☕️ Azalina: Home Minister can declare any home, building, place as 'prison'

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

TNB received a total of 218,852 claims for losses due to electricity theft from 2017 to 2024, estimated around RM440 mil (RM2.01k average loss). Apart from causing financial losses, electricity theft also affects the stability of electricity supply. Some measures to address this matter: integrated raids involving various enforcement agencies, granting police special investigation powers, providing an online platform for public complaints and utilising drones with high-resolution cameras.

31% drop in UK study visas – The UK’s appeal as a top destination for international students may be waning, with Home Office figures showing a 31% decline in sponsored study visas, from 600,024 in 2023 to 415,103 in 2024. This drop has raised concerns about the financial impact on university cities reliant on international student spending. Additionally, the number of visas for dependants plummeted by 85%, from 143,276 to 21,978, due to the stricter migration policies. Universities UK, which represents 141 institutions, warns that measures to reduce net migration have created uncertainty around post-study work opportunities, potentially deterring future students.

GBP21 mil (RM118.7 mil) price tag – Ripley Castle, a 700-year-old estate near Harrogate, has been put up for sale by its custodians, Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby, whose family has owned the property since the 14th century. The Grade I-listed castle, set on 445 acres of land, includes a cricket pitch, hotel, tea room, gift shop, and wedding venue, and features three reception rooms, 11 bedrooms, and six bath/shower rooms. The estate has been divided into nine lots, offering buyers the option to purchase individual sections or the entire property. The Ingilbys described their time as custodians as a "privilege" but cited retirement and a desire to pursue other interests as reasons for the sale.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

House arrest? Already provisioned for
House arrest is already legal in Malaysia under the Prisons Act 1995, which allows the home affairs minister to designate any home or building as a “prison”. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said confirmed this in a response to Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong), who asked if Malaysian law permits house arrest and whether the Pardons Board’s meeting minutes on Najib Razak’s house arrest application could be declassified. Azalina said they were already declassified in January for judicial review proceedings. Najib, currently serving a six-year sentence for SRC International-related crimes, is seeking a judicial review to be placed under house arrest, citing a royal decree. Azalina also noted that Section 43 of the Prisons Act allows the Prisons Commissioner General to provide prisoners with early release under strict conditions, with violations leading to fines or re-imprisonment. Since 2020, 33,195 prisoners have participated in this Release of Prisoners on Licence programme, with 2,889 still under it.

Malaysia, Australia to establish joint higher education working group
Malaysia and Australia have agreed to establish a joint higher education working group, which includes collaborating on technical and vocational education and training (TVET). Higher Education Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir announced the initiative after meeting Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Danielle Heinecke in parliament. The partnership builds on last year’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aimed to strengthen ties between universities in both countries. Malaysia has also invited Australia to participate in key ministry programmes, including the Festival of Ideas, women's capacity and leadership initiatives, and student sponsorship under the Colombo Plan. Learn more about Colombo Plan here.

Malaysia’s new investor pass
Kicking off in April, Malaysia will roll out a special pass for foreign investors, allowing them to stay longer to better manage investment-related matters. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced the initiative in Parliament, adding that issuing the passes will be done electronically via an electronic pass system. He also said that the pass is designed to streamline investor entry and “ensure ease of doing business". To further simplify procedures, an Expatriate Services Centre (ESC) has been prepared at KLIA Terminal 1, allowing for applications to be processed quickly upon arrival. Additionally, the government is aiming to complete the processing of 11,700 pending entry permit applications for foreign spouses of Malaysians by June. From September, a stricter eligibility criteria will take effect, requiring spouses to be married for at least three years and hold a long-term social visit pass for one year before they can apply for permanent residency.

Crime Watch

• Rolex sale turns costly scam
  A 31-year-old woman, identified only as Lee, lost her RM203,000 Rolex watch in a cheque fraud while attempting to sell it online. A buyer, claiming to be ‘Raymond Pang,’ agreed to purchase the limited-edition Rolex Daytona 126519LN and arranged to meet her. At the last minute, Pang sent an ‘employee’ on his behalf and provided Lee with two seemingly authentic bank slips for RM100,000 and RM103,000. After confirming the amount reflected in her account, Lee handed over the watch, only to later discover that the cheques had bounced. Attempts to contact the buyer failed, which prompted her to file a police report. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael Chong believes the case can be solved, given that the victim has a photo of the ‘employee.’ He also revealed that the department has handled 12 online purchase scam cases in the past three years, totalling RM7.6 mil in losses.

• Scam syndicate posing as prison officers uncovered
  A syndicate masquerading as prison officers has been exposed for scamming inmates’ families by soliciting payments for fictitious "special meals". The Prisons Department uncovered the scheme after receiving complaints from victims who had been contacted via WhatsApp by individuals using fabricated ranks and names like Sjn Haziq, Sjn Akmal, and Sjn Nazri. These scammers convinced unsuspecting relatives to transfer money into mule bank accounts under the pretense of providing inmates with better meals. Authorities have since launched an investigation, with affected families filing police reports. The Prisons Department has pledged full cooperation and warned the public against falling for such scams. Respective families are urged to verify any requests before making payments and report suspicious messages immediately.

Shorts

1. Ismail Sabri takes another MC
   Former PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob has submitted another medical chit (MC) to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), delaying his statement until March 13. The MACC will consult his doctor to confirm his fitness to provide his statement. Previously, Ismail Sabri was set to appear on March 7, 2025 after an earlier postponement due to health issues. The Bera MP is under investigation for money laundering linked to excessive government spending on publicity during his tenure as prime minister. After his first questioning, he reportedly collapsed and was hospitalised. MACC has since arrested four of his ex-aides, raided a residence tied to an ex-staff member, and seized RM170 mil in cash, jewellery, and gold bars there.

2. Treasury tragedy: Customs officer found strangled
   A post-mortem confirmed that the customs tribunal officer who was found dead on March 5, 2025, died from ligature strangulation, yet police will still classify the case as a sudden death report (SDR). The 45-year-old was found at the Treasury Office, Finance Ministry, with his neck and legs bound with cable ties. No criminal elements? Well, surely not BDSM gone wrong at the office? Authorities insist that no criminal elements were found at the scene, but the circumstances are hard to ignore. The Finance Ministry is a high-security location, not exactly the place for bizarre accidents or personal misadventures. Until police reveal more, speculation will run wild.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Egypt’s alternative to Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’ seems to sideline Hamas
While Egypt’s alternative proposal to counter Trump’s Gaza Riviera plan sounds like a welcoming effort, there’s apparently a lot of details still not in place. It also seems to exclude Hamas in the plan, according to a draft seen by Reuters. Under the Egyptian plan, a Governance Assistance Mission would replace the Hamas-run government in Gaza for an unspecified interim period and would be responsible for humanitarian aid and for kick-starting reconstruction of the enclave devastated by the war.

Moreover, the plan does not specify who will foot the bill for Gaza’s reconstruction or outline any specific details around how Gaza would be governed. There’s no mention of a future election as well. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the group knows of no such proposal by Egypt and insists that “the day after” in Gaza must only be decided by the Palestinians. Hamas rejects any attempt to impose projects or any form of non-Palestinian administration, or the presence of any foreign forces on the land of the Gaza Strip.

China-UK serial rapist convicted of 11 rapes, “may have attacked 50 more women”
The jury at the Inner London Crown Court has ultimately decided that Zhenhao Zou is a serial rapist, who had been drugging young women and filming the attacks. Zou has now been found guilty of 11 rapes of 10 different women, three counts of voyeurism, three counts of possessing a controlled drug with intent to rape, and one count of false imprisonment.

Investigators fear that he may have raped as many as 50 more women from China and the UK, making him probably the most prolific sexual predator ever seen in the UK. Zou hails from Dongguan City in southern China, and grew up in a wealthy family who owned several properties in China, hence the ability to afford hefty fees for his higher education in the UK. He was living in a posh flat in London, equipped with hidden cameras and a wardrobe stocked with alcohol, ecstasy and an industrial chemical that he used to drug his victims. Detectives are asking any women who may have spent any time alone with Zou, whether in China or in the UK, to come forward.

Google to begin testing AI Mode on its search page
Google has announced that they are going to start testing a new “AI Mode” in their search page, where users will be provided with an entire page of artificial-intelligence-generated results in response to user queries. The AI Mode will be powered by a custom version of the Gemini 2.0 model that uses reasoning and multimodal AI, which means users can ask follow-up questions and make queries using text, voice or images. The new feature is set to be available to early testers, where the AI Mode tab will be available at the top of the Google search page. This will offer a glimpse into a new approach to how Google's search engine may eventually work in the future. For now, the search engine already offers AI Overviews, which attempts to answer queries with a direct answer at the top of the page.

Shorts:

1. Nearly a dozen students found dismembered by Mexico highway
   An abandoned car containing body parts from at least 9 people was found at the side of a highway in Mexico, with the body parts believed to be the bodies of missing students vacationing in Oaxaca. The bodies allegedly had bullet wounds and "signs of torture”. Although authorities had said that the bodies could not be identified due to “confidentiality”, it was reported that several ID cards were found at the scene that matched the missing people. The gruesome discovery comes amid Mexico’s rising cartel violence, fueling concerns over tourist safety.

2. South Korea military jet misdropped bombs and injured civilians
   The South Korean military has issued a statement saying that an Air Force KF-16 aircraft had accidentally dropped eight MK-82 general-purpose bombs in the wrong place, during a joint live-fire exercise with US forces. It resulted in casualties and property damage, with four people seriously injured and three suffering minor injuries. The military took full responsibility and launched an investigation, as well as committing to providing compensation for the damages. Watch the incident here.

3. Trump exempts some automakers from Canada, Mexico tariffs for one month
   President Trump has agreed to exempt automakers from the heavy 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico for 1 month, as long as they adhere to the terms of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA’s complex rules require vehicles to have 75% North American content to get duty-free access to the US market, as well as 40% of a passenger car’s content to be manufactured in the US or Canada, based on a list of “core parts”. Trump’s tariffs pose extreme difficulties for carmakers, which produce vehicles in all three countries and often ship parts across North American borders multiple times as they get built up into systems and finished vehicles.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. Interesting EPF tips by @doitduit.my. Hack #3 unlocks ‘unlimited’ contribution. Btw, interesting data on EPF millionaires (2021) here — the youngest is below 24 years old, with RM2 mil in saving.

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2. What happened at Indonesian unicorn, eFishery, that saw Khazanah dodging the bullet, but KWAP’s slightly over RM200 mil investment at risk.

3. Have a Gen Z kid or working wth Gen Zs that just entered the workforce? Share with them this insightful and helpful video to guide them through their first phase of adulting.

Question: Who cooks better — you or this cooking elephant? Have a good weekend ahead folks!