Last week, Johor’s state budget was tabled at RM1.99 billion for 2025, which includes RM500,000 allocated for building pickleball courts in the state. We speak to Benedict Weerasena, research director at Bait Al Amanah to unpack the budget and Johor’s goals to foster a federal-state collaboration and other efforts for state development.

· Whistleblower releases full Sabah video: In a follow up to the alleged corruption scandal in Sabah, seven videos were published yesterday showing various politicians discussing accepted bribes. We hear from Arief Hamizan, head of Research and Policy Advocacy at the Center to Combat Corruption & Cronyism for his thoughts on this scandal.

· South Korea temporarily goes into martial law: President Yoon Suk Yeol made a sudden declaration of emergency martial law in a televised address last night, to protect South Korea from the opposition's anti-state activities and communist threats. Just a few hours later, a bipartisan vote unaniously rejected the martial law. There are now calls for the President's resignation. Farlina Said, a fellow from ISIS Malaysia weighs in on this.

· Trump’s tariffs and BRICS de-dollarization: On US President-elect Donald Trump’s Truth Social account, he warns BRICS to not proceed with efforts for de-dollarization with the threat of 100 percent tariffs placed on BRICS members. We reached out to economist Geoffrey Williams for his thoughts on BRICS's effort to de-dollarize and the possibility of a common currency being established.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: Todays Dewan Rakyat session saw MPs discussing preparations for the 2027 SEA Games in Sarawak, whether we need guidelines for sportswomen's attire and programs to support the burgeoning interest towards a career in digital content creation.

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