Morning Brief

The Online Safety Act 2024 has been passed and gazetted, with enforcement just around the corner. It is touted as a milestone in protecting Malaysians, especially children, from online harm but the law has also raised serious concerns about vague definitions and unchecked regulatory powers. Dr Benjamin Loh, Course Director for the Bachelor of Digital Media and Communication at Monash University Malaysia shares his thoughts.

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How liveable is Kuala Lumpur? Dato' Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Datuk Bandar of Kuala Lumpur, Dato’ Hamdan Abdul Majeed, Managing Director of Think City and Cha-Ly Koh, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UrbanMetry join BFM’s Shazana Mokhtar to discuss what makes a city liveable, the challenges KL faces in this pursuit, and the potential solutions to move us closer to this goal.

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• Warner Bros. Discovery will split into two firms to separate streaming from legacy TV, aiming to cut debt and boost flexibility. Meanwhile, Netflix’s strong quarter highlights its dominance as media companies face pressure to adapt or consolidate. Geetha Ranganathan, Senior Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence gives us her insights on the media sector in the US.

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As the Malaysian government prepares to expand the Sales and Service Tax (SST) on a variety of goods starting July 1st, many are concerned about how this will affect their ability to afford everyday staples, given that Malaysia relies heavily on food imports. Nik Syafiah Anis, Research Associate at Khazanah Research Institute weighs in on the implications of the expanded tax on food security.

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As tensions between Israel and Iran exploded into open conflict following Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and with Tehran responding in kind, concerns have surfaced if this could spiral into a full-blown regional war. Dr Shahram Akbarzadeh of Deakin University helps us unpack how we got here and what each side hopes to achieve and if there is still hope for a de-escalation.

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Perikatan Nasional's unusual leadership structure is raising questions about who and which party is steering the coalition. We discuss the internal dynamics with political analyst Adib Zalkapli.

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Starting July 1, Malaysia’s expanded SST will impact construction firms earning over 1.5 million ringgit, adding strain to an industry already facing cost hikes and labour shortages. Industry players like MBAM stress the need for clearer direction and stronger government support; we’ll speak to Oliver Wee Hiang Chyn, President of the Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM).

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The delay as well as lack of transparency over decisions extending the tenure of the Chief Justice and other top judges is creating speculation that could affect public perception of judicial integrity. We speak to constitutional lawyer Dato' Malik Imtiaz Sarwar about the implications of this impasse for the Malaysian judicial system.

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Fitch Ratings has downgraded its 2025 outlook for the APAC tech sector from 'neutral' to ‘deteriorating’ as global demand weakens and consumer confidence slips.  Steve Durose, Managing Director at Fitch Ratings weighs in on which companies could be most impacted.

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Jetstar Asia’s has just announced a sudden exit from Singapore skies raising alarm bells across the region’s aviation industry. However, AirAsia is looking to come out of PN17 status and wants to buy at least 100 Airbus planes. Brendan Sobie, an independent analyst and consultant at Sobie Aviation shares his insights into this very competitive sector.

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