20-May-24 17:00

Dr James Dorsey, Senior Fellow, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Today's countdown includes:

5. Singaporean comedian Sharul Channa's show in Malaysia was cancelled, after police reports were made against her, over a video of her show back in 2018. In the video, she was seen to be making jokes that alluded to 3R issues. We hear from Phoon Chi Ho, the chief executive of Laugh Labs Entertainment and the organiser of the event Sharul was supposed to performed at.

4. The government has announced that the Online Safety Bill is about 60% complete now. The bill aims to ensure platform providers to adhere to SOPs and help authorities when they conduct investigations related to online security.

3. FIFA is considering the suspension of Israeli teams from their events, after the Palestinian Football Association said the Israeli team had violated FIFA statutes. Haresh Deol, editor of TwentyTwo13 weighs in on this.

2. The Health Minister has announced a grading system for sugary drinks, in an attempt to reduce sugar consumption. This is following the result of The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023, which revealed that diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the country.

1. Iran president Ebrahim Raisi has died after a helicopter crash, in the Varzaqan region, when he was returning with Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and several others from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran's border with Azerbaijan.

Image credit: lev radin, Shutterstock