☕️ N9 Palace and MB clash over exco

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

341 – The Angels of the Bridge organisation has saved that many lives since 2023, when it began ensuring there were volunteers present 24 hours a day at the bridge over the Parana River in Argentina. The South American country has seen a surge in suicide rates with an increase of 57.6% from 2017 to 2025, with a 22.6% increase from 2024 to 2025 alone. This surge led to bereaved relatives and mental health specialists stepping forward and calling for better awareness about suicide, along with policies and responses for suicide prevention. If you ever feel like you need some help, please know that there are always people willing to lend a hand. Befrienders KL provides nationwide support at their hotline 03-7627 2929, and there’s also the Talian Kasih Hotline at 15999. This is also a reminder to check in on your friends and loved ones.

8,926 – That’s the number of women found to be involved in drug abuse in Malaysia in 2025, up from 8,638 in 2024. National Anti-Drug Agency Director-General Ruslin Jusoh said that youths aged between 19 and 39 recorded the highest number of cases at 6,193 (69.38%), followed by adults aged 40 to 59 at 2,567 and teenagers at 166. The most widely abused substances were amphetamine-type stimulants, which involved 7,588 individuals, followed by opiates at 762, and cannabis at 138. Ruslin noted that, while women accounted for a lower percentage of cases at 4.7% compared with men at 95.3% in 2025, women often face greater social, financial, and emotional challenges in seeking treatment. To address this, amendments were made to the Drug Dependants and Substance Abusers (Treatment and Rehabilitation) Act 1983, with women able to voluntarily seek community-based treatment under the supervision of rehabilitation officers or at Narcotics Addiction Rehabilitation Centres (Puspen) free of charge, which came into force on Aug 22, 2025.

20 mil – A new report by Unicef estimated that many internet-using children across 21 countries were subjected to sexual exploitation or abuse on digital platforms within a single year. The report estimated that more than one in five children aged 12 to 17 surveyed across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe experienced at least one form of sexual abuse or exploitation online in the year before they were surveyed. About 15 mil were exposed to unwanted sexual content, 9 mil were pressured into sexual conversations or sharing sexual images, and 4 mil had sexual images shared without their consent. The number of children subjected to this abuse globally is “certain to run into many tens of millions”, according to the report. It was also found that almost 60% of reported abuse occurred on social media platforms, while 14% took place in online gaming. Full report here.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

N9 Palace and MB clash over exco
You’re fired: Negeri Sembilan’s royal and political dispute has deepened after Yang di-Pertuan Besar Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir revoked the appointments of all state executive councillors except Menteri Besar Ismail Lasim. The palace said the decision followed the exco members’ actions and statements on Sept 15, when they declared that Tuanku Muhriz was no longer the state ruler. According to Istana Besar Seri Menanti, the move breached the oath of office the councillors had taken when they were sworn in on Aug 7. The palace cited Article XXXVIII (5) of the state constitution, which states that exco members, except for the Menteri Besar, hold office at the Ruler’s pleasure. Ismail was therefore instructed to submit a new list of candidates to form a fresh state exco.

I’m not fired: Ismail later pushed back against the decision and said the existing councillors remain in office. He argued that the Yang di-Pertuan Besar cannot remove exco members without the Menteri Besar’s advice. Citing Articles 38 and 40 of the state constitution, Ismail said changes to the exco line-up during an ongoing administration should only take effect following his advice or formal request. He also said he had not been consulted over the dismissals and maintained that there was no need to submit a new exco list. According to Ismail, the current councillors remain valid and can continue carrying out their duties.

An interesting analysis of a self-checkmate in this N9 case:

Prisons Dept rejects ‘money and influence’ claims
The Malaysian Prisons Department has rejected claims by singer-composer Yasin Sulaiman that prison life can depend on money and influence. Speaking on the AididitMyWay podcast, Yasin claimed that inmate hierarchies existed, with some prisoners referred to as “bos” or “taiko”. He also alleged that drugs could be smuggled into prison by those with enough money or influence. If you recall, there were drone attempts to smuggle drugs into prison - 55 cases alone in 2024. Prisons Department senior director of prison policy Mohamad Rosidek Musa said the claims were untrue and did not reflect how the prison system operates. He said prisons follow standard operating procedures, or SOPs, to deal with misconduct and other negative incidents involving inmates.

The department acknowledged that problems can happen inside prisons but said they do not occur to the extent described. Mohamad Rosidek said any breach of prison rules is dealt with according to established procedures, while SOPs are reviewed and tightened regularly.

Durian and paracetamol myth busted
Durian x paracetamol ok: The long-running claim that taking paracetamol after eating durian can be fatal has been debunked. Medical professionals and the Health Ministry say there is no scientific or medical evidence that the combination creates a toxic substance or causes sudden death.

The rumour has circulated for years through social media and family group chats, often warning people that durian and common painkillers such as paracetamol can turn into a dangerous combination inside the body. However, the two do not undergo a chemical reaction that produces a deadly poison. Durian is rich in carbohydrates, sugar and fat, which means the body has more to process after a heavy serving. Paracetamol, meanwhile, is a painkiller and fever reducer that is metabolised by the liver. Taking paracetamol after eating durian does not create a known fatal reaction, although medication should still be taken according to the recommended dosage. Anyone who develops a headache after eating durian does not need to panic about taking paracetamol. Resting, drinking enough water and giving the body time to digest a heavy meal can also help.

Durian x alcohol not ok: There is more reason to be careful when combining durian with alcohol. Durian contains sulphur compounds that can interfere with an enzyme the body uses to break down alcohol. This can contribute to stronger side effects such as nausea, palpitations and a more intense hangover, although the combination is rarely fatal in a healthy person.

Selangor voucher expands to RM8,000 households
The Selangor government has widened eligibility for the Kita Selangor Voucher, or BKS, to households earning RM8,000 or less a month. The programme was introduced under the Selangor Resilience Strengthening Package to help residents dealing with higher living costs and wider economic pressures. The scheme initially focused on more vulnerable groups, including single mothers and heads of hardcore poor households. Eligibility was later expanded to households earning RM5,000 or less, and the latest change raises the income threshold again to RM8,000. Applications must be submitted through the SELangkah app. Applicants whose cases are still under review, those who were previously rejected and those currently appealing will also have their applications reassessed under the new income criteria.

To qualify:

1. Applicants must be Malaysian citizens, registered voters and residents of Selangor.

2. Married couples or single parents must have at least one child aged 18 or younger.

3. Total household income must not exceed RM8,000 a month.

4. Only one person in each household can receive the voucher.

5. Applicants also cannot be active recipients of the Selangor Prosperous Living Aid, or Bingkas, programme.

The wider income threshold means households that previously earned too much to qualify under the RM5,000 limit may now be considered. Those who had already applied do not necessarily need to start from scratch, as pending, rejected and appealed cases will be reviewed again under the revised criteria. More information on eligibility, applications and implementation here.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Global politics showdowns in the US
President Xi Jinping to meet President Donald Trump
Second time’s the charm. President Xi Jinping will be making a state visit to the US to meet Donald Trump from Sept 23 to 25, the first in nearly three years. In May, Trump visited Xi in Beijing. Both leaders will be talking about issues such as bilateral ties, world peace and development. Crucially, both sides would want to talk about the extension of the trade war ceasefire negotiated last Oct. The trade truce is set to expire by Nov.

If you recall, China hit back at Trump tariffs with rare earth export controls. Trump responded with a 100% tariff and export controls on critical software, while threatening curbs on Boeing parts. In the end, it seems like both sides came to their senses and struck a trade truce after talks in South Korea.

This time around, Trump will wine-and-dine Xi with a state dinner that includes Apple’s executive chairman Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Other issues that could be on the table: Iran war, flows of rare earths and competition in AI. Let’s see how talks turn out this time around.

Bessent’s ‘very successful’ talks with China
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could be trying to reassure investors that all is well between the US and China on the surface. He said that talks were ‘very successful’ with his Chinese counterparts (Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and other officials) about issues of AI, trade and investment ahead of the meeting between President Trump and President Xi.

However, AI has become a focal point for both sides recently. US AI companies have accused Chinese AI companies of ‘distilling’ their AI models to train their own. Model distillation uses the output of a powerful AI system to train a smaller model that can perform some of the same tasks with fewer computing resources. Bessent and He plan to meet again to talk about AI and reach a common understanding on goals and threats.

On another note, US AI companies have also raised the alarm to slow the pace of AI development for safety concerns. China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed such moves as ‘fear-mongering’.

Iran heads to New York for UN General Assembly
Perhaps there is hope for some diplomatic negotiations between the US and Iran. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian will lead an Iranian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, US. He will address the assembly and present Iran’s position on ‘international developments’, with particular focus on the conflict between Iran and the US.

Furthermore, he will also have talks with the leaders of several countries on the sidelines of the event that will be held from Sept 22 to 26 and on Sept 28. President Trump said he will be open to meeting President Pezeshkian during the assembly. But that might be complicated considering that he told Fox News on Sept 20 that the only options are to ‘wipe out Iran’ or let its economy ‘rot’.

And Iran still wants the US to fulfil its commitments under the June memorandum that included lifting the naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions, unfreezing Iranian assets, and ending US military threats.

On another note, a mysterious unidentified object with colourful lights was spotted in Iran’s night sky. Some said that it was a ‘kite’ or a classified triangular craft from the US called the TR-3B.

Mbappe ditches Nike for On
Full-time French football player, part-time meme dictator Kylian Mbappe ended a two-decade partnership with Nike and signed with Swiss sportswear brand On. If you remember, Roger Federer famously invested in On in 2019, which helped make him a billionaire in 2025. The financial terms have not been released yet, but On said that the structure includes both cash and equity components.

On has ambitions, as it tries to expand beyond running and tennis and has even brought in former French star Thierry Henry as director of football. Mbappe first signed with Nike back in 2006 when he was just nine years old. Nike also recently lost Spain’s Lamine Yamal to Adidas.

Nike’s foothold still remains strong as it secured an extension to the French national team’s kit-supply agreement until 2033-34. It has also won the contract to become the German national team’s official kit and equipment supplier from 2027 onwards. Nike's share price didn’t move much on the announcement, which was good news. However, On’s share price has outperformed Nike's since 2023 as Nike looks for a turnaround of its business. In 2026 itself, Nike’s share price has been down 40% year-to-date. On’s market cap stands at USD9 bil compared to Nike’s USD52.9 bil.

Reverse charging - EVs to supply power to China’s grid
China is moving fast to have new electric vehicles provide electricity back to the power grid. In Shanghai, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) discharge exercise reached a peak response capacity of 34,600 kilowatts and delivered 5,857 kilowatt-hours of electricity to the grid on Sept 12. This was the first time privately-owned charging piles provided the majority of the response, supplying 65.7% of the electricity to the grid.

V2G allows vehicles to supply electricity back to the grid when demand rises. State Grid Corp of China estimates that if 10% of the country’s new energy vehicles (EVs) participate by 2030, they could provide up to 86 mil kW of capacity to the grid. However, pricing and settlement rules remain a barrier to wider commercial deployment. V2G participants pay transmission and distribution charges when they charge their EVs, but they are not offset when they feed the electricity back to the grid. They also face high costs in retrofitting chargers for bidirectional (from grid to EV and from EV to grid) operation.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

About our air

1. This time around, why didn’t the rain wash away the haze?

2. Now it’s a good reason for you to go shopping in a mall for health and respiratory purposes, specifically One Utama.

3. Asap tebal is not acceptable. Check out more of the art - @annjaafar 

4. Clear skies in Sydney - that’s Batman, the real Batman, confirmed by police. The Caped Crusader standing on top of Sydney Opera House was a promotional stunt (watch here) by DC and HBO Max to celebrate Batman Day globally on Sep 19 - didn’t know this is a thing. So, it wasn’t Robert Pattinson.