Following the news that the current Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, may soon head the European Central Bank, we speak to Fernandino Giugliani, writer on European economics, about what this might mean. Fernandino weighs in on whether Lagarde’s nomination raises a concern about the ECB’s independence. He also discusses how Madame Lagarde’s policies may compare to that of current President Mario Draghi. 

0:08 - YTL Communications has accused the Education Ministry of breaching contractual obligations, over the supply of internet connectivity to 10,000 schools nationwide.

4:28 - The Edge reports that a group of businessmen, led by Former AirAsia Chairman Datuk Pahamin Abdul Rajab, have met with the Prime Minister to express their interest in helping the government turn Malaysia Airlines around.

-

With the US slapping 400% tariffs on Vietnamese steel, we speak to  Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Bank to find out who else could be targeted by the US. We also tap his thoughts on  the Australian economy and whether it is out of the woods yet.

We get you out of bed, to your first cup of coffee or to your first destination of your day with thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping all our lives.

1:37 - Are you for or against exams?

8:21 - What's your definition of "youth"?

14:03 - What do you think of public acts of defiance?

We go behind scenes with Melissa Low - the brains behind the beloved monthly arts & culture bazaar, Riuh In The City. A self-proclaimed misfit, we hear the the journey of the psych major-turned-banker, and how she finally found her calling: masterminding what is now a cultural brand that unites communities.

Armed with 425 millon US dollars of funding from the likes of Softbank’s Vision Fund and Sequoia, travel app Klook will probably morph into a behemoth for experiential solutions in travel. This is bound to get the attention of some of the more well-known and bigger players in the travel space. Julian Ng speaks to Eric about this and more.

Malaysia Airport has submitted plans to expand the Penang International Airport under the new Regulated Asset Base framewok as new funding and investment models are explored.

Also, with a potential contribution of 3 billion ringgit to the Malaysian economy, Airbnb is big business and helps homeowners with their mortgage but still remains unregulated. We discuss the merits of this new economy model and take a deeper dive on the regulation imposed by other countries on this service.

0:32 - Both manufacturing and services PMI numbers are falling globally, is this the first sign of a slowdown and are there any policy tools that can help avert a potential crash? Rajiv Biswas, APAC chief economist at IHS Markit helps to answer that question.

5:45 - IMF Chief Christine Lagarde has been nominated as the next head of the European Central Bank (ECB). We discuss the skills and experiences that she brings to the table in challenging times for the EU.

Amendments have been proposed to the Peaceful Assembly Act, to remove street protesting as a criminal offence. We speak to Lim Wei Jiet, Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Society, for his insights.

With trade war tensions continuing, we ask Ranjan Sharma, head of ASEAN TMT at J.P. Morgan about the substitution effect and who stands to benefit in this region.