General

Crude palm oil prices recently broke past a record RM4500 per tonne. What is driving this, is this level sustainable and are there plantations stocks to watch? The Morning Run speaks to Alvin Tai, Soft Commodity Analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence, to find out.

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Charles Kenny, the author of "The Plague Cycle: The Unending War Between Humanity and Infectious Disease" discusses the downside of some measures to fight the pandemic, and how global rules like patents and aid-giving could be rewritten to foster more equitable development and a more even response in managing crisis across the world. Kenny is also a Senior Fellow and the Director of Technology and Development at the Center for Global Development, Washington DC. He was previously with the World Bank, and holds degrees from Cambridge; the School of Oriental and African Studies in London; and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

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Sarawak's State Assembly is set to dissolve in less than a month, with Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg seeking an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to discuss the subject. In tandem with that, there has been growing upset over the government's implementation of MCO3.0, culminating in #KerajaanGagal trending on Twitter over the Raya weekend. We speak to Professor James Chin, Professor of the Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania for a look at both Sarawak and the security of the Perikatan Nasional government.

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While the US is relaxing its measures for vaccinated persons, countries like India and Brazil are still in the midst of a shocking surge in Covid-19 infections. In addition, concerns have risen over a "black fungus" affecting recovered Covid-19 patients in India. We speak to Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the University of Hong Kong about this new complication, and whether India's variant is truly a cause for concern.

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UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund, and DM Analytics recently produced the final installment of their report "Families on the Edge". Based on this, Stephen Barrett, UNICEF's Chief of Social Policy discusses much-needed policy responses and reveals that B40 families still need cash assistance and that 4 in 10 surveyed are vaccine-hesitant.

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With volatility slowly making its way back to global markets, would this be a good time to take some money off the table and go long on cash? The Morning Run speaks to fund manager Jack Kouzi, Director for Strategy at V.F.S Group, about this, as well as whether the Fed has inflation under control, commodity prices, talks about a Warner Media and Discovery Inc merger, and how companies can hedge risks with the global chip shortage.

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.

2:43 - Do you feel stuck to your social media platforms?

9:49 - Do you prefer buying pre-order?

17:23 - International headlines

23:22 - Local headlines

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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 from the pop charts of the 1970s.

Fulham are relegated on Monday. Man City are crowned champions on Tuesday after Leicester win at Old Trafford. Arsenal win 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and on Thursday, Liverpool breathed life into their Top 4 challenge by beating Man Utd. Includes a preview of the weekend's EPL and the FA Cup Final at Wembley between Chelsea & Leicester.

We catch up with 22-year-old Malaysian rapper, Yonnyboii, who made an appearance in the original soundtrack of the Disney film Raya and the Last Dragon, a song collaboration with various Asian artists including SPRITE, Matthaios, and Raisa.

IMAGE SOURCE: Yonnyboii / FACEBOOK