Iran is grappling with one of its largest waves of nationwide protests in decades as a response to economic collapse, political frustration with the Islamic Republic. With demonstrations reported across all 31 provinces and more than 180 cities, over 500 protesters and hundreds of security personnel have reportedly died, while 10,000 arrests have been made. Ferooze Ali, Senior Lecturer in Law and International Relations at Sultan Zainal Abidin University and Senior Fellow at the Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, helps us unpack the situation. (Starts at 23:50)

• Grok-blocked by MCMC: Malaysia has temporarily restricted access to the AI chat bot Grok after reports that the system was being used to generate explicit, non‑consensual images at a rapid rate. Tech lawyer Melissa Lim gives us her take on this, and shares steps users can take if their images are misused by AI. For more info, you can also refer to Sinar Project and Project Human Model (Starts at 17:10)

• Calling out sexist advertisements: A controversial billboard advertising a skin-brightening serum became a flashpoint in the conversation around misogyny in Malaysian advertising, after activist Ayne Zarof formally complained to take the ad down. We discuss the messaging and social consequences. (Starts at 11:44)

• Are we bringing back exams?: The Ministry of Education is exploring a return of the UPSR and PT3 exams after school-based assessments replaced them five years ago, amid parental pressure and concerns over literacy, numeracy, and fairness across schools. Nina Adlan Disney, Managing Director of LeapEd Services, weighs in. (Starts at 6:36)
• KJ-OKM bromance in full swing: DAP MP Ong Kian Ming publicly pledged support for former UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, sparking both admiration and criticism online. We discuss what this public friendship reveals about political alliances between DAP and UMNO. (Starts at 0:15)

*NOTE:

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan, Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri, Sneha Harikannan, Sharaad Kuttan

Presented by: Dashran Yohan, Sharaad Kuttan

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Categories:  politics,  international,  government,  Family/Parenting,  education,  controversies,  Law/Activism

Tags:  Iran nationwide protests,  Islamic Republic unrest,  Iran economic crisis,  Grok AI blocked Malaysia,  MCMC AI regulation,  Non consensual AI images,  Sexist advertising Malaysia,  UPSR PT3 exam return,  Malaysia education reform,  DAP UMNO political ties,