The dispute over customary land in Kampung Sungai Cot, Maran, has escalated after Orang Asli homes were reportedly demolished for a palm oil plantation. Three villagers were arrested, and one of their wives, Juliana, later walked 200 kilometres to Putrajaya with her seven-year-old daughter to demand action. We spoke to Rajesh Nagarajan, president of PEKA and lawyer representing the affected community, about the proposed temporary resettlement, the community’s claim to the land and what a meaningful resolution to the dispute could look like. (Starts at 23:24)

• Anwar's AI counterpart launches to a rocky start: An AI chatbot modelled on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was launched to help Malaysians understand public policies and engage in discussions but quickly drew attention for giving unexpected answers to political questions. We spoke to Nathaniel Tan, strategic communications consultant and co-founder of Projek #BangsaMalaysia, about the risks of using AI as a proxy for political communication and how the government should be using the technology to engage with the public. (Starts at 16:41)

• Free meals for all schoolchildren across the country?: Former DAP MP Charles Santiago has called for free meals to be provided to all schoolchildren nationwide, following the launch of a new Selangor programme that will provide free breakfasts to around 120,000 children across approximately 1,000 schools. We discuss how this initiative can improve the wellbeing and performance of children in schools and whether Malaysia could learn from school food programmes in countries like Japan and the UK. (Starts at 11:42)

• King of the North becomes the UK's 7th Prime Minister: Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and leader of the Labour Party, has become the UK’s seventh prime minister after Sir Keir Starmer resigned following a series of political setbacks. We heard from Ben Wellings, senior lecturer in politics and international relations at Monash University, about Burnham’s reputation as the “King of the North”, his plans for the country and the challenges he faces as he takes over. (Starts at 05:18)

• Football fans turned litterbugs: A public screening of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at Dataran Merdeka drew around 25,000 people, but by the time the crowd left, the historic site was covered in rubbish. We discuss about the social norm surrounding us which portrays littering as a non-serious issue, whether a lack of bins is a valid excuse for littering, and our responsibility for keeping public spaces clean after major events. (Starts at 00:29)

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Image Credits: Juliana (Tiktok)