☕️ Klang Valley happening (hazy) weekend: F1, KLSCM, Le Tour de Langkawi

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

RM3,803 – According to the Salaries and Wages Survey Report 2025, that’s the average monthly salary and wage of Malaysians in 2025, up 4.1% from RM3,652 in 2024. The report, published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), also showed that the median monthly salary and wage increased by 5.3% to RM2,940 from RM2,793 in 2024. The report also found that the total number of monthly salary and wage earners rose to 12.01 mil, up from 11.96 mil in 2024, with Malaysians accounting for 10.38 mil of all full-time paid employees. Of all occupations, mining and quarrying continued to have the highest average monthly salary and wage at RM6,175, followed by services at RM3,993 and manufacturing at RM3,357 (career change perhaps).

RM2,223 – However, nearly two-thirds of Malaysia’s wage earners were in semi- and low-skilled jobs in 2025, with that amount or less in median monthly wages, according to DOSM. Semi-skilled workers, who account for 55.6% of wage earners, had a median monthly wage of RM2,223, while low-skilled workers, who make up 7.8% of wage earners, earned a median monthly wage of RM1,758. In comparison, skilled workers, who make up 36.6% of total wage recipients, earned a median RM5,057. These figures point to a wide wage gap across skill levels, with skilled workers earning nearly three times as much as low-skilled workers. In 2018, Bank Negara Malaysia defined a living wage in Kuala Lumpur for a single adult at RM2,700, a couple with no children at RM4,500 per month, and a couple with two children at RM6,500 per month. RM2,223, or worse, RM1,758, is nowhere near living wages. RM3k minimum wage potentially incoming by 2030.

RM1.18 mil – That’s the amount that has been paid to 652 whistleblowing civil servants since 2012, of which 529 received both monetary incentives and certificates, while another 123 were awarded certificates of appreciation. This means JUST an average of RM2,230.62 per monetary incentive recipient. The payouts were rewards for the civil servants taking a stand against corruption by reporting bribe offers and demands. The police topped the list of recipients with 437 officers, followed by the Immigration Department with 64 officers and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency with 33 officers. For the 2026 evaluation series, 54 public servants across four agencies have been nominated, involving 30 investigation papers and a combined total of RM304,621 in attempted bribes. To qualify for the award, nominees must undergo strict MACC integrity screening and police criminal record checks.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Two more institutions under the spotlight
After the infamous scandals involving Lembaga Tabung Haji, FELDA and Boustead Naval Shipyard, two more institutions are now being put under the fine-tooth comb.

1. UiTM Holdings - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Abd Halim Aman said that the anti-graft body has identified governance issues at UiTM Holdings Sdn Bhd during its probe and will recommend measures to address them. He added that although governance issues may not constitute an offence that can be charged in court, they are matters that can be improved. Previously, former UiTM Holdings CEO Azlizan Fadzil pleaded not guilty to a criminal breach of trust charge involving RM37.37 mil earmarked for a large-scale solar power project in Gambang, Pahang. Azlizan showed up at court on a wheelchair, straight from the politician's playbook.

2. Rural Ministry - MACC is ready to step in and investigate allegations that the Rural Ministry, currently under the leadership of the Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, had overspent by RM2.1 bil. However, MACC Chief Commissioner Abd Halim Aman stated that no official complaints have been made thus far. After Abd Halim made the statement, Deputy Treasury Secretary-General (Policy) Zamzuri Abdul Aziz said that the issue concerning the Rural Ministry has been resolved. No further explanation was given.

DAP says no to Harapan-Bersatu pact for the Melaka state polls
Melaka DAP chairperson Khoo Poay Tiong stated that, “as politicians, we should not burn bridges and need to be open to discussions, even with political foes.” But he highlighted that he still cannot accept cooperation with Bersatu, the party that triggered the collapse of the Harapan-led federal government via the Sheraton Move. At the same time, Khoo opined that it is nearly impossible that the Harapan-Barisan Nasional (BN) relationship will be mended, given the accusations that have been thrown around against each other.

At the moment, the 28-seat Melaka State Legislative Assembly, which was officially dissolved on Sept 23, was dominated by BN with 20 seats, Pakatan Harapan (PH) with five seats and Perikatan Nasional (PN) with three seats.

Pakatan Harapan's chances of winning a majority in Melaka on its own are low to moderate, mainly due to BN’s dominant stronghold in Melaka and the momentum built after the party’s strong results in the Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.

If PH want to win the election or even participate in forming a government, it must defend its urban base and actively flip a substantial portion of Melaka's 11 highly volatile marginal seats, like Serkam, Pengkalan Batu, Duyong, and Durian Tunggal, which feature past victory majorities of fewer than 600 votes.

Business news
MOF backs AirAsia fundraising drive
The fundraising drive for AirAsia, led by the global aviation advisory firm Alton Aviation Consultancy, has received a major boost as the Ministry of Finance (MOF) has backed the capital-raising exercise, where as much as RM4.1 bil will be raised. Previously, MOF had mandated Alton to seek potential sources of funding and has provided an undertaking or some form of guarantee that could help Alton secure borrowings of significant size.

Alton would also be entitled to a success fee if it secures the financing, with the fee calculated as a percentage of the amount raised. We need to accept the fact that AirAsia has become too big to fail, as the company commands roughly 60% to 61% of Malaysia's domestic aviation market share by capacity, making it the absolute dominant player in the country's skies. The move reflects the government’s efforts to support AirAsia’s financing and to ensure AirAsia tak bungkus.

Malaysia Aviation Group to acquire Sepang Aircraft Engineering by 2027
While AirAsia is struggling, its competitor Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the entity that owns Malaysia Airlines, is on a shopping spree and has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Airbus Group to acquire its wholly owned subsidiary, Sepang Aircraft Engineering (SAE), at an undisclosed value. SAE provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for aircraft, specialising in Airbus models.

Klang Valley happening weekend
Happening weekend but staying at home is highly recommended for Klang Valley residents because, firstly, the haze is not going anywhere anytime soon (up until the point that Bloomberg listed Kuala Lumpur among the world’s five most polluted cities), but, there are lot of major events happening. During this ‘Super Weekend of 2026’, we have -

• Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit, where close to 100,000 people are expected to attend.

• Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon (KLSCM) 2026, where some roads around Dataran Merdeka would be closed to welcome more than 40,000 runners.

• Le Tour de Langkawi 2026, where the grand finish will be held at Putrajaya.

So, good luck to Klang Valley’s roads and public transport system.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Danger in the sky - when one pilot stabs the other and tries to crash the plane
A Flydubai flight FZ1073 flying from Dubai International Airport in the UAE towards Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia in an emergency landing on Wednesday, after one pilot stabbed the other and "apparently tried to crash the plane" - according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The flight was carrying at least 150 people, with Netanyahu saying "almost all" passengers were Israeli and lost 5.2 km in altitude within a minute.

The passengers reportedly intervened to stop the attack by restraining the Omani co-pilot, while a reserve crew in the plane was able to stabilise the plummeting plane and ultimately land it safely in Saudi Arabia. The stabbed pilot, later identified as Indian national Capt. Smit Machchhar, was hailed as a hero by Netanyahu. Investigations have opened over the incident, but at the time of writing, no apparent motive was identified. Interestingly, the attack came just days after Netanyahu warned of an unspecified security threat to Israel that could come during its Oct election. Some scenes from the incident here.

Posh Prison Life
After reading this section, it makes you wonder if similar thing is happening in Malaysia

Diddy is living a VIP prison life
Sean Combs aka Diddy is apparently living “luxuriously” in prison, having other inmates hired as “staff” to cook, clean, make his bed, do his laundry and even give him massages. He even has a contraband cellphone, paid for with funds deposited from outside the prison into their commissary accounts. The billionaire hip-hop honcho also watches movies and documentaries on a “jailbroken” tablet he’s gotten hold of. Combs is about a year into serving an initial 50-month sentence at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey, after being convicted in Jul 2025 of transporting people for prostitution. He also faces numerous civil lawsuits, many related to the “freak-off” sex parties he allegedly forced women to participate in with paid male escorts who were transported across state and international lines for the multiday, drug-fuelled orgies.

Indonesian wrongful prison “villa” demolished
Indonesian investigators have uncovered a cluster of indulgently furnished apart­ments inhabited by prison inmates on the grounds of the Cibinong prison in Bogor, south of Jakarta. The inmates have allegedly paid rent for the accommodation complete with couches, large beds, TVs, fridges and dining tables. A golf simulator was also being built for the residents. Authorities have told reporters that 52 inmates had been questioned so far, and the head of the prison and four other senior officials have been suspended. The compound was then demolished after public outcry. The incident has drawn widespread public attention and renewed scrutiny of Indonesia's prisons, which have long faced allegations that wealthy or well-connected inmates can obtain preferential treatment through bribery.

@bbcnews

Officials said the luxurious residences appeared to house inmates, although prison officials have claimed they were for staff. #Indonesia ... See more

Parkinson’s patient “saved” by Google Gemini
Ed Patrick, an anaesthetist from Oxfordshire, managed to save his mother from serious and continuous seizures due to Parkinson’s, after using Google's Gemini AI tool to scour recent medical journal articles., helping his mother recover from serious and continuous seizures potentially linked to a vitamin B6 deficiency associated with her Parkinson’s medication. The “research” has helped him identify a vitamin deficiency linked to her Parkinson's medication as a possible cause, which he alerted to the neurology consultant.

She was then given a vitamin dose that appeared to stop the seizures within minutes, and continued to recover fully, with her cognitive Parkinson's symptoms dramatically improved. The discovery has given new hope to medical experts in treating complications from Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson's is a progressive disorder that affects the brain, nervous system, and muscle control.

However, doctors advise patients living with Parkinson's to treat this information with caution, as patients should not be making changes to medications or supplements before taking proper medical advice from professionals.

Shorts:

1. A messy execution in Tennessee
   Christa Pike, who was scheduled to become the first woman to be executed in Tennessee in more than 200 years, appeared to have survived two doses of the lethal injections that were supposed to kill her. Journalist witnesses reported snoring, loud exhales, gasps and complaints from Pike about pain, as well as her kicking her feet so often that she knocked off the sheets laid over her. She was then taken away in an ambulance to be treated at a hospital. The Tennessee governor has ordered a “comprehensive” investigation into the matter and said that the remaining scheduled execution will not take place this year.

   Fun fact: There are multiple cases of unsuccessful execution attempts that led to a pardon or a commute before, such as the case of “The Unhangable Australian” and the “Half-hanged Maggie”.

2. Tightrope daredevil Jaan Roose sent Seoul into a daze
   Estonian aerial athlete Jaan Roose has successfully crossed a 160-meter-long highline suspended 120 metres above Seoul, in what organisers called South Korea’s first high-altitude slackline performance. The slackline ran between the Koreana hotel and the Dong-A Media Centre, a few hundred metres from the capital’s famous Gyeongbokgung palace and Gwanghwamun square. Watch the high-adrenaline, suspenseful walk here.
   Fun fact: Korea has its own traditional form of tightrope walking named jultagi, which was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage in 2011. Unlike tightrope walking elsewhere, jultagi blends comedy and acrobatics, as the walker sings, jokes and dances on the rope, trading banter with a clown on the ground as musicians play.

3. Optional parental controls for teenagers on WhatsApp
   Meta has introduced new optional parental control features on WhatsApp for teen accounts, allowing parents to know when their child joins or leaves a group. It will also let them decide on privacy settings for their account. Additionally, parents can also select who can see a child's profile photo and who can add them to groups. However, they won’t be able to see messages sent and received by their teen, as it stays private and protected by end-to-end encryption.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

Little, fun science fact for the weekend

1. One udara, but multiple measurements. Understanding the various air measurement methodologies.

2. Do you know, apart from escalator and kids, metal and microwave don’t go well - it dangerousy sparkles.

3. Looks like fixing broken bones is much easier than fixing broke bank accounts. Linguistic wise, when someone says break a leg to you, it actually means well - more here.

Re-sharing this weekend family activity. Have a good weekend!