Morning Brief

Following Emmanuel Macron's resounding victory, Professor Peter McPhee from University of Melbourne gives his analysis on how he might heal a divided France and what his priorities will be moving forward. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

​​Political debates have a time and place in any functioning, thriving democracy, but is that the case in a fragmented and politically ambivalent Malaysia? Tai Zee Kin, Digital Political Communications Consultant, discusses. Image credit: Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While other central banks are hiking interest rates this year, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to remain dovish as part of a long-standing bid to push up inflation. This has led to the Japanese yen tumbling, putting pressure on economic recovery. We discuss the factors that will influence monetary and fiscal policy in Japan with Daniel Moss of Bloomberg Opinion. Image credit: Shutterstock...

The adoption of Environment, Sustainability and Governance or ESG Investing in Malaysia took a significant turn in 2018 when EPF, KWAP and Khazanah became signatories of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment. Since then, ESG investing has grown significantly globally but are we still seeing a similar trend in Malaysia? Dr Lim Kim Hwa, Founder and CEO of Crea8 Capital tells us more. Image cr...

As we approach Hari Raya in less than two weeks, this year's festive season appears to be a brighter one already - not only for Malaysians who will finally get to celebrate with their loved ones after a two-year long pandemic, but also for the retail sector as festive shoppers begin to provide a much needed sales boost to the local economy. But will it be back to normal for everyone so soon? And w...

Since Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, many countries have unleashed an unprecedented set of coordinated sanctions against Russia. However, these sanctions do not seem to deter President Putin, and in retaliation, Russia has imposed counter sanctions. So how effective are sanctions imposed on Russia and do the counter sanctions deployed by Russia pose any impact at all? Raffaell...

In the wake of viral social media posts of Ramadhan bazaar offerings of questionable food quality, how much awareness do traders and the public have about the risks of food poisoning? We discuss the current regulations and standards that food traders need to abide by as well as the levels of enforcement with food safety expert Dr. Chai Lay Ching of Universiti Malaya. Image credit: Shutterstock.com...

Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak for the festive season surged as high as close to RM1,400 per one way ticket but fortunately the airfares has decreased by 30 percent following intervention by the aviation authorities and airlines. But what can be done to prevent another extreme price hike from happening again? Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer and Spokesperson at The Malaysian Association of Tour and T...

With Finance Minister Lawrence Wong named chief of the so-called fourth-generation leadership team, making him heir apparent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we ask Dr Michael Barr from Flinders University what this will mean for the political landscape in Singapore. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The plight of 27-year-old driver Sam Ke Ting, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the High Court for dangerous driving, grabbed public attention last week. She was convicted for causing the deaths of 8 teenagers in a 2017 collision, despite being acquitted on two occasions previously by the Magistrate’s Court. Beatrice Chin, a lawyer tells us the legal process ahead. Image credit: Free Ma...

The Ministry of Health will administer a second vaccine booster shot for senior citizens with comorbidities to counter waning immunity levels for those most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections. We discuss the rationale for the move as well as other pandemic developments in the country with Dr. Vinod Balasubramniam of the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Image credit: EPA-EFE S...

Elon Musk made an official offer of $54.20 per share to take Twitter private, valuing the company at $43 billion. However, the board of Twitter adopted a poison pill provision to ward off his offer. Musk's extreme wealth is undeniable, but does he have the funding required to complete the transaction? And what other obstacles will he face in order to succeed? Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities shares...

Moody’s Investors Service has kept its outlook on Malaysian banking system at stable owing to improvements in profitability and operating environment. But as Malaysia sees the end of the lowest OPR rate of 1.75% by year end and more moratoriums coming to an end, is there a threat to asset quality and profitability? Alka Anbarasu, Senior Vice President at Moody’s Investors Service tells us more. Im...

Parti Keadilan Rakyat or PKR has commenced polling season for the leadership of the party from 2022 to 2025 and to little surprise, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has retained the PKR presidency for another term, winning the seat uncontested. The other key seat to watch will be the number 2 post, namely the deputy president position. Dr Oh Ei Sun, Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of Internationa...

The war in Ukraine is entering its 50th day, with no sign of a ceasefire or resolution in sight. Russian forces are regrouping for a renewed offensive in the south-eastern Donbas region, after withdrawing from Kyiv and north-western areas. The prospects of a breakthrough in peace negotiations have also appeared to dissipate, after President Vladimir Putin declared that peace talks were dead in a l...

With an ambitious target for Malaysia to be carbon neutral by 2050, the shift to renewable energy is urgent. But what about the energy trilemma? Dr. Mohd Fadzil Mohd Siam, Head of Strategy & Sustainability at Tenaga Nasional and Alizan Mahadi, Senior Director of Research at ISIS Malaysia answers this challenging question. Energising the Future is powered by Tenaga Nasional. See omnystudio.com/...

The revived MRT3 project, which is expected to be completed in 2030, is touted as a catalyst for urban redevelopment in Kuala Lumpur. One of the initiatives under the MRT3 project is the building of affordable homes above the carpark facilities of at least 8 stations. How feasible is this proposal in practice? We get reactions from Aziff Azuddin, independent urban mobility researcher. Image credit...

Research by Oxford Economics has found that since October last year, food inflation in Asia outside of China has risen 2.7 percentage points to 4.5%, mainly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. So how long will we be feeling the pinch from the increase in food prices and will there be any food security concerns? Priyanka Kishore, Head of India and Southeast Asia Economics at Oxford Economics shares...

Malaysian companies are struggling with the paucity of the supply of foreign labour on which it so greatly depends, making the local labour ecosystem ripe for a massive rethink and restructuring. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO, Center for Market Education, analyses. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ALR made a conditional offer to acquire the 4 Klang Valley highway concessionaires, based on total enterprise value of RM5.5 billion. But is the conditional offer fair and sound? And who does it really benefit? Pankaj C Kumar, business commentator breaks down the details for us. Image credit: Unsplash.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Civil service remains the constant cog in the wheels of government bureaucracy, tasked with keeping services running regardless of political turmoil. But is the political upheaval of the past 4 years taking a toll on relations between political leaders and the civil service? Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS shares her thoughts with us. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Dr Jill Sheppard from the School of Politics and International Relations at the Australian National University helps us understand what Prime Minister Scott Morrison's chances are of securing a second victory and what is motivating Australian voters this time round. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite estimates of internet penetration in the country reaching 89% of the population, there are many pockets that still lack access to stable internet connection. In light of the various government initiatives to improve connectivity, from JENDELA to the MyDigital Blueprint, how much progress has been made on this front and what policy gaps need to be addressed to close the digital divide? Imag...

Professor Peter McPhee, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Melbourne unpacks the first round of the French presidential election and how tight the run-off will be in the re-match between Macron and Le Pen. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Constitutional lawyer, New Sin Yew gives his perspective on whether the proposed amendment to Article 10 of the constitution relating to freedom of association will remedy the problem over politicians switching parties. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.