Morning Brief

Since Russia launched a full scale invasion into Ukraine, many countries have unleashed an unprecedented set of coordinated sanctions against Russia. However, these sanctions do not seem to deter President Putin, and in retaliation, Russia has imposed counter sanctions. So how effective are sanctions imposed on Russia and do the counter sanctions deployed by Russia pose any impact at all? Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies tells us more. Image credit: Unsplash.com

In the wake of viral social media posts of Ramadhan bazaar offerings of questionable food quality, how much awareness do traders and the public have about the risks of food poisoning? We discuss the current regulations and standards that food traders need to abide by as well as the levels of enforcement with food safety expert Dr. Chai Lay Ching of Universiti Malaya. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak for the festive season surged as high as close to RM1,400 per one way ticket but fortunately the airfares has decreased by 30 percent following intervention by the aviation authorities and airlines. But what can be done to prevent another extreme price hike from happening again? Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer and Spokesperson at The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) shares his thoughts with us. Image credit: Pexels.com

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With Finance Minister Lawrence Wong named chief of the so-called fourth-generation leadership team, making him heir apparent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we ask Dr Michael Barr from Flinders University what this will mean for the political landscape in Singapore. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The plight of 27-year-old driver Sam Ke Ting, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the High Court for dangerous driving, grabbed public attention last week. She was convicted for causing the deaths of 8 teenagers in a 2017 collision, despite being acquitted on two occasions previously by the Magistrate’s Court. Beatrice Chin, a lawyer tells us the legal process ahead. Image credit: Free Malaysia Today

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Airfares to Sabah and Sarawak for the festive season surged as high as close to RM1,400 per one way ticket but fortunately the airfares has decreased by 30 percent following intervention by the aviation authorities and airlines. But what can be done to prevent another extreme price hike from happening again? Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer and Spokesperson at The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) shares his thoughts with us. Image credit: Pexels.com

With Finance Minister Lawrence Wong named chief of the so-called fourth-generation leadership team, making him heir apparent to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, we ask Dr Michael Barr from Flinders University what this will mean for the political landscape in Singapore. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

The plight of 27-year-old driver Sam Ke Ting, who was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by the High Court for dangerous driving, grabbed public attention last week. She was convicted for causing the deaths of 8 teenagers in a 2017 collision, despite being acquitted on two occasions previously by the Magistrate’s Court. Beatrice Chin, a lawyer tells us the legal process ahead. Image credit: Free Malaysia Today

The Ministry of Health will administer a second vaccine booster shot for senior citizens with comorbidities to counter waning immunity levels for those most vulnerable to Covid-19 infections. We discuss the rationale for the move as well as other pandemic developments in the country with Dr. Vinod Balasubramniam of the Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Image credit: EPA-EFE

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Elon Musk made an official offer of $54.20 per share to take Twitter private, valuing the company at $43 billion. However, the board of Twitter adopted a poison pill provision to ward off his offer. Musk's extreme wealth is undeniable, but does he have the funding required to complete the transaction? And what other obstacles will he face in order to succeed? Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities shares his views with us. Image credit: Unsplash.com

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