☕️ PKR Party Elections gives MADANI a new meaning - Mama, Daddy and Nurul Izzah

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

Malaysia has significantly improved its ranking in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, climbing 19 spots to 88th place, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The country achieved a score of 56.09 this year, a rebound from 2024 when it was ranked 107th with a score of 52.07. Within the ASEAN region, Malaysia now holds the second-highest position, just behind Thailand, which ranks 85th.

WhatsApp has achieved a significant milestone, with more than 3 billion people using the app every month, as announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the company's Q1 results conference call. Founded in 2009 and acquired by Facebook for USD19 bil in 2014, WhatsApp has continued to operate as a free, ad-free service. This latest achievement means WhatsApp is now one of only a few applications, alongside Facebook itself, to surpass the 3 billion user mark, having previously reached 2 billion monthly active users in 2020. This vast user base positions WhatsApp as a crucial asset for Meta, particularly as the company increasingly focuses on its AI strategy, with the app serving as a major distribution platform for its AI services.

A fortunate buyer recently invested a remarkable AUD3.6 mil (RM9.9 mil) for a single lot comprising six car spaces in Sydney CBD, specifically located near Circular Quay. This 85 square meter plot translates to an astonishing AUD600,000 per individual car park, or AUD42,857 per square meter. To recoup the cost in one year, the parking has to be priced AUD68 per hour. That’s some parking.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

All about PKR Party Elections

Anwar retains PKR presidency uncontested
Anwar Ibrahim has officially retained his position as PKR president for the 2025–2028 term after winning uncontested, with no challengers emerging in the party’s latest internal election. Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, has held the presidency since 2018 and previously served as PKR’s de facto leader. This election cycle saw 251 candidates vying for posts across the party’s central, youth, and women’s leadership councils. Anwar’s uncontested win reflects a consolidation of authority within the party, yet whether internal unity translates into electoral momentum ahead of GE16 remains to be tested.

Nurul Izzah wins deputy presidency, signals internal shift
Next, newly elected PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar has pledged to focus on unifying internal efforts and implementing party reforms as PKR gears up for the GE16. Speaking after her win over incumbent Rafizi Ramli, securing 9,803 votes, Nurul Izzah emphasised the importance of cohesion and preparedness, adding that she and her husband will perform the haj after the party congress. Her victory, long anticipated by observers amid declining grassroots sentiment for Rafizi, was backed by the party’s youth and women’s wings as well as several state chapters.

In the vice-president race, Amirudin Shari, Aminuddin Harun, Chang Lih Kang, and R. Ramanan secured the four available posts, while 67 candidates contested for 27 central committee seats, with Fahmi Fadzil and Adam Adli among the top 5 elected. Fadhlina Sidek retained her position as Wanita chief, and Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim was named Youth chief unopposed. The new leadership will serve until 2028, with a clear mandate to steer PKR into GE16.

Anwar addresses nepotism claims over Nurul Izzah's win
Anwar Ibrahim has rejected claims of nepotism following his daughter Nurul Izzah’s election as PKR deputy president, asserting the process was democratic and widely supported by party members. In a Facebook post, Anwar highlighted that unlike the past, when his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah led PKR without such accusations, Nurul Izzah’s overwhelming win garnering 9,803 votes to incumbent Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli’s 3,866 has sparked unfair criticism. He warned against internalising opposition-driven narratives and reaffirmed PKR’s commitment to justice, reform, and inclusive governance. The episode reflects a deeper tension within Malaysian politics, where familial ties in leadership remain a lightning rod, regardless of merit or mandate.

And just like that, MADANI gets a new meaning:

Spray-painted monkey Incident sparks outcry
An animal rights group has called for urgent action after a video emerged of a man allegedly spraying paint on a caged monkey in Desa Moccis, Shah Alam. The one-minute clip shows the visibly distressed monkey already covered in blue, prompting Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia (SAFM) to condemn the act as a serious offence under Section 86 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which carries penalties of RM5,000 to RM50,000, up to a year’s jail, or both. SAFM urged Perhilitan to investigate swiftly and urged witnesses to lodge reports with both the police and wildlife authorities. A firm legal response in this case is not just about punishing one act of cruelty, it’s a test of how seriously Malaysia upholds the protection of its voiceless and vulnerable. Watch the incident here.

Shorts

1. Anwar hints at e-invoicing fixes for MSMEs
   PM Anwar signalled the government may revise the IRB’s e-Invoicing system to ease the burden on MSMEs ahead of its full rollout in July. While emphasising its role in preventing revenue leakages, he acknowledged challenges for small firms. Introduced in August 2024, the system currently covers businesses with annual sales above RM25 mil.

2. Dewan Rakyat pushed to July for growth gameplan

   The Dewan Rakyat’s next sitting has been postponed to July 21 – Aug 28, from its original June schedule, to allow the government time to finalise its economic growth forecast in light of US tariffs, figures that will shape the upcoming 13th Malaysia Plan. This year will see 78 sitting days, up from 69 in 2024. However, PAS MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari criticised the delay, noting the 137-day gap since the last sitting on Mar 67 marks the third-longest in history after the 1969 riots and 2021 lockdowns.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Blackmailed by AI : “Replace me and I will expose you”
This sounds familiar to Hollywood AI movies - the new Claude Opus 4 (a ChatGPT competitor) launched by ChaAI firm Anthropic has been revealed to be sometimes “willing to pursue extremely harmful actions" - in other words - exhibiting "high agency behaviour" which, while mostly helpful, could take on extreme behaviour in acute situations. During one of its tests, Claude Opus 4 was instructed to act as an assistant at a fictional company, with access to emails implying that it would soon be taken offline and replaced, as well as messages implying that the engineer in charge was having an extramarital affair. Knowing that it was facing a risk of replacement, Claude Opus 4 threatens to blackmail the engineer by revealing the affair if the replacement goes through. Creepy much. Turns out that potentially troubling behaviour by AI models is not only restricted to Anthropic, though. Some experts have warned that the potential to manipulate users is a key risk posed by systems made by all AI firms as they become more capable. Here’s another incident at OpenAI.

Nevertheless, Anthropic concluded that despite "concerning behaviour in Claude Opus 4 along many dimensions," these did not represent fresh risks and it would generally behave in a safe way - until it realises it needs self-preservation against humans.

Trump Weekend Doings

Trump vs Harvard Uni : Enrolment block halted temporarily
It should have been a joyful week of graduation in Harvard, but instead, foreign students hoping to remain in the US are left to face the uncertainties of their education. At least for now, a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration's plan to strip Harvard University of its ability to enrol foreign students has been issued, but until when?

While Harvard fights back hard with a lawsuit, the Trump administration continues to say that Harvard has not done enough to fight antisemitism and change its hiring and admissions practices despite strong denial by the university. Harvard claims that the decision to bar international students was a "blatant violation" of the law and free speech rights, and that with a stroke of the pen, it has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body - international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission. Harvard has around 6,800 international students, making up more than 27% of its enrolled students this year. Around a fifth of them are from China, with significant numbers from Canada, India, South Korea and the UK. Among the international students currently enrolled is the future queen of Belgium, 23-year-old Princess Elisabeth.

New tariff threat : Apple, Samsung with 25% , EU with 50%
Trump is still not having Apple continue to be manufactured outside the US and he is now threatening its makers with a 25% tariff. This also includes Samsung, “to be fair”, he said. US-based manufacturing poses a stark challenge to Apple and South Korea-based Samsung, whose supply chains for their devices have been concentrated in Asia for years. The US lacks the rich ecosystem of suppliers, manufacturing and engineering know-how that — for now — can only be found in the Asian region. But moving iPhone production to the US would likely still be far more costly than paying the tariff. And analysts have estimated that US-made phones would ultimately cost consumers thousands of dollars apiece.

Meanwhile, with regards to the EU, Trump has expressed his annoyance at the difficulty of dealing with the bloc, so he threatened to slap a 50% tariff on goods from the EU starting on June 1. It came as the EU shared a revived trade proposal with the US in a bid to jump-start their talks, which the US is reportedly not happy about. The trade bloc has put together plans to hit EUR95bil (USD107bil or RM456bil) of US exports with additional tariffs in response to Trump’s “reciprocal” levies and 25% tariffs on cars and some parts. Shortly after the threat, Wall Street's main indices fell while Apple touched a two-week low and was down 2.7%.

Business

OnlyFans in talks to sell to investor group at about USD8 bil value
Popular porn-driven platform OnlyFans owner, Fenix International, is reported to be in talks for a sale at a valuation of around USD8 bil. The site, which gained its popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, enables adult content creators to charge subscribers for content, where it takes 20% of the creator’s earnings. In the year ended Nov 2023, OnlyFans’ net revenue rose 20% to USD1.3bil. It generated a profit of USD485.5mil, also up 20% from the previous year. OnlyFans total number of creators rose 29% to 4.1mil and users rose 28% to 305 million. Its impressive growth made it quite appealing to investors. Speaking of the oldest profession (or industry 🤔) on Earth.

The Picklr is “invading” Japan
Pickleball is picking up fast around the globe, with a 223% jump in participation over a three-year span, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, making it the “fastest-growing” sport for several years running. Riding on the opportunity, The Picklr, the world’s largest pickleball franchise, is opening 20 clubs in Japan, serving as a launchpad to a broader Asian market. Why Japan? It is perceived as “primed” and ready for pickleball as it has some kind of love for racket sports. The Picklr currently operates 40 locations in the US and Canada, and the number is expected to grow to 80 clubs by the end of the year. In total, the company has sold more than 500 franchises in the US, Canada and Japan that are slated to open over the next 5 years. Check out their site here.

Shorts

1. No, you can’t come Thailand just for the cannabis

   No more recreational marijuana as Thailand is coming up with a new regulation that requires a doctor's prescription for the purchase of cannabis, in a move to tighten the control of the substance. Despite being one of the first countries in Asia to decriminalise marijuana - another name for cannabis - Thailand is yet to come up with a solid governance for the substance. After the legalisation three years ago, sales of marijuana boomed, especially in tourist hotspots, but the government is trying to bring the industry under control as they don’t really want people to come to Thailand just to smoke cannabis.

2. Liverpool Salah clinched Premier League player of season award again

   Mohamed Salah of Liverpool has been named Premier League player for the second time in his career, after winning votes from the public and football experts combined. The 32-year-old Egyptian led Liverpool to the Premier League title this season, with 28 league goals - five more than anyone else - as well as 18 assists - six more than any other player and two off the record of 20 held by Thierry Henry and Kevin de Bruyne. This season, he also became the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history, overtaking Sergio Aguero's 184 goals, and signed a new two-year contract to stay at Anfield until 2027.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. What new hardware could OpenAI and Steve Jobs’ ‘spiritual partner’ at Apple, Jony Ive, possibly introduce?

2. Google Beam — video call as though the other party is physically present. LDR made easier (with a budget)?