General

5G is the next big thing in the telco world but its rollout in ASEAN has been besieged by Covid-19, differing national policies and geopolitical considerations.

Anthea Lai, Senior TMT Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, explains.

Oil's rise has highlighted the brewing spat between the UAE and Saudi Arabia, while China's clampdown on Didi Chuxing further magnifies regulatory risks with China IPOs.

Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer, Jevons Global, discusses.

This week, Patrick Teoh takes you on another foot stomping, hand clapping ride down memory lane as he blows dust off his vinyl collection to bring you a selection of the biggest hits from the 1970s.

Can the Swiss cause another big upset when they meet Spain in St Petersburg? Who will be victorious in the Clash of the Titans between Belgium and Italy in Munich? Which underdog will survive in Baku when Czech Rep play Denmark? And who will stroll the streets of Rome with pride after Ukraine face England? A preview of the QFs and chat about managerial changes in EPL and ACL 2021.

The police are investigating two individuals, filmmaker Anna Har and cartoonist Amin Landak, over the release of the short film “Chilli Powder and Thinner”. The film depicts the true story of a teenager’s experience with police brutality. We speak Anna about the impact of today's events.

Image Source: Anna Har

Yesterday, the government announced that various parts of the Klang Valley will be put under an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) and will take effect for two weeks beginning tomorrow. With the repeated lockdowns announced, we first look at how effective have the lockdowns actually been. Then, we speak about how trust in the government affects the fight against the pandemic. And finally - we explore at what the long term repercussions these lockdowns have on us as people.

Image Source: ANDY GK, Shutterstock

Among the many initiatives to get aid to the rakyat, Subang MP Wong Chen is carrying out a contactless welfare aid program by providing shopping vouchers instead of food packs. MP Wong Chen speaks to us about why he believes shopping vouchers are more effective than food aid baskets.

Image Source: Nico Smit, Unsplash

Coordinating Minister for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin recently announced that there is not enough data for Malaysia to consider mixing two different COVID-19 vaccines. What do current studies on mixing vaccines show, and what kind of data would help Malaysian authorities to make an evidence-based decision? We find out more from Dr Vinod Balasubramaniam, molecular virologist, who also weighs in on how we should address concerns among those who are vaccine hesitant.

Image source: Shutterstock 

We're focussing on GoodKids today, a social enterprise empowering youth using the arts and counseling. As the folks behind the enterprise describe it, the funds raised are used to help youth rediscover themselves, build confidence and develop critical skills to lead an independent and purposeful life. They also focus on self discovery, self expression, critical thinking, decision making, and mental health. We find out more about the work they do and their future plans from Koggelavani Muniandy, the Co-founder of GoodKids Malaysia.

Image source: GoodKids

We're continuing our coverage on past films that were released under the FreedomFilmFest, which have been bringing socially relevant, human rights films to Malaysians since 2003. As we stay home to stay safe, the folks behind the Freedom Film Network are releasing specially curated Freedom film playlists - dubbed ‘Weekend Watch with FreedomFilmFest' - on their YouTube channel, for a look-back at the many thought-provoking issues highlighted throughout the years. This week, the focus is on films with strong female community leaders, and we're going to look back at the 2015 film, Memory As Resistance: Grandma Kong Defending Her Village, where protagonist Kong Sook Koon, a resident of Kampung Hakka, Mantin, shares her experiences of living there all her life, and how her village -  and the only way of life she's ever known - was being threatened by commercial development. Joining us to share more is Chan Seong Foong, who co-directed the film with Victor Chin.

Image source: Freedom Film Network