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APAC Edition
28th July 2025
 
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THE HOT STORY

Intel cuts staff in bid to revive fortunes

Intel is undergoing workforce reductions as part of a strategy to revive its fortunes under Malaysia-born chief executive Lip-Bu Tan. The company plans to reduce its core workforce from 99,500 to 75,000 by the end of the year through layoffs and attrition. In a memo, Tan acknowledged the challenges faced by the business, saying: “We are making hard but necessary decisions to streamline the organization.” Additionally, Intel will halt projects in Germany and Poland and relocate operations from Costa Rica to larger sites in Vietnam and Malaysia. The company reported a loss of $2.9bn for the second quarter, with revenue remaining flat at $12.9bn. Tan emphasised a focus on the “core product portfolio” and artificial intelligence, observing: “There are no more blank checks.”
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TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

Singapore's AI ambition takes flight

Singapore is to cultivate a diverse group of artificial intelligence users, including professionals such as lawyers, accountants, and doctors, to enhance the nation's digital future. Minister for Digital Development and Information, Josephine Teo, said: “They can demonstrate how [AI] can create more value for their organisations.” The goal is to significantly increase the current target of 15,000 AI practitioners, which includes data scientists and machine learning engineers. Teo emphasised the importance of small states finding their niche in the competitive AI landscape, citing Singapore's development of the Sea-Lion language model tailored for Southeast Asia. She also highlighted the need for collaboration with other nations, saying: “With ASEAN countries, even if we are not ready to move into the era of standards in AI governance, there's nothing to prevent us from agreeing on what the ethical principles could look like first.”
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WORKPLACE

President condemns abuse of migrant worker In Korea

Korean President Lee Jae Myung has condemned the alleged abuse of a Sri Lankan migrant worker at a local brick factory, labelling it a "blatant violation of human rights." His comments followed the release of disturbing video footage showing the worker tied to a forklift, which has sparked outrage among migrant rights activists. Lee expressed disbelief, saying: "It is unimaginable that such an incident could occur in a country known as a global cultural powerhouse." He pledged to ensure that no one suffers from human rights abuses or labour exploitation, and urged government agencies, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to take immediate action. The Gwangju Jeonnam Migrant Workers' Human Rights Network highlighted the inhumane treatment of foreign workers, and has called for improvements in their working conditions.
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WORKFORCE

China wage growth hits weakest pace since Covid, Goldman Sachs says

China's wage growth has reached its lowest level outside the pandemic, with a mere 3.9% increase in the second quarter, according to a tracker by Goldman Sachs Group. Despite recent improvements in retail sales, driven by government subsidies, the overall labour market remains weak. Official statistics indicate a modest 1.7% rise in average annual salaries among private enterprises for 2024. The lack of reliable data complicates the assessment of labour market conditions, leading Goldman Sachs to adapt its wage indicator to include alternative statistics. Ernan Cui from Gavekal Dragonomics noted that many workers are shifting to self-employment due to a scarcity of formal jobs, observing: “the data indicate that China's labour market has been consistently weak.”
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LEGAL

Director fined for migrant kickbacks

Loo Kim Huat, a director at Singapore's WIS Holdings, has been fined S$90,000 and ordered to pay a penalty of S$42,000 after admitting to collecting S$112,400 in kickbacks from migrant workers for renewing their work passes. He pleaded guilty to six charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with another 12 charges considered during sentencing. Loo conspired with four others to collect illicit payments from 18 foreign employees, ranging from S$900 to S$7,000 each. The Ministry of Manpower said that Loo has paid S$83,050 in restitution to the affected workers, with nine having returned home and nine still working in Singapore. The ministry encourages migrant workers facing similar issues to seek help.
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HIRING

Major disability employment provider loses key disability contract

Maxima, a disability employment provider supporting over 6,000 Australians, has informed its staff that it has lost a federal government contract to deliver services in all states except Western Australia. The Department of Social Services is reforming disability employment services to enhance access and support, aiming to help an additional 15,000 individuals find meaningful work. Despite the contract loss, Maxima reassured staff that it remains committed to its operations in Western Australia and other services, saying: "this is not the end of Maxima."
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LEADERSHIP

Chief people officer captured in viral Coldplay concert clip resigns

A US tech company's chief people officer who was apparently caught on a big screen at a Coldplay concert embracing the company's chief executive has stood down. Kristin Cabot is no longer with Astronomer and has resigned, the firm told the BBC in a statement. Her departure follows that of Andy Byron, Astronomer's former CEO, who left last week after the company announced he would be placed on leave and investigated. Co-founder Pete DeJoy, who assumed the role of interim CEO following Byron's resignation, commented on the controversies in a July 21 LinkedIn post titled "Moving Forward at Astronomer." He wrote: "The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name." The New York-based company commercialises open source software.

McKinsey alters leadership selection policy

McKinsey is changing the way it picks its leaders for the first time in years in an effort to circumvent the internal tensions and infighting that marked its past two elections. Its global managing partner will now be elected to a single six-year term, with a confirmation vote at the four-year mark on whether the leader should complete the full term. At present, the company's 750 senior partners vote to elect a firmwide leader every three years, and that person can stand for two terms. “This will strengthen the process for how my successor and hopefully future ones” are elected, explained current leader Bob Sternfels. “It’s a nod toward continuity and sets up a process where we have less of the big elections and more continuous leadership over a six-year period.” He added that the McKinsey board will be reduced from 30 members to 12.
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INTERNATIONAL

US nuclear weapons agency breached in SharePoint hack

The National Nuclear Security Administration, the US agency responsible for maintaining and designing the nation’s nuclear weapons, was breached in the hack of Microsoft’s SharePoint document management software, according to a person with knowledge of the matter, who said no sensitive or classified information is known to have been compromised. “On Friday, July 18th, the exploitation of a Microsoft SharePoint zero-day vulnerability began affecting the Department of Energy,” an agency spokesman said in an email. “The department was minimally impacted due to its widespread use of the Microsoft M365 cloud and very capable cybersecurity systems. A very small number of systems were impacted. All impacted systems are being restored.”  The National Nuclear Security Administration is a semiautonomous arm of the Energy Department.

Italy’s top court says climate case against Eni can continue

Italy's highest court has permitted a lawsuit by climate activists against the energy company Eni and its government shareholders to proceed, marking a significant moment for climate justice causes in Italy. Greenpeace hailed the ruling as a victory, saying: “No one, not even a colossus like Eni, can escape its responsibilities anymore.” The Court of Cassation dismissed Eni's attempts to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds, allowing the Rome tribunal to hear the case based on its merits. The plaintiffs, including Greenpeace and ReCommon, argue that Eni's actions contribute to climate change, violating rights under the European Convention of Human Rights. The ruling aligns Italian courts with other European nations in recognising the rights of individuals to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in global warming. Eni said it anticipates that the court would ultimately reject the activists' claims.

Bosch to cut up to 1,100 jobs

German car parts maker Bosch is to cut up to 1,100 jobs by 2029 and restructure its Reutlingen plant amid a rapidly worsening auto market which is driving down sales. The plant will focus mainly on manufacturing semiconductors because making electronic control units is no longer competitive, a senior company official said. "The European market for control units is highly price-driven and fiercely contested by new entrants," observed Bosch's executive vice president of semiconductor operations, Dirk Kress.

Mali court rejects appeal to release four Barrick employees

A court in Mali has thrown out an appeal by Barrick Mining to release four local employees who were arrested last November. The appeal by the Canadian company, which has described allegations against the employees as baseless, was determined by the judge to be "unfounded," said Alifa Habib Kone, a lawyer for Barrick. The court's rejection of the appeal is the latest development in an extended standoff between Barrick and the Mali government over taxes and ownership of mining operations in the West African country. 
 
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