General

Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) announced this week that wholesale 5G services will be offered for free to mobile carriers during an initial trial roll-out until March 2022. However, the Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa also announced that the Cabinet is still discussing whether to deploy 5G via a single wholesale network system or have multiple systems to allow some competition, with a final decision expected by January. What does this mean for the rollout of 5G moving forward? We discuss the implications and timeline with Nitin Soni of Fitch Ratings.

Home-sharing app Airbnb’s revenue grew by 67% y-o-y to $2.2 billion in the third quarter of this year. But how will the Omicron variant impact travel and Airbnb? Amanpreet Bajaj, General Manager for India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan of Airbnb shares with us on the Breakfast Grille. Image credit: Airbnb

Cancer is the 2nd highest cause of death in the country but early detection improves the survival rate. But with Covid, has this been thwarted. Farahida Mohd Farid, General Manager of Majlis Kanser Nasional (MAKNA) tells us. Image credit: Pexels.com

CEO of Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara; and Group CEO of TMC Life Sciences Berhad, Nadiah Wan, talks to us about what set the winning companies apart from the rest at PwC Malaysia’s Building Trust Awards.

Markets have been extremely volatile but was the recent sharp selldown an overreaction to Omicron? Jack Kouzi, Director for Strategy at VFS Group gives us his answer whilst giving us his investment strategy for 2021. Image credit: Pexels.com

人工智能——一项让人趋之若鹜又望而怯步的高智慧发明。从早年起，学界一直都是隔着楚河汉界辩论着：究竟「AI」会深得人类的「爱」；抑或将让万物之灵的自然地位变「矮」。不过，在创业路上磕绊了一遭的哈佛与史丹福高材生，却从中看准商机——贯彻「软件即服务（Software as a Service, SaaS）」，善用人工智能开发软件，助力企业和商家解决人力所难及的种种棘手问题。究竟我们该对 AI 是爱还是恨？本期节目，东京上市的台湾独角兽企业给你答案。

Discus thrower & Sarawakian Queenie Ting etched her name into the record-books recently being the first woman to surpass the 50-metre mark. Bronze medalist at the 2019 SEA Games - the 24 year old is now aiming for the 55 meter mark to qualify for the 2022 Asian Games on merit, with the ultimate goal of making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics. She joins us as we dive deeper into her career & look forward to the hurdles ahead. 

Image Credit: The Borneo Post

From The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, to The White Man's Burden, Rudyard Kipling's literary legacy is a complicated one. While his skill as a writer and storyteller is widely agreed upon, his love of empire and conservative politics makes him an interesting figure to discuss in the post-colonial context. In this episode of Bibliography, we dive into the life and times of Rudyard Kipling, and the events that shaped his worldview and writings. And then in Footnotes, we discuss our favourite adaptations of Kipling's work.

Disney's latest (and the 60th film from the studio!) tells a story of the Madrigal family, living in an enchanted house in the mountains of Columbia - and how Mirabel, the only child in the family who doesn't have magical powers, has to save the people, and the home she loves. Featuring the voices of Stephanie Beatriz and John Leguizamo, and songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto has all the makings of a classic. We review the film, and discuss where it sits in the Disney pantheon.

Currently, the fashion industry is responsible for more annual carbon emissions than all international flights and shipping, and it’s also the second largest consumer of the world’s water supply. So we wanted to check in with a brand that is trying to break the mold, and create fashion in a more sustainable way, from the sourcing of textiles, to how the clothes get made.

Brought to you by UOB. Building sustainable Smart Cities.