Effective September 1, 2021, eligible adult U.S. passport holders may apply to renew their ten-year passport and/or passport cards by mail through Aramex courier service.

Additionally, U.S. Passport and Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) applicants may opt to receive their new passports and/or CRBAs via Aramex courier service in lieu of returning to the U.S. Embassy a second time to collect the completed passport and/or CRBA.

AMCHAM congratulates Ted Osius on his appointment as the new President & Chief Executive Officer of US-ASEAN Business Council. On August 23, Ambassador Osius succeeded Alexander C. Feldman, who recently resigned after leading the Council for more than 12 years.

AMCHAM Spotlight is a unique and interactive event platform for companies to highlight their brand and showcase particular products or services to an exclusive audience within the AMCHAM membership.

Interested? Please email our events team at events@amcham.com.my.

The government has set a ceiling price of RM16 (wholesale) and RM19.90 (retail) for COVID-19 self-test kits. At present, there are 11 brands of COVID-19 self-test kits that have been approved by the ministry for public use. Out of the 11, seven test kits use saliva samples and four others use nasal swab samples. The ceiling price will see a significant reduction in retail prices, as many of these kits are sold between RM28 to RM40.

A total of 65.1% of the country's adult population, or 15,241,655 people, have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. 85.%, or 19,932,137 individuals, have received the first dose, bringing to a total of 35,150,474 doses of the vaccine having been dispensed under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme until Wednesday (Sept 1).

Malaysia is weighing the need to administer COVID-19 booster shots amid the spike in Delta variant infections nationwide. An expert committee has been set up to assess the need for a third shot and is expected to give its recommendation by month-end. Only 46% of Malaysians have been fully inoculated as of Aug 31, with states including Sabah and Perak falling behind on coverage.

Malaysia as a critical global hub in the semiconductor supply chain must seize this opportunity NOW to bring these semiconductor and electronics investments to Malaysia.

On September 15, 2021 9:00am, hear from MIDA and semiconductor players on why is Malaysia an attractive investment destination and where are the investment opportunities.

UPS has appointed Michelle Ho as president of its Asia Pacific region based in Singapore. A growth-oriented leader, Michelle will drive UPS’s business and operations in the company’s fastest-growing region that employs over 13,000 UPS employees in more than 40 countries and territories. In this strategic role, Michelle will maintain UPS’s focus to drive company growth and support cross-border connectivity needs for businesses large and small.

Sarawak Shell Bhd (SSB), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc, has taken a final investment decision on the Timi gas development project and, together with its partners PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd and Brunei Energy Exploration, look forward to delivering this for Malaysia. The Timi development features SSB’s first wellhead platform in Malaysia that is powered by a solar and wind hybrid renewable power system.

As companies emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, they are realizing that talent management has become even more urgent. Given the disruptions to so many business models, organizations are grappling with how to make hybrid teams function better, which new skills are needed, and what the workforce of the future will look like more broadly. Then there is the perennial challenge of how to deploy talent to the highest-value opportunities within an organization.