Morning Brief

Over the weekend, Iran launched a barrage of missiles on Israel in retaliation over an Israeli strike on its consulate in Damascus that killed 13 people. Although no direct targets were hit, the unprecedented attack raises questions over the risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East. Dr. James Dorsey of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies discusses the potential repercussions of an escalation between Iran and Israel.

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Following a report that a man had fired a gun at the KLIA terminal building, injuring one person, and another involving an Israeli national who was in possession of 6 guns, we take a look at what gun control is like in Malaysia. Criminal lawyer, Goh Cia Yee, explains Malaysia’s legislation surrounding firearms and ammunition.

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The Bursa Malaysia Property Index has appreciated more than 68% since October 2022, reflecting improving demand supply dynamics post-pandemic. Positive news flow from Johor and Penang surrounding major infrastructure improvements also helped. Loong Kok Wen, Regional Head of Property, RHB Investment Bank, helps us understand what is fuelling this current rally and will it continue.

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The latest Malaysia Retail Industry Report has projected the country's retail sales to grow 4% this year. However, after a 0.2% retail sales contraction for the fourth quarter of 2023, what can we expect for the rest of this year? Patrick Sim, council member of the Malaysia Retail Chain Association’s F&B division shares his insights in a year that is expected to see rising input costs and other challenges.

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Advance estimates have revelaed that Singapore’s economy expanded slower than expected in the first quarter of 2024 with a 0.1% growth on a quarter-on-quarter basis, as manufacturing and construction weighed. Meanwhile, China saw its exports contract by 7.5% in March. Selena Ling, Chief Economist, OCBC Bank shares how these developments might impact economic outlook going forward.

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A trilateral summit involving the leaders of the US, Japan and the Philippines was recently held with discussions centred around trade and technology among others. However, the main topic remained on security in a region where China holds influence. Dr Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow with the Wilson Centre and founder of the weekly ASEAN Wonk newsletter helps us understand the implications.

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Recently, Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) leaders and members once an opposition party have joined the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) which is one of the component parties within the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition. Dr James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies, University of Tasmania tells us what this means for Sarawak politics and the recent moves by the state government to be more autonomous.

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Boycotts have in recent times been an outlet to express anger and dissatisfaction. But have these "movements" also been used by politicians to further their careers to the detriment of society? P Gunasegaram, independent business writer gives us his opinion on this.

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• The International Air Transport Association forecasted that the global airline industry is poised for increased profitability in 2024, with an estimated 4.7 billion travellers expected to take to the skies. Timothy Bacchus, Senior Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, shares with us if Asia Pacific aviation players will also see that same positive momentum.

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The Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism is suggesting that an ombudsman system for Malaysia that responds to complaints of government maladministration from the public. This ombudsman office also needs to be impartial and independent. C4 CEO Pushpan Murugiah updates us on where this process is after Putrajaya signalled that such a bill may be tabled in Parliament later this year.

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