PN Chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently met with the top leaders of 11 political parties to discuss the potential formation coalition of non-government aligned parties. Notable party heads were present, including Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin from Bersatu, Datuk Dominic Lau from GERAKAN and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir from Pejuang were in attendance and Amira Aisya, acting president of MUDA. S. Arutchelvan, deputy chairperson of PSM was there as well, though PSM has made clear that they would not be joining the coalition. We speak to Arutchelvan on what had transpired.

Other stories we covered:

• The first day of parliament: Top of the docket is the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13). Aira Azhari, CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Foreign Affairs, on why RMK-13 is important. Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau also shares what he's watching closely.
• Sumatran fires bring haze to Malaysia: Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index has exceeded 150 in eight areas, driven by transboundary haze from Indonesia. Over 1,200 hotspots were detected yesterday. We talk to Helena Varkkey, Associate Professor of Environmental Politics and Governance at Universiti Malaya about the nature of the fires and how the issue should be addressed.
• Japan’s ultraconservative party gaining traction: With the ultra-right-wing Sanseito party gaining traction in Japan, yesterday’s polls suggest Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party may be losing ground. We speak to Saul Takahashi, Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University, for insights into Sanseito’s politics and its rising popularity.
• New online game worrying parents: A new TikTok trend called Player Knockout (PK) Battles is gripping youth audiences, but its addictive nature and real-money spending are raising alarms among parents. We look into the phenomenon and the MCMC’s response.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Dashran Yohan, Alia Zefri, Sudais Ferhard

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Dashran Yohan

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Categories:  politics,  international,  environment,  economy,  gaming,  Family/Parenting,  technology

Tags:  sanseito,  asean,  tiktok,  malaysian communications and multimedia commission (mcmc),  mcmc,  influencer,  social media influencers,  japan,  elections,  election,  right-wing,  conservative,  pollution,  air pollution,  air pollutant index,  indonesia,  haze,  transboundary haze,  sumatra,  parliament,  malaysian parliament,  Malaysian parliamentary discussions,  rmk13,  rmk13 policies,  RMK-13,  ministry of finance,  coalition,  perikatan nasional,  perikatan,  pn,  parti sosialis malaysia (psm),  psm,  muhyiddin,  muhyiddin yassin,  tan sri muhyiddin yassin,  pas,