☕️ Base MHIT feature - pre-existing health conditions to be covered

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

Within the first ten months of his second term, US President Donald Trump has already issued 70 pardons. This puts him on track to greatly surpass the number of pardons issued by his 21st-century predecessors. While it is typical for US presidents to sign many pardons in their final days in office, Trump signed almost double the number issued by Joe Biden during his first term alone, about 140 compared to about 80 by Biden. His current combined total already exceeds 210, with three more years to go in his current stint. In comparison, Barack Obama signed about 220 pardons over his eight years as president.

Spanish police made their largest-ever cocaine seizure after intercepting a vessel carrying almost 10 metric tonnes of the drug. The contraband was concealed in a shipment of salt, and was intercepted on its way from Brazil to Europe. 13 people were arrested, and the vessel was towed to port after it ran out of fuel. Overall, the officers recovered 294 bales of cocaine, along with a handgun.

Israeli officials have finally accepted that more than 70,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the course of the war, which has lasted for more than two years. However, Israeli officials did not acknowledge that a vast majority of those killed were civilians. This follows repeated denials by Israel throughout the conflict. According to estimates by the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 71,662 people have been killed since the start of the war on Oct 7, 2023. Of those, 488 have been killed since the declaration of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Oct 10, 2025. Thousands more are missing and believed to be buried under rubble.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Healthcare in the spotlight

One key attractive point for the upcoming base MHIT - pre-existing health conditions will be covered
Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that persons with pre-existing health conditions will be eligible for the affordable base medical and health insurance/takaful (MHIT) plan. However, the inclusion will not be universal as the MHIT plan will only cover pre-existing conditions that are stable and controlled, including those with mental health issues. At this point, the ‘no-look back’ clause of the MHIT plan is far more attractive compared to other insurance plans offered in the market. The MHIT plan will be rolled out in pilot mode later this year.

Prevention is better than cure
Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad intends to shift the trend of spending billions of RM on curing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to prevention programs in making Malaysians not sick in the first place. On an annual basis, the cost of managing NCDs ballooned to RM64.3 bil, far more than his ministry’s 2026 allocation of RM46.52 bil. One of the said prevention programs is the Wellness Hub - a community-based health centre that promotes prevention, healthy lifestyles and early interventions. At the moment, there are 38 Wellness Hubs across the country. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), or chronic diseases, are long-duration, non-infectious, and non-transmissible health conditions primarily driven by genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors.

Improving organ transplantation
In a move to rapidly increase the number of organ donors and transplants, the National Transplant Resource Centre has been given the mandate to fix long-standing fragmentation in policy, data, and hospital coordination. At the moment, Malaysians face an average waiting time of between 8 to 15 years for a deceased-donor organ transplant, making it one of the world’s lowest organ donations. Putrajaya aims to reduce the waiting time to 1 - 2 years. One of the key challenges that needs to be addressed by NTRC is the low number of organ donations due to public hesitation. Ironically, more than 400,000 Malaysians have registered as donors, but there are more than 10,000 patients on the waiting list because the relatives of the donors are not keen on fulfilling the pledges. Leading the list is kidney patients at nearly 100% of cases - view infographic here on the latest statistics on organ donation and transplantation in Malaysia. 

The IJM Saga

IJM chairperson arrested
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested the chairperson of IJM Corporation, for multiple matters, such as corporate governance issues, procurement processes, financial transactions, and ownership of overseas assets estimated to be worth about RM2.5 bil. Interestingly, prior to the arrest, MACC inspected a few locations, including an investment bank that is managing the takeover bid involving IJM. By convention, suspects are not identified by authorities until they are formally charged. Since IJM is a publicly listed company, the whole town knows who he is.

EPF ups its stake in IJM to 20.4%
In a move that looks like to capitalise on the imminent takeover bid by Sunway, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) increased its shareholding in IJM Corporation to 20.4%, solidifying its position as the largest shareholder in the construction outfit. EPF has spent RM11.11 mil to buy an additional 4.07 mil shares in IJM. Including these transactions, the EPF has increased its stake by 1.69% from its initial 18.7% stake since Sunway Bhd launched a voluntary general offer for IJM on January 12. Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), which owns less than 13.5%, has yet to decide on the offer. IJM’s Friday closing was RM2.73 per share and Sunway’s offer is RM3.15 - a potential upside of 15.4%. Fancy a merger arbitrage trade?

Shorts

1. MotoGP launched its new season in Kuala Lumpur

   If you are wondering why KL’s traffic was so rubbish over the weekend, apart from the road closure due to India PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Malaysia and the heavy downpour, a number of roads within the KL Golden Triangle were shut off to accommodate the MotoGP 2026 Season Launch, where about 20,000 fans attended the launch on Saturday night. The cherry on top of the cake for the night was the performance by The Script, with DJ PAWSA and DOLLA also performing on stage.

2. McDonald’s to double down in Malaysia

   The boycott on McDonald’s in recent years did not wear down the brand, as McDonald’s Malaysia MD and local operating partner, Azmir Jaafar, announced that the company plans to invest RM1 bil over the next five years to open an additional 100 new outlets, apart from modernising existing outlets and strengthening digital capabilities. The expansion is expected to create more than 10,000 new jobs for Malaysians, in line with the company’s 100% local hiring policy.

3. First data centre protest in Malaysia

   More than 50 people gathered in front of a data centre construction site close to a residential area in Johor to demand a stop to the construction that has created significant dust pollution and potential pollution to the water supply. The said data centre project is being developed by China’s Zdata Technologies Co, which did not even bother to meet the protestors. Zdata and the project’s local developer, Tropicana Firstwide Sdn Bhd, a unit of Tropicana Corp, also did not release any statement. Apart from the biggest question mark on how the project is being approved in the first place due to its close proximity to a residential area, the project was also plagued with problems before this, being issued with a two-week stop-work order last year for poor construction standards.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Tech

European Union demands TikTok to change ‘addictive’ design
The European Union’s probe into TikTok has resulted in a preliminary conclusion that the app’s features, such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and a personalised recommendation algorithm is encouraging addiction, especially in children. The authorities have advised TikTok to change its “addictive” features to protect minors from compulsive use, with a potential fine of up to 6% of the global turnover of ByteDance if they fail to do so. TikTok responded that the findings were a “meritless depiction” of their platform and said that they will take whatever steps are necessary to challenge the findings. The EU reported that the most-used social media platform after midnight by children between the ages of 13 and 18, and that 7% of children between the ages of 12 and 15 spend four to five hours on the app every day. By the same logic, wouldn’t Instagram be targeted too? 

“YouTube is TV”: USD 60 bil revenue revealed
For the first time ever, Google announced how much YouTube makes. YouTube, has brought in more than USD 60 bil in 2025 - a total of money generated through advertising on YouTube as well as paid subscriptions. The figure is said to far surpass streaming rival Netflix’s USD 45 bil revenue. Analysts indicate that YouTube is capitalising well on its large audience, by making money from adverts or charging a monthly subscription to remove them. While YouTube’s global ad revenue in the last three months of 2025 fell below Wall Street expectations at USD 11.38 bil, Google boss Sundar Pichai highlighted YouTube’s broader growth as part of a “fantastic year” for the company. Google also reported that YouTube was seeing “strong traction” in subscriptions, and that it has been “innovating to meet consumers where they are” with new, cheaper YouTube TV and Premium tiers.

In Asia

Will Mickey Mouse save Thailand?
The government of Thailand is seriously considering attracting Disneyland to the country, in hopes of boosting the country’s struggling tourism industry. Its Deputy PM Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that the plan is not just a pipe dream, but an achievable one. The proposal also includes the construction of a concert hall and a stadium with a capacity of about 80,000 people. Thailand’s tourism industry accounts for nearly 20% of Thailand's gross domestic product but has been sluggish recently. The strong baht, a border dispute with Cambodia and safety concerns related to scam centres are affecting the sector significantly. About 33 mil foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, down almost 20% from the 2019 peak. The government hopes for a 10% increase in 2026, but some studies project the number will remain roughly flat.

Here’s what you need to know when bringing your car into Singapore
Singaporean authorities have announced the increase of their Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fees for foreign-registered cars and motorcycles, and the Goods Vehicle Permit (GVP) fee for foreign-registered goods vehicles, effective Jan 1, 2027. The fees will be raised from SGD 35 to SGD 50 a day, and from SGD 4 to SGD 7 a day, respectively. The annual 10 free VEP days and the free VEP hours on weekdays will also be removed, and the authorities will be reviewing the fees periodically to ensure that the cost of owning and using a foreign-registered vehicle in Singapore is commensurate with that of a Singapore-registered vehicle. In a related transportation news, a futuristic hovercraft-like travel coming soon from Singapore to Batam:

No more cherry blossom party for tourists in Japan
Authorities of Fujiyoshida town near Mount Fuji have had enough of overtourism and decided to end their 10-year-old cherry blossom festival starting this year. The Arakurayama Sengen Park in the town is a popular destination during spring, offering a panoramic view of the city from its pagoda with cherry trees in full bloom and Mount Fuji in the background. As many as 10,000 visitors flock to the town daily during the peak blossom season, leading to chronic traffic congestion and littering, with some tourists reportedly trespassing and even defecating in private gardens. Although the festival will not go ahead, the city continues to prepare for an increased number of visitors during April and May.

Shorts

1. Penisgate: When a bigger penis helps in Olympic sports

   The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics is abuzz with the latest doping scandal, dubbed the “Penisgate”, where some athletes are allegedly injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises. Before the start of the season, ski jumpers have to have their suits made up based on measurements of their body length, including crotch height. Turns out that enlarging the penis with hyaluronic acid could provide a reason for them to have a slightly larger ski suit made, which also means a larger surface area to generate a small amount of extra lift, in other words, an aerodynamic advantage. The allegations are now under investigation by the World Anti-Doping Agency. They really need to find hard evidence to build a case.

2. 31 killed, dozens wounded in a suicide bombing in Islamabad

   A powerful explosion occurred at a Shia Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, believed to be a suicide bombing that killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens as they were peacefully praying. The ISIL (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram channel, releasing an image that it said showed the attacker holding a gun, with his face covered and eyes blurred. Innocent civilians continue to suffer from such episodes of bombing in Pakistan - in Nov last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens. Back in 2008, a suicide bomber detonated a dump truck at Islamabad’s Marriott hotel, killing at least 63 people and wounding more than 250.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

Modern Malaysian History

1. Money Heist: Edisi Malaysia. The first of its kind, a bank robbery over the Hari Raya holidays through underground tunnels that broke into the safe room occurred at Maybank Cheras in 1995, leading to losses of RM30 mil.

2. How Nipah virus was first discovered in 1998 in Malaysia. TIL: Fruit plantations cannot be adjacent to pig farms as bats with the virus ate the fruits and Nipah virus was found on the saliva coating the fruits and spread to pigs that ate the leftover fruits.