We take speak to at US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which was formed to oversee conflict resolution and post-war construction, which Trump will chair for life - a board which has sent invitations to dozens of countries, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore, among others. (Starts at 22:15)

• Nipah virus raising alarms in Asia: Though there have only been two confirmed cases in India, neighbouring countries like Nepal, China and the Southeast Asian region have stepped up screenings. We hear from virologist Dr Chang Li Yen about how common Nipah outbreaks are, and from Professor Dr Tikki Pangetsu from NUS about the government response so far. (Starts at 16:17)

• Malaysian consumers in a very Chinese time...: An FMT article highlighted how Chinese business have been increasing in the Klang Valley, with economists attributing this rise to Malaysia’s open trade environment, strong logistics, and fast-growing digital retail scene. We discuss our observations. (Starts at 11:26)

• Tackling Bangladeshi labour cartels: A Bloomberg article interviewed over 100 stakeholders involved in the recruitment process of Bangladeshi migrant workers, revealing the process is designed to extract as much money as possible from labourers. We hear from Charles Santiago, co-chair of the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights, who spoke about this on an episode of Beyond the Ballot Box. (Starts at 5:56)

• AI Bill coming, but are we too late?: After Digital Minister Gobind Singh shared details about the approach of the upcoming AI Bill set to be tabled in mid-2026, we reflect on how fast AI generation technology is evolving, and how difficult it is to tell what's real and what's not these days. (Starts at 0:22)

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharaad Kuttan

This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  government,  politics,  international,  Law/Activism,  controversies,  managing disease,  markets

Tags:  Trump Board of Peace,  US foreign policy 2026,  Global conflict resolution,  Infectious disease surveillance,  Chinese businesses in Malaysia,  Malaysia China trade,  Bangladeshi migrant workers Malaysia,  Nipah virus Asia,  Labour trafficking Southeast Asia,  Malaysia AI Bill 2026,