Current Affairs

Tamil Nadu recently experienced its worst floods in a century, killing over 400 people and displacing more than 1.8 million others, mostly from the urban area of Chennai. BFM explores how the people of Chennai have been coping with the disaster and what they think caused this unprecedented catastrophe. 

This is a report by Shawn Tanis, Wong Yu Han and May Barani Lwin. 

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The Islamic State has made a comeback in the final quarter of this year, after suffering some initial setbacks. The terrorist group was directly responsible for deadly attacks in Paris and Tunisia last month, while a married couple who killed 14 people in San Bernadino, California two weeks ago, were reportedly inspired by IS. Back home, Malaysia this week backed a Saudi Arabia led military alliance of Muslim Nations formed to fight terrorism, amid renewed international pressure for more military action, to strike the IS nerve center in Syria and Iraq. But is more force the answer, or are there other means to defeat the extremist group? 

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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The United Chinese School Teacher’s Association recently released a report entitled the “Kuala Lumpur Chinese School Status 2015”. The report indicates a consistent drop in the number Chinese students in Chinese primary schools while the number of non-Chinese students are steadily rising. What’s causing this change of trend, and what does it mean for the national education landscape? We explore.

This is a report by Wong Yu Han.

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The UMNO General Assembly last weekend saw party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak respond to a challenge to his leadership. The Assembly also addressed several issues including rising cost of living, 1MDB and TPPA, which are likely to be mirrored in both party and national policies next year.

We analyze UMNO’s latest overtures towards Malay unity, a possible alliance with PAS and other issues the ruling party will have to deal with in the coming year.

This is a report by Jason Lim.

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The Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) has recently signed a number of sponsorship deals and laid out various strategies to develop the sport at all levels. As the MHC works towards improving the fortunes of Malaysian hockey, detractors continue to raise questions regarding the direction of the sport.Today, BFM explores some of the issues surrounding Malaysian hockey.


This is a report by Shawn Tanis.

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UNHCR Malaysia has registered almost 154 thousand refugees and asylum-seekers so far this year, over 20 percent of whom comprise refugees below the age of 18. We explore how refugees in Malaysia are treated, namely those from Myanmar, in conjunction with Human Rights Day.

This is a report by Sharyl Kaur and Nadiah Aziz. Wan Irdina binti Mohd Fizlie contributed to this report.

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Myanmar has completed her first free election in a quarter of a century, as Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party swept to power. The military government however still retains 25% of seats in the Parliament and maintains control of key ministries. The country has drawn significant foreign investment since 2012, with improvements continuously being made in how business is done there.

Where do Malaysian companies stand? How can they benefit from this?

This is a report by Keith Kam.

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It's that time of the year again. The UMNO General Assembly begins today till Saturday. BFM speaks to Ibrahim Suffian, director of the opinion research firm Merdeka Centre, on what to expect from this year's annual UMNO gathering, amid the growing dissent within the party.


This is a report by Aziff Azuddin.

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Myanmar's opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi and the country's outgoing president Thein Sein met on Wednesday to discuss the handover of power to ensure a smooth transfer of power to the new government. We explore what is in store for the country and Aung San, following the National League of Democracy's win in the recent historic election.

This is a report by Sharyl Kaur and Navin Nair.

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Tabled on Tuesday and passed late thursday night the National Security Council Bill 2015 has set off alarms among civil society activists. Concerns include its Constitutionality, undefined terms and the concentration of power in the hands on one man, the Prime Minister. Today we ask if these concerns are warranted?


This is a report by Sharaad Kuttan.

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