The Breakfast Grille

Finland celebrates its Independence Day on Dec 6th, marking its declaration of independence from Russia after the Bolsheviks took power in late 1917. Anne Vasara, Finland's Ambassador to Malaysia talks about what today means to her fellow Finns, after Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago, prompting Helsinki to join NATO. She also explains Finland's position on the Israel-Palestine issue.

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Allianz Partners, part of the larger Allianz Group, is one of the world's largest insurance and assistance companies. Various trends have emerged in the insurance industry, from the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles to increasing cyber threats. Shazana Mokhtar will be discussing with Vinay Surana, Regional Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, and Africa at Allianz Partners about how the company compares to other regional outposts of Allianz and how it navigates the evolving insurance sector.

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Winstar Capital Berhad is an aluminium product manufacturer that is scheduled to be listed on the ACE Market on 19 December. We speak to their Executive Director, Lee Yong Zhi as to why they are opting for a listing after being in operations for more than 20 years, their strategies for growth in a competitive and fragmented market and should we consider buying their stock.

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Malaysia is a signatory of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and has translated the convention into legislation through the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008. However after 16 years in force, the PWD Act has failed to live up to expectations of upholding the rights of Malaysians with disabilities.

How should the law be reformed to enable PWDs to lead decent, dignified and independent lives? We discuss these themes with our panel of experts on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Podcast Transcript

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We speak to CEO of Golden Screen Cinemas Koh Mei Lee on how streaming has impacted the cinema business as it navigates itself from the pandemic to Hollywood Strike as we probe efforts taken to diversify and remove its reliance on those Hollywood Blockbusters.

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Russia is seeking to enhance trade ties with economies it considers its friends amid sanctions by the United States and its allies over what they deem as an invasion of Ukraine while Moscow insists it is still a special military operation. Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry & Trade of the Russian Federation sits down to talk about how his country has managed to overcome restrictions to how it trades and even how it moves money internationally to why BRICS might restore some balance in the world order.

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We get into a conversation with Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, an outspoken force against the government, from being critical of corporate deals to his own party's track record when it comes to reforms. Now in the spotlight again with him being called up before PKR's disciplinary board. We speak to him to understand his unwavering reputation as an outspoken lawmaker which was acknowledged when he was conferred the 37th Lim Lian Geok Spirit Award for 2024.

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The logistics sector has become increasingly competitive, with players fighting to get a piece of the e-commerce boom. One such player is Ninja Van Malaysia. Although the company is known for its last-mile delivery service, it has been venturing into new services, especially in the B2B space. Philip See will be speaking with Lin Zheng, CEO of Ninja Van Malaysia, about how the company plans to grow its business and remain competitive in the long run.

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• As our country works in overdrive to attract foreign direct investments, this time, we'll be focusing on Melaka. Being one of the smallest states in Malaysia, with a contribution of 3% to the national GDP, how can Melaka stand out among powerhouse states such as Selangor and Penang? Wong Shou Ning will be speaking with Datuk Ginie Lim Siew Lin, CEO of Invest Melaka—the state government agency tasked with attracting investments to the state.

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2024 is a pivotal year for electoral politics in Indonesia: not only did they have their presidential elections in February; this week they will also hold regional elections to elect over 500 positions including governors and local council leaders. What are the political dynamics under a government led by President Prabowo Subianto who was inaugurated last month? We discuss what to watch with Dr. Djayadi Hanan of the Indonesian International Islamic University.

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