☕️ "Strong, convincing, formidable majority" - Anwar Ibrahim shares what went down back in Sep 2020

1. MARKET SUMMARY

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE

USD26.8 mil — the amount Meta Platforms Inc. spent on security and private jets for Mark Zuckerberg in 2021. Just a drop of his USD75.2 bil networth.

17% — the increase of population in Warsaw, Poland, because of the war in Ukraine. The country has suddenly become the country with the second-largest refugee population globally as more than 2.5 mil Ukrainians arrived in Poland.

686% — the inflation rate of Venezuela in 2021, lower than the 3,000% the country recorded in 2020. Now pick your jaw back up. The United States currently bans the import of Venezuelan oil, but that could change this week. The US’s ban on Russian oil imports will come into effect this Friday, Apr 22, 2022, potentially benefitting Venezuela. Where oil, though?

3. COVID-19 SUMMARY

• Moderna’s booster shot designed to target the Alpha and Beta variant of Covid-19 is more effective versus Omicron than its current offerings.

• A federal judge in Florida ruled that it was unlawful for the US government to enforce a mask mandate on public transportation.

4. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

1. Updates on Sam Ke Ting’s “basikal lajak” trial case:

   1. The 3-person Court of Appeal bench has freed SKT on an RM10,000 bail and granted her leave to appeal against her conviction and sentence.

   2. To be released from her charges, there will be six questions of law that will be raised during the appeal.

   3. SKT’s family has urged all parties not to turn her case into a racial and political issue and reiterated that they have not raised any funds nor sought any public donations. SKT, through her lawyer, expressed disappointment when the public blamed the judiciary system.

   4. Former Skudai assemblyman Dr Boo Cheng Hau called for the Child Act 2001 to be applied to hold parents and guardians responsible for the safety and well-being of children in their care. He recalled an incident when a young girl died of severe head trauma as she was leaning out of the car window whilst her father was driving and her head hit a tree branch leading to a severe and fatal head injury.

2. Pakatan Harapan will not work with “traitors who betrayed the trust and mandate of the people” in GE15, according to Mohammad Sabu, president of Parti Amanah Negara, drawing reference to Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional. “Convincing, formidable and strong” - remember this phrase said by Anwar Ibrahim 2 years ago? Revisiting this in an interview, Anwar shared how the plan went south. He said his announcement was based on letters of support from party leaders but did not specify which parties and MPs outside PH backed him. However, after listing the principles and conditions (e.g. no get-out-of-jail-free card), he implied that the other parties did not accept these terms and he failed to become the PM. On whether he will work with Bersatu, his response was laced with contradictions. Read the interview here.

3. Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rina Harun has come under fire again, for the same reason of taking a completely unnecessary and especially insensitive photo-op with a child abuse victim whose high-profile court case is ongoing now. She only sprung into action (even then, a wrong one) after being called by the Tunku Mahkota Johor to seek an audience with him to discuss this matter. This case has been in the spotlight since July 2021, but hardly anything was heard from the minister.

4. Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said Johor would use Singapore’s Housing Development Board development concept as its benchmark in providing comprehensive, affordable housing development planning in each district in the state. Singapore HDB has built around 1.2 mil affordable homes since it was established in 1960. This comes after MB’s 4-day working trip to Singapore.

5. Speculation is mounting that Genting Group patriarch Lim Kok Thay could make a return to the cruise industry after companies linked to him registered the name “Resorts World Cruises” in Singapore. According to The Straits Times, RWC has a single shareholder listed called Two Tress Family Holdings, with his son Lim Keong Hui and Gerard Lim Ewe Keng as directors.

5. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

1. Russia has launched an assault to seize the eastern Donbas region, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. After facing stiff resistance, Russia’s failure to seize Kyiv has forced its troops to capture other cities. Russia could be in for another tough battle as Ukraine is believed to have between 40-50,000 soldiers in the Donbas.

2. In the Afghan capital Kabul, a twin suicide bombing outside a boys’ school, Abdul Rahim Shahid high school has killed at least six people and wounded 11. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The area of the attack is known for its Hazara Shia Muslim population. Sunni militant groups frequently target the Hazaras.

3. The besieged Gaza Strip fired a rocket into southern Israel but was intercepted on Monday. Isreal retaliated and its warplanes launched an attack on the Gaza Strip. No casualties or injuries were reported by the Palestinian Health Ministry as of yesterday

4. Apollo Global Management Inc., which owns Yahoo, wants a piece of the Twitter Inc. action after Elon Musk’s high profile USD43 bil bid. Apollo is one of the world’s largest buyout firms — it could potentially support a deal between Twitter and its bidders. Apollo has also been evaluating potential cooperation between Yahoo and Twitter.

5. The Rolls Royce of the piano world, the 169-year old Steinway Musical Instruments Holdings Inc., has filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange through an initial public offering. The piano maker was acquired in 2013 by the investment firm founded by billionaire John Paulson, Paulson & Co. The prices of Steinway’s grand piano start from USD60,000 and go up to USD340,000.

6. Terra stablecoin, UST, becomes the third-largest stablecoin, knocking off Binance’s BUSD from the spot. LUNA, the governance token for money market protocol Terra spikes up 17%, outperforming the broad crypto market. What’s a stablecoin? Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies, usually the US dollar, with each token backed by an equivalent amount of fiat in reserve. Learn more here about stablecoin.

7. Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s newborn twin boy has unfortunately passed away. His partner Georgina Rodriguez gave birth to a pair of twins. The twin girl is believed to be well and alive.

6. FOR YOUR EYES 👁👁

1. BTS’s new album will come out on June 10.

2. Some hacks casinos use to take your money: no window, no clock, high oxygen level etc.

3. Key to eternal conquest and votes - deprive one of education