General

Parti Sosialis Malaysia is the sole party based on ideology, specifically socialism - but ideology doesn’t insulate one from cut-throat Malaysian politics. After the Pakatan Harapan and PSM electoral pact fell through at the eleventh hour, PSM decided to stand on its own ticket in GE15. Can the most principled party in the country make headway with mainstream voters? We speak to Arveent Kathirchelvan, Youth Chief of Pemuda Sosialis on the political future of PSM.

Malaysia has produced 5.5 million graduates from higher education institutions to date. But are universities producing graduates with the skills and critical thinking to thrive in our economy? We speak to Dr Sharifah Munirah Alatas, Senior Lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia on much-needed reforms in higher education.

Image credit: Shutterstock

The US mid-term elections act as a temperature check for the President in power, and historically the mid-terms tend to favour the party in opposition to the government. The Democratic Party stands to lose their control of both Houses of Congress as a wave of discontent over the economy sours opinions on Joe Biden. How might the outcome of these polls shape the direction of US policy moving forward? We speak to Bob Shapiro of Columbia University for insights ahead of November 8th.

Image credit: Marlin360 / Shutterstock.com

The Fed raised rates by 75 bps as expected but what was a surprise was that they may reduce the quantum of the hikes but that rates may go higher than earlier projected. We ask Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy at Mizuho Bank why they have taken this approach and when will rates peak?

全球首富马斯克以440亿美元，完成了推特的收购案件，而根据最新资料显示，推特即将于11月8日下市。市场也关注私有化后的推特，会否比在上市期间表现得更好。然而，推特在2013年上市以来，公司依然没有办法实现长期盈利稳定，市场也正议论，他是否会将推特转型为一家超级应用（Super App）的公司，这期市场追踪，让我们一起关注，推特私有化后的未来前景。

Terrer is a Malaysian rock band with a wide-ranging sound drawing inspiration from the likes of garage rock, punk rock, indie alternative and more. We speak to the band ahead of the release of their debut mini album "Kaum Lelaki" to find out about the band's origins, their viral hit "Hang Loklaq" and navigating through constant delays among many other things.

--

Terrer - Hang Loklaq

Terrer - Aku Nak Kaya

Terrer - Kaum Lelaki

By The Way is a rapid-fire segment that gives you a snapshot of developing stories in the music world. This week, stories on Takeoff been shot, Taylor Swift breaking records with her new album Midnight, Apple Music pulling the plug on Kanye West's music from playlists and Musicians no longer being able to afford touring.

In this edition of Cruise Control, our petrol heads take you through some of the latest launches in the local automotive market, complete with a test drive of an electric car that could work for city dwellers.

On the local front, Subaru announced the new and improved WRX Sportswagon, bringing back a design that's been overlooked especially with the popularity of compact crossovers worldwide. Speaking of crossovers, it looks like Suzuki might also be tempted to jump in the crowded segment by offering the S-Cross, reintroduced with a full hybrid engine and a right-hand drive to boot.

In a battle between two Perodua seven-seaters, we compare and contrast the slightly dated Aruz versus the highly popular Alza! Both have similar specs, but what makes one SUV trump out the other?

And we round it off with Daniel's first impressions behind the wheels of the electric Ora Good Cat 500 Ultra, set to arrive on our shores with a price point that might convince customers thinking about picking up an EV.

Based on the acclaimed 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet On The Western Front is a German epic anti-war film set in the tail end of World War I. It follows the life of a German soldier, whose hopes of becoming a hero are shattered when faced with the harsh realities of war. The film's been gathering excellent reviews since its release; we review it and talk about whether it lives up to expectations. 

Running for elections requires a different skillset compared to governing and policymaking, and yet we often expect one person to be able to do both. In this episode of Existential Questions, we look at whether we should change that expectation, but also ask: which is more important in the long run?

Image source: asiandelight, Shutterstock