A bill to legalise assisted dying has been advanced in the UK House of Commons. Although this bill has been moved forward to its committee stage, there are still concerns that the bill could used to abuse vulnerable groups. We speak to Professor Dr Tan Maw Pin, Professor in Geriatric Medicine at the University of Malaya to discuss the impact of this divisive bill, the potential of introducing a bill like this in Malaysia and the state of palliative care among elderly.

· Rosmah acquitted: The High Court has acquitted Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor of 17 charges of money laundering. We spoke to lawyer Vivek Sukumaran, co-chairperson of the Bar Council Criminal Law Committee and criminal lawyer Goh Cia Yee.

· Rotation system introduced for medical officers: This is to address the high volume of staff resignations and the larger issue of staff shortage and maldistribution in rural areas, especially in East Malaysia. For this, we hear from Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh, Professor in Health Economics, Hospital & Health Management, at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

· Malaysian detainees return from Guantanamo Bay: Farik Amin and Nazir Lep were both arrested in Thailand back in 2003 after being linked to the deadly Bali bombings of 2002, which killed and injured hundreds of civilians. They have now been granted a plea deal and will be reintegrated into society through a government programme. Aizat Shamsuddin, founder of Initiate.my, weighs in on this.

· Pongo, the newly discovered pitcher plant: Discovered in the mountains in Central Sabah, this plant has been named 'Pongo' due to its similarities to the orangutan's dark red fur. We hear from the folks who made the discovery: Dr Alastair Robinson, a tropical pitcher plant specialist based at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne and Alviana Damir, researcher at the Sabah Forestry Department's Forest Research Centre.

Image Credit: Gorodenkoff, Shutterstock

Produced by: Sneha Harikannan, Juliet Jacobs, Lim Sue Ann, Sudais Ferhard, Alia Zefri

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn

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Categories:  politics,  government,  international,  Law/Activism,  corruption,  controversies,  education

Tags:  assisted dying,  uk assisted dying bill,  medical officers rotation system,  guantanamo bay,  malaysian detainees,  bali bombing,  new discoveries,  pongo,  rosmah mansor,  acquittal,  money laundering,  moh,  ministry of health,  pitcher plants,