Morning Brief

Last week, the country was shocked by the surprise seizure of two Petronas subsidiaries in Azerbaijan by the purported heirs of the Sulu Sultanate. This was after a French arbitration court ruled in March that Malaysia has to pay the purported heirs at least 62 billion ringgit. Roger Chin, President of the Sabah Law Society helps us unlock the history of this case and what steps the Malaysian government should take.

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Last week, the country was shocked by the surprise seizure of two Petronas subsidiaries in Azerbaijan by the purported heirs of the Sulu Sultanate. This was after a French arbitration court ruled in March that Malaysia has to pay the purported heirs at least 62 billion ringgit. Roger Chin, President of the Sabah Law Society helps us unlock the history of this case and what steps the Malaysian government should take.

The next British Prime Minister is now down to the Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. They have until September 5th to woo 180,000 Conservative party members. So far, the race to succeed Boris Johnson and to take over the legacy he leaves behind is neck and neck. Patrick Diamond, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Queen Mary University of London, analyses what each candidate has to offer.

A recent report by the Malaysian Insight highlights the many bureaucratic challenges that F&B players face, particularly the lack of clarity in procuring operating licences and the yards of red tape involved. We get an industry perspective from Jeremy Lim of the Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro on the business-friendly policies needed for the F&B sector to stay resilient.

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Sri Lanka has fallen into a deep and unprecedented economic crisis that has sparked huge protests and seen its president quit after fleeing the country. This scenario could be replicated elsewhere, with the IMF warning that other countries could be at risk of similar troubles due to high debt levels and limited policy space. Prof. Hans Genberg, Professor of Economics at Asia School of Business tells us which countries are at risk and what are the solutions.

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After decades of advocacy, the Dewan Rakyat yesterday passed the anti-sexual harassment bill through a voice vote.  It most notably establishes a tribunal that will consider any complaints of sexual harassment in a closed-door hearing, with any award by the tribunal deemed to be a court-order; non-compliance could result in a criminal penalty. Does this law go far enough to protect all Malaysians from sexual harassment? We get reactions from Yu Ren Chung of the Women's Aid Organisation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent report by the Malaysian Insight highlights the many bureaucratic challenges that F&B players face, particularly the lack of clarity in procuring operating licences and the yards of red tape involved. We get an industry perspective from Jeremy Lim of the Persatuan Pemilik Restoran dan Bistro on the business-friendly policies needed for the F&B sector to stay resilient.

Sri Lanka has fallen into a deep and unprecedented economic crisis that has sparked huge protests and seen its president quit after fleeing the country. This scenario could be replicated elsewhere, with the IMF warning that other countries could be at risk of similar troubles due to high debt levels and limited policy space. Prof. Hans Genberg, Professor of Economics at Asia School of Business tells us which countries are at risk and what are the solutions.

After decades of advocacy, the Dewan Rakyat yesterday passed the anti-sexual harassment bill through a voice vote.  It most notably establishes a tribunal that will consider any complaints of sexual harassment in a closed-door hearing, with any award by the tribunal deemed to be a court-order; non-compliance could result in a criminal penalty. Does this law go far enough to protect all Malaysians from sexual harassment? We get reactions from Yu Ren Chung of the Women's Aid Organisation.

The Malaysian fintech industry has boomed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with products like e-wallets, remittance apps and cryptocurrency trading platforms gaining traction across society. The Malaysian Fintech Report 2022 published this week by Fintech News Malaysia highlights progress in the financial tech sector over the past year. Chief Editor Vincent Fong goes through some of the main developments.

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