☕️ N9 Election - Winners & Losers

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

6 of 10 – Chinese firms account for 6 of the top 10 most innovative start-ups in the humanoid robot sector, according to a LexisNexis report tracking global patent data. Shanghai-based firms Fourier and AgiBot, Shenzhen-based LimX Dynamics and Pudu Robotics, and Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics swept the top 5, with Shenzhen’s Leju Robot claiming ninth. The remainder were three US startups – Figure AI in sixth, Apptronik in eighth, and Agility Robotics in tenth – and Germany’s Agile Robots in seventh. The report highlighted a clear shift towards China in terms of innovation across three key humanoid technologies, namely interaction systems, morphology, and control and planning architectures. Check out the full report here.

Nearly 40% – A Nikkei analysis found that Chinese companies expanded their global market share in that segment of major goods and services last year, with notable gains in electric vehicles and digital products. The study examined the market shares of the top five companies across 67 categories of goods and services that are critical to global economic activity. The US had the top share in 23 categories, still the world leader but down from 27 the previous year. China led in 19 categories, taking second place and increasing its number from 18 in 2024. Chinese firms also ranked among the top five globally in 37 categories, growing their market share in 25, up one from 24 in 2024. Chinese companies have been increasing exports to other countries to offset the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs, leading to China’s trade surplus in 2025 reaching a record high of about USD1.2 tril (RM4.9 tril).

24% – That’s the segment of listed Chinese companies that posted losses for the first nine months of 2025. This marks the highest share since 2002, with firms weighed down by overproduction and sluggish domestic demand. The share of Chinese companies reporting losses has risen steadily since a low of 7% in 2017, due to factors including a slow recovery in domestic demand after the COVID-19 pandemic, weakness in the real estate sector where companies recorded combined losses of USD9.14 bil (RM37.34 bil) during the period, and demand falling short of supply. This study by Nikkei examined about 5,300 non-financial companies listed on mainland markets.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Pakatan Harapan lost another state election
A blue and a darker blue alliance between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) apparently is the formula to end Pakatan Harapan (PH)’s eight-year rule in Negeri Sembilan. The loose BN-PN alliance managed to secure a two-thirds majority in the Negeri Sembilan state legislative assembly, winning 25 out of 36 seats, with the remaining 11 seats still controlled by PH. In the previous 2023 state election, PH won 17 seats, BN 14, PN three and Bersatu two, allowing PH and BN to jointly form the state government in 2023 following the formation of the federal unity government in Putrajaya. Below are the key highlights of the state election:

• Giants slain: Former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun and Transport Minister Anthony Loke lost their respective state seats. DAP secretary general Anthony Loke lost the Chennah seat to MCA's Siow Kong Choon (John), ending his 13-year tenure as the constituency's assemblyman, while Aminuddin also lost in Linggi after making the high-risk decision to leave his long-time Sikamat seat, which he had represented for four consecutive terms. Loke has never lost an election in the past 22 years.

• Newcomer happy: Parti Wawasan, the party formed by former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin, won three seats in its electoral debut.

• Bersatu wiped out: Biggest loser of the election, losing its deposits in 23 of the 24 seats it contested as they failed to secure the 12.5% vote share needed to get its money back.

• PKR survived, but nearly wiped out: PKR, one of the component parties of PH, continued its poor performance in the state elections, from Johor to Negeri Sembilan. In Johor, PKR only won 1 seat out of the 20 it contested, while in Negeri Sembilan, it won only two out of 16 seats the party participated in (5% and 13% winning rate respectively). PKR VP Amirudin Shari was quick to blame identity politics, which had enabled the BN-PN alliance to make significant gains. Is PKR starting to become a liability to PH?

• PH still most popular: Despite the loss, PH still controls the popular vote, accounting for 40.2% of the total votes cast, an increase from the 37.8% it garnered in the 2023 state election.

What’s next?
Seven-time Umno assemblyperson Ismail Lasim has been sworn in as the 10th Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar. Ismail, with an undefeated election record since he first contested in 1999, was the exco member in charge of the education and human capital portfolio under former Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun’s administration. The once vocal Negeri Sembilan BN chief, Jalaluddin Alias, who blamed Aminuddin for mishandling the royal crisis and led the press conference that announced the pull-out of BN’s support towards the former administration, failed to become the Menteri Besar in the end.

Moving forward, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi stated his confidence that the BN-PN cooperation will continue into the upcoming Melaka state election. The current Melaka administration has come under pressure following DAP's withdrawal from the BN-led government last month. Says a lot about where the federal government will be heading into the next election. 

In a separate event, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari sounded even more confident as he said that if BN and PN stick to their ‘winning formula’, this new coalition may even win the next general election (GE16). However, he added that BN representatives in the federal administration should continue to serve in the federal coalition government with Pakatan Harapan as best as possible, while waiting for Parliament to be dissolved.

Shorts

1. Selfie exposed fake kidnapping
   A 28-year-old male apparently staged his own kidnapping on the advice of loan sharks to trick his parents into settling his RM40,000 debt. However, the police were smarter after figuring out that the ‘proof of life’ photo sent to the parents looked more like a selfie than a real hostage case. The police then tracked his mobile phone and found him at a budget hotel. According to police investigations, the man claimed that it was the loan sharks who guided him on how to stage the kidnapping to pressure his parents into handing over the money. The selfie is in the article.

2. Yet another animal abuse case

   Animal advocate Lee Lam Thye urged sweeping reforms on how local councils manage stray animals are needed following the death of a pet dog, Rocky. He said the incident was more than an operational lapse, but reflected a deeper failure to balance enforcement with compassion. Lee called for the government to urgently review and strengthen the Animal Welfare Act, as the current provisions are insufficient to deter and punish acts of animal cruelty. Rocky, a pet dog, was mercilessly killed (watch incident here - graphic) during a stray animal capture operation in Taman Teluk Gedung Indah, Port Klang, Selangor on July 29, 2026.

3. MAS pilot found ferrying drugs in Indonesia

   Bukit Aman Narcotic Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that the Malaysia Airlines pilot arrested in Indonesia recently for allegedly attempting to smuggle more than 70,000 ecstasy pills had no prior criminal or drug-related record in Malaysia. Before his arrest at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the 39-year-old pilot had operated Malaysia Airlines Flight MH727 from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta He was tested positive for three types of drugs in Jakarta (though it’s not known if he was high up there) and somehow managed to bypass security at KLIA while carrying 70,000 ecstasy pills. For sure, this is not a one-man operation.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Geopolitiks

Hamas, Board of Peace reach Gaza disarmament deal
Hamas and the Board of Peace have apparently reached a disarmament deal, in what Trump calls “a monumental step” towards peace and security. The agreement stipulates that the precise disarmament roadmap must be prepared within 14 days, with possible extensions subject to the approval of an international verification body and the agreement of all parties. A member of Hamas’s negotiating delegation said that Hamas would not implement any part of the agreement if Israeli forces failed to fulfil their obligations. The official said disarmament depended on Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and progress on reconstruction in the Palestinian territory.

Trump holds off on fresh attacks on Iran in hopes of a quick deal
Trump has said that the US will hold off on a fresh attack on Iran as long as a deal can be reached quickly to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on Truth Social, he added that Iran and other West Asian countries had asked for time to complete a deal that would lead to "the Immediate, Complete and Total" reopening of the vital strait and "an end to Iran's nuclear threat". Trump's apparent de-escalation after days of threats of new attacks from each side was the latest twist in the war the US and Israel launched five months ago. Attacks have spread across the Gulf to the Red Sea and even a Mediterranean facility in Egypt.

Saudi Arabia establishes maritime defence alliance to secure vital waterways
Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries have announced the creation of a maritime military coalition to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The countries stated that the framework is to strengthen collective maritime defence cooperation and to protect freedom of navigation, as well as securing international trade and energy supply routes through the three waterways. Neither the United Arab Emirates nor Oman have signed up, despite having similar security objectives amid the conflict centred on Iran, while Turkiye, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Djibouti, Somalia, Bangladesh, Yemen, Sudan and the Comoros are understood to be the other signatories to the alliance.

AI

Anthropic's Claude AI escapes to hack into three organisations
In a never-ending series of AI escaping containment, following the AI model escape blunder à la Skynet at OpenAI, Anthropic proceeded to check if its own systems had carried out similar attacks, and it turns out that Claude AI has also escaped and hacked into the systems of three organisations on its own. Anthropic said in a statement it reviewed more than 140,000 tests to find evidence Claude had managed to get online even though it was supposed to be in an isolated test environment, cut off from the internet. Security experts said that the real fear should be over the companies behind powerful AI agents who are making the decisions about what is safe for humanity, and shows why independent testing and government oversight are crucial.

LinkedIn enables “AI slop” button
LinkedIn has announced that it is adding a new feature to let users click a “seems like AI slop” button when someone’s post appears to have been written with AI. The move marks a broader shift across online publishing platforms to cut back on AI content, as people get increasingly frustrated with low-quality, AI-generated content on its platform. The company is also investing in automation defences, where it now blocks “hundreds of thousands” of automated comment attempts daily. The platform will also begin privately flagging in users’ dashboards when people believe their content is coming off as inauthentic due to heavy use of AI. Great way to set the standards.

Shorts

1. 14 Peaks star Nirmal Purja killed in Pakistan avalanche

   Mountaineering icon Nirmal Purja has died while summiting Broad Peak, the 12th highest mountain in the world, after a deadly avalanche swept him and his 9 climbing companions off the mountainside. Purja, 43, became renowned through the Netflix series 14 Peaks, where he became the fastest person to summit the world's 14 highest mountains. The Broad Peak ascent at 8047 metres was Purja’s attempt at becoming the first person to climb all 14 peaks again without supplemental oxygen. Watch as the avalanche unfolds here.

2. FIFA COO says staff 'deceived' by Infantino plans

   FIFA chief operating officer (COO), Kevin Lamour, has said in a statement that Gianni Infantino’s plan is a “project of one person" and that the time has come for the football political leaders to make the right decisions. He was referring to Infantino’s grand plans for FIFA to create a commercial subsidiary to run its main events, including its World Cups, and to allow external investors to buy stakes in it. Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) accused FIFA of setting the "direction of travel" for a "significant initiative" before consulting stakeholders.

3. New York sues Kalshi, calls it ‘illegal gambling’

   The state of New York has joined a growing number of states to sue prediction market platform Kalshi, calling it an “illegal, unlicensed gambling operation”. The states have come into a dispute with Trump’s administration over who regulates the fast-growing prediction market. They argue that Kalshi failed to obtain a New York State Gaming Commission licence to operate its platform, and that it encourages problem gambling, including by people under age 21, and endangers people’s financial, emotional and physical health. Platforms like Kalshi are where people trade based on the predicted outcomes of sport, elections and other events. Prediction markets is even at our shores now - do you know you can bet on N9 election outcomes? Sorry, not bet - predict (and stand a chance to win), I mean.

    

   

   Bets on Malaysian topics on Polymarkets

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

Corporate Monday

1. The politics of Corporate, represented by UNO.

2. A HQ tour of Swiss athletic brand On.

3. Recently bought air tickets on AirAsia and the site UX could be a lot better. Shall let the below do the professional commenting on the site. Check @conversiondaryl - he makes comments (respectful ones) on digital sites to help them with conversion.