- Sarawak’s new airline, Air Borneo, will be airborne in January 2026
- MK13 was passed in the Parliament
- A car bomb exploded in Thailand
IN Malaysia
Business news
- Finally, Johor is bucking the spiralling data centre boom
State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Mohd Jafni Md Shukor announced that Johor will issue its first stop-work order to a data centre. The order was given to the Iskandar Puteri-based data centre following public complaints over earthworks, dirty roads, the absence of hoarding, and construction activities carried out late at night. He added that the contractors were given two weeks to comply. Interesting fact, currently there are 13 operational data centres in Johor, with 14 data centres have been approved, and another 8 applications are under review.
- PetChem is on fire
Investors were coming for tradeable warrants tied to Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd (PetChem) as they were betting that the warrants would rise as much as the stock of PetChem. And boy, they were right. At its peak, PetChem’s stock rose by 12.44% to RM4.70, and the warrants (such as Pchem-C1F) soared as much as 500%. The up-movement of PetChem’s stock was not surprising as the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has been on a spending spree of PetChem stocks.
- AirBorneo will be airborne in January 2026
Sarawak’s very own airline, AirBorneo, unveiled its official logo, the ‘Wings of Unity’, marking a key milestone as the airline prepares to begin operations in January 2026. AirBorneo will take over and expand on the services provided by MASwings. Interestingly, the new airline is also considering the possibilities of working together with the Sabah State Government and is open to sharing ownership of its new airline.
https://x.com/FuzaFirdaus/status/1958457737425391995
- RMK13 was passed in the Parliament
The lower house of the Parliament, Dewan Rakyat, passed the motion on RMK13, through a majority voice vote. The 13MP motion was debated over eight days, beginning August 4. Among key issues raised during the debate were calls for a flexible and optional pension withdrawal model, the formulation of new policies to enhance the education structure, and strengthening Malaysia’s creative economy (orange economy).
- LRT Mutiara Line’s cost increase: MRT Corp says it is due to inflation
Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) said that the approved higher ceiling price for the Penang LRT Mutiara Line, at RM16.8 bil was due to cost inflation and increased scope of work, not cost overruns. But, one does need to note that the new ceiling is 68% higher than the RM10 bil figure announced by PM Anwar Ibrahim in Budget 2024. The LRT Mutiara Line will span 29.5km, with 21 stations connecting Penang Island to the mainland.
MAGA: Make Anti-Corruption Great Again
- Corruption trials livestream
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki is heeding the call for live broadcasts of corruption trials to boost public confidence in the judicial process. Not just the courtroom, Azam Baki also proposed that lock-ups owned by enforcement agencies in the country be equipped with advanced closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to enhance transparency and integrity. With cameras proposed left, right and centre, one can say there are enough materials to create a reality show eh?
- Forget about Batman, we are going to have MACCman soon
Azam Baki revealed that three producers approached him to produce an anti-corruption-themed film. He stated that MACC is open to this idea, up to the point that the anti-graft agency has provided several examples of its cases for adaptation. Quoting Azam,” The film must send the right message on anti-corruption and its story must be told engagingly.” Hopefully, it turns out more like Die Hard-ish, and not becoming a Modern Family-ish comedy.
- Move aside, ABCs, anti-corruption is coming to preschoolers’ textbooks
The MACC chief also said there is a plan in the pipeline to introduce anti-corruption elements at the preschool level as part of efforts to nurture a generation that rejects graft from an early age. FYI, a study conducted in 2003 at a local university revealed that about 30% of them said they would be willing to accept bribes if given the chance. Early discussions have commenced with Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris and Universiti Utara Malaysia in developing the modules for preschoolers.
Around the SEA
2025 is surely not the year for the Thais
Do we blame it to less frequency of mandi bunga or the reduced efficacy of the Thai bomohs, one thing fir sure, anything that Thailand is clearly not working. On Wednesday, a car bomb exploded near a checkpoint in Tak Bai that injured three members of the Volunteer Defence Force. The Thai police mentioned that the car bomb was detonated via remote control. Following the attack, Kelantan State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage committee chairman Kamaruddin Md Nor said that Malaysians are advised to postpone any plans to visit Thailand in the near future unless absolutely necessary.
The new car bomb attack surely does not help Thailand’s effort to revitalise its tourism sector, one of the key engines of its economy. In a kinda desperate effort to lure in foreign tourists, Thailand is mulling the possibilities of spending about USD20 mil for a domestic flight giveaway initiative aimed at attracting at least 200,000 international visitors. Under the planned ‘Buy International, Free Thailand Domestic Flights’ initiative, the Thai government will support domestic flight tickets priced at 1,750 baht (USD54) per one-way trip and 3,500 baht (USD107) for a round-trip. This campaign, once approved, will run from August to December 2025, with travel to take place from September to November 2026.
For your EYES only
Recently, one of our F/A-18D Hornet aircraft exploded into flames, perhaps due to foreign object debris (FOD).
Seems to be caused by FOD.
This is sadly a rather common occurrence.
My estimates FOD caused roughly more than half a billion RM of damages to Su-30MKM fleet, which prompted a modification project of the FOD screen. https://t.co/cMgD63eQ1i
— kucingmilitari (@kucenmilitarimy) August 21, 2025
