Morning Brief

01:33 - We speak to Iris Pang, Economist at ING Wholesale Banking, to decipher China's economic focus and what initiatives may emerge from the upcoming Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. 08:07 - T-Mobile and Sprint look set to merge unless the regulators object. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The announcement that the Education Ministry will maintain the 90% Bumiputera allocation for Malaysia's university matriculation programmes has renewed debates over the place of race-based affirmative action policy in the country. For a look at both sides of the argument, we speak to Professor Dr. P. Ramasamy, Deputy Chief Minister II of Penang, and Ahmad Yazid Othman, CEO of the Malay Economic Ac...

The government is looking to buy out all of the landowners in Kampung Baru in an effort to redevelop the Malay enclave in Kuala Lumpur. They are exploring the option of giving landowners a mix of cash and in-kind payouts, possibly in the form of apartments, which may cost the government 6 to 10 billion ringgit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:30 - The Mayor of Ipoh has gone AWOL. 02:41 - Could the price cap on RON 95 be replaced by a Bantuan Sara Hidup subsidy? Details are still up in the air. 07:04 - The Communications and Multimedia Ministry is considering listing internet connectivity as a utility, just like water and electricity supplies. This is part of his ministry’s efforts to expand Internet connectivity access across...

Almost 300 people lost their lives to terrorism on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. We speak to Sathkar Gupta, research analyst with The Economist Intelligence Unit, to discuss the impact of this tragedy on the country's economy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:30 - While local and Chinese contractors are poised to benefit from the revived Bandar Malaysia, the govt is also thinking of populating the mega project with affordable homes. The question is whether this will work given the expensive land cost. 11:06 - The govts intention of converting KWAP and Tabung Haji holdings of 1MDB bonds into shares of Bandar Malaysia also raises questions of whether...

00:30 - Uber's self-driving unit Advanced Technologies Group has raised $1 billion in investments, valuing the unit at $7.25 billion ahead of its IPO. We speak to Dan Ives, Managing Director, Wedbush Securities, for more insights. 06:10 - The 450-page Mueller Report released last week lays out evidence of the Trump administration's collusion with Russia, but not enough to bring criminal charges ag...

00:30 - Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia voices support for race based matriculation. 05:21 - We spoke to Adam Mohamed Rahim, Analyst at MIDF Research, to find out how this new Operating Agreement by the Government impacts MAHB. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:40 - Retrenched workers and fresh graduates are now fighting it out for high-skilled jobs which are not growing as fast as low-skilled ones. Between 2010 and 2017, the number of degree holders in the workforce has increased by an average of more than 170,000 people per year. 09:43 - Tun Daim Zainuddin has expressed confidence that the East Coast Rail Link’s (ECRL) price tag of 44 billion...

00:40 - Pinterest and Zoom both closed far above their IPO prices, reflecting investor hunger for tech stocks. 03:17 - With merger talks between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank dragging its feet, Deutsche Bank is said to be planning for the worst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:40 - The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research or M.I.E.R is pushing the government to raise salaries of civil servants instead of giving out subsidies to boost domestic consumption as well as an incentive to work harder. We speak to Dr Zulkiply Omar, Senior Research Fellow at M.I.E.R to further clarify the recommendation. 07:21 - FTSE Russell news on the potential downgrade of Malaysia&rsqu...

Unofficial results indicate that incumbent President Joko Widodo has retained his seat, beating rival and former general Prabowo Subianto. Ahead of the official announcement, we speak to Alden Iswanto, analyst at the KRA Group, for his insights into the issues surrounding the campaigns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - The Securities Commission has named seven new appointees to the Malaysian Venture Capital and Private Equity Development Council, founded in 2005. 03:31 - The Penang South Reclamation Project has raised concerns among NGOs and locals about the environmental and social implications of the project. For more insights, we speak to Dr Chee Su Yin, Senior Lecturer, at the Centre for Marine and C...

00:40 - Trouble may be brewing between the US and Japan, even as talks between the US and China appear to be winding down. We speak to Shihoko Goto, Senior Associate for Northeast Asia at the Wilson Centre, for insights into US-Japan relations. 07:30 - Nearly 200 million voters will go to the polls in Indonesia today, to conclude an election season rife with economic policy issues. See omnystudio....

00:40 - Malaysian bonds are on the verge of dropping off the World Government Bond Index (WGBI). The Morning Run crew discusses the implications for government funding. 07:45 - In that vein, we also discuss the fiscal impact of MIER’s call to the government to redirect subsidies to civil servants' pay. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - Petronas is making its first major foray into the renewable energy sector, with the acquisition of Amplus Energy Solutions, a Singapore-based company. 04:32 - The Malaysian Bar has called on the government to fulfil its election promise to abolish the National Security Council Act, following news that Pakatan Harapan is in the process of amending it. For more insight, we speak to Mohammad...

00:41 - Investors are looking ahead to China's GDP numbers for signs of an economic recovery, after export numbers rebounded last month. We speak to Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific Chief Economist, at IHS Markit, for his perspective. 06:47 - Volkswagen is looking to expand operations in China. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

00:00 - Apart from reducing the East Coast Rail Link construction cost by RM21.5 billion, the government revealed that the Chinese state-owned China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) has agreed to operate and maintain the project through a 50-50 joint venture with Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd. 06:07 - The Penang South Reclamation Scheme plans to reclaim land and construct three man-made...

00:42 - The US has set its sights on trade relations with Japan, with talks kicking off in Washington today. For a better understanding of US-Japan relations, we speak to Mikio Kumada, Global Strategist at LGT Capital Partners. 07:22 - Tech giants Apple and Qualcomm are set to appear in a San Diego court, for the opening salvo of what could be a legal battle worth $30 billion. See omnystudio.com/l...

00:00 - Malaysia Rail Link (MRL) and China Communications Construction Co (CCCC) have signed a supplementary agreement on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project that will connect Port Klang and Kelantan. The project will cost RM21 billion less than the original price. We speak with Loong Chee Wei, Senior Associate Director with Affin Hwang Capital for his insights on this matter. 05:29 - On the 2...

00:00 - Following Barisan Nasional's win in the Rantau by-election, we speak to Ben Suffian, Programme Director at the Merdeka Center, for his views as well as a look forward to Sandakan. 07:15 - The New Johor Mentri Besar has been named, and he has plans to shake up the resent state executive council. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new public service vehicle (PSV), which is a requirement for e-hailing drivers and companies from July 12th onwards, will force many drivers to quit their jobs and lose an additional source of income due to the high cost of obtaining the licence. We speak with Arif Asyraf Ali, President of the Grab Drivers Malaysia Association, to get a better sense of what is happening on the ground. See omny...

India's marathon elections kicked off yesterday, with 900 million people eligible to vote in the largest democratic process in the world. To find out more, we speak to Karim Raslan, Founder of the KRA Group, about Narendra Modi's track record, and what we can expect from the election results. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sudan's long-running president Omar al-Bashir has been removed from power, with a temporary military government taking his place. As this comes amid long months of protests, economic stagnation and regional unrest, we speak to Mahmoud Ahmed, Former Honorary Consul of Malaysia in Sudan, for insights into the state of Sudan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) in its 2017 financial year should register profits of RM370 million instead of RM662 million as a result of unrecognised impairments and incomplete land sales of up to RM89 million as well as RM203 million respectively. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.