PODCAST · health
The Daily Digest
by BFM Media
The Bigger Picture team kicks off a new daily show, where we discuss current issues - both local and global - that have been thoughtfully curated by the team.
Episodes
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What To Expect When You Go For Your COVID-19 Vaccination?
While some of us are ready to race for the COVID-19 vaccines as soon as we get our appointment, there are others who are anxious about what the process will be like, and many more who are generally hesitant about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. We take a look at what exactly happens at a major...
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Are We Doing Enough to Curb COVID-19 Cases in Schools?
2,617. That’s the number of active COVID-19 cases involving schools as of late, according to Health Minister Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Baba. Overall, they span 49 clusters. As the number of community cases continues to stay above 2,000 across Malaysia, we look at what needs to be done to protect our...
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Are We Doing Enough to Curb COVID-19 Cases in Schools?
2,617. That’s the number of active COVID-19 cases involving schools as of late, according to Health Minister Dato’ Sri Dr. Adham Baba. Overall, they span 49 clusters. As the number of community cases continues to stay above 2,000 across Malaysia, we look at what needs to be done to protect our...
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Reviewing the Safety of the AstraZeneca Vaccine
On Tuesday (26th April), the Ministry of Health announced that the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be used in Malaysia, only for those aged 60 and above right now. But this move has sparked pretty widespread concerns over the blood clot risks that the vaccine will pose to our elderly. We take a...
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Postcards From the Future
The global call for this year's Earth Day was for everyone to work together to Restore Our Earth. Here in Malaysia, Malaysians are being called upon to plant 100 million trees by 2025 to promote the country's green agenda, but despite this, the degazettement of many forests are still being…
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Kita Semua Penghasut
The arrest of artist-activist, Fahmi Reza (yes -- AGAIN), last Friday for his allegedly seditious satirical Spotify playlist, rubbed many Malaysians the wrong way, as many took to Twitter to voice their frustrations. However, there were also some who voiced their support over the arrest. We…
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World Book Day: Stories for Survival
It's World Book and Copyright Day today, celebrated annually on the 23rd of April, to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. We explore all things books today, and also speak Matthew Yap, the winner of KISAH Futures writing competition, which…
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Earth Day 2021 - Restore Our Earth
Some have said that the pandemic is an opportunity for nature to hit reset and benefit from less human activity, while others said this is a warning to humans about the consequences of our actions. This Earth Day, we take a look at how nature has fared in the past year, what should be our...
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Malaysia’s Press Freedom Ranking Has Dropped. Why Does it Matter?
It looks like when it comes to press freedom in Malaysia, we’re not in a great place, when compared to many other countries. This is according to Reporters Without Borders’ latest annual press freedom ranking, in which we’re ranked 119 out of 180 countries surveyed. But why is press freedom...
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Closing Schools Is Not the Solution To Rising COVID-19 Cases
The rising number of COVID-19 cases reported in schools, among students and staff, has been worrying, to say the least. We take a look at whether this situation could have been prevented, and whether preemptively closing schools across the country should be on the table. Image source…
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Are We In For a Fourth Wave of COVID-19?
COVID-19 cases are back up across Malaysia, having surged above the 2,000 mark for four days in a row. Some health experts are concerned that we’re entering a fourth wave, and with Ramadan bazaars and many social gatherings continuing despite the rise in cases, many are calling on the government…
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Celebrating World Voice Day - What’s In A Voice?
World Voice Day is celebrated every year to create awareness on, recognise, and celebrate the human voice. We thought, what better way to do that than to speak with two Malaysian voice talents who have voiced many TV ads, and breathed life into the content we consume on TV and online. Image…
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The Show Must Go On.. But Safely
It's World Art Day today, an international celebration of the fine arts, but also of all forms of art which nurtures creativity, innovation and cultural diversity. It is also used as an occasion to shine a light on arts education in schools, and we'll be speaking to Lim Soon Heng from the KL...
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Does Wearing Sexy Clothes Cause Sexual Harassment?
An article previously published on the Ministry of Health’s MyHealth portal has been receiving tremendous criticisms on social media over the past couple of days, for its misogynistic take on why sexual harassment occurs. We break down the content of the article and speak to a women’s rights...
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No Road, Please. Preserve the Shah Alam Community Forest
A proposal to build a road across the Shah Alam Community Forest is being vehemently opposed by many stakeholders, including residents of the area, environmentalists and nature lovers who frequent the forest, for desperately needed recreation. The small but important community forest serves as a...
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Helping the Homeless Shouldn’t Be One-Off Charity
Over the weekend, Kuala Lumpur City Hall, or better known as DBKL, announced that NGOs and individuals are prohibited from directly distributing food to the homeless community in the city centre during Ramadan. We look at why such a ban was needed in the first place, as well as how this will…
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ECRL 3.0 - What’s Up With the Latest Realignment?
Since it was kick-started in 2016, the ECRL or East Coast Rail Link project, is now the ECRL 3.0, after the Transport Ministry announced that it’s been realigned, the second time the route has been changed. And while it’s nearly 21 percent complete, the final route that connects the Klang Valley…
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The "Spawn" of a New Era of Environmental Changemakers
Malaysia may have been excluded from the Leaders Summit on Climate that is being hosted by the US, but young conservationist, Quek Yew Aun, HAS been included in the North American Association for Environmental Education "2021 EE 30 under 30 Changemaker" list, thanks to all his efforts to promote...
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Ensuring Food Safety Among Home-Based F&B Businesses
Throughout the pandemic, a lot of us have been supporting local, home-based F&B businesses, especially as they’ve mushroomed over the past year. With Ramadan set to begin next week and more people likely to buy food from such businesses to break their fast, we take a look at why food safety and...
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Harnessing Data for Automatic Voter Registration
Automatic voter registration has been turned into a contentious issue in implementing the landmark Undi18 Bill. After several statements were made by some quarters saying that it would be difficult to implement, the Election Commission has come out to say that Undi18 and automatic voter...
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Why Did Hishammuddin’s ‘China/Big Brother’ Comment Cause So Much Controversy?
Last Thursday, one comment made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hishammuddin Hussein, at a bilateral meeting in China, sent Twitterjaya into a frenzy. During his speech, Hishammuddin said, “you will always be my big brother (specifically ‘da ge’ in Mandarin).” That quote received widespread...
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Oppy & Professor Communitas: Interview With Leow Puay Tin & Faiq Syazwan
This is a new play by leading Malaysian playwright Leow Puay Tin, which stages a life-changing encounter between a young actor and an ageing professor. We speak to Puay Tin and one of the lead actors of the play, Faiq Syazwan. Image source: Five Arts Centre Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener…
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Is Looking Up Your Health Symptoms Online A Good Idea?
Many of us have probably looked up our health symptoms online before, whether it's a mysterious rash or a cough that just won’t go away. But does it cause more harm than good? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Mana Undi Kami?!
Last Saturday, more than 200 people marched towards Parliament to protest the Election Commission’s (EC) delay in implementing the lowering of the voting age from 21to 18. This is following the announcement by the EC that the implementation of Undi18 has been postponed to September 2022. It was...
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Birds Free Malaysians?
Science seems to be telling us that the more types of birds in our lives, equals more happiness. A pair of recent studies point to the conclusion that seeing and hearing a variety of birds can improve our wellbeing, and increase our life satisfaction. In fact, scientists are saying that...
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Addressing Indonesia’s Church Bombing in Makassar
20. That’s the number of people injured in Indonesia’s latest church bombing, in the port city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi. This happened against the backdrop of Palm Sunday, the first day of the Easter Holy Week. We take a look at what’s behind this tragic incident, and ways the...
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Myanmar Protest Update: Silent Strike, Rohingya Plight
In a shift in tactics, protestors in Myanmar decided to go on a “silent strike” this past Wednesday, as opposed to taking to the streets. This is of course part of the civil disobedience movement to pushback against the military dictatorship. We discuss the silent strike and other developments...
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COVID-19 Vaccine Registrations Are Still Low, But Do We Need a Deadline?
Our National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme is set to move into Phase 2 in a few days, but registration rates for the vaccines still looks a long way from reaching the 80% needed for herd immunity. On top of that, the Prime Minister recently said that the government is considering the…
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Better Forest Management?
Dubbed a "shared policy" the Malaysian Forestry Policy, which was launched last Sunday, will serve as a reference and guide to forestry policies adopted in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. The formulation of the policy is said to be a manifestation of the country’s commitment toward...
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Growing Pleas to Allow Foreign Domestic Workers In
It’s been more than a year since the government has suspended the entry of new foreign domestic helpers into Malaysia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no indication as to when this policy will change, thousands of families have been affected as many are left without an extra pair of hands to…
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The Way We Talk About Disabilities Matter
Person with disabilities and orang kurang upaya are some of the terms we commonly use, but by no means are they the only ones we’re familiar with. In fact, some terms that are continued to be used today may even be hurtful towards these individuals and the community. We take a look at what we...
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Tackling Texting Anxiety
It’s probably happened to a lot of us before. We send someone a message on an online platform, and we expect, or hope, for a reply ASAP—especially if we’re talking to someone on a dating app. We’ll get anxious, or get the butterflies in our stomach. In the workplace, it might be the other way...
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It's Getting Hot In Here
A study by Think City on land temperature showed that five cities in Malaysia recorded higher temperatures of between 1.64° Celsius and 6.75° Celsius over the last few decades, due to development and changing urban trends. On today's show, we explore not only the findings of this new study…
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It's Getting Hot In Here
A study by Think City on land temperature showed that five cities in Malaysia recorded higher temperatures of between 1.64° Celsius and 6.75° Celsius over the last few decades, due to development and changing urban trends. On today's show, we explore not only the findings of this new study…
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How Men Can Be Better Allies to Women
Women’s safety in public spaces have garnered headlines recently, in response to the kidnapping and death of Sarah Everard in the UK. While people are calling for better legislation and measures to protect women, another important part of making public spaces safe for women means changing the...
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Malayan Tiger, Is Your Future Bright?
Awang Rasau, the Malayan tiger which was shot by poachers, died recently, despite all the efforts to save him. With less than 200 Malayan tigers left in the wild, this case has been a stark reminder of the work that is left, to protect the tigers we have left. We discuss the fate of Malayan…
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Fight 'fake news' with facts, not Acts!
Yesterday, a group of activists peacefully gathered outside of Parliament to protest the Emergency (Essential Powers) (No 2) Ordinance 2021 or simply known as the Fake News Ordinance. We speak to one of the protestors about what went down yesterday, as well as why this new ordinance is…
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Is Dr Seuss Cancelled? No, His Books Are Simply Being Recalled
Earlier this month, it was reported that six Dr Seuss books will no longer be published. The reason? These books contained racist and insensitive portrayal of people of colour. We discuss why such a move was warranted, and if it is a form of “cancel culture”. Image Source: Shutterstock See...
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Feed the Children Wholesome Meals
Opposition MPs are asking the government to resume the free breakfast programme for school children, which was first implemented in January 2020 by the former Patakan Harapan government. Initially the free breakfast programme was proposed for all students by former Education Minister Dr. Maszlee...
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Smuggled For Its Song - Murai Kampung in Trouble?
The Oriental Magpie-robin species may still be a common sight in our skies, but that could change, if action isn't taken soon. Prized as caged-birds by bird hobbyists because of their beautiful song, there is a high demand for Malaysian populations of these birds domestically and in Indonesia…
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Why Learning Martial Arts is Not the Way to Combat Domestic Abuse
Recently, Wanita MCA announced its latest initiative to combat domestic violence -- an 8 day Karate course for women. This announcement has received flak from women’s rights groups and opposition politicians, who criticised Wanita MCA for placing the responsibility to deal with domestic abuse on...
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International Women’s Day with The World Games’ Greatest Athlete of All Time
Eight-time world squash champion, the first Asian Woman to be ranked number 1 in women’s squash...Datuk Nicol David has proudly represented Malaysia on the world stage for more than a decade. Even after retiring from professional squash in 2019, she continues to make waves—this year she was voted...
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Burmese Activist: “It’s Not an Anti-Coup Protest. It’s a Revolution; An Uprising!”
38 people died on Wednesday, including a 19-year-old who was shot in the head, in what the United Nations has called the “bloodiest” day of the Myanmar crisis. We speak to an activist from Myanmar to share her insights on the ongoing protests against the military, as well as what they hope to...
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Parents Worried About Schools Reopening, Despite RMCO
This week’s been filled with anxiety and a sense of uncertainty for many parents, as schools across the country reopened on 1st March, starting with preschoolers, as well as Primary 1 and 2 students. This is as new daily COVID-19 cases remain above 1,000. We speak with Loh Tian Hong, a father of...
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Young Rohingya Refugee Starts Free Learning Centre For Refugees & Underprivileged Malaysians
A young Rohingya refugee has started a new learning centre for refugees and underprivileged Malaysians. We’ll be hearing from the founder of the learning centre, Sadek Khan to find out what inspired him to start this learning centre, as well as the importance of education to refugees. Image…
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Save The Shah Alam Community Forest
Last year, the Shah Alam City Council released its draft local plan for public consultation. In it, was a proposal to build a road right across the Shah Alam Community Forest, which would permanently destroy about two hectares of pristine rainforest, hundreds of trees and species, and all the...
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Why We Shouldn’t Ignore Professional Titles For Women
It’s an unfortunate truth that in some circumstances, women are still not taken as seriously as their male counterparts, even when they are the leading experts in their field. We zoom in on the use of professional titles for women, and why they matter as we continue to strive for gender equality,...
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Public Policy Measures a Game Changer for Rare Disease Community?
While there are more than 7,000 types of rare diseases, they affect a small percentage of the world’s population. But people who are affected often face life-threatening and chronic conditions. Additionally, there are virtually no cures for rare diseases, and the majority of them don’t even have...
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Tackling Vaccine Hesitancy Among Doctors
You might have come across a recent viral video of a doctor claiming that he wouldn’t take the COVID-19 vaccine because of its side effects - and that video has since been criticised by other healthcare workers for misleading the public. But with frontline healthcare workers being prioritised in...
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Voice Your Choice on Urban Planning
If you're a citizen of Selangor, participation is your right, when it comes to urban planning. The Ampang Jaya Rimba Collective or AJ Rimba for short, want to empower residents of this municipality to participate in the ongoing process for the draft Ampang Jaya Municipal Council Local Plan 2035,...
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How many episodes does The Daily Digest have?
The Daily Digest currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Daily Digest about?
The Bigger Picture team kicks off a new daily show, where we discuss current issues - both local and global - that have been thoughtfully curated by the team.
How often does The Daily Digest release new episodes?
The Daily Digest has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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The Daily Digest is created and hosted by BFM Media.
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