General

As one of Malaysia's oldest and largest foreign banks, is OCBC ready for the structural shift in the banking landscape with intensifying competition? We put its CEO, Dato’ Ong Eng Bin in the hot seat to ask this question whilst asking if they would consider inorganic growth via an acquisition.

The Gombak parliamentary seat, P098, will be closely watched because of the heavyweights in play. The incumbent MP is Dato’ Sri Azmin Ali, who is running under the Bersatu/Perikatan Nasional ticket. He’ll have to defend his seat against four other challengers, including PKR’s Dato Sri Amiruddin Shaari who is the Selangor Menteri Besar and Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin of Umno/Barisan Nasional. How might this five-corner fight play out? Political analyst Dr. Azmi Hassan weighs in.

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Although most economies have reopened and port congestions have eased, there have been other snags to the supply chain, such as the war in Ukraine which contributed to the sharp rise in inflation. A few days ago, one of the world’s largest container shippers, Maersk, warned that demand for transport and logistics will fall as a global recession looms. How might this then impact global supply chains - and what’s the state of the Malaysian shipping industry amid all these developments? For answers, we speak to Ooi Lean Hin, Chairman, Shipping Association of Malaysia.

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Will the outcome of the US midterm elections change the direction of economic policy and markets? Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist at US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management tells us his views whilst weighing in on inflation data due out later this week.

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With our eyes set on unearthing the freshest flavors from unexpected places, we widen our scope with hand-picked musical gems from all across Asia. This week, we are joined by Singaporean trio Forests to learn more about their latest album and more ahead of their upcoming gigs here in Malaysia.

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Playburst - Waste of Time

Glyph Talk - No Music

Terrer - Aku Nak Kaya

Elephant Gym - Shadow (feat. 9m88)

Forests - Fool of Hell

Forests Interview Part 1

Forests - Godspeedbaby!

Forests - Resting Peach Face

Forests Interview Part 2

Forests - Snowball

Kratos, the main hero of the God of War franchise, was once brutal and merciless, but the 2018 reboot saw a change in the character’s demeanour and dynamic with others. This is also parallel in the way the game and franchise has evolved as well. So, ahead of the release of God of War: Ragnarok, we look back at this modern classic and how it has successfully scaled new heights.

Another action packed weekend in the English Premier League saw Spanish tactician Unai Emery emerge victorious at Villa Park in his first game in charge, inspiring his Aston Villa team to brush aside Man Utd. Arsenal rolled on their quest for top spot with another victory, Gabi Jesus' solitary winner at Stamford Bridge damning a Chelsea side to their second straight defeat in a fortnight. Elsewhere, Leeds United did a Leeds United, trailing at half time only to claw their way back to victory against Bournemouth, in-form winger Crysencio Summerville sending Elland Road into ruptures with his 84th minute winner. Our pundits also look at what great work Eddie Howe has been up to at Newcastle, as Miguel Almiron & co destroyed Southampton to move to third in the standings. All these and more, only on Just For Kicks.

Using a series of abstract mixed-media works, artist Blankmalaysia draws connections between memories, landscapes, and the interplay between the two, ranging from the colonial to modern day. We review the show, and talk about what it evoked for us. 

With the candidates announced, and campaigning in full swing - we take a look at the major battles, hot seats and big names that will be contesting in GE15. To start, we look back on reactions to nomination day, and what the main takeaways are now that we officially know who will be running in each constituency. Then we ask you, the listener, what you're looking out for in the lead-up to polling day.

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A side by side comparison of Dato' Saifuddin Abdullah's campaign video for Indera Mahkota and US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 election campaign has been making the rounds. We ponder upon the similarities and the importance of originality in election campaigns.

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