Today's top 5 stories are:

1. In a move to protect marine life, whales in the southern Pacific have been granted personhood, led by the indigenous marine conservation group, Hinemoana Halo Ocean Initiative.

2. Disputes over leadership in the Women's Aid Organisation has triggered mass resignations among Excos in protest.

3. PADU registrations reach 41% of the adult population in Selangor, with the highest ratio observed in Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan.

4. The Shah Alam City Council's proposal to mobilize a volunteer task force to capture 500 stray dogs faces opposition from both activists and the general public.

5. Activists are urging a halt to construction work cutting through part of Bukit Cherakah amid a final appeal to challenge the de-gazettement of the forest reserve.

For these stories, we heard from Dr Jillian Ooi, Marine Ecologist & Senior Lecturer in Universiti Malaya; Kiu Jia Yaw, Co-Deputy Chair of the Bar Council Environment & Climate Change Committee; Majidah Hashim, Executive Committee Member at the Women's Aid Organisation; Datuk Seri Mohammad Uzir Mahiddin, Chief Statistician of the Department of Statistics; and Rajesh Nagarajan, animal rights lawyer.

Image credit: Craig Lambert Photography, Shutterstock

Produced by: Sharaad Kuttan, Alia Zefri, Sudais Ferhard, Hannah Kuah

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  government,  Law/Activism

Tags:  personhood,  wao,  padu,  stray dogs,  forest reserve,