Morning Brief

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is reportedly planning to issue arrest warrants for Israeli political and military figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over allegations of war crimes in the state of Palestine. We discuss the legal proceedings at play with Dr. Juliette McIntyre of the University of South Australia.

Image Credit: oliverdelahaye / Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week, the Japanese yen plunged to a 34-year low before strengthening to 157, sparking speculation about intervention by Japanese authorities. We discuss the implications of the yen's weakness and what this means for the Bank of Japan with William Pesek, columnist at Nikkei Asia.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has urged tourism players to comply with the ASEAN Tourism Standards. Nigel Wong, President, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents shares with us what are the guidelines in these set of standards as well as his review on the recently unveiled strategic direction towards Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In light of World Press Freedom Day, we discuss the current media landscape in Malaysia as well as assess the Madani government’s commitment to press freedom. Is their rhetoric backed by action? Dr. Benjamin Loh of Taylor’s University weighs in.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paramount Global’s earnings report this week has been overshadowed by major drama in the boardroom, with its CEO and long-time executive Bob Bakish being fired and replaced by a trio of heads. What precipitated this sudden ouster and what does this mean for Paramount’s future prospects? We discuss these developments and other trends in the streaming sector with Geetha Ranganathan of Bloomberg Intelligence.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Anwar Ibrahim-administration launched the country's inaugural National Human Resource Policy Framework on Labour Day. It aims to address pressing issues like fair wages, job welfare, labour union movements, job mismatches and foreign labour. Adrian Pereira, Executive Director of the North South Initiative breaks down what was unveiled.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An MOU was signed between Malaysia and Singapore to create a Johor- Singapore Special economic zone (SEZ). Details are still pending but both economies and multiple sectors will likely benefit. Thilan Wickramasinghe , Head of Research, Singapore, Maybank Investment Bank tells us what are the ingredients for a success SEZ and which companies stand to do well from this.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Saudi Arabia hosted the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development this week, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in attendance. We discuss Malaysia's bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia and the opportunities that could be explored in the aftermath of the event with Bunn Nagara of the Perak Academy. 

Image Credit: EPA-EFE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earlier this week the government announced a cabinet reshuffle, the first under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s watch, which saw six new faces added to the line-up and four ministers dropped. Dr Greg Raymond, Senior Lecturer, Australian National University tells us why these changes were made whilst giving us a review of Thavisin's deliverables or lack thereof.

Image Credit: teera.noisakran / Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's retail numbers appear to be healthy so far this year with physical sales up 5.5% for the first two months of this year, while online figures registered a 14% jump, indicating resilience in the e-commerce sector. Catherine Lim, a senior analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence breaks down the numbers and where consumer sentiment in the world's second largest economy is headed for the rest of 2024.

Image Credit: Shutterstock.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.