General

Dr Juita Mohamad from ISIS Malaysia helps us unpack the recent RM20 billion PEMERKASA stimulus package announced by the Prime Minister and shares her concerns and challenges of execution, funding and designing effective initiatives.

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Several European countries like Germany and Italy have temporarily suspended the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccines over concerns that dozens of recipients of the shot have developed blood clots. So how concerning is this in the big picture? And how might it impact the public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines? For some insight, we speak with Benjamin Cowling, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong.

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The World Bank has highlighted the need for Malaysia to diversify government sources of revenue, including broadening the tax base, in order to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income nation. What are the options available and what’s the appetite for tax reform? We discuss proposals for reform with tax expert Dr Veerinderjeet Singh.

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Song Seng Wun from CIMB Private Banking provides his perspective on the Fed's decision to keep interest rates near zero and whether the strengthening Chinese yuan is impacting Singapore's economy.

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.

2:54 : Does having impostor syndrome make some people better employees?

8:51 : Has COVID-19 made you rethink modes of education?

16:24 : International headlines

22:33 : Local headlines

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Over the recent years, The Grammys have been plagued with allegations of racial and gender bias which affected not just the ceremony's prestige but its viewership as well. Last weekend's ceremony saw viewership fall 53 percent from last year to 8.8 million viewers becoming the least-watched Grammys ceremony of all-time. What's supposed to be music’s biggest night for fans is now a night celebrating the recording industry elite. Is the Grammys still relevant in today's digital age? Adrian Yap, music journalist at NME Asia shares his thoughts.

IMAGE SOURCE: CBS BROADCASTING INC

By The Way is a rapid-fire segment that gives you a snapshot of developing stories in the music world. This week, musicians organized global protests at Spotify offices demanding transparency in their business practices and for a user-centric payment model. Licensed music videos posted directly to artist’s Facebook pages will now reflect onto the Billboard charts. Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja is not happy that the music industry is not doing enough to reduce its carbon footprint. And Canadian rapper Drake joins The Beatles and Ariana Grande as the only artists to occupy the top three spots on the chart all at once with the release of “Scary Hours 2”.

Lou Ottens, the Dutch engineer responsible for the creation of cassette tapes and discs passed away recently. Kulturpop’s Matt Armitage joins us to reflect on his legacy and ingenuity, and how he changed the music and recording landscape, with his most impactful invention, the cassette tape.

IMAGE SOURCE: JERRY LAMPEN / EPA

We've all been home a lot more over the pandemic, and that means more meals at home! So to get you cooking a little more (even if you've never done so), our host Jun is dishing up some simple and fun recipes to try. This week, he's channeling his inner ajumma and making kimchi! This will be a base recipe that works wonderfully well if you were to kimchi-fy any vegetable at all, so join us through this ASMR journey, and let Jun know on Instagram (@jun.and.tonic) if you made it!

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In this featured interview, we speak to David Lee, the CEO of Jasa Sarjana - a company that specializes in window tints and films. Recently, the company has gained the sole distribution rights to a rather interesting brand of window film called ICE-μ. The brand hails from Japan and makes a product called Rivex Rikeguard - Japan’s No.1 antiviral & antibacterial film. With complete certifications on its anti-microbial and anti-bacterial properties, this protective film is used on more than just cars - it's also present in trains and train stations across Japan. David tells us more about his business, the details of Rivex Rikeguard, and how you can get them fitted to your car.

Visit www.ice-u.com.my to find out more, and read the article on dsf.my.