☕️ Unscheduled water cuts affecting 144 areas in Gombak and KL, to be restored by 31 Mar

1. MARKET SUMMARY

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

415,000 were flying daily in India pre-pandemic. The country expects local traffic to exceed that figure because of pent-demand driving travel needs for millions stuck at home.

15.4 mil people watched Chris Rock get slapped by Will Smith (i.e. the Oscars), according to preliminary ratings were released by Walt Disney Co.’s ABC network. The numbers are a 56% improvement from a year ago.

The news of Tesla Inc’s stock split added USD84 bil to its market cap, more than Ford Motor Co.’s entire market capitalisation. Tesla’s share price rose a staggering 743% back in 2020 when it announced a stock split.

3. COVID-19 SUMMARY

• Over 15 million adults in Malaysia have received the Covid-19 booster dose as of Monday.

• A total of 57 Al-Quran and Fardu Ain (Kafa) class teachers in Selangor who are still refusing the Covid-19 vaccine face the risk of termination.

4. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

1. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has requested for the debate on MySejahtera to be allowed by the Dewan Negara speaker this Thursday. He will explain in detail the questions raised by several parties with regard to the appointment of MySJ Sdn Bhd as the licensee of the MySejahtera application. He said that there are many issues that could lead to misunderstanding — how not to when the companies involved are structured in a convoluted manner with a complicated flow of events.Find an analysis here on the ten holes in KJ’s earlier clarification. 

2. The High Court has set May 17 for judicial review by single mother Loh Siew Hong to challenge her ex-husband’s action of unilaterally converting their three children to Islam without her consent. Her ex-husband is currently serving a jail sentence due to drug-related offences. PAS issued a stern warning against anyone that try to change the religion of the children. Her lawyer responded to PAS, condemning any attempts to threaten or intimidate their client from pursuing her legal right in court, as it “constitutes criminal contempt of court”. 

3. US trade officials said they will launch an investigation that could result in tariffs on solar panels imported from 4 Southeast Asian countries - Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia after Auxin Solar, a California-based solar manufacturer requested the probe arguing that Chinese shifted production to these nations to bypass paying US duties. These four countries account for 80% of the panels expected to be installed this year. The solar trade group said this investigation could hurt US progress in addressing climate change. 

4. Pengurusan Air Selangor Bhd announced that 144 areas in Gombak and Kuala Lumpur will experience unscheduled water supply disruption due to a leaking valve in Jalan Kuching. The water supply is expected to be fully restored by 9 am on Mar 31.

5. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

1. Russia’s defence ministry announced plans to scale back its assaults on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv to help with the peace negotiations. Negotiations so far have made little progress. Fingers crossed that reducing military activity in the two cities will alleviate the situation. The talks ended with no cease-fire, but the demands are clearer. A meeting between the two countries’ presidents is also on the cards.

2. Will Smith has apologised to Chris Rock after he slapped him at the Oscars after the latter joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, a result of the hair-loss condition alopecia. Is the apology sufficient to salvage Smith’s career and the first Oscar of his career?

3. Ahead of the general election in May, Australia has announced a giveaway budget aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures. The budget included a petrol tax cut and a one-off USD250 payment to 6 mil low-income Australians. Giveaway budgets are typical when the ruling coalition struggles in the polls — Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s coalition government is trailing the opposition Labor party.

4. Sony is expected to launch a new video game subscription service to take on Microsoft for its PlayStation console called PlayStation Plus in the summer to take on Xbox Game Pass. There will be three tiers — Essential (USD10 per month), Extra (USD15 per month) and Premium (USD18 per month). The company expects the service to drive sales of its PlayStation consoles.

5. The Taliban have ordered airlines in Afghanistan to stop women from flying unless accompanied by a male relative, further clamping down the freedom of women. Initially, the Taliban promised a softer version of the harsh rule that characterised their first stint in power, from 1996 to 2001, but women are increasingly being shut out of public life.

6. TikTok has announced a new in-app creation tool called TikTok Library. The tool makes it easier for creators to access entertainment content and participate in trends. Initially, the Library will be populated with select content from GIPHY, and additional content sources, audio and sounds, text templates and other TikTok creator content will be added later on.

6. FOR YOUR EYES 👁👁

1. What jobs have unwritten JD: ‘kerja ambik rasuah’

2. The history of Evian mineral water