Morning Brief

Prime office rents in Singapore reached a 15-year high in the first quarter of the year, but the picture may not stay as rosy given a number of headwinds on the horizon. How will commercial real estate trends affect the outlook for major Singapore property players? We get analysis from Ken Foong of Bloomberg Intelligence.

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The Prime Minister's Office has just launched the Malaysia Madani Nationhood Training module to be undertaken by Akademi Kenegaraan Malaysia or AKM. The the module is firmly rooted in the Federal Constitution and reflects the core values outlined in the Rukun Negara but how useful will it be in achieving its goals of ensuring the patriotism and civic consciousness of future generations. Jason Wee, Co-founder, Architects of Diversity  tells us.

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When the moratorium on EV road taxes ends in January 2026, EV owners won’t have to worry about sticker shock - this week the Transport Minister Anthony Loke unveiled a new road tax structure that will see EVs pay 85% lower fees. We discuss the implications of this and other auto-sector related policies with Daniel Fernandez, Editor of the auto news portal dsf.my.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party BJP failed to secure an outright majority on its own in the country's 7-week long general election. This means Modi has to rely on coalition partners to stay in office for a third term. Priyanka Kishore, Director and Principal Economist at Asia Decoded, takes us through the various scenarios and what this might mean for India's economic future as one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

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According to the 2023 National Health & Morbidity Survey by the Ministry of Health, over half a million adults living in Malaysia live with 4 non-communicable diseases or NCDs. What implications does this pose for our healthcare system? We discuss the findings of the survey and policy responses required with Dr. Murallitharan Munisamy, Co-Chairperson of NCD Malaysia.

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Following the 2024 IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit was held in Dubai, IATA has forecasted that the global airline industry will record revenue of 996 billion US dollars this year. While the net profit estimate has been raised to 30.5 billion dollars. Brendan Sobie, Independent Analyst and Consultant, Sobie Aviation, who was at the event shares with us the takeaways from the event, the industry’s efforts to go green and outlook for the industry.

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The 21st Shangri-La Dialogue took place in Singapore over the weekend on the backdrop of multiple conflicts from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas wars, as well as continued tensions in the South China Sea. Chong Ja Ian, Associate Professor, at the Department of Political Science of the National University of Singapore, helps analyse the outcome of this year's summit.

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South Africans voted last week in the country's general elections resulting in the ruling African National Congress losing its majority for the first time in 30 years. The ANC now has to negotiate with other parties to remain in government. Louw Nel, a senior political analyst at Oxford Economics, helps us understand what the possible permutations might be for the future of South Africa.

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After two days of deliberation by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to pay hush money ahead of the 2016 election. John Zogby, pollster and Founder of Zogby Strategies tells us what impact this will have on his reelection chances in November's elections especially among the minds of the undecided and women voters.

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The Penang government has proposed for a comprehensive review of tax revenue distribution, advocating for a 20% return of collected taxes to enhance local development. Dr. Tricia Yeoh, CEO, Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) tells us if there is a formula by which states are granted a percentage of tax revenue and how that should align with their development goals.

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