Over the past two weeks, the issue of Malaysia’s 5G deployment has been debated extensively in the media, with different stakeholders offering their input on the issue. The flurry of discussion was initially sparked by Member of Parliament for Bangi, YB Ong Kian Ming, who on 7 February penned an open letter to Digital Nasional Berhad, the state-owned special purpose vehicle tasked with implementing the 5G roll-out. We speak to the Bangi MP to discuss the different threads of the 5G picture in Malaysia. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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In the Indian state of Karnataka, protests have been taking place for weeks over a recent policy decision that female Muslim students cannot wear the hijab in colleges. The issue has gained international attention after a video of a Muslim student being heckled by far-right protesters went viral. The case has put a spotlight on religious freedom in India and the worrying rise of sectarian politics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. We speak to independent journalist Kavita Chowdhury on the dynamics at play in India. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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One year ago this month, Myanmar’s fledgling democracy was struck down by a military coup which unseated the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Since then, public protests against the junta have persisted, despite a violent crackdown by the military. Will the political unrest in Myanmar stretch into a civil war? We discuss the state of play with Dr James Gomez, Regional Director of the Asia Center. Image credit: EPA-EFE

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This week, China gears up for two major events in the 2022 calendar: the annual Spring Festival or Lunar New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics. We speak Beijing-based journalist Karoline Kan on the impact of China's zero Covid policy on festivities as well as the sustainability credentials of the Winter Games. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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On Saturday, 19th January, youth protesters took to the street to voice their dissatisfaction over the government's handling of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) securities trading scandal. We speak to journalist Radzi Razak on what he observed that day. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The prevalence of hate speech in public discourse, amplified by social media, is a problem multicultural societies the world over are grappling with. Researchers at The Centre have recently launched an initiative called #TrackerBenci to gather data and contribute to further study of hate speech in Malaysia. We discuss the aims of the project and the challenges of monitoring hate speech online. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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The news media industry is undergoing seismic shifts in the wake of digital transformation, and alternative business models are cropping up as journalists try to find their footing in the new landscape. Subscription-based newsletters are one such vehicle gaining traction, with several available for Malaysian newsreaders. We speak to Emmanuel Samarathisa, founder of The Malaysianist on the burgeoning media trend and corporate themes to watch in 2022.

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Thousands of Malaysian households rely on foreign domestic workers, but they aren’t actually recognized as workers under Malaysian employment laws. A recent Malaysiakini special report looks at the dilemma that domestic workers face when they are forced to flee their workplace for government or NGO-run shelters. To shed some light on the situation, we speak to Alyaa Alhadjri, journalist at Malaysiakini, who authored the report. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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We look back at some of the major news stories of 2021, including the height of the Covid-19 pandemic; the Kuala Langat National Forest Reserve degazettement saga; and the citizenship ruling that finally gave equal rights to women. Image credit: Shutterstock.com

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We speak to BFM’s Freda Liu that traveled back to Kuching over the weekend to vote, and on what she observed during the polls.

Image credit: Hazreen Mohd / Shutterstock.com

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