With the Selangor government proposing to impose higher levies than the 20 sen price tag for single-use plastic bags, environmental group PEKA has come out to urge for alternative solutions, including a complete ban on single-use plastics. We speak to Vimala Raghawan, Secretary-General of Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (PEKA), for more on what can be done. 

Other stories we covered:

• Should we abolish whipping?: In line with efforts to reform the criminal justice system in a more humane and progressive way, the Law and Reform Ministry is conducting a comprehensive study on the effectiveness of whipping as a punishment. We speak to Dobby Chew, CEO of the human rights organisation HAYAT about this move. 
• Protecting our forest reserves: The Plantation and Commodities Minister recently defended the country’s timber plantation policy, rejecting claims that they are monoculture projects. But reports from Macaranga say otherwise, with over 250,000 hectares of rainforest ecosystems being cleared for these plantations. We reached out to wildlife researcher Lim Teck Wyn about the truth regarding these timber plantations from an ecological perspective. 
• Israel's deadly war on journalists: The double-bombing of Nasser Hospital on Monday killed a total of 20 people including five journalists. The Israeli prime minister said this was a “tragic mishap” but this isn’t Israel’s first time targeting journalists. We speak to Jinan Bastaki, Associate Professor of Legal Studies at NYU Abu Dhabi for her thoughts on this situation. 
• Ambani private zoo busted: The Supreme Court of India has ordered an investigation into the Vantara Wildlife Centre, the private zoo founded by Anant Ambani, of the mega-rich Ambanis. Suspicions arise that this rescue centre may not be what it seems. We talk about that and Malaysia’s apparent involvement. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock

With the Selangor government proposing to impose higher levies than the 20 sen price tag for single-use plastic bags, environmental group PEKA has come out to urge for alternative solutions, including a complete ban on single-use plastics. We speak to Vimala Raghawan, Secretary-General of Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (PEKA), for more on what can be done. Other stories we covered: • Should we abolish whipping?: In line with efforts to reform the criminal justice system in a more humane and progressive way, the Law and Reform Ministry is conducting a comprehensive study on the effectiveness of whipping as a punishment. We speak to Dobby Chew, CEO of the human rights organisation HAYAT about this move. • Protecting our forest reserves: The Plantation and Commodities Minister recently defended the country’s timber plantation policy, rejecting claims that they are monoculture projects. But reports from Macaranga say otherwise, with over 250,000 hectares of rainforest ecosystems being cleared for these plantations. We reached out to wildlife researcher Lim Teck Wyn about the truth regarding these timber plantations from an ecological perspective. • Israel's deadly war on journalists: The double-bombing of Nasser Hospital on Monday killed a total of 20 people including five journalists. The Israeli prime minister said this was a “tragic mishap” but this isn’t Israel’s first time targeting journalists. We speak to Jinan Bastaki, Associate Professor of Legal Studies at NYU Abu Dhabi for her thoughts on this situation. • Ambani private zoo busted: The Supreme Court of India has ordered an investigation into the Vantara Wildlife Centre, the private zoo founded by Anant Ambani, of the mega-rich Ambanis. Suspicions arise that this rescue centre may not be what it seems. We talk about that and Malaysia’s apparent involvement. Image Credit: Shutterstock

A countdown of the 5 biggest stories of the day, to catch you up on all you need to know!

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