☕️ Melaka might join the election party

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

1 mil members – PKR saw its membership surpass the 1 mil mark, firmly maintaining its position as the core party of the unity government. According to party information chief Fahmi Fadzil, the party gained more than 5,000 new members organically over the past two months despite not carrying out any recruitment programmes. This follows news that Parti Bersama Malaysia saw 18,000 membership applications within a week of its launch, with 46% coming from individuals who had never previously aligned themselves with any political party.

132 – That’s how many rheumatologists Malaysia has across both the public and private sectors. The ideal ratio, according to the Ministry of Health, is for there to be two rheumatologists for every 100,000 people. This means Malaysia needs about 684 of these specialists who treat arthritis, gout, and autoimmune diseases like lupus. About eight to ten new rheumatologists are expected to qualify each year.

7,919 – That’s how many notices were issued to litterbugs in six states under a new community service framework, according to Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming. The minister is now pushing for the remaining states to adopt the system. Under the system, individuals caught littering are required to perform community service as corrective punishment. Offenders face fines of up to RM2,000, and courts can impose community service for up to six months, involving up to 12 hours of work.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Lost hiker found after 2 weeks
Jaslinda Suludin, the hiker who went missing after she solo-climbed up Gunung Batu Putih mountain in Perak for the last two weeks, has been found. According to the Perak Forestry Mountain Guide coordinator, Muzafar Mohamad, Jaslinda was found within the search zone that rescuers had been combing throughout the operation. Muzafar added that the terrain is extremely challenging, filled with valleys, waterfalls and difficult ground. Jaslinda suffered minor injuries as she fell several times, including falls of around five metres and three metres while crossing rivers and difficult terrain.

The previous search for Jaslinda was under immense public criticism, as the public questioned the amount of machinery and rescuers that were deployed to look for someone who got lost while taking part in the Trans Spencer Chapman expedition. Tapah police chief Abdul Malik Hasim stated that a total of 116 personnel from agencies such as the police, the fire and rescue department, the forestry department, and the General Operations Force had been mobilised. Several rescuers sustained injuries during the operation.

How to survive 101:

Two universities were rocked by bomb threats
Taylor’s University’s spokesman said that its campus in Subang Jaya was evacuated on Friday due to a ‘security incident’ and the university’s emergency response protocols had been activated. The campus was closed for around five hours, and the police later confirmed that the campus is safe to resume operations. The day before, Monash University’s Subang Jaya campus also received an alleged bomb threat, and the police have deemed the campus safe, following a comprehensive security check.

The police still could not identify the source of the threats. But, just humour us for this. Back in university days, there was always this myth dubbed ‘Pass by Catastrophe’, where a catastrophic event results in automatic passing grades. Obviously, it’s false, but maybe some students tried to test this urban legend.

Election watch: Melaka to wait and see, but not ruling out elections concurrently with N9, Johor
Melaka Chief Minister Ab Rauf Yusoh announced that he has not ruled out the possibility of Melaka having its state elections simultaneously with elections in Johor and Negeri Sembilan. However, Rauf added that the Melaka state government is not in a hurry to dissolve the assembly, noting that its term only expires at the end of the year. Rauf, who is also the Melaka UMNO liaison chairman, said that he would rather focus on assisting Barisan Nasional (BN)’s campaign machinery in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan elections.

Shorts

1. AG is reviewing two investigations involving Azam Baki

   Attorney General Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar said that no decision has been made regarding two investigation papers on former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki, which the AGC has received from the police. Mohd Dusuki added that AGC needs some time to review the documents. The first paper is related to the Bloomberg article that allegedly contained defamatory statements regarding the shareholding of Velocity Capital Partner Bhd, while the second case concerns allegations of abuse of power and criminal intimidation involving businessman Albert Tei.

2. Malaysia may get more gas from Turkmenistan

   PM Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia has the potential to secure access to a gas field zone in Turkmenistan. This central Asian country is regarded as among the largest gas fields in the world. Negotiations have been ongoing between PETRONAS and the Government of Turkmenistan, and a deal is set to be signed by PM Anwar in mid-June. Turkmenistan holds the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves, estimated at roughly 50 tril cubic meters. Among the major gas fields in the country is the Galkynysh gas field, which is the second-largest gas field in the world. Here’s Turkmenistan on map - neighbour to Iran.

3. Malls must now have their own recycling facilities

   Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said that all shopping malls will be required to provide recycling facilities, effective June, as part of the conditions for their license applications and renewal with the local authorities. He added that enforcement will be done in phases to provide some grace period for the mall operators. Nga said the initiative was significant as Malaysia generates more than 39,000 tonnes of solid waste daily.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Xi goes North Korea
Chinese President Xi Jinping has not really travelled abroad in recent times, but today he has travelled to Pyongyang, North Korea. Analysts weigh in on the significance of the visit and say that Beijing most likely wants to reassert its influence over North Korea and prevent Pyongyang from leaning too heavily toward Moscow. One way in which China might try to contain Russia’s shadow over North Korea is by amping up its own economic support for Pyongyang. “Offering North Korea economic incentives” might be the plan. Meanwhile, South Korea hopes that Xi’s trip will “play a constructive role in addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula”. This could suggest that Seoul may have lobbied the Chinese leader to try to smooth over relations between the South and the North. Xi may also be alarmed by other security developments in East Asia, including news of a possible military-logistics ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌support pact between South Korea and Japan.

The dark side of AI

Anthropic urges AI labs to pause, lest humans lose control
Claude owner Anthropic has warned that AI technology is improving so quickly that there’s a risk humans would lose control. It called for a collaboration between the world’s top artificial intelligence companies to come up with a coordinated way to pause development of advanced AI systems. It said that such a mechanism is needed because, without it, a slowdown in AI development could let the “least cautious” players catch up and add to pressure on companies and governments as they make tough choices about AI safety. The warning came after a different warning from a team of researchers at the University of Toronto, who showed how AI tools could be used to create a new kind of AI “worm” that adapts its hacking strategy as it spreads from device to device and takes over a vast computing network. Fears that advanced AI systems may get out of human control and cause societal harm have risen as the technology becomes increasingly capable, but regulation has been slow, especially in the US, where most leading AI labs are based.

Woman won religious exemption from using AI at work
A software engineer, Erin Maus, who adopts the Unitarian Universalist religion - a liberal religious tradition characterised by its commitment to theological diversity, inclusivity, and social justice - has been given an exemption from using AI at work, citing environmental and ethical objections to AI that don’t align with her religious beliefs. She even consulted an employment lawyer and her local chapter’s minister to help make her case, and was granted the accommodation in mid-May. As more religious groups wrestle with AI’s ethical implications, some employment lawyers see a potential workplace conundrum. A recent study from an HR software company, Cornerstone, has revealed that nearly a third of workers harbour negative feelings like anxiety, uncertainty, and resistance toward AI.

Beware of ChatGPT shopping scams
Ask Silver, a scam-checking service, has revealed that cloned shopping sites have been showing up in search results on ChatGPT, and shoppers who ask the AI bot for recommendations could become victims of scams. The service said that the large language model (LLM) that powers ChatGPT may have been “poisoned” with malicious content that is inserted into the information an AI learns from, such as through cloned webpages put up by the fraudster. Experts remind people not to assume a website is genuine just because it is recommended by an AI tool. When shopping online, watch out for cloned sites by looking at their address, and be aware of extra words in the title, such as “official” or “deals”. Fraudulent sites will often only take payment by bank transfer, which is an immediate red flag and have large discounts on items. It is also better to go directly to retailers’ websites when you can, rather than following links.

Men vs Nature

49 stranded and died of thirst in the Sahara Desert
A truck full of people returning from Mali for Eid al-Adha ran out of water and became stranded in the Sahara Desert, killing at least 49 people who died of thirst. The area is a major border crossing point between Niger and Algeria, and also a remote part of the Sahara desert in northern Niger. 2 people survived and managed to trek across the desert to Assamaka town, where they alerted the authorities. Local NGO said they have been warning travellers about the risk of immigrating across the desert, and that such incidents are not unusual. The desert in Niger remains a major transit corridor for migrants from across West Africa trying to reach Europe, repeatedly defying the risks associated with the perilous journey, and often forced to pass through unstable areas in order to survive or seek better living conditions.
Learn:  How big is the Sahara Desert?

How to survive 102

Sherpa guide lost on Everest found alive
A Nepali mountain guide, Dawa Sherpa, who was thought to be dead after going missing on Mount Everest, has crawled back to base camp just as his second day of funeral rites began. He was last seen on May 29, around the “death zone” region, where the pressure is so low that oxygen levels are insufficient for sustained human survival. Dawa was spotted as he crawled down the snowy slopes called the Yellow Band around the Khumbu icefall at 7,200 metres. He had frostbite on his hands but appeared to be in good health. He nearly contributed to the stats - five people died during this year’s climbing season, with more than 300 dying since records began in the 1920s.

Shorts

1. No Chinese and HK investors allowed for on SpaceX IPO

   Underwriters on SpaceX’s USD75 bil (RM302.7 bil) initial public offering (IPO) have been told not to accept orders from investors in Hong Kong and China, due to US regulatory and compliance risks. In recent times, US technology and artificial intelligence companies have become increasingly cautious about accepting capital from Chinese investors. The shift marks a contrast with the previous decade, when Chinese venture capital firms, private equity funds, family offices and wealthy individuals were active investors in Silicon Valley start-ups.

2. Don Quijote to sell fan-cooled clothes to beat hot summer

   Japan’s popular discount store Don Quijote, aka Don Don Donki in Malaysia, has unveiled clothing with built-in fans to help consumers cope with soaring summer temperatures. The company demonstrated a Reebok cooling vest it had developed, featuring fans, that would sell for JPY9,899 (RM 249) and can be charged using a portable power bank. Don Quijote will also be selling hats with built-in fans that can be charged via solar power or USB, as well as adding a fan to a blanket, with the cooled fabric helping to lower both temperature and humidity for users.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

World Cup fever is starting soon. Kicks off this 11 June to 19 July in the US, Mexico and Canada.

1. Norway national team photoshoot. Here's the story of how it was shot.

2. Popular livestreamer iShowSpeed did a World Cup music video. 29 mil+ views and counting.

3. CR7 x King James

4. Remember Joga Bonito with Brazilian legends? Today’s version: RIP the Script. From the comments: ‘Nike didn’t just make a commercial, they made the Avengers Endgame of sports’.

5. Apart from Iran playing in the World Cup in the US, another major controversy is how ridiculous the prices are for the tickets. So bad that Trump even said he wouldn’t pay for it.