Several areas across five states are expected to experience thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds until 7pm on June 8, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).

The affected areas in Perak are Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar, Kinta, Kampar, Hilir Perak and Batang Padang, while Cameron Highlands in Pahang is also under the weather alert.

In Johor, the warning covers Kluang, Mersing, Pontian, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru.

In Sarawak, the affected areas are Lundu in Kuching, Sarikei, Kanowit and Selangau in Sibu, Tanjung Manis and Daro in Mukah, Tatau in Bintulu, Beluru, Miri and Marudi in Miri, as well as Limbang.

For Sabah, the warning is in effect for Keningau and Tambunan in the Interior Division, the West Coast, and Kota Marudu and Kudat in the Kudat Division.

MetMalaysia said thunderstorm warnings are issued when there are signs of thunderstorms producing rainfall exceeding 20mm per hour that are imminent or expected to persist for more than an hour.

The warning is a short-term alert and remains valid for no more than six hours from the time it is issued.

Story by: AFP

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic suggested Thursday a global pause on building the most powerful AI systems as the latest models are beginning to show signs they could escape human control.

The San Francisco-based company, which makes the Claude family of AI models, said in a report that a worldwide slowdown in cutting-edge AI development would “likely be a good thing” – but warned that if only one company stopped, rivals would simply race ahead.

“We believe it would be good for the world to have the option to slow or temporarily pause frontier AI development to enable societal structures and alignment research to keep up with the advance of the technology,” it said.

Getting a real pause to work would mean multiple major AI companies in multiple countries – most notably the US and China – all agreeing to stop at the same time, under rules everyone could actually verify, Anthropic said.

“Without a global coordination mechanism, companies and governments will have to make difficult decisions about safety while under competitive and geopolitical pressures,” it said.

The company has faced pushback from others in the industry – and officials in the White House – who say its focus on worst-case scenarios overstates the risks and amounts to a strategy for slowing rivals under the cover of safety concerns.

Still, the White House has acknowledged the power of the company’s Mythos model – which has not been made available to the general public due to its cybersecurity capabilities and is currently deployed only to a small number of vetted organizations.

The proposal would face an uphill battle in Washington and Silicon Valley, where US officials and tech executives have repeatedly argued that any slowdown in AI development risks handing China a decisive strategic edge in what many see as the defining technology race of the century.

US president Donald Trump, however, said he discussed the possibility of cooperating with China on AI safety issues during his recent visit to Beijing.

Trump also signed an executive order this week that allows the government 30 days to conduct a preliminary review of the most powerful US AI models before their release.

Anthropic compared the problem to nuclear arms control treaties – but said it would be even harder to get a handle on, since AI training is far easier to hide than a missile silo, and the temptation to quietly keep going would be enormous.

The company said it plans to bring together government officials, scientists, advocacy groups and competing AI firms in coming months to figure out how such a system could work.

The call for coordination comes alongside internal data showing that AI is already dramatically speeding up the development of AI itself, Anthropic said.

That acceleration creates a feedback loop that Anthropic warned could eventually lead to what researchers call “recursive self-improvement.”

That’s the idea of an AI system that becomes capable of essentially teaching itself to get smarter, without much human help.

“We are not there yet, and recursive self-improvement is not inevitable,” the report said, while adding that it could arrive sooner than most governments and institutions are ready for.

“The evidence suggests that the human role is narrowing at each step in the AI development process,” the company said.

Malaysia’s rollout of new versions of the MyKad and International Malaysian Passport (PMA) remains on schedule despite the continued use of existing document stocks, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said new applications will continue to be processed using current MyKad and passport stocks, which are sufficient for another two to three months.

“Both initiatives are still on track. Existing stocks will be fully utilised before we move to the new versions,” he said.

Saifuddin said the government would not discard the remaining stock and will continue issuing MyKad under existing contracts until supplies are exhausted.

He noted that about 35,000 MyKad applications are received monthly, including applications from children turning 12 years old.

Malaysia previously announced plans to introduce redesigned MyKad and passport documents with enhanced security features to strengthen the country’s identification system.

All 58 Malaysians registered with Malaysia’s Consulate General in Davao City have been confirmed safe following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Mindanao, Philippines, on June 8.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra) said the Malaysian Consulate General in Davao City and the Embassy of Malaysia in Manila are closely monitoring the situation after local authorities issued a tsunami warning and reported ongoing aftershocks.

Authorities in Davao City have ordered the closure of schools and government offices, while several buildings in General Santos City reportedly suffered significant structural damage, including building collapses.

The ministry also noted that several domestic flights involving General Santos, Manila, Cebu and Iloilo have been cancelled as Philippine authorities conduct safety assessments at affected airports.

“Malaysians whose travel plans are affected are advised to coordinate directly with their airlines for updates and rebooking arrangements,” it said in a statement.

Wisma Putra urged Malaysians in the affected areas to remain vigilant, move to higher ground if near coastal areas and comply with evacuation and safety instructions issued by local authorities.

The ministry said it will continue monitoring developments and provide consular assistance where necessary.

It was heralded as one of the most anticipated and monumental listings on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia this year. Backed by the heavyweight brand premium of the “Sunway” tag, Sunway Healthcare Holdings Bhd (SunMed) sent ripples of excitement through the investing community during its debut, leaving many who missed out on the initial public offering (IPO) lamenting a lost opportunity.

At its peak, momentum drove the stock from its initial IPO price of RM1.45 to an impressive high of RM2.46.

Fast forward to today, and that early euphoria has visibly cooled. SunMed shares are currently languishing at RM1.74, having hit a low of RM1.71 during intraday trading. This sharp retreat has left a critical question echoing across trading floors: Has the fundamental story cracked, or are investors simply locking in profits?

According to a research note by CIMB, the core engine behind SunMed remains entirely intact. The healthcare operator’s recent earnings report came in firmly inline with expectations, reassuring the market that its ambitious expansion pipeline is progressing exactly as planned.

Analysts continue to point toward SunMed’s aggressive footprint expansion as a long-term value driver. The group is on track to significantly boost its operational footprint over the next few years

CIMB has maintained its financial forecasts for the group, emphasising that SunMed’s premium valuation remains well-supported. The investment bank cited a strong earnings growth outlook, superior profit margins compared to its industry peers, and a highly structured, long-term expansion blueprint as reasons for long-term optimism.

So, if the operational fundamentals are robust, why the share price slump?

Analysts suggest that the stock has merely fallen victim to its own initial success. The dramatic post-IPO rally up to RM2.46 essentially pulled forward future earnings, pricing in the majority of SunMed’s near-term operational upside too quickly. With the valuation fully stretched at those peaks, the stock ran out of short-term re-rating catalysts, prompting institutional and retail investors alike to cash in on quick gains.

The initial public offering created massive ripples across the local market landscape, as detailed in this Sunway Healthcare final IPO pricing report, which highlights how the massive offering set records as the country’s largest listing in nearly a decade.

However, these are early days, and fundamentals remain solid for the group with the added comfort of being backed by one of the largest conglomerates in Southeast Asia.