Current Affairs

Evan Ramstad, Korean correspondent at the Wall Street Journal, explains the alleged attack by North Korea at the controversial Yellow Sea border, and China's role as a moderating influence.

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Mary Kissel, Editor of The Wall Street Journal Asia's editorial page, tells why Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama decided to resign, the problems that plagued his administration, and the possible outcomes of his resignation.

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Ong Kian Ming, political analyst, explains why Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is not in the cabinet, why Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who despite being linked to the PKFZ scandal is made a full minister, and whether we expect more progress in prosecuting the big fishes responsible for the mess in PKFZ. Ong also discusses whether it is a good move to appoint Chua Tee Yong, Datuk Seri Dr Chua's son, as a deputy minister. Is that good or bad nepotism?

Kian Ming has a PhD in political science from Duke University.

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Dato' Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin, economist and CEO of ISIS, explains the economic impact of the subsidy cut, the breakdown of the RM42 billion on education and healthcare subsidy, and the measures that are least politically sensitive. She believes that the Goods and Services Tax will still be needed. The government's communication strategy is key in getting buy-in from Malaysians.

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Jason Campbell, Project Associate at RAND Corporation, a think tank in US, updates us on the war in Afghanistan - why it's important for the US to win this more, whether it's winnable, how the war could be won, and why the US continues to support President Hamid Karzai despite allegations of him stealing the elections.

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Huw McKay, Senior International Economist at Westpac Bank Sydney, says the Bank of Japan needs to be more aggressive in tackling deflation. For the additional funding programme to encourage bank lending to be effective, there has to be demand for corporate credit. He explains the structural problems of the Japanese economy.

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K Ragunath, President of Bar Council, explains the Bar Council's contention about Bank Negara Malaysia's proposals on replacing the existing third party motor insurance scheme with a new basic scheme.

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Brendan Brown, Head of Economic Research at Mitsubishi UFJ in London, explains the problems in the Eurozone and whether exiting the Euro is an option. He also wrote the book Euro Crash: Implications of Monetary Failure in Europe.

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Concessions the Tories have to make with the Lib Dems. So far the Tories have backed down on raising the threshold for inheritance tax, one of its key proposals. Merril Stevenson, UK Editor at The Economist shares her views.

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Benigno Aquino Jr is set for a landslide win in the presidential elections in the Philippines. Discussion on what his priorities should be, his challenges ahead in pushing through reforms, and how he could deal with them. Daniel Martin, an editor at The Economist Intelligence Unit, shares his views.

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