☕️ 14-year-old left-footed wonder kid scores 7 goals in 9-0 international football match

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

AUD31.30 (RM90.50) – Australia’s Fair Work Commission has ruled that gig workers will be paid at least that much an hour, with effect from Aug 17. Companies will also be required to provide “a reasonable minimum level of cover” for personal accident insurance, while the worker remains responsible for maintaining third-party insurance for vehicles used for deliveries. This new minimum hourly rate for gig workers, which is higher than Australia’s minimum wage of AUD26.44 an hour, will be paid to gig workers for “engaged” time, covering the period between accepting a job and completing the delivery. This follows the International Labour Organisation’s decision in June to adopt the first binding employment standards for gig workers.

More than RM350 bil – Penang recorded that amount in electrical and electronics (E&E) exports in the first half of 2026, an increase of more than 80% compared to the same period in 2025. According to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, the strong export performance reflected surging global demand for semiconductor products and reinforced Penang’s position as Malaysia’s E&E hub. Chow said that Penang’s E&E exports consistently contributed more than 60% to the nation’s total E&E exports and accounted for more than 5% of global semiconductor sales. However, Chow also noted that Penang needed a strong talent pipeline to meet rising demands, with about 50,000 skilled engineers needed to meet current demand, while universities produce only around 5,000 engineering graduates annually.

Two-thirds – According to analyst research, two-thirds of Sentosa Cove properties sold over the last three years incurred a loss, with negative deals averaging a SGD1.28 mil (RM4.08 mil) hit, an improvement from SGD1.56 mil. For the profitable sales, gross gains fell by about 62% to SGD655,590 from SGD1.75 mil. These figures exclude stamp duties, property tax, legal fees, and agent commissions - add that back in, it’s even worse. In addition, Sentosa is the only place in Singapore where foreigners can buy landed property, subject to approval from the government. However, steep increases in stamp duties for foreign buyers, implemented since 2023, have slowed demand for the luxury homes on Sentosa, which was itself heavily promoted from the start as a playground for the wealthy.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Anwar’s Taiwan remarks spark backlash
PM Anwar Ibrahim has drawn criticism from Taiwan after comments made during an Al Jazeera interview on the China-Taiwan dispute. Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia’s support for the One China policy and said Taiwan should be regarded as part of China. When asked about Beijing’s position that it reserves the right to use force if peaceful reunification fails, Anwar compared the situation to a state attempting to break away from Malaysia, saying he would act to protect the country’s unity if faced with a similar situation. He also questioned why China often receives greater scrutiny over such issues than countries in Europe, the US and Africa, while defending Malaysia’s continued engagement with Beijing on regional matters, including the South China Sea.

Following the interview, Taiwan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry strongly condemned Anwar’s remarks, accusing him of undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty and of appearing to justify China’s use of force. The ministry reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country and warned that the comments could affect confidence among Taiwanese businesses investing in Malaysia. The economic relationship between the two sides is substantial. Taiwan was Malaysia’s fourth-largest trading partner last year, with Malaysia importing RM145 bil worth of goods from Taiwan and exporting RM88 bil, accounting for 7.61% of Malaysia’s total external trade in goods. Watch the interview:

Owner and catcher charged over Rocky case
Owner faces licensing and animal cruelty charges: Rocky’s (the dog, not the boxer) case has now taken another turn, with his owner, S. Roghini Devi, 42, brought to court over two charges - the first for animal cruelty under Section 29(1)(e) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015 which carries a fine of between RM20,000 and RM100,000, imprisonment of up to three years, or both, upon conviction. The alleged offence took place in Taman Teluk Gedung Indah, Port Klang, on Jul 29. The other charge was a separate issue involving keeping Rocky, who was over three months old, without a valid licence from the Klang Municipal Council. She pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Dog catcher charged with cruelty: At the same time, dog catcher Muhammad Shah Idham Nor Haikal Shaharom, 24, also pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charge under the same Section 29(1)(e) during the Klang Royal City Council anti-stray operation on Jul 29. He is accused of strangling the dog with a looped rope outside a house in the area.

Both were granted RM6,000 bail with one surety, to report to Selangor Veterinary Services Department once a month and the case will return to court on Oct 8.

Lim You scores seven in 9-0 rout
Seven goals in one night: Fourteen-year-old Lim You stole the spotlight after scoring seven times in Malaysia’s 9-0 win over Saudi Arabia at the 2026 Srikandi Merdeka Cup in Kudus, Indonesia. Putri Mia Alysa Ahmad Zakiyamani and Ku Nur Qaleysha Qaisara Ku Zainon added the other two goals as Malaysia continued to attack despite playing part of the match with 10 players. The big win proved crucial, helping the Malayan Tigress Under-17 side finish second in Group A and secure a place in the semi-finals on goal difference. The impressive part here - it’s female football. Watch all her goals below. Watch match highlights here.

A left foot years in the making: What made Lim’s performance stand out even more was that all seven goals came from her left foot. She said her father had trained it extensively since she was young because left-footed players are less common. Born in Taiwan and now based in Washington, Lim has strong Malaysian ties through her parents, who were born and raised in Johor. Although she is still adjusting to the Malay language during her first national team experience, she said her teammates have helped her settle in. Lim also played down the attention around her seven-goal haul, crediting her teammates for creating the chances.

Business:
YTL Power expands Johor data centre push: YTL Power is planning a new gigawatt-scale data centre campus at Sedenak Tech Park West in Johor, further expanding its digital infrastructure footprint in the state. The project will start on 145 acres, with an option to acquire another 400 acres and grow the site to as much as 545 acres. The new campus will complement YTL Power’s existing YTL Green Data Center Park in Kulai, where the group is already expanding capacity and building AI infrastructure with Nvidia. As of Mar, YTL Power had 298MW of contracted data centre capacity and plans to raise its Kulai capacity to 1,000MW. The group has also reportedly been exploring a possible listing of its data centre business in 2027.

This whole thing is done through YTL Power’s 70%-owned subsi, SIPP Power. The remainder is owned by SIPP Energy, which is controlled by former UMNO Kota Tinggi division chief Datuk Daing A Malek Daing A Rahman. More about him here.

NexG puts RM7.5 bil price on Datasonic: The government is exploring a possible acquisition of Datasonic Technologies Sdn Bhd, the company behind Malaysia’s MyKad and international passport supply. Its parent company, NexG Bhd, said the government had asked it to provide an indicative price for the business, which it currently values at about RM7.5 bil. NexG stressed that the figure is only a preliminary internal assessment, with no agreement reached and no certainty that a deal will go ahead. On its own, it’s a big number, but compared to its current market cap, it’s a BIG number.

The RM7.5 bil valuation is more than six times NexG’s current market capitalisation of about RM1.23 bil. Datasonic is NexG’s main operating business and reportedly holds about RM2.74 bil worth of active contracts with the Home Ministry, covering passports, MyKad and other identity documents. NexG said the valuation also reflects about RM1.9 bil invested in staff, equipment, system upgrades and manufacturing facilities.

This is a must-watch series, and what would the government ever pay for it. NexG itself has its own drama.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Israel admits firing at Hind Rajab, opens criminal investigation
The Israeli military has admitted that its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members in Gaza in 2024, and said that it has ordered a criminal investigation into the killing. The killing of Hind and her family was one of the most high-profile of a series of incidents involving civilian casualties during the first months of the Gaza conflict, which prompted international outrage.

The Israeli military has repeatedly denied its presence during the attack, but investigations by media and others found evidence that strongly suggested nearby Israeli tanks were responsible. However, criminal misconduct investigations into Israeli troops over the killing of Palestinians rarely lead to convictions. Other cases involving Israeli troops attacking humanitarian workers of the Palestine Red Crescent, World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders are still left uninvestigated, with surviving victims and family members still longing for justice.

Biz:
Meta faces monumental lawsuit that could cost them a trillion dollars
Social media giant Meta is now facing a landmark trial that could lead to as much as USD1.4 tril (RM5.66 tril) in fines and fundamental changes in Facebook and Instagram’s operations. The court case is brought by 29 US state attorneys general, accusing Meta of designing platforms to encourage infinite scrolling and keep their youngest users hooked, as well as collecting data on minors. While Meta denies the allegations, the consequences to the company includes a significant financial impact amounting to roughly the equivalent of Meta’s revenue last year. A legal requirement to fundamentally alter the ad machinery that is so valuable to advertisers would also be a challenge for Meta to absorb. Add this to their existing struggle with low employee morale, waves of layoffs and a series of lagging investments.

Buy schools, make money
A newly launched private equity (PE) firm, Academic Capital Partners (ACP), is seeking up to USD300 mil (RM1.22 bil) for its debut fund to acquire school assets across Asia and the Middle East, capitalising on the demand from rich families for quality education. ACP aims to deploy money from its inaugural fund to acquire K-12 education assets whose EBITDA range from USD1 mil to USD5 mil, targeting markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. One of its founders has pulled it off before with another fund - it has 45k students in 64 campuses across 11 countries and reported to be worth more than a b.

Evergrande’s Hui sentenced to life for “heinous” crime
Disgraced China Evergrande Group property tycoon, Hui Ka Yan, has been sentenced to life in prison for his “heinous” crime, bringing an end to one of the most dramatic rise-and-fall stories in China’s corporate history. Once Asia’s second-richest man, Hui had binged on debt during Evergrande’s expansion, turning it into the world’s most indebted developer as he transformed the property giant into a sprawling conglomerate.

However, Chinese authorities concluded that his rise was built on deception and that Hui had perpetrated a massive financial fraud that included inflating assets and concealing liabilities. He was sentenced alongside 56 others involved in Evergrande, including his sons Xu Zhijian and Xu Tenghe. His assets will be confiscated, and his companies were fined a combined CNY15.82 bil (USD2.4 bil or RM9.51 bil). Read the full article for the chronicles of Hui and Evergrande.
View infographic: Major account scandals by numbers

Shorts:

1. Aceh Indonesians caned for 100 strokes each for sex outside marriage
   Two women and two men were publicly caned for 100 strokes each for engaging in sex outside of marriage. The punishment was carried out in the capital, Banda Aceh, with dozens gathered to watch. Several others received flogging for the lesser crime of “physical intimacy”, which can mean hugging and kissing, and even holding hands, as well as consuming alcohol. These are all crimes in Aceh, Indonesia’s only province to apply a version of Syariah Islamic law in force there since 2002 and made stricter in 2015.

2. Demon Hunter vs KPop Demon Hunters
   A five-piece Seattle Christian metal band, Demon Hunter, has filed a trademark lawsuit against Netflix over its hit film Kpop Demon Hunters. The band has been releasing music and touring for 25 years but now suffers from an “existential crisis” due to consumers often confusing it with the Kpop Demon Hunters. It has also apparently registered "Demon Hunter" as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022 and has applied for a trademark in relation to live music. Meanwhile, Netflix has registered "Kpop Demon Hunters" as a trademark for several merchandise uses, with other applications pending.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

Is Unitree worth USD50 bil?

1. The World Robot Sports is already impressive. This video shows just how fast robotics is progressing. Watch Unitree G1 drive a go-kart. Simple activity to human, but to a robot, this is next level engineering.

2. Something more practical - Unitree doing housework, taking instructions from a human.

3. Unitree CEO on stage yesterday to explain despite all this progress, why humanoid robots are not ready for mass deployment yet. His prediction: the ChatGPT moment for humanoid robots is 10 years away.

Another masterpiece by Zunar - tap to view animation. Have a good weekend!