☕️ Weather Alert: Tropical storm now at our doors

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

In 2024, Malaysia recorded 190,304 marriages and 60,457 divorces, according to the Marriage, Divorce, and Rujuk Statistics 2025 released by the Department of Statistics. This marked a 0.9% increase in the number of marriages and a 4.1% increase in divorces. 72.3% of all recorded marriages were Muslim marriages. The majority of divorces were Muslim divorces, with the number increasing 7.3% to 47,577 of the total.

On a related note, cases of wives abusing husbands have surged nationwide, with 453 incidents reported between 2020 and July 2025. Financial difficulties are a primary factor behind the abuse, often followed by jealousy or suspicions of infidelity, according to the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department. Domestic violence, regardless of which spouse committed it, is still a crime and should be reported to the police. Unfortunately, many husbands remain reluctant to report such abuse to authorities, with some cases only coming to light after family members intervened following hospitalisation.

On another related note, 840 mil women around the world, nearly one in three women, have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes. Over the past year alone, 316 mil women and girls aged 15 and older were subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. That accounts for 11% of all women and girls in that age bracket globally. This comes from data analysed by the World Health Organization from 168 countries, collected between 2000 and 2023. The UN agency warned that violence against women remains a deeply neglected crisis, with efforts to address the problem critically underfunded. Only 0.2% of global aid goes toward programmes focused on preventing violence against women in 2022.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Weather ALERT: Tropical Storm ‘Senyar’ is coming to your nearest coast soon
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has sounded the alarm bells that the storm will be heading towards the western peninsula at a speed of around 24km/h. The storm will bring along persistent heavy rain, strong winds and rough seas across Peninsular Malaysia until Saturday. The name ‘Senyar’, meaning ‘lion’, was proposed by the United Arab Emirates as part of the North Indian Ocean regional cyclone naming system. You can view here how the naming is decided. The names are contributed by thirteen countries surrounding the basin, where each country provided thirteen names. Interesting facts about Senyar below.

Sabah votes tomorrow 

Thousands of young voters are likely to miss out
According to the Malay Mail, some young voters, both in and out of state, who would be key decision makers, would now be missing out on casting their ballots. Factors such as stateless individuals, expensive flight tickets and ‘weird’ scheduling clashes. Polling day, which is controversially coinciding with Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s annual convocation ceremony, means that many students — possibly in the thousands — will likely miss out on voting. While youths under 30 make up a significant portion of the electoral roll, ranging from 17% to 41%, however, the turnout is generally low, hovering around 54% in 2020 and 56% in 2022. But, this does not mean that the youths do not care, but the reasoning is systemic - most of them live, study or work outside the state. For a short moment, we forgotten that voting age is reduced from 21 to 18, thanks to the Undi18 movement in 2016.

No one party will form a government
Deputy PM cum BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi predicted that no single party will dominate in the 17th Sabah state election. Any coalition that forms the next state government need to focus on maintaining harmony within the state and stability in its relationship with Putrajaya. Sabah is used to having a coalition government. The last time one party won the state election and unilaterally formed a government was in 2013, when BN won 59 out of 60 contested seats.

IPO day for Foodie Media - some thoughts on its valuation
Today, KL Foodie owner Foodie Media Bhd makes its debut on the public market. The company raised RM75 mil (30 sen per share) - RM41.4 mil to the company, RM33.6 mil kaching for the shareholders. For its financial year ended Aug 2025, the company saw revenue surging 54.8% to RM37.09 mil from RM23.95 mil a year earlier, whilst net profit shot up 57.9% from RM7.51 mil in FY24 to RM11.85 mil.

Upon IPO, the company will have a market cap of RM266.4 mil - a price-to-earning ratio of 22.5x (in general, the higher the multiple, the pricier it is but there’s a lot more nuances behind this figure). Kinda rich for a media company, but the opposite can be argued, that it’s justifiable for a high-growth company dominating in the modern era of online media. FAQ Show analyses the valuation and prospects of this company below. Will you be buying this counter?
Beginner’s guide to PE ratio for stock investors here.

Now, listen to its founder Nicholas Lim’s interview with BFM on his POV on the IPO and its valuation.

Whilst Foodie Media raised RM75 mil, if you like what we do at The Coffee Break, do consider our Tabung To IPO here.

Shorts

1. Aeroline is coming back online

   Express bus operator Aeroline is resuming its operations today, after receiving clearance by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) to restart services, ahead of the supposed end date of the suspension (December 5). Previously, Aeroline’s operation was suspended due to alleged misuse of its operating licence for picking up and dropping off passengers at unauthorised locations instead of an approved bus terminal.

2. MySalam scheme will continue

   Deputy Finance Minister Lim Hui Ying announced that the mySalam health protection scheme, which provides free takaful protection to B40 individuals aged 18 to 65 (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah recipients and their spouses), will be extended and continue in 2026. Since it was launched in 2019, the scheme has benefitted about 1.8 mil individuals, where critical illness claims recorded the highest expenditure (RM658 mil). More details on MySalam here.

3. The new MyKad will be introduced in June 2026

   Deputy Home Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah stated that the National Registration Department (NRD) will roll out three new identification cards (MyKad, MyTentera and MyPoCA), starting June 2026. The new IDs will have upgraded security enhancements, including a QR code, which enables digital verification to confirm the authenticity of the card.

   Our national ID has undergone multiple evolutions, transitioning from paper to a plastic card in 1960, a colour photo version in 1999, and the introduction of the MyKad with an embedded chip in 2001 (did you know that when MyKad was launched in 2001, it was the first ID card to use a chip in the world? Bangga jap). Since 2001, four versions have been introduced, with the latest launched in 2012.

@soscilimy

Betul ke kad biru kecik ni antara IC digital paling canggih di DUNIA?! Ni 5 fakta pasal MyKad kita yang akan confem buat korang terkejut. ... See more

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

The Great Fire of Hong Kong

Hundreds still missing as blaze still ongoing
The Wang Fuk Court fire has now claimed at least 75 lives at the time of writing, with nearly 300 missing and 70 injured. Initial findings show the flames spread through the bamboo scaffolding, iconic to Hong Kong. Experts believe the combustible nature of bamboo led to the speed at which the fire spread, which took many observers by surprise. Couple this with how every building had similar scaffolding up, and the result is the current disaster, which has been compared to London’s Grenfell Tower Inferno of 2017. Builders had been renovating the complex since July 2024, which was why, at the time of the blaze, each tower was surrounded by bamboo scaffolding and sheathed in green construction mesh.
Learn: What is bamboo scaffolding, and its role in Hong Kong’s history and infrastructure

Police arrest three, cites firm for gross negligence
Meanwhile, authorities have arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from the building maintenance company responsible for the housing estate on suspicion of manslaughter. The company, identified as Prestige Construction and Engineering Company Limited, saw police seizing bidding documents, a list of employees, 14 computers, and three mobile phones. The police have reason to believe that the company’s responsible parties were grossly negligent, which led to the accident and uncontrollable spread of the flames. Police reported that, in addition to the protective mesh and plastic coverings, which may fall short of fire standards, they found foam materials sealing some windows on the unaffected building. But the company is not entirely to be blamed. It’s a series of institutional failures - read more below.

Other disasters

Thailand ups flood evacuation efforts, Indonesia cyclone death toll now 61
Thai authorities report that 55 people have died during severe floods in nine southern provinces, with the kingdom already pushing relief efforts into high gear after the military brought in an aircraft carrier, 20 helicopters, and convoys of trucks to deliver food and medicine. The government has also issued a public appeal to boat and jet ski owners to reach people who have been stranded for days. Nearly 3 mil people were affected by the floods in southern Thailand - that’s about 4.2% of Thailand’s population of 71.7 mil people. 

In Indonesia’s Sumatra, a cyclone claimed 61 lives and left at least 100 missing after it unleashed floods and landslides. This has also led to power outages and damaged infrastructure, which has affected rescue efforts. Meteorologists believe the current extreme weather in Southeast Asia is due to the interaction of two active systems, namely Typhoon Koto in the Philippines and the unusual formation of Cyclone Senyar in the Malacca Strait.

China sees worst train accident in over a decade with 11 dead
A train ran into a group of railway workers in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, claiming 11 lives and injuring two in what is China’s worst train accident in over a decade. The train was testing earthquake detection equipment when it hit the workers at the Luoyang Town railway station. This incident follows another case in southwestern China province, where a train killed two railway maintenance workers after running into them.

Bu$ine$$

Asian sportswear makers eyeing Puma
The Pinault family, which controls a 29% stake in Puma via Artemis, is considering all bids for said stake, and this has led to Asian sportswear players exploring takeover bids. Puma’s market cap currently stands at EUR2.92 bil (USD2.92 bil). Among them is China’s Anta Sports Products (owns Fila, Jack Wolfskin, has a market cap of USD31 bil), which is reportedly working with an adviser to evaluate a bid for Puma. Others include fellow Chinese sportswear group Li Ning, which has been discussing financing options with banks, as well as Japanese sportswear firm ASICS. For the uninitiated, Artemis, the holding company of the billionaire Pinault family, is also the largest shareholder of Gucci-owner Kering.

Thailand’s USD3 bil pork industry spooked by threat of cheaper, drugged-up US pork
Thai pig farmers have raised concerns about the trade deal between Thailand and the US, namely the part where Thailand agreed to address and prevent barriers to US food and agricultural products in the Thai market. The concern is that this could lead to a flood of cheaper, subsidised pork from the US, with the additional concern that the pigs there are fattened up on ractopamine, a livestock additive banned in many countries, including Thailand. The Thai pork industry, worth USD3 bil (RM12.4 bil) and supplied nearly entirely by domestic pig farmers, may not be able to handle the influx from the world’s third-largest pork producer, the US, as local players will not be able to survive, leading to a knock-on effect on the animal feed industry and veterinary drug trade.
Fun fact: Sarawak aims for RM1 bil live pig exports by 2030, and in 2023, exported 112.7k live pigs to Singapore valued at RM169.8 mil (RM1.51k seekor)

Shorts

1. Jakarta now world’s largest city as Tokyo falls to third place
   Indonesia’s Jakarta is now the world’s largest city with 41.9 mil people living there, according to the World Urbanization Prospects 2025 report from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In second place is Dhaka, Bangladesh, with a population of 36.6 mil. Jakarta, which was in second place in the previous assessment in 2000, pushed Tokyo down to take the top spot, which now sits at number three with a population of 33.4 mil. The rest of the top ten, in order, are Egypt’s Cairo, India’s New Delhi, China’s Shanghai and Guangzhou, Manila in the Philippines, India’s Kolkata, and South Korea’s Seoul. Egypt’s Cairo is notably the only city in the top 10 that is outside Asia. Full report is available here.

2. Japan clamps down on tourists with unpaid medical bills

   The Japanese government is looking to toughen its stance against international visitors who fail to pay medical bills while in the country. Currently, any international travellers with JPY200,000 (RM5,285) or more in medical bills are registered in a database and face tighter scrutiny during reentry screenings, which can result in the refusal of entry. However, the authorities are looking to reduce the threshold to JPY10,000 in the next fiscal year. Now, this is a good reason to buy travel insurance - more reasons why to here. 

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. Opened with intellectual sexiness, closing with sexual health. A specialist doctor debunking myths on female vaginal health in the absence of sex for a long time.

2. Parents, watch this ad.

Something easy end the week. Watch Uncle Roger roasting Nigel’s (his alter ego) recent wedding. Essentially, him roasting himself.