Sponsors Boost STO 2025

Singapore, Jan 20: The inaugural Singapore Tennis Open (STO) 2025, running from 27 January to 2 February, features major sponsors Turkish Airlines, ASICS, and Polestar.
Turkish Airlines, the Official Airline, will award Business Class tickets to champions and fans. ASICS will outfit ball kids, officials, and staff as the Official Apparel and Footwear partner. Polestar, the Official Electric Vehicle partner, will provide player transfers and display premium EVs at Kallang Wave Mall.
Qualifying matches on 25-26 January are free, with main-draw play starting 27 January. Fans can enjoy world-class tennis, sponsor activations, and family-friendly activities.

Tex Cycle, Xantara Partner

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 20: Tex Cycle Technology (M) Berhad, via its subsidiary Tex Cycle (P2) Sdn. Bhd., has announced a strategic collaboration with Xantara Sdn. Bhd. to enhance scheduled waste management in line with Malaysia’s Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005.
The partnership combines Xantara’s expertise in waste treatment with Tex Cycle’s innovative recovery solutions to expand capabilities, improve compliance, and deliver value-driven services. The collaboration aims to meet the rising demand for sustainable waste management and address regulatory challenges.

Europe’s Top Asset Manager

Sydney, Jan 22: Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. and BPCE have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding to form a joint venture, creating Europe’s largest asset manager by revenue and a top global player.
The venture, a 50-50 partnership between Generali Investments Holding and Natixis Investment Managers, will manage €1.9 trillion in assets, ranking ninth globally by AUM. The combined entity will have a significant presence in France, Italy, and the United States, with plans to expand in Europe, North America, and Asia.
The partnership aims to enhance private asset offerings, leverage €15 billion in seed funding from Generali, and unlock growth opportunities. Governance will be balanced, with BPCE’s CEO Nicolas Namias as Chairman and Generali’s CEO Philippe Donnet as Vice Chairman.
Expected to close by early 2026, the joint venture is subject to regulatory approvals and consultations with employee representatives. The deal is anticipated to positively impact earnings for both companies from the first year.

Phoenix Shines at CES

Phoenix, Jan 22: The City of Phoenix made its debut at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, becoming the only U.S. city to exhibit at the global technology conference. Led by Mayor Kate Gallego, the delegation showcased Phoenix’s thriving tech ecosystem, securing hundreds of business meetings and connections with CEOs, startups, and investors.
Companies like Pawport, MiiHealth, and Gravitrex highlighted innovations in health care, pet tech, and mobility, while Mayo Clinic’s MedTech Accelerator program drew interest from international firms. The event strengthened Phoenix’s position as a hub for technology and entrepreneurship, attracting talent, investment, and partnerships.
For more on Phoenix’s tech initiatives, visit InvestInphoenix.com.

Qantas Tops On-Time Rankings

Sydney, Jan 22: Qantas has been named the most on-time major domestic airline for the fifth consecutive year, with 76.1 per cent of flights departing on schedule in 2024, compared to its competitor’s 73.7 per cent.
The airline improved from 74.1 per cent in 2023 and 69.2 per cent in 2022.
Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson acknowledged the improvements but emphasized the goal to further enhance reliability.
The airline’s cancellation rate also dropped to 3.2 per cent in 2024, down from 3.5 per cent in 2023.

Aneka Jaringan Revenue Rises

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 22: Aneka Jaringan Holdings Berhad reported a 35.19 per cent revenue increase for 1Q FYE2025, reaching RM79.47 million compared to RM58.78 million in 1Q FYE2024.
Profit after tax rose 68.52 per cent to RM2.33 million.
Other income totaled RM1.90 million, with administrative expenses at RM3.23 million and financing costs at RM0.93 million.
The Group secured RM55.99 million in new contracts, boosting its order book to RM217.43 million.

Australia Post Sets Record

Kuala Lumpur, Jan 23: Australia Post has announced a new record, delivering nearly 103 million parcels between November and December 2024, marking a 3.1 per cent increase from the previous year. This surge in deliveries is attributed to investment in network, technology, and customer service, as well as increased online shopping driven by cost-of-living concerns.
During the peak period, 2,800 parcels were delivered every minute, with 7.6 million households making at least one online purchase, up 2.4 per cent from last year. Health and Wellness, Athleisure, and Tools & Garden were among the most popular categories, seeing significant growth. Northern Territory, Tasmania, and South Australia led the way in year-on-year growth, while Queensland towns Mackay and Toowoomba and Victoria’s Point Cook were the top suburbs for online shopping.
Australia Post also saw a record 57 million visits to its app in December, with 4.6 million users tracking their parcels. The company continues to focus on improving reliability, speed, and customer experience as it prepares for the next peak shopping season.

Qatar Airways Adds Destinations

Doha, Jan 23: Qatar Airways has announced the launch of two new weekly flights to Bogotá, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela, starting early summer 2025.
These new routes, operated by Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, will expand the airline’s Americas network to 16 destinations, including major cities like Miami, New York, and Toronto.
The service will connect Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) to Bogotá and continue to Caracas, with the return flight operating non-stop to Doha.
Qatar Airways becomes the first Middle Eastern airline to offer non-stop flights to Colombia and the only one flying to Venezuela, enhancing connectivity across its global network of over 170 destinations.
Tickets for the new routes will go on sale soon.

Adobe Unveils AI Tools

Sydney, Jan 25: Adobe has introduced new AI-driven innovations for Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Frame.io to streamline workflows for video professionals.
Key features include an AI-powered Media Intelligence and Search Panel for locating clips faster and automated multilingual caption translation in 17 languages.
Adobe also committed an additional $5M to its Film & TV Fund, now totaling $11M, to support underrepresented creators in filmmaking, partnering with the Group Effort Initiative for mentorship and career training.
Nearly 85 per cent of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival films used Adobe Creative Cloud tools, including “Opus” and “Train Dreams.”
Additionally, the Adobe Foundation has donated $1M to support wildfire recovery in Los Angeles creative communities.

Bronze Medal Deteriorates

Sydney, Jan 23: Australian BMX bronze medallist Natalya Diehm has reported her Paris 2024 Olympic medal is rapidly deteriorating, with its clear coating rubbing off just hours after the ceremony. Diehm described it as “the worst bronze medal I’ve seen, worldwide.”
She noted other athletes have faced similar issues, particularly with bronze medals, and has escalated the matter to the Australian Olympic Committee, which is working with the IOC to resolve it.
This story was first aired on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev & Nick.
Listen weekdays on 101.9 The Fox or on LiSTNR.

Elastic Achieves IRAP Certification at Protected Level

Sydney, Jan 23: Elastic (NYSE: ESTC), the Search AI Company, has completed the Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) assessment at the PROTECTED level for Elastic Cloud. This certification enables Australian Government agencies to validate that Elastic Cloud meets the stringent security requirements of the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM).
The IRAP certification enhances security assurance for Elastic’s customers, supports government workloads at the Protected level, and reinforces Elastic’s ongoing commitment to maintaining compliance with evolving security standards. Elastic also complies with global regulations and information security standards, including CSA STAR, ISO/IEC 27017, SOC 3, and UK Cyber Essentials Plus.
Additional details are available through the Elastic Trust Centre.

Malaysia Airlines Recognised Globally

KLIA, Jan 23: Malaysia Airlines and Firefly received prestigious accolades for excellence and innovation in aviation. At the 2024 Putra Brand Awards, Malaysia Airlines won the Platinum Award in the Transportation, Travel & Tourism category, while Firefly earned the Bronze Award. Malaysia Airlines was also named “Airline of the Year” at the Voyage Awards in China, reflecting its industry influence and sustainable aviation practices.
The airline continues enhancing its services with exclusive offers and complimentary Wi-Fi on selected aircraft, aiming to provide seamless connectivity for passengers.