☕️ KLIA notches up national embarrassment meter

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

CNY1.7 tril (RM984.8 bil). That is the total of online retail sales for this year’s Singles Day shopping festival, an increase of 14.2% year-on-year. Chinese data analytics firm Syntun, which provided the data, noted that this covers comprehensive e-commerce platforms, instant retail, and community group buying. Revenue from e-commerce platforms went up 12.3% year-on-year to CNY1.6 tril, while instant retail sales skyrocketed 138.4% to CNY67 bil. Leading the sales rankings is Alibaba’s Tmall, followed by JD’s online marketplaces and ByteDance’s Douyin.

GBP1 mil (RM5.4 mil). A gold pocket watch, recovered from the body of one of the richest passengers on the Titanic, is expected to fetch that much when it is auctioned. The watch belonged to Isidor Straus, a businessman, politician, and co-owner of Macy’s department store in New York. The 18-carat gold Jules Jurgensen pocket watch was believed to be a gift from his wife, Ida. The famous New York couple were among the over 1,500 people who died when the Titanic sank in 1912, and were portrayed at the end of the James Cameron movie by an elderly couple hugging as the ship is sinking. The watch will be sold alongside a rare letter Ida wrote describing the luxury of the Titanic, with the letter expected to fetch GBP150,000 when the items go up for auction on November 22. View the watch here.

1.96 mil people. That is the number of graduates and diploma holders in low– or semi-skilled jobs in the third quarter of 2025. They make up about 35.5% of employed degree and diploma holders going through skill-related underemployment, according to the Department of Statistics. As much as Malaysia is enjoying a decade-low unemployment rate of 3%, over a third of its educated workforce is stuck in jobs that do not match their qualifications. Still, for the quarter, Malaysia’s labour force grew 0.7% to 17.5 mil, while the number of unemployed fell 0.2% to 519,900. Employment rose across all major sectors in September, especially in services. Manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture also saw increases in employment.

Together with Proton

🛡️ Peace of Mind, Built In
The Proton e.MAS 5 doesn’t just look good - it’s engineered for safety. Powered by a CATL battery with a 3+2 layered protection system, it maintains over 90% health after 1,000 cycles. Its Star Armor Cage Body uses 64% high-strength steel and a multi-layer crash structure for maximum impact protection.

With 6 airbags, 12 ADAS features, and a braking distance of just 36.9m from 100km/h, it’s built to handle everything from Klang Valley crawls to long balik kampung drives.

And here’s the kicker: co-developed with China’s Geely Xingyuan - a model with 400,000 units sold in China and 142 million drive hours - the platform has zero collision-related fires or recalls. Safety isn’t a claim; it’s a track record.

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The e.MAS 5 stands out with a dual-tone roof, five sleek colours (like Marble Cream and Graphite Silver), and a lounge-like cabin featuring ergonomic seats, aero rims, and a crystal gear selector.

Looks premium. Feels premium. Still costs less than a regular sedan.

Learn more here.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Sabah Election heats up
After the nomination day closed last Saturday, a record 596 candidates will be contesting for 73 available state seats, an average of 8.2 candidates per seat. It is shaping up to be a tight race, with multi-cornered contests across the state: four-horse races being the minimum, and one constituency even seeing a 14-way battle. Hopefully, OnlyFans creators will not be inspired by this. However, the demographic of the candidates is skewed, as 525 of them are men and only 71 are women. The youngest is 24, while the oldest is 86. Confirmed candidates can begin campaigning for 14 days, until 11.59 pm on November 28. The 40% revenue entitlement issue will be the main topic of this election, and PM Anwar will be hoping that a Putrajaya-friendly government will be formed in Sabah to ease the negotiations between the two parties of the Federation.

While the Philippines is and has always wanted to integrate Sabah as part of itself, one thing the Philippines has done so far for Sabah is to export its dynasty-style political system to the Negeri di Bawah Bayu. The dynastic nature of the state political system has been there for a while and for a reason - the rakyat itself is enabling it, as many voters see local family-based leaders as defenders of state rights. At least seven members of Sabah governor Musa Aman’s extended family will be in the running. His sons, brother, nephews and son-in-law are contesting seats across rival parties, underscoring the family’s deep presence in the state’s political landscape. 

KLIA notches up national embarrassment meter

KLIA accidentally has its own ‘Changi Jewel’
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) confirmed that a water leakage occurred at KLIA Terminal 1 and blamed it on the roofing contractor working on active restoration works. MAHB stated that when lightning activity intensified, the contractor failed to remove plywood boards used to temporarily cover drainage points. When heavy rainfall followed, the obstructed drainage caused water to pool on the roof, eventually leaking through the ceiling into the departure hall. Why blame it on the contractor alone? Shouldn’t the blame for the incident be directed to MAHB too, in ensuring that the contractor abides by the safety protocols, even in times of emergency or bad weather? That is simple Project Management 101.

KLIA Aerotrain will only run for 14 hours daily
The then 24-hour run KLIA Aerotrain, even before its major upgrade, will now operate for 14 hours every day, as its service will be halted from 9 pm to 7 am daily beginning Nov 15 for rectification works. MAHB said that the 10-hour offline period is to allow for a comprehensive action plan to rectify the troubled service. During the offline period, shuttle bus services will be deployed between the airport’s main terminal and the satellite buildings. There is no end date set for the KLIA Aerotrain rectification works.

Shorts

1. A water deal with Perak will cost Penang RM210 mil per annum

   Under the long-negotiated Perak-Penang water deal, Penang will have to fork out RM210 mil per annum for 40 years (RM8.4 bil total), and also RM1.70 for every cubic metre of treated water it buys from Perak (basically, the RM210 mil is the compulsory fixed rate and the RM1.70 is the variable rate). Penang infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari explained that under this new deal, Perak will have to build a new treatment plant, along with the associated pipelines, reservoirs and other infrastructure. At the moment, Perak only charge RM0.75 per cubic metre to its domestic users.

2. U Mobile secured RM4.3 bil in financing

   U Mobile has signed the largest syndicated ringgit financing by an unlisted company in the country, securing RM4.3 bil with four major banks. The telco stated that the money will be used for capital expenditure and working capital in rolling out U Mobile’s next-gen 5G network deployment. The 10-year syndicated financing agreement was signed yesterday between U Mobile and CIMB Investment Bank Berhad, Maybank Islamic Bank Berhad, AmBank Islamic Bank Berhad, and UOB Malaysia. The Johor royal family is U Mobile’s largest shareholder with a stake of 30.8% - view shareholding here. 

3. Pearly-Thinaah made history

   Women’s World No.2 pair, Pearly Tan-M Thinaah, lifted the Japan Masters, marking their third title this year, their biggest feat thus far. Pearly-Thinaah are enjoying a brilliant season in which they have qualified for seven finals, equalling that of men’s doubles pair Razif Sidek-Jailani Sidek in 1989. The duo will be playing their last tournament before the World Tour Finals (WTF) at the Australian Open in Sydney next week.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

Italy probes Sarajevo ‘sniper safaris’ - shooting humans, instead of animals
The Italian public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation on Sarajevo’s “sniper safaris” - a grotesque reference to expeditions to hunt or observe wild animals - except that this one is where travellers pay to hunt and shoot humans in Sarajevo in the weekend during the Bosnian-Serb army’s siege. The siege was the longest on a city in modern European history, which killed more than 11,000 people between 1992 and 1996. Led by prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis, the investigation opened after journalist and novelist Ezio Gavazzeni, in collaboration with lawyers Nicola Brigida and former judge Guido Salvini, filed a legal complaint of “murder aggravated by cruelty and despicable motives” against alleged groups of Italians travelling to Sarajevo to join the trips.

Investigators hope to track down people who participated in the alleged “safaris”, in addition to five men who have already been identified in Gacazzeni’s suit. Participants are believed to be wealthy gun enthusiasts, with reputations in the society and means to afford the sick “pastime” by paying up to EUR100,000 euros, adjusted for current inflation rates and currency change. People from multiple countries are believed to have taken part as well. In 2022, Bosnian film director Miran Zupanic’s documentary, Sarajevo Safari, investigated wealthy foreigners who had participated, including some from the United States and Russia. What a monstrous act.

Gen Z protests erupted in Mexico City
Thousands of Mexicans have taken to the streets across Mexico, in a protest against growing crime, corruption and impunity for violent crimes. The rally was organized by the members of Generation Z, who said in a “manifesto” circulating on social media that it is non-partisan and represents Mexican youth who are fed up with violence, corruption and abuse of power. Several age groups, including older activists from opposition parties, as well as supporters of the slain Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was assassinated after leading a crusade against drug-trafficking gangs in his town. Fences around the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum lives were reportedly torn down, prompting a clash with riot police who deployed tear gas. In several Asian and African countries this year, members of the Gen Z demographic group have organised protests against inequality, democratic backsliding and corruption. The largest such protest was in Nepal, which led to the PM KP Sharma Oli’s resignation. Protestors carry a pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests. The world is going through a reset.

China warns citizens to avoid travelling to Japan
The China-Japan quarrel continues - in a first significant retaliation taken by Beijing after Japan’s PM Sanae Takaichi triggering remark last week, the country has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan in the near term, citing that Japan has made “brazenly provocative remarks concerning Taiwan” that seriously undermines the atmosphere for China-Japan exchanges and posing major risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan. Beijing accused Takaichi of meddling in its internal affairs and demanded a retraction, but she continued to defend her stance. Japan Tourism Statistics data show that almost 7.5 mil visitors from mainland China visited the country for the first nine months of the year, accounting for nearly a quarter of all foreign tourists. An analyst said that Beijing is playing the “old card” of leveraging China’s tourist spending - hitting Japan where it hurts.

Shorts

1. Is this the beginning of a new Berkshire Hathaway era?

   A regulatory filing has recently revealed that famed investor Warren Buffet’s company Berkshire Hathaway had purchased 17.8 million shares of Alphabet last quarter, a position worth USD4.3 bil. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is a tech titan with a USD3.4 tril market cap. Not that Buffett is a fan of investing in tech - he had been avoiding tech companies for most of his career (but took a big, profitable bet on Apple, making Berkshire about USD155 bil), preferring to stay within industries he deeply understands, such as insurance, banks, and railroads. Buffett had spent the past six decades transforming Berkshire from a failing textile mill into a world-beating conglomerate with a USD1 tril market value, and is to step down as Berkshire’s CEO before the new year.

2. South Africa to investigate ‘mysterious’ arrival of 153 Palestinians on plane

   A group of 153 Palestinians who are clueless and without any travel documents arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, last Thursday, causing them to be held on the runway for 12 hours by the border police. None of them had applied for asylum, with some having visas for Canada, Australia and Malaysia, but all of them had no idea where they were sent to when they boarded the plane. The Palestinian embassy in South Africa said the travel of both groups “was arranged by an unregistered and misleading organisation that exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions”, while South Africa continues to investigate the “mysterious” arrival.

3. Accidental explosive blast at police station kills nine people in India

   A stockpile of confiscated explosives had accidentally blown up at a police station in Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday, killing nine people and injuring 32. The region’s director general of police, Nalin Prabhat, said the explosives were being sent for forensic examination - but due to a “very unfortunate” mishap during the handling, they exploded. The police also ruled out any terrorist attack. The station suffered severe damage, and worst, the intensity of the blast was such that some body parts were recovered from nearby houses, around 100-200 metres away from the police station.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. In New York City, local, physical jobs got outsourced to the Philippines via Zoom, paying them USD3.75 per hour vs the minimum wage of USD16. What are your thoughts? 

2. When I asked people why they don’t read, a common reason is that they can’t focus for long, claiming they have a short attention span and thinking it’s just their own brain. Sort of - our brains have been wired by the proliferation of short-form content on social media.

3. Jumpstart your week with Red Bull’s latest crazy stunt - wingsuiters undertaking obstacles in the sky.