AI Weekly Malaysia

The China-linked threat actor known as Jewelbug has been observed carrying out cyber espionage operations targeting governments and militaries, while simultaneously engaging in cryptocurrency fraud. "Both missions are administered from a single control panel, XG-Web, a browser-centric remote-access and information-stealing framework that turns a victim's browser into a full remote-control

Developers report that Anthropic's Claude API returns empty or truncated thinking blocks for Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5 even when summarized thinking is explicitly requested, yet the underlying reasoning tokens are still billed in full as output tokens. Anthropic's own documentation confirms users are charged for all thinking tokens generated regardless of whether the thinking text is returned, and the issue may stem from display-summary testing rather than a broad outage.

The Czinger 21C Spyder debuted with topology-optimized brake assemblies that have an organic appearance. The article body was not available—only cookie consent boilerplate was captured.

Frontken Corporation Bhd posted record 2QFY2026 results (revenue RM186.9M, +19% YoY; net profit RM47.7M, +43% YoY), driven by stronger semiconductor orders from Taiwanese foundries and oil & gas contributions from Malaysia. Taiwan accounted for ~67% of group revenue in 2Q, and Kenanga Research raised its target price to RM5.72, expecting further gains as TSMC's 2nm production ramps with a historical two-quarter lag.

A developer who wrote mail-order software in the mid-1980s using the Pick minicomputer OS/database was called back five years later by his former boss after a fired clerk unplugged the machine mid-print in an apparent act of sabotage. The fix was simply plugging it back in and rebooting, for which the developer charged a lucrative fee.

Congrats to the team!

Astro is running its 30th Anniversary campaign from 13 August to 31 October 2026, offering all active subscribers free access to its full channel lineup (15 Aug–16 Sep) and the new Astro X3 streaming service on compatible Smart TVs. NJOI free-tier customers get four additional channels permanently, bringing the FTA total to 26, and two pop-up channels (Astro 30 and ANIPLUS) will air anniversary and anime content through end-2026.

Grab has expanded its PayLater service to work with any physical merchant displaying a DuitNow QR code, letting users scan via the Grab app and split payments. The feature is currently rolling out to a limited group of users before potential wider availability.

Google Deep Matter's Gemini 3.7 Flash reportedly brings the model back to competitive standing after versions 3.5 and 3.6 Flash had fallen behind Claude 4.8+ and GPT 5.5+ series. The article is paywalled beyond the opening, so detailed benchmarks or pricing are not available from the excerpt.

Article URL: https://z.ai/blog/glm-5.3 Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49294997 Points: 1144 # Comments: 564

Big Sky Capital, GUIDE, and Astana Hub (Kazakhstan's government-linked innovation cluster) completed a two-month SEA Enterprise Technology Launchpad programme for Central Asian B2B startups, with a demo day at Gobi Partners' KL office attended by Petronas, Alibaba Cloud, and Indonesia's GSI. The first cohort included five startups spanning AI-powered oil & gas production optimisation (Rock Rigid), computer vision for workplace safety (BEST Vision), AI education (Onay Oqu), AI fleet management and fuel fraud prevention (RoadOne AI), and retail analytics (TASS Vision).

Grab PayLater can now be used at any physical merchant displaying a DuitNow QR code, not just Grab-specific QR standees. The feature is rolling out to a whitelisted group of users, who also earn up to 2x GrabCoins when paying via PayLater on a DuitNow QR code.

Grab is testing a Women-Only Rides feature in Malaysia that lets female passengers match exclusively with female drivers, addressing safety concerns for women travelling alone or late at night. The feature requires verification, though the article text cuts off before detailing the full verification process.

Twitch announced it will share users' livestream content and other data with parent company Amazon to train AI models, defaulting users into data sharing with an opt-out available. Twitch's chief product officer acknowledged that opting in would be rare if it were voluntary, effectively admitting the default-on design is necessary for participation.

OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and Chinese firms like Alibaba and ByteDance are expanding aggressively in Singapore, with fresh AI hires earning S$70,000–S$90,000 and PhD-level specialists pulling S$200,000–S$350,000+. OpenAI committed S$300M+ and opened its first Applied AI Lab outside the US with 200+ planned technical roles, while roughly 50 Chinese AI firms have set up Singapore operations since 2024—though the article questions how durable that commitment is, noting some may simply be acquiring a Singapore address for Western market access.

Exabytes launched GROW AI at its Kuala Lumpur summit (Aug 2026), a managed AI services platform built on RASA principles integrating its cloud, cybersecurity, eCommerce, and automation capabilities, with a 3-year Aurora Mobile partnership to deliver enterprise AI across SEA. A 2025 Ecosystm study cited in the launch found only 21% of 133 Malaysian SMEs surveyed had moved beyond AI pilots, with 60% citing lack of in-house technical expertise as the top barrier.

New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service alleges that China-linked organizations, including the Purple Mountain Observatory, attempted to install ground-based space infrastructure (GBSI) in New Zealand to collect military intelligence, often partnering with local companies unaware of the equipment's capabilities. NZSIS disrupted one such attempt but expects further tries, and also reports PRC intelligence using job platforms and fake consultancy roles to recruit informants.

Article URL: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/13/us-government-spied-anti-ice-protesters Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49294199 Points: 269 # Comments: 96

Uber and Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai plan to deploy 2,000 robotaxis across Europe and expand the partnership to the Middle East, building on a commercial service already running in Zagreb, Croatia since spring 2026. Four additional European cities are planned but unnamed, with no exact timeframe given. Waymo remains the global leader with roughly 5,000 vehicles, primarily in the U.S.

OpenAI launched 'Computer History,' an opt-in feature for the ChatGPT macOS desktop app that records clicks, typing, keyboard shortcuts, and app switches to build timeline-based memories for ChatGPT. It replaces the earlier screenshot-based 'Chronicle' with input-event capture, storing files unencrypted locally for 48+ hours, with OpenAI warning other macOS user-level programs can access them. Available to Pro, Business, and Enterprise users (not EEA, UK, Switzerland, API, or Bedrock users).

Article URL: https://atproto.com/blog/introducing-bluesky-protocol-services Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49293324 Points: 209 # Comments: 70

CNBC reports that global companies including Apple, Ford, Volkswagen, and Stellantis are increasingly sourcing technology from Chinese firms—Apple uses Alibaba and Baidu for AI in China, Ford uses CATL for batteries, VW partners with Xpeng on smart EVs, and Stellantis expands with Leapmotor. IDC China managing director Kitty Fok notes a shift from China as a sales market to a capability-sourcing market, though geopolitical risks mean adoption varies sharply by sector.

Anthropic published a guide on reducing token costs and improving efficiency when using Claude Code. Key recommendations include running /clear between tasks to avoid sending irrelevant context, setting model and effort levels before starting to prevent prompt cache busts, and using @-mention for files instead of naming them to save Read calls. It also advises using /compact before taking a break since the prompt cache expires after an hour.