The country's parliament dissolved today after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that a snap election is set to begin on February 8th. We speak to Naoko Kumada, Adjunct Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies to break down what this election signals about Takaichi's tenure as PM and find out how this election will affect the current diplomatic deadlock between Japan and China. (Starts at 21:47)

• New affordable medical insurance plan introduced: The government will be introducing a new medical and health insurance and takaful plan, which will offer coverage for Malaysians up to the age of 85. The base plan is said to be more affordable, but does it really address consumers' challenges? For this, we hear from Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy and Professor Dato’ Dr Syed Mohamed Aljunid, President of the Malaysian Health Economic Association. (Starts at 15:03)

• Parliament limits interaction between MPs and the media: Journalists now need prior approval from the Speaker’s office before they can approach MPs for interviews inside the parliament building, and access to Parliament's press conference area is also being restricted. This new rule has sparked backlash from stakeholders who say it limits the freedom of information to the public. We discuss. (Starts at 10:37)

• New seed laws concern farmers: The announced changes to the Protection of New Varieties of Plants Act 2004, sparked concerns from farmers who believed Malaysia was surrendering its sovereignty to foreign bodies. We discuss these concerns with Nurfitri Amir Bin Muhammad, the Coordinator of the Malaysian Food Sovereignty Forum. (Starts at 6:15)

• Oscar 2026 nominations announced: Ahead of the awards show on March 15th, we break down the films that received the most nods and snubs and discuss the ever-changing importance of the Oscars as an institution. (Starts at 0:22)

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Produced by: Sudais Ferhard, Tee Shiao Eek, Alia Zefri, Juliet Jacobs, Sneha Harikannan

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sudais Ferhard

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Categories:  politics,  government,  international,  corruption,  Law/Activism,  controversies,  health policy,  film

Tags:  Japan snap election 2026,  Malaysia medical insurance plan,  Affordable health insurance Malaysia,  Parliament media restrictions,  Seed law Malaysia,  Food sovereignty Malaysia,  Oscar 2026 nominations,  Sanae Takaichi,  Press freedom Malaysia,  elections,