☕️ Fuel subsidy: E-hailing drivers get bigger fuel quota, subsidy cut for top earners on hold

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

PM Anwar Ibrahim has been named the 10th most influential Muslim in the world. This is according to the 2026 edition of The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims, published by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, under the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Amman, Jordan. Anwar was previously ranked 15th in 2025 and 17th in 2024. Taking 15th place is Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, with the top spot going to Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. For a list of the Top 50, check here.

5,149 public EV charging units have been installed nationwide as of Sept 30, according to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry. Of the total, 1,709 are DC chargers, while 3,440 are AC chargers. The ministry reported that the current ratio of public EV chargers to battery electric vehicles is currently one to eight, which means that the existing number of chargers can service about 42,000 registered passenger battery EVs to date. While the ministry has not yet met the target of 10,000 units installed by the end of 2025, it noted that the deployment of DC chargers has exceeded projections. This signals a shift in user preferences, who are increasingly opting for fast-charging services, which DC chargers are more suited for.

The Department of Statistics reported that the average Malaysian household’s health insurance spending has surged 283% from RM24.13 in 2022 to RM92.46 in 2024. Economists say the sharp rise is due to several reasons, such as rising medical costs and higher premiums to greater health awareness among Malaysians. The Department of Statistics also reported that medical inflation in Malaysia is projected to hit 16% in 2026, up from 2025’s 15%. These figures are well above the Asia-Pacific average and mark the first increase for Malaysia since 2021, breaking a three-year plateau where medical inflation held steady at 15%.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

RON 95 Subsidy Update
E-hailing drivers get bigger fuel quota
The Government is raising the monthly RON95 quota for e-hailing drivers again, this time to 800 litres after reviewing real fuel usage among 58,000 active drivers. The cap was previously upped to 600 litres in Oct from 300 litres when the Budi95 targeted subsidy kicked off end-Sept. Airport taxis will also now be covered under the same scheme. Since launch, some 13.1 mil Malaysians have spent RM2.6 bil worth of subsidised petrol, costing the government about RM800 mil. On average, users only consumed around 98 litres in Oct, about a third of their quota while less than 1% maxed out the full amount. The government says it will keep an eye on usage and tweak the policy as needed to prevent abuse.

Subsidy cut for top earners on hold
The government’s plan to cut off RON95 subsidies for the top 15% income group (T15) is on hold, at least until the system’s strong enough to handle it, says PM Anwar Ibrahim. Even with income thresholds of RM13k or RM20k a month, it would still squeeze the upper-middle class, so any move would only affect those earning around RM50k and above. For now, Budi95 stays as is, benefiting most Malaysians while saving the government about RM2.5 bil. Recent rationalisation measures such as floating chicken and egg prices, restructuring electricity tariffs, and tightening the diesel subsidy under Budi Madani have helped the government save billions in spending while avoiding additional strain on the public he reiterated and that the government is studying the impact of the 19% tariff from the US to make sure local policies don’t add to the burden.

Young man awarded RM7.4 mil after hospital blunders leave him disabled
A 22-year-old man, K Vimal Raj, has been awarded RM7.4 mil in damages after a High Court ruled in his favour in a medical negligence case against a government hospital and its doctors. The payout includes RM6.4 mil for a robotic arm and two prosthetic legs, plus compensation for pain, suffering and home care. The ruling came after the government admitted liability for the botched treatment that left Vimal permanently disabled following multiple amputations in 2019. His father quit his job to care for him, had filed the suit in 2020 when Vimal was still a minor, detailing how a simple allergic reaction spiralled into life-altering complications after he was discharged too soon from Ampang Hospital. The court also awarded the pair RM200,000 in costs but dismissed the father’s claim for loss of income due to lack of evidence.

Malaysian exports get a boost with Amazon, Deloitte, and trade missions
MATRADE’s offices in LA, Miami and New York are stepping up Malaysia’s export game, teaming up with big names like Amazon and Deloitte and running trade missions across the US. The Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) is making sure Malaysian businesses get steady access to the US market, protect local jobs, and level up on competitiveness, sustainability and innovation. Beyond just cutting tariffs, it also smooths out supply chains and regulations, giving Malaysian firms a boost in ASEAN while pushing them to improve quality, add value, and expand what they sell. In short, it’s Malaysia showing it can play big globally and be a reliable partner for the US.

Namewee on the run?
Police are on the hunt for controversial singer Namewee, aka Wee Meng Chee, who’s reportedly gone into hiding after the death of Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin was reclassified as murder. The KL police chief said officers haven’t been able to track him down, though it’s believed he’s aware of the investigation. Wee had met Hsieh at a hotel to discuss filming a video together, only to later discover her dead in a bathtub. He was previously arrested at the same hotel on Oct 22 for drug possession and tested positive for amphetamine, methamphetamine, ketamine and THC, pleading not guilty while posting bail of RM4,000 per charge.

Shorts 

1. Bas.my monthly pass slashed to RM30 
   Bus commuters are getting a nice little win as the monthly Bas.my pass now costs RM30 instead of RM50. The new rate kicks in immediately across all Bas.my and SBST routes, hoping it will get more people to hop on public transport. The pass is open to Malaysians only and must be renewed monthly. Seniors, students and persons with disabilities still ride for free with concession passes. Demand’s been climbing in Johor Baru, where Bas.my now moves over 30,000 passengers daily across 21 routes, up from 18 and ridership’s expected to top 1 mil a month as more routes roll out.

2. TMJ calls FIFA sanctions against players “politically motivated”

   Johor Regent, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim isn’t holding back on FIFA’s latest move, calling the sanctions against seven players “politically motivated” and “legally baseless”. In an IG story on Nov 4, TMJ argued that Article 22 of FIFA’s Code only applies to those who fake or use fake documents, which he says clearly isn’t the case here. “The sanctions were imposed without being based on the law,” he wrote, adding that he’ll stand by the players all the way as the case heads to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. FIFA had on Nov 3 upheld its earlier ruling, fining FAM 350,000 Swiss francs (RM1.8 mil) and handing each player a 12-month ban plus a 2,000-franc (RM10.4k) fine.

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4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Will UAE walk away from Sudan’s RSF militia?
As international criticism grows on the UAE for its role in the Sudan’s civil war, the UAE has eventually admitted its mistakes on its Sudan policy. UAE’s senior diplomatic envoy said the UAE had been wrong not to impose sanctions on the instigators of the 2021 coup (jointly led by the RSF and the army) that overthrew Sudan’s transitional civilian government. UAE and Saudi Arabia had wanted to enhance the role of the military and marginalise civilian rule, including by promoting the idea that the RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo aka Hemedti, should be in charge of economic policy. Wrong move. Consequently, the policy led to the 2021 coup, followed by the civil war that broke out between the army and the RSF in 2023.

Today, Sudan is in a bloodbath as the RSF continues its massacre on the Sudanese people. Will UAE further detach itself from the RSF? The UK director of Human Rights Watch said a minimum test of the UAE’s sincerity about breaking with the RSF would be pro-active cooperation with the UN expert panel policing the arms embargo on Sudan. Now that its support for the RSF seems so perilous reputationally, there is a duty on the UAE to contribute to a resolution of the crisis. Note that the UAE has long attached itself to Sudan’s natural resources, including land for food production and its gargantuan gold reserves. The Central Bank of Sudan reported that in 2024 almost 97% of official gold exports (from RSF army-held areas) went to the UAE, earning USD1.52 bil (RM6.38 bil). An estimated 90% of Sudan’s gold production, amounting to approximately USD13.4bn in illicit trade, is smuggled out of the country, often passing through transit routes in Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Sudan before reaching the UAE.

Americans crumbling under US shutdown
America continues to suffer amid its record-breaking government shutdown, which entered its 35th day yesterday in the US, as it tied with the 2018-2019 shutdown as the longest in US history. Airports across the country are experiencing major delays and cancellations due to an uptick in absences from air traffic controllers, who are under “immense stress and fatigue” and who are not being paid for their work. More than 16,700 US flights were reportedly delayed and another 2,282 were cancelled over the weekend from Friday to Sunday. Air traffic controllers, who number nearly 13,000 across the US, are classified as “essential workers”, which means they have been working without pay since the shutdown began on Oct 1. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has no choice but to reduce the flow of air traffic in the US to maintain safety standards.

Besides workers left without pay, Americans are feeling the pain from government services being suspended in many different ways. 42 mil Americans who rely on food stamps to buy groceries will now only receive partial payments. There is not enough money to help Americans cover health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Those subsidies – a lifeline for more than 20 mil people – are set to expire at the end of 2025 and, unless Congress acts, premiums will skyrocket when the new sign-up period opens on Nov 8. The WIC, a food aid programme for pregnant women, new mothers and infants, is also on the brink thanks to the shutdown, while “Head Start” programmes that provide nutrition and family support to 65,000 infants began shuttering on Nov 1.

Shorts 

1. Starbucks sells majority stake in China business 
   Starbucks has sold the majority of its stake in its Chinese business for USD4 bil (RM16.79 bil) to a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, Boyu Capital through a joint venture. The firm will take 60% Chinese retail operations, while Starbucks will retain a 40% interest while maintaining its ownership of the company’s brand and intellectual property. The US coffee giant has 8,000 locations across China but aspires to expand to 20,000. Boyu Capital will offer the company more capital for investment but also help with logistics, infrastructure and managing commercial property as it opens more storefronts in regional cities while keeping its competition with local brands like Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee.

2. Partial medieval tower collapsed, claimed one soul 
   Two sections of a 29-meter Torre dei Conti, a medieval tower in Rome, partially collapsed yesterday, sending debris and rubble to the ground and sadly trapping one Romanian worker under its weight. Authorities said he was conscious during the lengthy rescue operation but died shortly after he arrived at the hospital. A second worker, also Romanian, was pulled out almost immediately and taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening head injuries, while two more workers suffered minor injuries and declined hospital treatment.

3. Kungfu legend Lau Kar-leung’s ashes stolen in columbarium heist 
   Once a legend, always a legend - Hong Kong police have arrested a man suspected to play a part in the theft of urns from a columbarium in Sha Tin, after the ashes of renowned kung fu master Lau Kar-leung were reported missing. Lau was a renowned martial artist, director, fight choreographer and actor, best known for films in the 70s and 80s that he made for the Shaw Brother studios. His career started in the 50s and lasted all the way to 2005. Lau passed away in 2013.
   Here he tangles with Sammo Hung in Pedicab Driver (1989):

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. When was the last time you wrote using a pen? Does handwriting help you learn? Watch here. For unknown reasons, IG links not displaying today.

2. Pareto principle at play in the stock market. Just like in many other aspects of life, it’s just the few things you do that matter the most.

3. Hijab meets wrestling. From the comments: Finisher - the Machik Bomb.