“Mao Zedong: China dalam Dunia Abad ke-20” by NYU history professor Rebecca E. Karl and published by IBDE Ilham joins the list of historical narrative books banned by the Home Ministry in the past few weeks. Others include a personal memoir by Malayan Communist Party figure Shamsiah Fakeh and Tamil novel Sigandi by M. Navin. In response, civil societies and organisations have raised concerns about arbitrary book bans that prohibit the access of historical and academic works. Zikri Rahman, Program Coordinator at Pusat Sejarah Rakyat joins us to discuss. (Starts at 23:20)

• Malaysia postpones carbon tax plans: According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, this is in response to rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The tax was meant to target high-emission sectors as part of the country’s shift toward a low-carbon economy. We hear from Yin Shao Loong, deputy director of research at the Khazanah Research Institute on if this is the right approach the government should be taking. (Starts at 16:55)

• New Instagram Teen Accounts for under-16s: Meta has been rolling out stricter safety controls for teenagers, including content restrictions on mature content, a built-in time-management feature and limited access to livestreams unless a parent allows it, among others. We discuss if these efforts are helpful or too restrictive. (Starts at 12:17)

• MOSTI clears UMMC from cancer 'cluster' allegations: An investigation under the Atomic Energy Department found that University Malaya Medical Centre was not in breach of any radiation safety violations. This followed allegations from seven of their staff members, led by former radiologist Nur Fauziah Abdul Razak, who claimed there were SOP breaches that caused them to develop radiation-related illnesses. We speak to Gandipan Nantha Gopalan, central committee member from Parti Sosialis Malaysia about the complainants' concerns. (Starts at 6:57)

• MAGA influencer revealed to be AI generated: A 22-year-old med student from India revealed he created an AI persona, “Emily Hart,” posing as an American nurse sharing pro-Trump content on social media. He said the goal was to make extra money by targeting a loyal, higher-spending conservative audience. We discuss the rise in AI generated influencer content and delve into the dynamics of that audience. (Starts at 0:23)

Image Credit: Gerakbudaya website