☕️ Najib’s request for a second house arrest residence rejected

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

USD2.8 mil (RM11.37 mil) – That was how much a bottle of Macallan Fine & Rare 60 Year Old sold for at an auction in early Oct. Niche investments such as whisky, wine, and fine art have always had some popularity among investors interested in alternative assets. In the case of whisky, investors have the option of either buying bottles or entire casks. However, Jeremy Kasler, CEO of whisky cask investment firm CaskX, described whisky as an “alternative alternative” market. Though most who purchase valuable casks are primarily whisky lovers, Kasler noted that they recognise the barrels as highly tangible assets. He even compared whisky casks to gold bars in terms of how investors often view the barrels as a store of value. This is because whisky is one of the few assets that, if market conditions stay exactly the same, will increase in value. Check out the auctioned bottle here.

USD50 mil (RM202.94 mil) – The 2026 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show saw the return of the Fantasy Bra, which, at the aforementioned price, is the most expensive Fantasy Bra ever created. Designed by Jacob & Co., the one-of-a-kind piece of lingerie took over 1,000 hours and 15 artisans to make. The designer shared that the bra features 4,410 diamonds totalling 1,373 carats, including the brand’s 75.54-carat natural Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond. Another feature of the bra was that it was made without any fabric. Another shocker at the show was that Kylie Jenner, who has never walked for Victoria’s Secret, had the honour of wearing the special piece, which was traditionally reserved for veteran models of the show. We don’t want reading The Coffee Break to get you a visit to HR - view the Fantasy Bra on Jenner here.

GBP90 mil (RM490 mil) – That is the estimated value of the more than 60,000-card collection of 20-year-old Jolina Gisele, which is also believed to be the world’s largest Pokémon trading card collection. Gisele is looking to sell the collection, which she started building when she was 7 with the encouragement of her father, Urs, who was a security entrepreneur. Urs shared that he chose to invest in the rare cards, with every Swiss franc they did not need going into growing the collection. Urs also called it his “life’s work” and his daughter’s inheritance. Many have questioned her authenticity, suggesting she was a model being used as a front to promote the collection, or that she was not even human at all, but rather an AI-generated ambassador. As it is, there is no confirmation that Jolina Gisele is her real name. To quell the speculation that she was AI-generated or just a model used as a front, Gisele spoke to Tatler. Check out the article here.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Najib’s request for a second house arrest residence rejected
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Parliament that the government has turned down former PM Najib Razak’s written request to include an additional residence in his house arrest conditions. What will the next request be? BSC?

By rejecting Najib’s request to include another residence as his house arrest location, Najib must remain at his designated residence and cannot move to another property without prior written approval. He is also prohibited from living with anyone other than his immediate family, comprising his wife, children, sons- and daughters-in-law, and grandchildren, unless prior written approval is obtained.

Apart from being restricted to the compound of his Langgak Duta house and the people that he can meet, Najib is only allowed to use telephones and telecommunication devices registered with the Prisons Department, whose main purpose is to verify his location. Najib is also banned from making media appearances or commenting on social media. Any breach of the house arrest conditions would result in Najib being immediately returned to Kajang Prison.

While we are on the topic of Najib’s house arrest, the upcoming Melaka state election could become a litmus test on how the rakyat is receiving this news. According to Malaysiakini, based on street interviews, voters are keeping their preferences close to the chest. However, early indications leaning toward another Pakatan Harapan (PH) washout, with PH seats - Bukit Katil and Ayer Keroh - may flip to Barisan Nasional (BN) or Perikatan Nasional (PN). Selamat mengundi orang Melaka.

Police neutralised foreign machete man
Selangor Police Chief Commissioner Shazeli Kahar said that the police have shot dead a foreign man, armed with two machetes, who hacked off a police officer’s right hand while attacking other police officers, firefighters and a health ministry staff member at an apartment in Desa Amanpuri, Kepong. The exact trigger or underlying motive for the man's violence has not been confirmed by Malaysian authorities. However, police reports indicate that the suspect was behaving aggressively and was believed to be mentally unstable before the attack.

As for the police officer who lost one of his limbs, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) Upper Limb and Microsurgery Subspecialty Team, led by Dr Allan Ravi Rajagopal and Dr Aziz Sabbir Husain, managed to reattach the severed hand after an eight-hour-long surgery. Did you know that, according to Newsweek’s World's Best Hospitals 2026, HKL is ranked 6th nationally, behind Sunway Medical Centre, Gleneagles Hospital KL, Subang Jaya Medical Centre, Prince Court Medical Centre and Pantai Hospital KL.

Shorts:

1. Hannah Yeoh calls to set up a senior citizen ministry
   Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh said Putrajaya should mull over the idea of creating a dedicated Ministry of Senior Citizens to ensure the needs and welfare of its ageing population receive focused attention. She added that senior citizens remained an underserved group despite having contributed most of their lives to the country. Having a dedicated ministry for senior citizens is not something new, as a handful of countries in Europe have done so. Plus, Malaysia is officially an ageing society. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), 8.4% of Malaysia's population (roughly 2.9 mil people) is aged 65 and above as of 2026. If we use 60 as the threshold, 12.3% of the population, or approximately 4.2 mil people are considered senior citizens. Silver economy - money to be made?

2. MR DIY’s lunch eaten by PDD
   MR DIY Group (M) Bhd’s stock suffered a six-year low, as the company’s shares closed at RM1.05 each on Thursday, trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 15.8 times, substantially lower than its more than 40x valuation at its IPO in 2020. The stock suffered downward pressure mainly due to intense competition from China-based e-commerce platform Pinduoduo (PDD). PDD’s free-shipping campaign for single-item purchases gained significant traction earlier this year.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Jensen Huang resigned from Nvidia, two extramarital affairs disclosed
Nvidia said CEO Jensen Huang has resigned as President and CEO effective immediately, with Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress appointed as interim CEO.

Before the announcement, Nvidia’s board was reportedly meeting to decide whether to oust Huang following reports of two extramarital affairs — one with an alleged Chinese spy, Alice Huang and another with Nvidia’s VP of Healthcare, Kimberly Powell. A report also alleged that Huang and Powell were seen behaving affectionately at a hotel in San Jose in Mar.

Rumours of an affair between Huang and Powell have circulated for years, in part because Powell lacks a background in health or science, according to an anonymous former employee. Nvidia’s board of directors has opened an independent investigation and hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to look into the spying allegations.

Trump briefed about Huang’s possible affair in May, which he publicly denied
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly briefed Trump on intelligence that Huang was in a relationship with a potential Chinese spy as they travelled to China in May, but the president said during a Monday press conference that he had only recently learned about it. Trump repeatedly downplayed revelations that Huang, his close ally, had an affair with a suspected Chinese spy, insisting that he believed the tech billionaire’s assertion that he knew nothing about the alleged espionage operation. There’s been growing scrutiny over the influential role that Huang played in advising Trump on AI and his approach to trade with China, even as the US government’s intelligence agencies scrutinised the suspected spy who grew close to Huang in an investigation that played out for months behind the scenes.

China’s Xi says Taiwan ‘reunification’ must happen
China’s President Xi Jinping has urged for a complete “reunification” of Taiwan with the motherland and pledged to do so peacefully. Xi made the statement in a speech during the 160th birthday of revolutionary hero Sun Yat-sen, who helped lead a 1911 revolt that ended centuries of rule by emperors and empresses. He described reunification as the Communist Party’s ‘unwavering historical mission’, adding that ‘the tide of history cannot be stopped’. China adheres to “peaceful reunification and the policy of ‘one country, two systems’” and is willing to talk to Taiwan based on upholding the “one-China principle”. However, it is strongly rejected by the democratically governed Taiwan, and none of its political parties actually supports the idea.

What’s protecting Taiwan now? The Silicon Shield.

Shorts:

1. Carrick sacked by relegation struggler Manchester United
   Manchester United has dismissed Head Coach Michael Carrick after the team dropped to the Premier League’s bottom three, following their 4-4 draw with Aston Villa. United is now a point behind 17th-placed Coventry (a nicer way to see it’s ranked 18 out of 20) and are also 17th in the Champions League league-phase table. His departure follows a review led by the Director of Football, Jason Wilcox, and a recommendation to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls sporting policy.

2. Jokowi’s son Gibran resigns as Indonesia’s vice president
   The Vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 39, has submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and to parliament, amid a scandal over his high school diploma. There have been repeated calls for Gibran’s resignation following a Supreme Court ruling last month to annul his high school qualification. Analysts say the resignation “marks a significant political realignment, but does not necessarily threaten government stability”, although his exit is likely to complicate a loose governing alliance between Prabowo and his predecessor Joko Widodo – Gibran’s father.

3. Scientists can detect date-rape drug in urine for up to 72 hours
   Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland have found a new way of detecting the notorious date-rape drug Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in urine for up to 72 hours after ingestion, a positive discovery that could aid in sexual assault investigations. The study details a discovery of a “promising biomarker” for the drug that remains detectable in the urine for longer after intake. Typically, GHB is slipped into drinks of unsuspecting victims and is excreted rapidly from blood and urine, leaving little time to test for it before all traces vanish. But with this biomarker, investigators may be able to trace its presence up to three days after. Read the full study here.

   Learn: What is date-rape drug?

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. What happens to your body when you die?

2. 10 years of data from Norway - what happened to kids’ development when given iPad? Read more here.

3. Strike 3 - a porn production company that monetises through ‘legal extortion’ (the video called it humiliation litigation), making about USD20 mil a year. They even went after Meta. Founded by 43-year-old Frenchman, Greg Lansky, he branded himself as the “Steven Spielberg of porn”, and his company as a home for “feminist, ethical porn”. An interesting read on the company’s tactics here.

Something light to end the week - someone trying to escape a police car chase but stopped to pay toll in Malaysia. The soundtrack made it 10x funnier.

straits_times

1M followers

View more on Instagram