The Counsel Brief

14/06/2026

Elon Musk just became the world’s first trillionaire. Here is what $1,100,000,000,000 actually looks like in Malaysia.

That is 990 Merdeka 118 towers. It is 9.5 times Malaysia’s entire federal budget for 2026. It could feed every single Malaysian for 24 years. And at the median Malaysian wage of RM2,793 a month, you would need 148 million years to earn the same amount without spending a single cent.

Now here is something most headlines leave out. That $1.1 trillion is not sitting in a bank account. It is an on-paper valuation, calculated by multiplying every share Musk owns across his companies by the current market price. The number moves every single day. In one bad trading session, he can lose tens of billions without spending anything, and recover it by the next morning without earning a cent. None of this is liquid.

His fortune is spread across a portfolio of companies. SpaceX triggered this milestone when it listed on the Nasdaq on 12 June 2026 under the ticker SPCX, raising $75 billion in the largest IPO in history and valuing the company at $1.77 trillion. His roughly 42% stake alone makes up the largest single chunk of that $1.1 trillion.

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The content in this series is published for public legal education and news reporting purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. All original content is © The Counsel Brief. Third party materials are used for for news reporting and commentary under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1987, with full attribution to rights holders where required.

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12/06/2026

Every time a headline misleads you. Every time a news article names a victim it shouldn’t. Every time paid content is disguised as journalism. There is now somewhere to take it.

The Malaysian Media Council (MMM), Majlis Media Malaysia came into force on 6 June 2025, 52 years after the idea was first proposed in 1973. It is Malaysia’s first independent self-regulatory body for the media industry. Not a government regulator. Run by journalists, editors, academics, and civil society. Bound by a Code of Conduct that took effect on 1 January 2026.

Its Phase 2 Complaints Mechanism is now active. If a member media organisation publishes something that breaches the Code, you can file a complaint at majlismedia.my, Majlis Media Malaysia

Swipe through, what the MMM is, the 50-year journey to get here, what the Code requires, and how to use the grievance mechanism. For more information, follow Majlis Media Malaysia.

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The content in this series is published for public legal education and news reporting purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. The Counsel Brief is a free, non-commercial, student-run publication. No subscription, paywall, or fee of any kind applies. All original content is ©️ The Counsel Brief. Third party materials are used for for news reporting and commentary under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1987, with full attribution to rights holders where required.

The Counsel Brief
Information that Matters

10/06/2026

08/06/2026

In May 2026, Jaslinda Saludin spent 14 days lost in Gunung Batu Putih. She had a permit. She had two licensed guides. She had 10 years of experience.

She survived. Not everyone does.

If you hike in Malaysia, this post is for you — the fine you probably don’t know about, how to get your permit, what your
guide is actually there for, and the four words that keep
people alive when everything else fails.

Save this before your next hike.

The content in this series is published for public legal education and news reporting purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. The Counsel Brief is a free, non-commercial, student-run publication. No subscription, paywall, or fee of any kind applies. All original content is ©️ The Counsel Brief. Third party materials are used for for news reporting and commentary under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1987, with full attribution to rights holders where required.

The Counsel Brief
Information that Matters

03/06/2026

Are you being stalked?

You aren’t just imagining it, and you don’t have to put up with it.

Your ex won’t stop messaging you. A stranger keeps appearing outside your home or office. You are receiving packages or items you never ordered. We often dismiss these incidents as “annoying” or “persistent,” but the reality is much darker. Since 31 May 2023, stalking has officially been a crime in Malaysia.

Under Section 507A of the Penal Code, stalking is defined as a repeated act of harassment that is intended to cause, or is likely to cause, distress, fear, or alarm to a person’s safety. This law applies to both physical stalking and cyberstalking. Crucially, the law kicks in from the second instance of the behavior. If someone is repeatedly monitoring you, communicating with you against your will, or loitering near your home or workplace, they are committing a criminal offense.

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The content in this series is published for public legal education and news reporting purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice. The Counsel Brief is a free, non-commercial, student-run publication. No subscription, paywall, or fee of any kind applies. All original content is ©️ The Counsel Brief. Third party materials are used for for news reporting and commentary under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1987, with full attribution to rights holders where required.

The Counsel Brief
Information that Matters