Morning Brief

South Korea has started the 22-day campaign period for the Presidential post that began last Tuesday with balloting on March 9. This election is closely watched by foreign countries as the candidates hold very different views. With just 6 weeks to go, what can we expect from the campaign season and how will the election likely pan out? William Pesek, Tokyo-based journalist and a columnist with Nikkei Asia tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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Dr Oh Ei Sun unpacks the latest developments taking place in the upcoming Johor state elections as more parties throw their hat into the ring and begin announcing their candidates. Image credit: Adi Haririe / Shutterstock.com

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The Malaysia 2020 Census Report was released which revealed data including population growth, urbanisation rates and even gender imbalance. The next step is using it for crafting national policies. Dr. Geoffrey Williams, Economist at Malaysia University of Science and Technology helps us understand why this is so important. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

South Korea has started the 22-day campaign period for the Presidential post that began last Tuesday with balloting on March 9. This election is closely watched by foreign countries as the candidates hold very different views. With just 6 weeks to go, what can we expect from the campaign season and how will the election likely pan out? William Pesek, Tokyo-based journalist and a columnist with Nikkei Asia tells us more. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Dr Oh Ei Sun unpacks the latest developments taking place in the upcoming Johor state elections as more parties throw their hat into the ring and begin announcing their candidates. Image credit: Adi Haririe / Shutterstock.com

The government is planning to introduce a series of affordable home programmes as part of its "Liveable Malaysia" initiative. However Bank Negara Malaysia has said that attention should be given to the supply and demand mismatch in the housing market as well as focus on price transparency issues instead. What is the solution needed to enable the M40 and B40 groups to purchase a home? Dr Suraya Ismail, research director, Khazanah Research Institute shares her thoughts. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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Humanitarian aid and financial flows to Afghanistan have been halted since the Taliban’s return to government, with donors seeking to tie aid funding to conditions such as the upholding of human rights. But as countries haggle around the diplomatic table, the collapse of the economy in Afghanistan has plunged up to three-quarters of the population into acute poverty, and impacted the delivery of basic services such as education and health care. Can the international community act to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan without emboldening the Taliban government? We discuss the situation with Herizal Hezri, Chief Executive of ISIS Malaysia. Image credit: EPA-EFE

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Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin is planning to table a new Tobacco and Smoking Control Act in the upcoming Parliament session in replacement of the old and some of the proposed measures of the legislation is to prohibit the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products including vape and e-cigarettes to people born after 2005. But will this be effective? Dr. Helmy Haja Mydin, consultant respiratory physician and newly appointed technical advisor to the Ministry of Health on the tobacco & smoking legislation shares his thoughts. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The government is planning to introduce a series of affordable home programmes as part of its "Liveable Malaysia" initiative. However Bank Negara Malaysia has said that attention should be given to the supply and demand mismatch in the housing market as well as focus on price transparency issues instead. What is the solution needed to enable the M40 and B40 groups to purchase a home? Dr Suraya Ismail, research director, Khazanah Research Institute shares her thoughts. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Humanitarian aid and financial flows to Afghanistan have been halted since the Taliban’s return to government, with donors seeking to tie aid funding to conditions such as the upholding of human rights. But as countries haggle around the diplomatic table, the collapse of the economy in Afghanistan has plunged up to three-quarters of the population into acute poverty, and impacted the delivery of basic services such as education and health care. Can the international community act to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan without emboldening the Taliban government? We discuss the situation with Herizal Hezri, Chief Executive of ISIS Malaysia. Image credit: EPA-EFE