Today's countdown covers:

5. Two Malaysians have been shortlisted for the Kofi Annan NextGen Democracy Prize, which celebrates youth leaders for their commitment to the advancement of democracy. We hear from Tharma Pillai, co-founder of Undi18, who was one of the two shortlisted candates.

4. Thailand's Senate has passed a marriage equality bill, making it the first country in Southeast Asia to recognise same-sex marriage. Henry Koh, Executive Director of ILGA Asia comments on the move.

3. Malaysia has slid down in the World Competitiveness Rankings, which evaluates how well countries support the success and competitiveness of businesses. Professor Dr Hafezali Iqbal Hussin, Head of Research at the Faculty of Business and Law at Taylors University weighs in on why this is significant, and what we have to prioritise in terms of supporting businesses.

2. The Malaysian Craft Council (MCC), the National Writers Association of Malaysia (Pena), and Pusaka, were recently recognised by UNESCO under the domain of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Paris. Nik Faiz Nik Amin, President of the Malaysian Craft Council comments on the significance of this accreditation by UNESCO.

1. Our top story: With the recent US Senate subcommittee investigation into Boeing, we get into the planemaker's recent controversies with Shantanu Gangakhedkar, an aviation consultant with Frost & Sullivan.

Image credit: D.Bond, Shutterstock

Produced by: Alia Zefri, Tee Shiao Eek, Dashran Yohan, Sudais Ferhard

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Kam Raslan

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Categories:  international,  culture,  politics,  government

Tags:  nextgen democracy prize,  world competitiveness ranking,  boeing,  lgbtq,  youth,  thailand,  unesco,  united states,