Morning Brief

US President Donald Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, with trade, Taiwan, artificial intelligence and the war in Iran all adding to an already complex US-China relationship. Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor of Political Science at the National University of Singapore, shares his insights. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Negeri Sembilan is caught in a deepening constitutional standoff after Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir revoked the appointments of all state executive councillors, a move Menteri Besar Dato' Ismail Lasim argues should have no legal effect without the Menteri Besar’s advice. The dispute hinges on competing interpretations of Article 38 of the State Constitution, further complicated by unresolved quest...

Malaysia's average monthly salary rose 4% to RM3,803 in 2025, but the headline figure masks a deeper trend: Wage growth is decelerating, the gender pay gap is widening slightly, and youth unemployment sits at 10.2%, more than three times the national rate. Wan Amirah Wan Usamah, Research Associate at the Khazanah Research Institute, joins The Morning Run to unpack the structural fault lines behind...

Convicted felon Dato' Seri Najib Razak's conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his SRC International sentence under house arrest has exposed fresh tensions within Malaysia's Unity Government. Dr Azmi Hassan, Senior Fellow at Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, analyses these developments and the implications for Anwar Ibrahim's coalition. Image Credit: Shutterstock See om...

Germany’s political establishment is under growing pressure after another bruising set of state elections for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU. The far-right AfD emerged strongest in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while the far-left Die Linke topped the vote in Berlin, highlighting growing fragmentation at both ends of the political spectrum. What is driving voters away from Germany’s mainstream pa...

As global trade fault lines deepen, Europe is quietly doubling down on Southeast Asia to build its economic resilience. With the EU-ASEAN relationship nearing the 50-year mark and Brussels' $10 billion Global Gateway pledge still to be fully deployed, Chris Humphrey, Executive Director of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, joins The Morning Run to preview the 12th EU-ASEAN Business Summit in Manila. C...

Twelve years became six. RM210 million became RM50 million. And now the convicted felon and corrupt criminal Datuk Seri Najib Razak could be going home to serve his sentence. Anand Raj, President of the Malaysian Bar Council, talks to us about what exactly does "house arrest" mean in Malaysia and if this creates a template that other prisoners could use. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.c...

The government has temporarily raised the electricity subsidy threshold from 600kWh to 800kWh as hotter weather and the haze push household consumption higher. Associate Prof Ts Dr Amar Hisham Jaaffar, Programme Coordinator of Master in Energy Management at Universiti Tenaga Nasional, discusses the implications of this development. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

As Negeri Sembilan's constitutional crisis unfolds, former Minister of Law Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar joins The Morning Run to help answer: who holds the ultimate power to dethrone or appoint a ruler? Syed Hamid establishes three foundational principles for resolving the standoff, unpacks the mandatory inquiry requirements under Article 10 of the State Constitution, and explains why Executive Counci...

The Houthis' capture of the port city of Mokka and key islands along Yemen's Red Sea coast has placed them at Saudi Arabia's strategic back door, threatening oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait at a moment when the Strait of Hormuz is already paralysed. Mohd Amirul Asraf Othman, Research Scholar at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at Australian National University (ANU), joins Th...

Following the election of former player and administrator Datuk Abdul Ghani Hassan as President of the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Haresh Deol, Editor at Twentytwo13, joins The Morning Run to assess the road ahead for Malaysian football. Haresh unpacks questions surrounding the election process following warnings from Asian Football Confederation (AFC) General Secretary Datuk Seri Wind...

Following Grab’s $1.49 billion majority-stake acquisition of Singapore-based BNPL provider Atome Financial, Vincent Fong, Chief Editor and Country Manager of Fintech News Malaysia, joins The Morning Run to break down the strategic implications for Southeast Asia's fintech ecosystem. Vincent analyses how acquiring Atome immediately elevates Grab into a formidable second-place contender against mark...

Apple’s latest iPhone launch put smartphone pricing back in the spotlight, with price hikes extending even to older iPhone models. But rising device costs aren't just an Apple problem. Andrew Chan, Former Executive Director of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA), joins The Morning Run to examine how the AI boom is restructuring global semiconductor supply chains and pushing smar...

For decades, Kota Kinabalu Central Market has been where locals buy fresh fish and produce, and where tourists go to see the city's market culture up close. Now the Sabah government is thinking about moving it out of the city centre. That could change things for the traders who depend on it and for the tourism it brings in. We speak to Dr. Saizal Pinjaman, Director of the Centre for Economic Devel...

Japan has revised its second-quarter growth figures upwards, with business spending holding up despite high fuel prices. The better numbers have raised expectations that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates on 18th September 2026, a day after the Fed raised its own. That could squeeze household budgets and company profits just as the economy was finding its feet. We speak to Naomi Fink, Chi...

The latest Malaysia Retail Industry Report shows the sector expanding by 2.5% in the second quarter of 2026, even as the country’s economy grew by a stronger 6% during the same period. Dr Afendi Dahlan, Vice President of the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), analyses these data points and what they say about strength of consumer demand. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listene...

Xi Jinping’s first visit to India in seven years has raised hopes of a thaw between Asia’s two biggest powers, with Xi and Narendra Modi pledging to stabilise ties and work towards resolving their long-running border dispute. But deep mistrust remains, alongside a widening trade imbalance and strategic competition across the region. Is the latest rapprochement the beginning of a genuine structural...

Oil markets are facing a renewed supply squeeze as Saudi Arabia shuts its East-West Pipeline following a drone attack, while global inventories have already fallen by more than 500 million barrels since February. Claudio Galimberti, Chief Economist at Rystad Energy, share his insights into where oil prices are heading with the Strait of Hormuz situation remaining unresolved. Image Credit: Shutters...

Malaysia attracted RM218.5 billion in approved investments in the first half of 2026, with foreign investors accounting for almost 60% of the total and AI-related projects continuing to drive interest. But investment remains concentrated among a handful of countries and states, while a tougher global environment could test whether recent momentum can be sustained. Can Malaysia reach its RM382 bill...

The BRICS Summit in New Delhi brought together some of the world’s most powerful leaders, with members projecting unity despite divisions over conflicts in West Asia and the future of the global order. Malaysia, attending as a BRICS partner country, used the gathering to deepen bilateral ties, including growing cooperation with India in semiconductors and supply chains. What does Malaysia stand to...

UMNO has wrapped up its annual general assembly which saw PAS leaders attending, Pakatan Harapan partners notably absent, and UMNO President Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi calling for GE16 to be brought forward. Adib Zalkapli, Managing Director of Viewfinder Global Affairs, helps us unpack what UMNO's latest moves could mean for Malaysia's political landscape ahead of GE16. Image Credit: Shuttersto...

For decades, the Malaysia Agreement 1963 has been at the heart of Sabah and Sarawak's demands for greater rights, revenue and political representation. And now, we see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim chairing the latest MA63 Implementation Action Council meeting. Ariff Adi Putera Anwar, Research Associate at the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah), discusses the significance of this...

Indonesia’s economy grew by more than 5% in the first half of 2026, but strong headline growth has yet to convince financial markets. Capital outflows, a weakening rupiah and concerns over President Prabowo’s expansionary fiscal policies have forced Bank Indonesia into aggressive rate hikes, while higher fuel costs and the threat of El Niño add further pressure. Can Southeast Asia’s largest econom...

The US-Iran conflict has entered a more dangerous phase, with attacks widening across the region, oil prices surging past US$105 a barrel and uncertainty growing over the Strait of Hormuz. Inside Iran, sanctions, fuel rationing and shortages are adding to economic pressure, while the IAEA’s decision to refer Tehran to the UN Security Council raises the stakes over its nuclear programme. With Presi...

As the 63rd Federal Territories Pardons Board convened in Putrajaya, constitutional lawyer Lim Wei Jiet joined The Morning Run to unpack the legal and constitutional mechanisms governing clemency bids and house arrest options. He discussed the extent of the Pardons Board's powers and the legal hurdles surrounding house arrest enforcement following recent High Court rulings. He also addresses the p...