Evening Edition

Bob Holmes, Gogulan Dorairajoo & Jeevan Selvanathan look back at the Euro semi finals & discuss Portugal's penalty taker selection, hassling Spain, Alvaro Negredo, Mario Balottelli, the golden German generation and the also preview Sunday's final. PLUS an MSL update and all the latest football news!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just yesterday, MP of Batu Gajah (Ms) Fong Po Kuan claimed that women’s fears about their safety contradicted the statistics on crime reduction under the National Key Result Areas.This claim attracted a barrage of responses from other MPs  in the Dewan Rakyat with retorts saying that the fear for women’s safety was based on perception and did not reflect the views of the majority of women; that the crime statistics do not lie, and that Malaysia has been acknowledged as one of the safest countries in the world. According to the Global Peace Index Report of 2011, Malaysia is the safest country in South East Asia and ranked 19th safest in the world. But recent high profile cases have generated a sense of fear among women: Just last week, a woman was robbed and slashed on her head at the car park of the Mid Valley Megamall in the capital city. The victim was only several metres away from her parked car when she was attacked. However, the car was not stolen.The NST report that it was the third robbery at a shopping complex car park in the Klang Valley in the past month. All three cases were women who were walking alone.Can you blame women for being afraid? However, the crime statistics collected by the police and reported by PEMANDU has decidedly shown that overall, crime rate has decreased over the past year: 11.1% drop in Index Crime39.7% drop in Street CrimeOf course, PEMANDU has repeatedly said that crime has dropped, not eliminated. It is still a serious concern and no matter how much fear there is, crime cannot and probably will never be completely eliminated. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Base jumping is the extreme sport of parachuting from the tops of very tall objects. BASE is an acronym for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (Bridges) and Earth (Cliffs). They say that the first rule of BASE jumping is to never get caught as in most cases, parachuting off fixed objects is illegal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to sexist remarks and instances of discrimination based on gender etc - unfortunately to say - the media is a great source of examples!Now, many women’s groups here in Malaysia are constantly battling against this. One method used recently was the name and shame method in the form of the “Aiyo, What Lah Awards”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As most of us know - hitchhiking also known as thumbing is a means of gaining transportation by asking people (strangers) for a ride in their vehicle.Seems simple enough but have you ever thought of traveling the world by means of hitchhiking? Is it even possible, and how exactly would one go about doing it?The answer - Yes, it is possible!Jeremy Marie is going to tell us all about his current and on-going world tour by hitchhiking in 5 years!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Always wanted to see a West End production, but never had the opportunity to?Well, now you have a chance to enjoy “An Evening With The Phantom” with West End sensation Ramin Karimloo!Caroline and Uma speak to with Datin Seri Tiara Jacqualina and Ramin Karimloo to tell us more about the concert. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government is considering the possibility of a life-long pension scheme for the private sector. This is, of course, to counter the problem of poverty amongst retirees and the elderly in this country.Currently, retirees are able to withdraw their EPF savings upon retirement. However, the problem is that these savings are not enough to sustain them especially those in the lower income brackets.Ex: Upon retirement, lower income bracket may only have 50k, which will only last for between 3 - 5 years. But the reality is that Malaysians are living longer these days.Hence, the possibility of introducing a pension scheme!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kam Raslan, Matthias Gelber & Stuart Cavens discuss the final round of group matches including a preview of Spain v Croatia and Italy v Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting your first home is never an easy task! For most of us its about choosing the right home, getting the best home loan and being able to service that loan.But, not everyone has the privilege to be able to make those choices or even have access to such facilities as bank loans etc. Caroline & Ezra speak to our guests from EPIC Collaborative who make it their business to actually build homes for the underprivileged. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learning different cultures can be an enriching and eye-opening experience!The better we understand each other, the better we are able to avoid misunderstandings due to cultural differences.Caroline & Uma indulge in a little bit of French culture, in line with the on-going French Art & Film Festival. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig Morraies, Stuart Cavens & Gogulan Dorairajoo discuss Groups A - C. Ireland's exit & the possible departures of Netherlands & Greece. Also, a preview of Group D which includes Ukraine v France & Sweden v England. PLUS Harry's gone! Who'll replace him at Spurs?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having to drag yourself to the gym 3 or 4 times week can be a real chore especially after a hard days work!But what if staying healthy could be as fun as going to a party? If you like that idea - Zumba is just the thing! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Merdeka Award was founded in 2007 by three of the countries biggest oil and gas players, Petronas, ExxonMobile and Shell. Aside from the Award itself, they are now offering a grant for international attachment in the successful applicants chosen field of study, and are currently soliciting applications. We invite Joseph Edwin, Executive Director of the Merdeka Award Secretariat & Fatimah Merican, Executive Business Services Director, ExxonMobile Subsidiaries in Malaysia to tell us all about this unique opportunity. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthias Gelber, Kam Raslan & Andy Whitelaw discuss the teams who've played so far from Groups A to C. The surprising Greeks, The smooth Russians, the grafting Danes, talented Italy, champions Spain. Have we seen a winner so far? Who's going home? ALSO a preview of Group D which kicks off tonight, featuring England v France & co-hosts, Ukraine v Sweden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year World Ocean’s Day is celebrated on the 8th June to acknowledge the oceans value - it provides us with food, amazing marine life and even sea lanes for international trade. Unfortunately, it is also the victim of pollution and over consumption of fish etc.So today, we’re going to talk about the coral reefs found in Malaysia.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Those who have lived in KL for decades would have noticed the changes in many of the older neighbourhoods: from dilapidated old shops slowly transforming into fancy neighbourhoods shopping malls and, of course, the appearance of the ultimate symbol of yuppiness: Starbucks. Our friends in TimeOut KL has been walking the streets of Klang Valley to find out what these so-called 'gentrified' neighbourhoods has to offer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ob Holmes, Craig Morraies & Gogulan Dorairajoo discuss the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool, Cardiff City playing in red, discuss England's chances and look at Groups A - C, which will all be in action this weekend. Also, Matthias Gelber on Germany's chance in the Group of Death (B) and Kelantan coach, Bojan Hodak on who will follow Croatia through in Group C.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Recently it was announced in the papers that swimming pools would be built for each of the 79 National Service training camps across the country, to be used in lieu of ponds for water activities. This is apparently to combat the threat of water-borne diseases such as leptospirosis, which was suspected to have claimed the life of one NS trainee earlier this year. Caroline, Ezra and Patrick discuss whether this move - or indeed, National Service as a whole - is necessary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boys will be boys, playing with their toys. But many of those toys are also derived from the cartoons they watch. And one of the most popular genre of animated cartoons in the world is Japanese ‘anime’. In fact many boys in town will be very excited this weekend because Anime Festival Asia 2012 has landed in Kuala Lumpur for the very first time. It’s not all child’s play: according to the Japan External Trade Organisation, the anime market for the United States alone is worth more than 4 billion US dollars a year. Tonight our guests will give us a bit of insight into the world of Anime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrity Chef Edward Kwon is Korea's tourism ambassador and Seoul's Goodwill Ambassador as well. He is the former head chef of the world's only 7-star hotel, Burj  Al Arab, the host of several cooking shows, and the business owner of two concept restaurant in Seoul. Caroline and Ezra catch up with him at the KL Hilton for Evening Edition Goes to Lunch with Edward Kwon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us have vague memories of the Batang Kali massacre - but for the family members of those killed in the massacre, it is a lifelong mission to clear their family members’ names. Today our guests will tell us the full story of exactly what they are trying to find out about the incident that happened even before the formation of Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sun Daily reported that Malaysian English Language Teaching Associations (Melta) royal patron Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah said 3 days ago that the deteriorating standard of english aong Malaysians is the result of an assumption that learning the language is unpatriotic.  She said: "We did not see the problems we are facing today because we were filled wit a sense of patriotism, and so we concentrated on the se of Bhasa Mlaysia." Raja Zarith, who is also Universiti Teknologi Malaysia chancellor, added that Malaysians had not not foreseen a world driven by technology, and more importantly, that English would become the most spoken language in the aggressive work arena.   Caroline, Ezra & Patrick Teoh discuss wether should English be made the second national language of Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Y.Bhg Dato’ (Dr.) Haji Ameer Ali Mydin obtained his Master’s Degree in International Management from the United States. In 1989, he left a budding career in banking toorchestrate the turnaround of his father’s small retail and wholesale business then operating inthe East Coast by opening a store in Kuala Lumpur. Since then, Dato’ (Dr.) Haji Ameer Ali hasevolved MYDIN into a behemoth of 9 hypermarkets, 54 minimarkets, 9 convenience stores, 3bazaars, 18 emporiums and 6 franchise. Caroline Oh speaks to the man behind the succes of the Mydin empire.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all commute to work – except for the lucky few who can work from home. Even homemakers and housewives have to run around town as part of their “job”, to shop, pay bills, pick up kids from school. There is no doubt we all need to get around all the time as a necessity of life. But as the population of the Klang Valley increases, the number of vehicles on the road has also increased dramatically. We all gripe about the jams, and the amount of time we spend getting from one corner of the Klang Valley to another, and the amount of subsidized petrol wasted just getting stuck in traffic jams. We have to find better ways of getting around in more efficient ways – cheaper, better, faster, and still be relatively comfortable and safe in our daily commute. This obviously means a good and reliable network of public transportation system. But what does that picture look like? How do you imagine your life would change if and when we have the idealised public transportation system? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We say the young are talented and that their talents should be nurtured. But these days, nothing beats the power of public recognition as a form of nurturing up-and-coming talent. But where do you start and who’s going to give you their 2-seconds worth of attention span in the world of 24-hour internet, mobile apps and limitless entertainment choices? Well, the organisers of “YouTube to YouLIVE Sing-off” competition is trying to make a difference. Let’s hear how they are going try and change the game.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Yepsen became director of the Paul Simon Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on April 1, 2009. Previosuly, he had a 34 year career with the Des Moines Register serving as the paper's chief political writer, political editor and political columnist. Caroline & Uma spoke to him about the upcoming US election. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An article in the NST on May 23 2012: The issue of job-hopping among young employees is getting serious, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam yesterday. He said this reflected a poor work culture and attitude. He said the ministry had received complaints from employers about the poor work ethics of young employees.  Caroline, Ezra and Patrick Teoh discuss the job-hopping phenomenon with BFM callers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Allen is a celebrity chef (who's a bit shy of the title) who survived in Gordon Ramsay's kitchen at Claridge's for just over 10 years. He's here in Malaysia, delighting us with his cooking and talking to us at BFM.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May last year, the Prime Minister declared that a Youth Parliament would be established, similar to those existing in Australia, the United Kingdom and even India. The first trial session went underway two weeks ago in the Palace of the Golden Horses with 222 youths from all over the country. We have two of them - Ahmad Waif and Akmal Saufi - in our studio today to tell us about their experience of Malaysia’s first ever Youth Parliament. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being poor is hard for anyone any where in the world. In Malaysia where cost of living is rising rapidly, and the economy is rapidly hurtling towards becoming a high-income nation, competing in high tech, knowledge based economy, there is an added time pressure for the poor to lift themselves out of the poverty vicious cycle that could, if we are not careful, span generations. What do we know of the poor? Other than making do with very little income? We associate the poor with crime – people resorting to stealing to make ends meet. We associate the poor with low levels of education, lack of skills – children who have to work and skip school, unintentionally depriving themselves of the chance to escape poverty itself. We associate the poor with disengagement from society. Although the poor live away from the gaze of society, and most of us tend not to seek them out, we know they are there. But what is being done to help the poor? What CAN be done to help the poor? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the final episode of the season, Kam Raslan, Matt Bellotti & Jeevan Selvanathan discuss Chelsea's Champions League win, West Ham's promotion to the Premier League, Montpellier winning Ligue 1. ALSO the Italian & Scottish Cup finals PLUS a chat with Kelantan's FA cup winning coach, Bojan Hodak.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chow Kit the street is notorious for many things: among them is the many homeless children who have to face a vulnerable childhood exposed to drugs, prostitution and street violence. Uma and Johanen Sen did a review of the movie “Chow Kit” on What The Flick, (which you can download and listen to) but today we are looking at the stories about Chow Kit that inspired the movie. Dr. Hartini Zainudin (founder of Rumah Nur Salam, based on Chow Kit itself) and Rasihan Zain, the movie director speak to us on BFM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singing is a musical activity that doesn't require any prior experience or skills. You can sing anytime, anywhere and at any age. Building on that philosophy, a group of people came together to form the community choir of the Philharmonic Society of Selangor. There are no auditions - everyone can join. Cheryl Teh, the choir chairperson and Pan Swee Chin, the soprano talk to us on BFM's Evening Edition show.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What makes a good or bad teacher? Caroline, Uma, Patrick and BFM listeners talk about the teachers and mentors in their lives - the good, the bad, and the pure evil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What began as a room in a bungalow for a classroom is now the Cempaka Group of Schools. Their founder and mentor, Dato' Frieda Pilus, is hailed as the pioneer of private education in Malaysia. This Teacher's Day, she speaks to BFM about her life as an educator for the young. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teach For Malaysia initiative is aimed at putting an end to education inequality. TFM Fellows are recruited to undergo teaching positions in various schools throughout the country for two years. Since its Teacher’s Day today - we have Aishah Zainol, a TFM Fellow from the first cohort, who have been teaching in schools across Malaysia since Jan this year. And Suresh Kumar Shanmugan, who took part in Teach For Malaysia Week by ‘teaching’ a class at SMK Seri Desa, Tanjung Karang. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tell us about your personal experience with Malaysia's rural areas – what do you think the rural areas need most urgently? Caroline Oh and Ezra Zaid speak with PEMANDU's Eugene Teh about the condition of rural areas in Malaysia.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The week's local and international football highlights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When we talk about taking a road trip - there’s a general assumption that its going to be by car. But that was not the case for Sandra Loh - instead of doing it the conventional way, she and her buddy, Mak Shiau Meng, decided to cycle instead of drive! And she lived to tell the tale in her book, “Pedalling Around The Peninsular - A Malaysian girls two-wheeled adventure”. We have her in the studio with us today, together with Elaine Wong, Committee Member of the “Share Our Roads” Campaign.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The week's local & international football highlights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir speaks to Caroline Oh and Uma about her experience at the recent Bersih rally and what it means to the rest of the people. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Malaysia it is required by law that any non-Muslims that marry a Muslim person must become a Muslim in order for the marriage to be legally recognised in the country. However, what happens when the marriage falls apart? With divorce rates increasing in recent years, mixed marriages are not spared from the increase in divorces. What happens to the Muslim converts who divorce their husbands or wives? What happens to their children? To help us understand the matter, BFM invited Syariah lawyer Nizam Bashir to share his views and expertise.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there's any pain that most, if not all of us share collectively as Malaysians, it is the rapid rise in cost of living in the past few years. Even if you don't track the prices of groceries that you buy, just ask the person in your household who buys the chicken and the fish. If you pay your own bills, you would have noticed the increase in your electricity bill. If you have been looking to buy a house, the price of a new house of a reasonable size now are almost prohibitive to most of us. While some may argue that this increase in cost of living is the natural progression of a growing economy, it is putting a lot of pressure on regular Malaysians who are working hard to make money, but can't seem to overcome the rise in the prices of things that we need on a daily basis. So what is the government doing about it? John Low,  Addressing Cost of Living NKRA Director (PEMANDU's GTP) hears out BFM callers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kam Raslan, Matt Bellotti & Gogulan Dorairajoo lookback at Chelsea's FA Cup victory over Liverpool, Man City winning at Newcastle, the fight for 3rd & 4th going to the final weekend, relegation, the Championship playoffs, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga, discuss the Winners & Losers of the weekend AND chat to Astro Arena's Dez Corkhill about the latest round of MSL matches.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the song goes, video killed the radio star... Well not quite. But could YouTube videos very well kill the TV star? After all, who among the young generation watches TV these days? On YouTube, no one can grab the remote control away from you and you get to choose what you want to see. And our two guests tonight are two of the most successful YouTube video makers in the country. If YouTube viewership can be converted into cash, these guys would be millionaires! BFM talks to Reuben Kang of JinnyBoy TV and Joseph Germani of GermaniProductions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guest this evening is the author of “Surfing Behind The Wall: My Palestinian Journey”. The book has been described as a “distinctive, personal account of historical Palestine laced with colour, humour and compassion”. He talks to Caroline and Umapagan about the adventures that inspired the book. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The week's local and international football highlights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a storm for the Malaysian media scene this week! On Saturday, Astro censored footage of BBC and Al Jazeera's coverage of Bersih 3.0. And today, on World Press Freedom Day, a certain mainstream media newspaper took generous liberties with the information given it, substituting the word "scientology" with "Islam" - to disastrous effect. This brings us to an important question for a maturing democracy: should the media be regulated? Ezra Zaid, Caroline Oh and Patrick Teoh seek the answers from BFM callers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.