☕️ Najib's 'wfh' bid lives on

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

According to the Health Ministry, 84% of young Malaysian adults aged 18 to 29 did not know they had diabetes. The ministry’s National Health and Morbidity Survey 2023 also showed that about 15.6% of Malaysian adults, about one in six, are living with diabetes. Of those, two in five do not even know they have it. Health Ministry Disease Control Division Director Dr Nora­ry­ana Hassan said there was an urgent need to initiate diabetes screening at an earlier age to prevent complications and reduce the risk of premature death among younger individuals. She also emphasised that those with diabetes are at the highest risk of complications.

The government spent a total of RM595 mil on treating patients at the National Heart Institute last year, with most of the patients being government pensioners. Of the 44,257 patients, 26,782 were pensioners. Another 16,303 were civil servants, while the remaining 1,172 were patients from low-income backgrounds. Treatment at the institute is considered if the patient has received prior treatment at a government hospital and was later referred by either a government hospital general physician, cardiologist, or emergency specialist. For low-income background patients, government subsidies are subject to a socioeconomic evaluation by Health Ministry officers.

75% of Malaysia’s 3,185 new HIV cases in 2024 were young adults aged between 20 and 39, according to Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. He also said the pattern of HIV transmission in Malaysia has changed significantly over the years, with infections largely caused by sexual contact rather than through shared drug needles. The minister noted that 96% of all HIV cases reported in 2024 were from sexual transmission. Of those, 64% involved homosexual or bisexual contact, with the remainder involving heterosexual contact.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

AG Chambers: Inquest to be held into Zara Qairina's case
Nearly a month following Zara Qairina’s tragic death, the Attorney-General Chambers has called for an inquest to be carried out after reviewing the earlier police investigation report which contained recorded statements of bullying (to understand what an inquest is, read this explainer).

This inquest seems like a step in the right direction as Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Comm. M. Kumar also mentioned that a special provision has been put in place to curb bullying under Section 507(2) of the Penal Code. Moreover, he highlighted that there was no autopsy carried out following Zara’s death (despite the victim’s mother signing an agreement to waive the autopsy), which was against protocol, especially with her death occurring under suspicious circumstances. As such, an internal investigation would be conducted on the investigation officer and supervisor.

Zara’s case has far reaching consequences in her home state of Sabah, as thousands have attended #JusticeforZara rallies across the state. Moreover, some Sabahans have indicated that this case could influence their vote in the upcoming state election later in Nov.

At the very least, this case has caused the media to shine the spotlight on other heinous bullying cases in Malaysian schools, such as one case which saw a Form 1 student bound and gagged in a toilet.

Najib’s legal bid over house arrest royal addendum alive and well
Former PM Najib Razak’s legal bid to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest is still ongoing. In the latest development, Federal Court judge Zabariah Mohd Yusof verified the royal addendum’s existence, but stated that it was up to the High Court to determine its validity. This decision also dismissed AG Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar's appeal against the Court of Appeal’s earlier judgement.

Conversely, Najib’s lawyer, Shafee Abdullah stated that the addendum order for Najib to serve the rest of his prison sentence at home should be executed since the AG Chambers had confirmed its existence.

Shafee was also quoted as saying “We have around nine cases in the Federal Court that say as long as there is a decree by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, it cannot be questioned, whether it is a perfect document or the decision towards it is perfect or not, it's irrelevant. (The addendum) ought to be executed but perhaps the AG wants to test the water, to argue, perhaps, on the addendum’s validity.”

To recap, Najib was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM120 mil following his guilty verdict during the SRC International trial. However in Feb 2024, the Pardons Board gave him a ‘50% discount’ - his jail sentence will now run for 6 years, while his fine has been reduced to RM60 mil.

Education Minister: vaping teachers to face jail
According to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, teachers caught vaping or smoking within school premises may face action, which include being fined up to RM10,000 or facing jail time of up to two years. This ruling on teachers is in line with the Malaysian Teacher Standards (read here), which emphasise the role of teachers as models of good characters.

The Education Minister also mentioned that her ministry was in the process of amending the Education (Student Discipline) Regulations to include a ban on smoking - covering all forms of cigarettes, devices, electronic tools and liquids related to vape. This prohibition particularly includes the sale of vape products to those under the age of 18, and enforces action against premises selling vape within 40 metres of a school boundary or fence.

This prohibition seems to be necessary as the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation found that incidents related to E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury to be rather severe, with Malaysia recording 41 such cases since 2019.

Shorts:

1. Rafizi's son attacked at mall in Putrajaya

   In a social media posting, former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli shared that his 12-year old son was attacked while attempting to get into their car following a shopping trip in Putrajaya. He shared that two men, dressed in all black with full face helmets, had been tailing his wife’s car on a motorcycle before waiting for the right time to strike. Once they spotted an opportunity, one of them grabbed his son and jabbed him with a syringe. Rafizi’s son has since been admitted into UPM Hospital. Rafizi, however, has vowed not to give into any threats and will continue his duties as usual.

2. MACC busts weapons smuggling ring headed by senior army officers

   The MACC’s Intelligence Division, with support from its Anti-Corruption Tactical Squad, has taken down a major smuggling syndicate allegedly masterminded by senior Armed Forces officers. The simultaneous raids, conducted after a year-long surveillance, saw five senior military officers and five civilians (including an Indonesian national) nabbed. These army officers had been tasked with monitoring and preventing smuggling activities, but chose to work with the syndicate over the last five years, amassing more than RM3 mil in the process. These suspects had also allegedly leaked military operational information to smugglers and conspired to bring in prohibited items such as drugs, cigarettes and other contraband from neighbouring countries, with these activities estimated to be worth around RM5 mil a month.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

This scene looks familiar, Israel...
Israeli pre-takeover bombardment kills 123 in 24 hours, Hamas rep meets Egyptian mediators
As Israel ramped up its shelling of Gaza City before a planned takeover, the Gaza health ministry revealed that the past 24 hours saw 123 people losing their lives. The renewed offensive’s “main concept” has reportedly received the approval of the Israeli military’s chief of staff, who was previously against the idea. Meanwhile, Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya is in Egypt meeting mediators, as the militant group seeks to end the war. Hamas is reportedly “open to all ideas”, but will not lay down arms before the occupation is dismissed. Hamas and Israel have been trading blame over a stalled US-backed ceasefire plan, even as starvation and malnutrition are starting to kill more people.

Russia, Israel face allegations of conflict-related sexual violence
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Russia and Israel that they could be listed next year among parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence”. This comes after “significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented” by the UN. The two armed and security forces of the two countries now face allegations of committing genital violence, prolonged forced nudity of captives, and abusive and degrading strip searches aimed at humiliation and interrogation. Israel has dismissed the concerns as baseless accusations, while Russia has yet to respond. Hamas, which was listed this year among the credibly suspected parties, has “categorically rejected” the allegations.

Argentinian President proposes USD1 mil (RM4.21 mil) initiative to boost Israel-Latin America ties
Amid all this, Argentinian President Javier Milei has proposed a new USD1 mil initiative to strengthen relations between Latin America and Israel, ahead of a visit from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The initiative is a non-profit called the “American Friends of the Isaac Accords”, with the movement funded by the prize money won by Milei as part of an annual award to members of the Jewish community by the Genesis Prize Foundation. It was reportedly inspired in part by US President Donald Trump’s efforts to normalise relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours. Milei is currently facing slipping approval ratings ahead of local elections, which could derail his “ambitious economic reforms”. Still, it’s not like this is the first time South America has been open to war criminals. Just take a look at how many Nazis escaped there after Germany lost World War II.

Crises and crimes
China's Evergrande delists, pushes property crisis to new low
Evergrande, once China’s biggest developer by sales, will be removed from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange after liquidators revealed that the developer’s debt load now totals HKD350 bil (USD44.6 bil or RM187.65 bil), a higher total than previously disclosed. The liquidators have also assessed that Evergrande’s chances of pulling off a holistic restructuring are “out of reach”. Evergrande remains the biggest among the distressed builders that were part of the property crisis that dragged down China’s economy. Property sales in 2025 are still sluggish, despite government stimulus, with analysts delaying their expectations of a recovery to as far as late-2026.

Luna, TerraUSD founder pleads guilty to fraud
Crypto entrepreneur Do Kwon pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud at a hearing in a federal court in New York, with Kwon also agreeing to forfeit over USD19 mil (RM79.94 mil) in proceeds from his crypto dealings. Should the judge enforce the maximum penalty, Kwon could be looking at 25 years in jail. However, the government will not be asking the judge for a sentence of more than 12 years as part of the plea agreement. Kwon has also agreed to serve the first half of his sentence in the US before seeking a transfer to South Korea. Kwon has accepted responsibility “for making false and misleading statements” to people who bought Luna and TerraUSD, according to his lawyer. The Luna/TerraUSD crash saw about USD60 bil wiped out.

AI companion app market could hit USD120 mil (RM504.9 mil) by year-end
Demand for AI companion apps – apps that anthropomorphise AI interactions by allowing users to converse with custom characters – that are not big names like ChatGPT and Grok has been surging, with 128 of 337 active and revenue-generating apps worldwide launched in 2025. App intelligence firm Appfigures reported that this subsection of the AI market generated USD82 mil in the first half of the year, and is on track to hit USD120 mil by the end of 2025.

Such AI apps – some popular ones include Replika, PolyBuzz, and Chai – have seen a total of 220 mil downloads globally across the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as of Jul 2025, with the first half of 2025 alone seeing 60 mil downloads.

The bigger players have also taken note of the segment, with xAI’s Grok getting AI companions in July. OpenAI has also noted how many of its users felt a kinship with ChatGPT 4o, as they mourned the loss when GPT-5 was launched.

Interestingly enough, the most popular AI companion apps are those used by people looking for an AI girlfriend, since a whopping 17% of the active apps have an app name that includes the word “girlfriend”. Oh, the word of the day is “anthropomorphise”, which means to show or treat an animal, god, or object as if it were human in appearance, character, or behaviour.

Shorts:

1. Solitary cell for South Korea's former first lady 
   Kim Keon Hee, the wife of South Korea’s ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, now stands as the only former first lady in South Korea to be arrested. Formally booked into the Seoul Nambu Detention Centre, she will be treated in the same way as the other inmates, but with minor adjustments in her daily routine due to her status as a high-profile figure. Her solitary cell is furnished with only a floor mattress and a small table for meals. That’s quite a downgrade for a former first lady. Wonder if a certain former national leader of aroubd this area saw this level of downgrade?

2. Australia, Vanuatu agree to USD326 mil (RM1.37 bil) pact
   The pact, called the Nakamal Agreement, is to strengthen economic and security ties between the two countries, and will be inked over the coming weeks between the prime ministers of the two nations. The deal will see Australia investing the funds into Vanuatu (view map here) over the next decade, resulting in “a lot of trade benefits” for both countries. This comes amid increasing competition from China, which is also Vanuatu’s largest external creditor.

3. Perplexity makes unsolicited USD34.5 bil (RM145.16 bil) bid for Google Chrome 
   If the AI firm’s all-cash offer for the browser is accepted, it would give Perplexity access to Chrome’s more than 3 bil users amid regulatory pressure on Google’s control over the tech industry. Perrplexity was last valued at USD18 bil, very much short of the USD34.5 bil bid. While the AI firm did not say how it will fund the offer, it has raised USD1 bil in funding from investors. Several funds have also offered to finance the deal in full should Google parent Alphabet agree to the bid.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

On biological production system

1. Why men need to cool their balls - how heat affects testosterone. Not sure if we are right to say that human productivity system is a victim of climate change.

2. Why sex is always on our mind.

3. TIL: Why dogs get stuck after mating and DON’T try to separate them if you do come across this situation as it could harm those doggos.