Top 5 at 5: Nepal Elects New PM Post Gen Z Revolution
Dr Puspa Sharma, Senior Research Fellow, NUS Institute of South Asian Studies
09-Mar-26 17:00
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Nepal's first elections since the Gen Z led protests September 2025 have concluded with a landslide victory from relative newcomers Balendra Shah and his party Rastriya Swatantra Party. We find out what led to this historic win, the impact of the youth on this result and where this leaves the ousted previous regime with Dr Puspa Sharma, senior research fellow from NUS Institute of South Asian Studies. (Starts at 23:23)
• Islamic academic Mohamed Syed Naquib Aljunid passes away at 94: A giant in the world of Islamic thinking, Syed helped establish multiple Islamic institutions in Malaysia and even inspired Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim early in his political career. We hear about the legacy he left behind from Khairudin Aljunied, Professor of Islam in Southeast Asia at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization at IIUM. (Starts at 17:17)
• Proposal to split up constituencies: Two MPs Tony Puah and Azli Yusof say it's time to create new seats in larger constituencies to aid MPs that are spread too thin. We weigh out the pros and cons of this idea. (Starts at 12:43)
• US-Israel war on Iran continues: At day 9 of the war, updates include strikes on Iranian oil storage depots, Iranian President Massaoud Pezeshkian apologising to neighbouring countries for launching attacks and the appointment of new Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei. We unpack these updates with Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer at Taylor's University (Starts at 6:33)
• Timothee Chalamet vs 'Old World' art forms: In a recently aired interview, Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet made a slight at ballet and opera, saying no one cares about these art forms any more, much to the disappointment from members of the performing arts industry. We discuss if these comments were well intentioned or disparaging. (Starts at 0:24)
Image Credit: Shutterstock
Produced by: Sneha Harikannan, Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri, Lim Sue Ann
Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Sudais Ferhard
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Categories: international, politics, Law/Activism, controversies, government, performing arts
Tags: Syed Naquib Aljunid, Islamic thought, Malaysia parliamentary constituency reform, Mojtaba Khamenei, ballet opera controversy, nepal election, balendra shah, parliamentary seats, US Israel Iran conflict, performing arts,
