Morning Brief

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party BJP failed to secure an outright majority on its own in the country's 7-week long general election. This means Modi has to rely on coalition partners to stay in office for a third term. Priyanka Kishore, Director and Principal Economist at Asia Decoded, takes us through the various scenarios and what this might mean for India's economic future as one of...

According to the 2023 National Health & Morbidity Survey by the Ministry of Health, over half a million adults living in Malaysia live with 4 non-communicable diseases or NCDs. What implications does this pose for our healthcare system? We discuss the findings of the survey and policy responses required with Dr. Murallitharan Munisamy, Co-Chairperson of NCD Malaysia. Image Credit: Shutterstock...

Following the 2024 IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit was held in Dubai, IATA has forecasted that the global airline industry will record revenue of 996 billion US dollars this year. While the net profit estimate has been raised to 30.5 billion dollars. Brendan Sobie, Independent Analyst and Consultant, Sobie Aviation, who was at the event shares with us the takeaways from the event, the indu...

The 21st Shangri-La Dialogue took place in Singapore over the weekend on the backdrop of multiple conflicts from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas wars, as well as continued tensions in the South China Sea. Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor, at the Department of Political Science of the National University of Singapore, helps analyse the outcome of this year's summit. Image Credit: EPA imag...

South Africans voted last week in the country's general elections resulting in the ruling African National Congress losing its majority for the first time in 30 years. The ANC now has to negotiate with other parties to remain in government. Louw Nel, a senior political analyst at Oxford Economics, helps us understand what the possible permutations might be for the future of South Africa. Image Cre...

After two days of deliberation by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay hush money ahead of the 2016 election. John Zogby, pollster and Founder of Zogby Strategies tells us what impact this will have on his reelection chances in November's elections especially among the minds of the undecided and women voters. Image Cred...

The Penang government has proposed for a comprehensive review of tax revenue distribution, advocating for a 20% return of collected taxes to enhance local development. Dr. Tricia Yeoh, CEO, Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) tells us if there is a formula by which states are granted a percentage of tax revenue and how that should align with their development goals. Image Credit: S...

As South Africans voted in the most hotly contested elections in 30 years with the ruling party, the African National Congress expected to lose their majority. Dr. Dirk Kotze, Professor of Political Science, University of South Africa tells us who are the political parties involved, what are the priorities of the 28 million South Africans who are registered to vote and what is the likely outcome a...

The uproar over the awarding of a demand responsive transit (DRT) pilot project in Selangor to Asia Mobiliti, whose co-founder is the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has put the spotlight on gaps in the government procurement process. Pushpan Murugiah, CEO of C4 weighs in on the reforms needed in government procurement to ensure transparency and public trust. Image Credit: Asia Mo...

Protests have been taking place outside Taiwan's parliament  drawing up to tens of thousands of demonstrators to voice their opposition to contested reforms  backed by the opposition Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party. Brian Hioe, Co-Founding Editor of New Bloom Magazine explains why this bill is so controversial and what this means for the President Lai Ching-te's ability to gover...

The proposed deal to take Malaysia Airport Holdings (MAHB) private has sparked debate from both proponents and detractors. M. Shanmugam, Contributing Editor with the Edge helps us discern whether this is a good deal for shareholders and national stakeholders.  Image Credit: MAHB Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National-level celebrations for HAWANA 2024 (National Journalists Day) were held in Kuching, Sarawak over the weekend. During the event, comments by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the relevance of World Press Freedom Index rankings raised questions about the government's commitment to free, independent media. We discuss the divergence between government rhetoric and action concerning n...

On Saturday, some parts of Kuala Lumpur and PJ were also hit by a storm which caused many trees to fall causing damage although this time, no loss of life. We speak to Lim Yi Wei, Assemblywoman of Kampung Tunku as to whether there is enough funding at the state level to ensure that these trees are safe whilst keeping that balance between development and the natural environment. Image Credit: Fire...

Leaders from China, Japan, and South Korea convened for their first trilateral meeting in over four years with a focus on trade and security. William Pesek, Columnist, Nikkei Asia tells us what implications this summit has against the backdrop of increasing tensions between US and China. Image Credit: See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The general elections in India are winding towards the end, and surprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s target of more than 400 seats for his coalition appears to be a harder goal to achieve than expected. We speak to Dr Rahul Mishra, Associate Professor with the Jawaharlal Nehru University on why the outcome of a wipeout of the opposition is less certain and what this means for geopolitics in t...

Last Saturday, the Coalition for Clean and Free Elections otherwise known as Bersih held their annual Congress. 19 motions were approved in line with the causes they champion. We discuss their assessment of the government's progress in institutional reforms with Faisal Abdul Aziz, Chairman of Bersih. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has visited Japan for the second time within six months. This trip saw him meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Zarina Zainuddin, an analyst in Foreign Policy and Security Studies at ISIS Malaysia talks about what this means for both countries' bilateral relations. Image Credit: Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia Official Website See omnystudio....

Following a slow start at the beginning of 2024, industrial metals like copper have recently been hitting new highs. The rally is also seen in precious metals like gold and silver. Michelle Leung, Head of Asia Metals & Mining at Bloomberg Intelligence helps us understand what is behind this rally in metals' prices and is this sustainable. Image Credit: Freepik.com See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The situation in Gaza has deteriorated into a humanitarian catastrophe over the course of 7 months. The recent advancement of the Israeli Defence Forces into Rafah and the closure of the border crossing to Egypt has meant that civilians and international aid workers are trapped, including a team of Malaysian doctors under Mercy Malaysia. We speak to Dato’ Dr. Faizal Mohd Perdaus, President of Merc...

In a Special Address, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reminded the nation that the government fiscal reforms are on track, starting with the targeted subsidy plan. We get Dr. Geoffrey Williams views on the messaging, level of ambition and the likely schedule of rolling out the rationalization. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, it was confirmed that Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi had died in a helicopter crash.  Maryam Ismail, analyst at ISIS Malaysia goes through his legacy and possible successors. We also ask her that with the death  of both the President and the Foreign Minister how might this impact Iran’s foreign policy during a time of heightened regional tensions. Image Credit: EPA images See...

Singapore's three major banks - DBS, UOB and OCBC - have all reported their first quarter earnings. Sarah Jane Mahmud, a senior financial services research analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, reflects on what was announced and the implications for Singapore's banking sector as well as Malaysia's going forward. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Eurozone remains vulnerable to global supply shocks, including through rising food prices resulting from climate change and extreme weather patterns. How should the European Central Bank (ECB) navigate these headwinds? Economist Tomas Dvorak of Oxford Economics weighs in.  Image Credit: Pexels.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sudden notice by the Chief Registrar of the Federal Court last week that the e-Jamin online bail system would be phased out and replaced with the previously used manual process caused an uproar in the legal fraternity, who decried the inefficiency of the move. The Prime Minister's Department has since reversed the initial decision and announced that e-Jamin would remain in use. But why was the...

It has been a distressing week after violent storms uprooted trees in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, resulting in the death of one person whose car was crushed. As a result, DBKL have been directed to establish a task force to closely monitor and maintain these shade trees. Hashim Gombri, a landscape architect consultant, talks about the challenges in preserving old trees in urban environments. Image...