Morning Brief

The 2025 National Health Screening Initiative has revealed that nearly a third of Malaysians are overweight or obese, costing the nation an estimated RM64 billion annually in healthcare, lost productivity, and premature deaths. Dr Sapna Shridhar Patil, a senior lecturer at the School of Medicine, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences of Taylor’s University discusses the drivers behind this and what can be done.

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Timor-Leste is set to become ASEAN’s 11th member at the upcoming summit in Kuala Lumpur, after more than a decade of waiting for accession. What will Timor-Leste’s entry mean for the bloc? Sharon Seah, Senior Fellow and Coordinator, ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute shares her perspective.

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The 80th United Nations General Assembly this month is taking place amid shifts in geopolitical dynamics and a general US pullback from the multilateral institution. We speak to Prof. Donald Rothwell of the ANU on how the high-level general debate has unfolded so far and how relations with the US could shape the future of the UN.

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The BUDI95 fuel subsidy kicks off on September 30, with RON95 at just RM1.99 ringgit per litre. With 16 million Malaysians set to benefit, will petrol stations be able to handle the rush? We get the industry perspective from Dato' Khairul Annuar Abdul Aziz, President of the Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM).

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China's recent data points to a sharper-than-expected cyclical slowdown as industrial output, retail sales and investment all stumbled in August, adding to doubts over whether Beijing can sustain its 5% growth target. Heron Lim, Lecturer of Economics at ESSEC Business School tells us if policy makers will be initiating new policy measures to counter this.

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Malaysia’s live entertainment scene has been in the spotlight recently, due to discussions over dress codes. Earlier this year, the government introduced new guidelines and incentives to position Malaysia as a concert hub. To unpack these initiatives, we speak with Para Rajagopal, Founder of ALIFE, a collective of concert promoters.

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Recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN is gaining momentum, with Australia, the UK and France joining over 145 countries in support. Yet major players like the US and Japan remain hesitant. What impact does this have on a long lasting solution to the war in Gaza? We’ll discuss this with Dr James Dorsey, Adjunct Senior Fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

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The redevelopment of Kampung Sungai Baru has reignited heated debate after a chaotic eviction operation early this month. However the eviction was not sudden, but rather the result of nearly a decade of planning, disagreements, and legal battles. Lawyer Aliff Benjamin Suhaimi breaks down the legal arguments in the case.

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The Budi Madani RON95 (Budi95) fuel subsidy does not primarily benefit lower-income households, as initially indicated by the government, but instead rewards those who consume less petrol. Economist Dr Geoffrey Williams explains how this scheme fits into the Madani government’s broader fiscal reform agenda.

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The S&P500 hit a new high recently despite the expensive valuations. We ask Joe Quinlan, Chief Market Strategist, US Trust-BOA Private Wealth Management if there is still upside to this rally and if so, what are the sectors to overweight and underweight. We also ask him for his views on the recent moves by Nvidia on Intel and Open AI.

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