Inside the leaked phone call threatening to bring down Thailand’s government

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For qns on privacy....

Wild Rice’s Homepar pulled by IMDA, MHA for ‘glamorising drug abuse’

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The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer shielding abusers from detection...It undermines Singapore’s anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime and public confidence in the CNB. Performances that undermine Singapore’s national interest are not permitted under the AECC.

But we also believe that the arts must have the space to explore complex, often uncomfortable realities – especially if we are to create meaningful, socially engaged theatre,

For qns on the arts and censorship....and how the media impacts/influences our attitudes and behaviours...

When movies or TV shows get mental health wrong

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Qn: Consider the argument that the main purpose of television should be to educate rather than simply to entertain. (Cam. 2015)

TikTok and Xiaohongshu are China’s new tools in Taiwan

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This is the reason why the US seeks to ban TikTok....

Qn: Consider the view that social media has more influence than politicians. (Cam. 2019)

Indian colleges alarmed by AI misuse: Professors fight back with oral quizzes, live handwritten exams

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Cultural group releases own video to clear the air over Gan Siow Huang handshake incident

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Trump tells Iran to ‘make deal’ with Israel as world leaders call for ‘maximum restraint’

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US officials have repeatedly said any new nuclear deal with Iran – to replace a failed 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers – must include a commitment to scrap enrichment, viewed as a potential pathway to developing nuclear bombs. Iran has repeatedly denied such intentions, saying it wants nuclear energy only for civilian purposes, and has publicly rejected Washington’s demand to scrap enrichment as an attack on its national sovereignty.

Qn: Should there be any controls over the production of energy when the need for it is so great? (Cam. 2015)

‘Invasive species’? Japan’s growing pains on immigration

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called for a crackdown on rule-breaking foreigners, and criticised overseas students on free scholarships while locals paid for their education.

 

a fear that local habits and Japaneseness itself might be lost if current trends continued, like the native crayfish endangered by an “invasive species” of crustacean threatening its natural habitat

the thing many love about Japanese society – the “it just works” nature of public life, from mass transit to healthcare to the low crime rate – is deeply dependent on everyone following the rules.

Note how the closing BANG echoes the opening....

For qns on immigration....

Austrian school shooter was likely fan of online shooting games: Investigators

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Qn: "Video games are a threat to society and should be banned." Do you agree?

Singapore teens are creating their own study culture – one Telegram channel at a time

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Indonesia faces brain drain as skilled graduates leave for jobs abroad

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Malaysian top scorers’ hopes for pre-uni spots dashed, reigniting fairness debate

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We understand there are limited places, but when near-perfect students are rejected with no clear explanation, it raises serious questions about fairness

He explained that students from families in the bottom 40 per cent of income earners, known as the B40, are also given priority over academically stronger candidates from the middle (M40) and top (T20) income brackets.

“Using grades alone is a narrow way to measure talent,...Students who can afford tuition are more likely to get top scores. It perpetuates inequality.”

The current intake for the matriculation programme has not changed. And, of these, 27,000 spots are allocated to bumiputera students, while 3,000 are reserved for non-bumiputera students – maintaining the 90:10 quota ratio.

Qn: Should people be treated equally all the time?

TikTok is not the reason we watch ‘slop’, burnout is

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has our consumption of it become more voracious because of online access? Yes. We can mindlessly scroll through our feeds, stream questionable podcasts and add fast fashion and services to our virtual carts with ease. But the culprit is not necessarily the likes of TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. It’s burnout, but we’ve become so accepting of brushing excessive exhaustion off as a necessary evil for achieving success that it doesn’t get enough blame.

$6k fine for man who falsely claimed Josephine Teo made offensive remarks against Malays

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Relate to recent incidents where accusations were made about people on social media; e.g. Eleanor Lee's anti-China comments, and allegations of ministers' collusion with Su Haijin....

For issues on fake news on social media.....

Let humanitarian organisations do their jobs in Gaza

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Qn: 'The provision of financial or material aid to countries in need does more harm than good.' Discuss. 

Malaysian entrepreneur apologises for spending ‘only’ $300k on daughter’s 11th birthday

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“Forgive mama, this is all I could afford to give you. I only spent RM1 million for this birthday,” she posted in a June 3 TikTok video, which has since gone viral with over 2.2 million views.

A similar incident last year -- also in Malaysia where the owner bought a BMW for her pet cat and held the birthday party at an LV store: HERE

For issues on bragging on social media and how social media breeds envy....and bad parenting....

Your smartphone is a parasite, according to evolution

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Far from being benign tools, smartphones parasitise our time, our attention and our personal information, all in the interests of technology companies and their advertisers.

Smartphones have radically changed our lives. From navigating cities to managing chronic health diseases such as diabetes, these pocket-sized bits of tech make our lives easier. So much so that most of us are rarely without them.

Yet, despite their benefits, many of us are hostage to our phones and slaves to the endless scroll, unable to fully disconnect. Phone users are paying the price with a lack of sleep, weaker offline relationships and mood disorders.

The data on our scrolling behaviour is used to further that exploitation. Your phone cares about your personal fitness goals or desire to spend more quality time with your kids only to the extent that it uses this information to tailor itself to better capture your attention.

The Australian government’s under-age social media ban is an example of the kind of collective action required to limit what these parasites can legally do. To win the battle, we will also need restrictions on app features known to be addictive, and on the collection and sale of our personal data.

Qn: 'Useful servant, but dangerous master.' How far is this true of technology today? (JPJC WA 2025)

Ads ruined social media. Now they’re coming to AI

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Imagine how persuasive such software could be when its users are beguiled. Imagine a person telling their AI they’re feeling depressed, and the system recommending some affordable holiday destinations or medication to address the problem.

For some apps, that might mean weaving ads directly into conversations, using the intimate details shared by users to predict and potentially even manipulate them into wanting something, then selling those intentions to the highest bidder.

the services have also built a reputation as trustworthy companions and arbiters of truth. On X, for instance, users frequently bring AI models Grok and Perplexity into conversations to flag if a post is fake. 

When people trust AI that much, they’re more vulnerable to targeted manipulation.

Qns:

1. ‘Online advertisements use increasingly sophisticated methods to target consumers.’ To what extent does this bring more harm than good? (Cam. 2024)

2. 'Useful servant, but dangerous master.' How far is this true of technology today? (JPJC WA 2025)