☕️ Our energy grid gets a RM43 bil upgrade thanks to data centres

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

Here’s a reminder that mental health awareness should last the year, rather than just for one month.

One in eight people globally – More than 1 bil people are currently living with a mental health condition, according to the World Health Organisation. These conditions, which affect how people feel, think, and behave, are widespread and on the rise globally, with anxiety and depressive disorders among the most common types. The COVID-19 pandemic also led to a surge in the incidence of mental health disorders globally, particularly anxiety and depression. Anxiety remains the most common disorder, with an estimated 359 mil people affected globally. This is over 50% higher than the figure recorded in 1990.

4 US cents (about 16 sen) – Low-income countries were reported to spend that much per person on mental health, with lower-middle-income countries reporting an average of 34 US cents per capita, according to the WHO Mental Health Atlas 2024, which collected data from 75 countries. High-income countries reported spending USD65.89 per person on mental health. This highlighted the scarcity of treatment in low- and middle-income countries. Full report here.

Every 43 seconds – According to an analysis published in the medical journal The Lancet, about 740,000 suicides are reported annually, about one death every 43 seconds on average. Suicide is the 17th leading cause of death across all age ranges. It is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 29 globally, and the second leading cause of death among 15-to-29-year-old women. Also, more men die by suicide than women, with the incidence among men about four times higher than among women globally in 2021.

If you ever feel like you need some help, please know that there are always people willing to lend a hand. Befrienders KL provides nationwide support at their hotline 03-7627 2929, and there’s also the Talian Kasih Hotline at 15999. This is also a reminder to check in on your friends and loved ones.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Task force for derailed LRT
The Transport Ministry has set up a special task force to look into the LRT train that was derailed near the Chan Sow Lin station on May 28. Fortunately, no one was injured and the 25 passengers on board were safely evacuated.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke said he had directed the task force’s findings be submitted to the Cabinet as soon as possible and for the report to be made public. Loke has also told the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) to take the maximum punitive action against Prasarana Malaysia Bhd in relation to this incident.

Train derailments are typically caused by a combination of factors. The primary causes usually include structural track defects (such as broken rails or misaligned switches), mechanical failures (like overheated wheel bearings or broken axles), and human error (such as speeding or ignoring signals).

The power move
TNB to spend RM43 bil to modernise the grid
Tenaga Nasional Bhd Chief Grid Officer (CGO) Hasmarizal Hassan stated that at the core of TNB’s RM43 bil grid modernisation programme is the need to keep up with the country’s growing data centre demand, with Johor as one of the key active clusters under the programme. Hasmarizal also added that under TNB’s Green Lane Pathway, 33 data centre projects have benefitted from the reduction of the grid connection timeline, down from 36 months to 12 months.

Malaysia’s surging power demand covered by gas
According to data from Malaysia’s Grid System Operator (GSO), despite the electricity demand in Peninsular Malaysia surging 11.5% year-on-year basis in Apr, the increased demand is powered mainly by liquefied natural gas (LNG), with gas-fired power generation rising 28.3% in May. Coal-fired output declined by 4.8% within the same period, going against the regional trend of neighbouring countries burning more coal to make up for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shortages due to the US-Israeli war on Iran. To address the rising demand, PETRONAS shipped 446,000 tonnes of LNG from its offshore gas fields to Peninsular Malaysia this year, nearly three times the 150,000 tonnes that were shipped in all of 2025.
Learn: Malaysia’s power mix.

Business news
i
UOA Group co-founder and UOA Development Bhd executive director and MD Kong Chong Soon @ Chi Suim, or better known as CS Kong, has passed away at the age of 85. His co-founder, Kong Pak Lim, will assume the role of MD until a successor is formally appointed. Both of them co-founded United Overseas Australia Ltd (UOA) in 1987.

Why is the name United Overseas Australia if the company was founded by Malaysians? The name United Overseas Australia Ltd (UOA Group) reflects the company's dual roots: it was founded and incorporated in Australia to raise funds and was later listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), but its parent group and core business operations are based primarily in Malaysia.

Eligible Malaysians can now travel visa-free to Canada
The High Commission of Canada in Malaysia has announced that Canada has expanded visa-free air travel access for eligible Malaysians starting Tuesday (May 26). Eligible Malaysians can apply for an electronic travel authorisation (eTA) instead of a traditional visa when flying to or transiting through the country.

So who are these eligible Malaysians? They are those who have held a Canadian temporary resident visa (TRV) within the last 10 years or who currently hold a valid US non-immigrant visa. The eTA is valid for up to five years, or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first.

Shorts:

1. Job hopping is not Gen Z's fault
   PNB Research Institute (PNBRI) concluded that job hopping among young Malaysians is mainly caused by poor job quality and not poor work ethic. Among the factors that triggered a job hop were low pay, limited career growth, and jobs that did not match qualifications. Evidently, in Q3 2025, 74.3% of workers aged 15-24 were in roles below their qualification level, much higher than the national average of 35.5%, and this gap has been widening since 2017. However, the underemployment trend subsides as workers get older. PNBRI also highlighted that digital platforms, salary transparency tools, and professional networks have made it easier for workers to find and switch jobs quickly.

2. Finally, a general hospital in PJ might be coming
   Apparently, cyberbullying your government sorta works as after intense blowback from netizens recently, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that a six-hectare site in Taman Medan has been identified to house a public hospital to serve the high-density population of the Petaling Jaya-Subang-Puchong corridor. At the moment, there is an existing modern sports complex on the site called X Park PJ South. The ministry plans to build a 500-bed hospital on the site and has instructed the Selangor Health Department to inspect it this week and conduct an evaluation.

3. LFL: Pahang royals’ decree unconstitutional
   Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) director Zaid Malek has opined that the Pahang crown prince’s recent decree requiring the armed forces to obtain royal assent before conducting military exercises in the state is constitutionally baseless. The act of dictating the conduct of military exercises is not one of the matters in which a ruler may act at his own discretion, as per Part 1, Section 1(2) of the Eighth Schedule of the Federal Constitution. Zaid added that, for example, if the state government acts upon the decree as if it were binding, it may lead to a precedent that we do not want. In that case, the federal government can and must challenge the decree in court.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

US and Iran “tarik tali” game continues
Deal or no deal?: Despite Tehran and Washington signalling progress towards a deal late last week, Tehran cautioned on Monday that a deal was "not imminent" while Trump said he had instructed his negotiators "not to rush into" a deal. Trump said that while Tehran was "very much intent" on reaching an agreement to end the conflict, he also added that "so far they haven't gotten there". His remarks came after Iranian state TV reported details of a draft agreement, which included reopening the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of US forces from the region, and a possibility of Iran and Oman jointly controlling the Strait of Hormuz. The White House called it a "complete fabrication".

I strike you; you strike me: Following US strikes on southern Iran on Monday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had said that it targeted an American air base in the region yesterday but did not specify which base or country. However, Kuwait, which hosts a US base, said it had intercepted "hostile missile and drone threats". The US military said Iran had launched a ballistic missile towards Kuwait that was successfully intercepted by Kuwaiti forces, without specifying whether it was aimed at its military base.

Trump threatens Oman: When asked about the idea of Oman and Iran overseeing trade on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump appeared to threaten Oman with military force if it collaborated with Iran. While there was initial speculation that he might have misspoken and said “Oman” instead of “Iran”, the US State Department later shared the comment on social media, with a transcript of the quote that referred to the Arab country. However, Oman, known for its neutrality, has not said it wants to join Iran in controlling Hormuz. Critics quickly slammed Trump’s remarks as reckless, likening the US president’s comments to those of a “mafia boss”.

Tech & AI
Meta enters ‘paid era’ with subscription plans
Socmed giant Meta Platforms has announced that it will introduce a USD3 to USD4 (RM11.93 to RM15.91) monthly subscription across its three flagship social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, which will provide select personalised features. Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus will be priced at USD3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus will cost USD2.99 per month. The company will also begin testing a paid AI subscription service in June, rolling out in Singapore, Guatemala and Bolivia first, with plans for more countries later.

The Meta AI basic tier is priced at USD7.99 per month, while a more advanced tier, called Meta One Premium, will cost USD19.99 per month. Meta is actively looking for ways to offset hundreds of billions of dollars in AI investments. These subscription plans are believed to contribute to the cause, albeit subscriptions currently make up a very small portion of Meta’s total business.

YouTube to flag AI-generated content
YouTube has recently announced that it will start to automatically detect AI-generated content and flag the information to viewers on its platform. Currently, creators are required to self-report if they have used generative AI tools, but YouTube will now automatically apply a label if they fail to do so. 

However, creators will be able to challenge the new flags if they think their content has been unfairly labelled as AI. Many online spaces are flooded with AI-generated images, video or audio, which are becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish from human creations as the tools become more capable.

JD.com vows to protect its workers from losing their jobs to AI or robots
JD.com founder Liu Qiangdong, one of China’s largest employers with more than 900,000 workers on its payroll, said that he will do everything possible to safeguard his thousands of staff, including blue-collar workers, from losing their jobs to AI and robotics. The online retailer has also set up more than 80 training bases around the country, saying they will serve to retrain workers with skills such as maintenance and servicing of automated systems.

Chinese companies are racing to implement AI systems as part of a state-directed push to dominate the new technology, but Chinese Communist Party planners are racing to maintain stability in the labour market as the country grapples with a slowing economy and elevated youth unemployment.

Shorts:

1. A ‘golden’ CIA agent
   David Rush, a man who was once a senior CIA official, has been arrested after the FBI found USD40 mil (RM159.12 mil) worth of gold bars at his home. The FBI also seized USD2 mil in cash and around 35 luxury watches this month from his home in Virginia, according to court documents. Rush also provided false information about his education and military background in his job application, including lying about obtaining university degrees and serving as a pilot in the Navy. Why does he have so much gold? Because he claimed it as a work-related expense. Why would the government allow for it? To make covert payments, or even illegal activities - read more here.

2. Blond Bangladeshi buffalo nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ saved from Eid sacrifice
   Sometimes it's lucky to be “Trump” — a rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh who gained the moniker “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention. The ministry said that it was due to security concerns and an unusual level of public interest, and that it would be moved to a national zoo in Dhaka. Albino buffaloes are rare in Bangladesh, and most cattle are dark, making it special, but it's probably the nickname that saved Buffalo Trump’s life.

   Check out this photo of “Trump” — any resemblance?

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. Dementia is amongst the worst kinds of sickness that can afflict our loved ones - the body is there, but the person isn’t. One of the early signs of dementia is the decline in the sense of smell. Learn more here. Don’t give up - there is still way to reduce the risk.

2. What’s nicer than a drone show? A failed drone show - beautiful mess in the sky.

3. Spy stuff- what's real, what isn’t in spy shows, according to a former CIA officer.

Have a good and safe long weekend ahead!