Economy
Dato’ Seri Paduka TPr Dr. Maimunah Mohd. Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur Receives PRCA Malaysia Leadership Award 2024 and Dato’ Dr. Hartini Zainudin Receives ‘Making A Difference’ Community Award at MPRA 2024
- Bzbee Consult and Sarawak Tourism Board Win Top Honours at Malaysia Public Relations Awards 2024 (MPRA2024).
- 111 PR Awards, 31 Media Awards presented and 5 students received the “Persuasive Pen Prize.”
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 3 December 2024 – The Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) 2024, held in conjunction with PRCA Malaysia’s 25th Anniversary, celebrated a milestone night, honouring the best in the industry with 111 awards across 35 categories, breaking records with an unprecedented 184 entries.
The highlight for the evening was honouring distinguished leaders; with the PRCA Malaysia Leadership Award 2024 presented to Dato’ Seri Paduka TPr Dr. Maimunah Mohd. Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, for her visionary leadership, and the PRCA Malaysia ‘Making A Difference’ Community Award bestowed upon Dato’ Dr. Hartini Zainudin, Co-founder of Yayasan Chow Kit, for her relentless advocacy for child welfare.
bzBee Consult and Sarawak Tourism Board were also in the spotlight as they had clinched the coveted Campaign of the Year Awards in the Agency and In-house categories, respectively, solidifying their position as trailblazers in public relations excellence.
The media industry was also celebrated with 31 Media Awards recognising outstanding journalism, while the future of PR was highlighted with the Persuasive Pen Prize, awarded to five exceptional students, including Gold winner Muhammad Hafiz Azrai bin A’zmai from University Sultan Zainal Abidin.
PRCA Malaysia President Prof. Said Bani C.M. Din expressed pride in the industry’s growth, stating, “Tonight, we honour not just outstanding achievements but the individuals and organisations driving progress in public relations. This year’s theme, ‘You and AI,’ highlights how artificial intelligence is revolutionising communication, offering opportunities to innovate while reminding us of the importance of ethical practices and human creativity.”
Chief Judge Stefanie Braukmann added, “The record-breaking participation this year reflects the dynamism of the PR industry. AI and technology are transforming campaigns, but ethical and creative storytelling remain at the core of what we do. Congratulations to all winners and participants for their inspiring contributions.”
The introduction of new categories, such as media and student awards, expanded the awards’ reach, underscoring PRCA Malaysia’s commitment to nurturing talent and promoting innovation. MPRA 2024 reaffirmed its role as a benchmark for excellence, inspiring practitioners to harness communication for the betterment of Malaysia and its communities.
This year’s awards were bolstered by the support of esteemed organisations, including the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), World Communications Forum Association (WCFA), and Public Relations Global Network (PRGN), Public Relations Practitioners Society Malaysia (PRactitioners) highlighting Malaysia’s growing prominence in global public relations.
PRCA Malaysia extends its gratitude to its Supporting Partner, Sarawak Tourism Board, Newswire Partner, Media OutReach Newswire, and sponsors, including Grab Malaysia, Robopreneur, Naza Automotive Group, MK Land, Commerce Dot Com, Agro Bank, Al-Hilmi Agarwood, Taylor’s University, and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad.
PRCA Malaysia also thanked the esteemed panel of judges representing diverse fields under the leadership of Chief Judge Stefanie Braukmann. The panel included influential leaders such as Dato’ Seri Wan Suraya Wan Mohd Radzi, Datuk P. Kamalanathan, Datuk Seri Abdul Jalil Hamid, Tammy Toh, Melati Abdul Hai, Shukreen Ma, Terence Fernandez, Ashwad Ismail, Farrah Naz Karim, and Marzura Abdul Malek.
The success of MPRA 2024 cements its reputation as the premier public relations event in Malaysia, setting the stage for continued excellence and innovation in the years to come.
Hashtag: #PRCAMalaysia
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About PRCA
The Public Relations and Communications Association of Malaysia (PRCA Malaysia) was formed in 1999 as a formal association of consultants from specialist public relations and communications firms as well as in-house professionals in Malaysia. Since its establishment, the industry has witnessed tremendous changes in media usage and consumption, particularly with the rise of digital communications and social media. This has brought about the rapidly evolving role of Public Relations beyond the traditional umbrella of “PR”. In line with the ever-changing marketplace, there is a need for the industry to continually refresh and adapt itself to stay ahead. As such, PRCA Malaysia has changed its name to the Public Relations and Communications Association of Malaysia. The Association encourages its members to meet and freely discuss industry-related issues, such as the development of professional standards, ethics, qualifications, and the conduct of business. On top of that, PRCA Malaysia is committed to implementing various professional upskilling and talent development initiatives for the industry. Accordingly, our key events such as the Malaysia PR Awards and Malaysia PR Summit, are where the industry’s brightest talents aspire to shine. PRCA Malaysia is a registered organisation with the Registrar of Societies, Malaysia.
About MPRA
Malaysia Public Relations Awards (MPRA) are the industry awards organised by PRCA Malaysia, an organisation dedicated to fostering public relations excellence, to recognise successful campaigns of organisations and PR-Consultancies, as well as individuals that define the cutting edge of work in the public relations arena.
By Dipo Olowookere
A 0.38 per cent loss was suffered by Nigerian stocks on Tuesday on the back of continued selling pressure from investors embarking on profit-taking.
Data from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited showed that the contraction was influenced by the 1.78 per cent decline recorded by the insurance sector, the 0.24 per cent slip printed by the consumer goods index, and the 0.09 per cent drop posted by the energy space, offsetting the 0.75 per cent growth achieved by the banking sector and the 0.21 per cent growth recorded by the industrial goods segment.
Investor sentiment was weak during the trading day, as the bourse ended with 13 price gainers and 40 price losers, representing a negative market breadth index.
LivingTrust Mortgage depreciated by 10.00 per cent to N3.42, Multiverse also shed 10.00 per cent to N22.95, McNichols dropped 9.92 per cent to N5.45, Thomas Wyatt dipped by 9.87 per cent to N3.56, and Eterna lost 8.57 per cent to trade at N33.00.
On the flip side, AVA Capital improved by 9.94 per cent to N9.95, Livestock Feeds expanded by 9.71 per cent to N8.65, Neimeth increased by 8.43 per cent to N9.00, AIICO gained 3.47 per cent to settle at N4.18, and Oando grew by 3.30 per cent to N36.00.
A total of 1.6 billion equities valued at N28.7 billion exchanged hands in 54,160 deals yesterday versus the 923.0 million equities worth N37.9 billion traded in 72,544 deals on Monday, indicating a 73.35 per cent surge in the trading volume, a 24.27 per cent decline in the trading value, and a 25.34 per cent slip in the number of deals.
The busiest stock was Japaul, which transacted 904.4 million units for N2.7 billion. Sterling Holdings sold 54.0 million units valued at N431.9 million, FCMB exchanged 49.5 million units worth N545.9 million, Chams traded 44.9 million units for N199.2 million, and Neimeth sold 42.4 million units worth N327.8 million.
Business Post reports that the All-Share Index (ASI) gave up 927.70 points to 244,802.83 points from 245,730.53 points, and the market capitalisation receded by N599 billion to N158.016 trillion from N158.615 trillion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira put up a better performance against the United States Dollar in the various segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Tuesday, August 4.
In the parallel market, it improved its value by N5 to settle at N1,400/$1 compared with the previous day’s value of N1,405/$1, and at the GTBank forex desk, it appreciated by N1 to close at N1,373/$1, in contrast to the preceding session’s N1,374/$1.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) segment, the Nigerian currency gained N2.28 or 0.17 per cent against the greenback to quote at N1,362.55/$1 compared with the N1,364.83/$1 it was exchanged a day earlier.
Also in the official market, the local currency appreciated against the Pound Sterling during the session by N6.48 to finish at N1,831.41/£1 versus N1,837.89/£1, and chalked up N5.22 on the Euro to sell at N1,568.71/€1 versus N1,573.93/€1.
Interbank FX transactions increased 14 per cent day-on-day as market makers’ activities raised total Dollar volume exchanged to $156.23 million, more than 132 per cent above $137.05 million in turnover at the previous close.
The interbank FX turnover rose despite a marginal rise in deals at the NFEM window as data from the central bank put Tuesday’s quote at 139 from 138.
As for the cryptocurrency market, major tokens were mixed as global stock indexes hit fresh records on renewed enthusiasm for artificial-intelligence-related shares.
With cheaper oil, easing rate expectations and a strong risk-on rally in equities supporting digital assets, analysts say crypto appears to be driven by internal market dynamics rather than macroeconomic factors, even as traders watch for a potential Strait of Hormuz deal.
It was reported overnight that Iran and Oman were close to an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with an announcement targeted for Wednesday.
Binance Coin (BNB) grew by 1.8 per cent to $600.54, Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 0.9 per cent to $64,199.86, Solana (SOL) jumped by 0.8 per cent to $73.95, and Ethereum (ETH) advanced by 0.7 per cent to $1,867.21.
But Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 1.9 per cent to $0.1908, TRON (TRX) dipped by 0.6 per cent to $0.3268, Dogecoin (DOGE) slumped by 0.5 per cent to $0.0698, and Ripple (XRP) crashed by 0.4 per cent to $1.06, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent crude dropped below $80 per barrel, precisely losing $4.41 or 5.3 per cent to settle at $79.36 a barrel on Tuesday, after comments by officials from the United States and Qatar raised hopes for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war, which could improve oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Also, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures depreciated by $4.57 or 5.7 per cent to trade at $75.77 a barrel.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday there was progress in talks with Iran and Oman about moving more ships through the strait, but a final agreement was yet to be reached.
Also, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said earlier on Tuesday that a deal with Iran to reopen the strait could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said efforts to secure a diplomatic resolution to the war were continuing.
Qatar said it has discussed with US President Donald Trump ways to reduce escalation and converge viewpoints between the US and Iran.
Meanwhile, the latest round of US-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon began on Tuesday and will continue through Thursday.
Amid this, Iran still wants control over inbound shipping and visibility over outbound traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, with the ability to intervene if necessary, as part of a plan being discussed with Oman to reopen the strategic waterway.
Market analysts noted that the prospect of a diplomatic solution to the conflict has helped remove some of the geopolitical risk premium in oil prices. If negotiations between the US and Iran make meaningful progress, the market could continue pricing in a lower probability of supply disruptions.
Disruptions to shipping through the strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flowed before the war, have forced Middle Eastern nations to cut oil output sharply. The world has lost more than 2.6 billion barrels of oil since the Iran war began in February.
Shipping traffic at the key Gulf waterways of Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz remained unchanged at the start of the week.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the US rose by 2.69 million barrels in the week ending July 30. Commercial crude oil inventories excluding the SPR have lost just over 58 million barrels over the last sixteen weeks, with US crude inventories down just 7.2 million for the year, according to API data.
Official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.
