Morning Brief

Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia, on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum where the Malaysian leader is the main attraction. Julia Roknifard, an independent expert on international relations talks to us about the significance of this meeting with Moscow continuing to remain under sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.

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Amid reports from the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Commission having received almost 6,600 cases of cyberbullying involving youths, a 20-fold increase from three years ago, action needs to be taken immediately to address this. Datin PH Wong, Executive Director of Childline Foundation shares some insights into this worrying trend as social media and online games become increasingly prolific.

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Venezuela remains at a political impasse more than a month after Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner in the presidential elections. This outcome is disputed by the opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and sparked on-going mass street demonstrations. We get updates on the situation in Venezuela with Dr. Raul Sanchez-Urribarri of La Trobe University.

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Putrajaya has pledged to prioritise affordable housing projects amid concerns from some residents groups that this could result in excessive development, leading to traffic congestion. Teresa Kok, the MP for Seputeh, shares her views from her constituents' perspectives.

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China’s economy is increasingly looking less likely to reach its 5% GDP growth target - what does this mean for equities? Brock Silvers of Kaiyuan Capital weighs in on whether there are silver linings amid the economic uncertainties. 

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Malaysia Aviation Group has temporarily reduced its flights and routes until December this year to implement corrective measures after a series of delays and flight cancellations caused the ire of many passengers. Brendan Sobie, Independent Analyst and Consultant of Sobie Aviation explains why this has happened to MAG and what they need to do to repair their reputation and restore confidence.

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A recent report by the healthcare news portal CodeBlue on medical inflation featuring comments from the Chief Executive of the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has sparked debate on regulatory reform for private healthcare pricing. We get industry perspectives from Datuk Dr. Kuljit Singh of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) on factors driving up the cost of private healthcare and potential solutions.

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China has experienced a series of trade retaliatory measures, including tariffs imposed by Canada and the EU, in response to its alleged dumping of cheap goods. This comes amid a weak consumer market in the world’s second-largest economy, where e-commerce giants have been warning of declining profits. Gary Ng, Senior APAC Economist at Natixis, shares his analysis of the prospects for the Chinese economy and whether it can achieve sustainable growth.

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Earlier this, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), an industry group, sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a halt to new social media licensing. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has since questioned AIC’s representation of tech companies, noting discrepancies and Grab Malaysia’s claim of not being consulted. We turn to Derek John Fernandez, a Commission Member of the MCMC, for insights on these allegations.

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With more than three million Malaysians involved in freelance work, the current labour laws are outdated. A new bill to protect gig workers will be tabled in October. We speak to Dr. Sia Chin Chin, Senior Lecturer, School of Law and Governance at Taylor’s University as to what these law should include.

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