Tag: malaysia

  • McDonald’s CEO admits markets in Middle East affected by boycott

    McDonald’s CEO admits markets in Middle East affected by boycott

    McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski revealed on Thursday that a number of markets in the Middle East, and some beyond, were undergoing a “meaningful business impact” following the Israel-Hamas escalation and “associated misinformation” with regards to the brand.

    Since October 7, when Israel intensified its ground and air raids in Gaza and killed more than 22,000 people, several fast-food chains, including McDonald’s and Starbucks, have been boycotted by consumers due to their “pro-Israeli stance and alleged financial ties to Israel”.

    Kempczinski deems the “misinformation” regarding the brands “disheartening and ill-founded.”

    “In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonald’s is proudly represented by local owner operators who work tirelessly to serve and support their communities while employing thousands of their fellow citizens,” Kempczinski said in a LinkedIn post.

    In October, following the escalation, McDonald’s Israel posted on social media that it gave thousands of free meals to Israel Defense Forces members.

    This move was repudiated by McDonald’s franchises in some Islamic states.

    Since then, many brands have felt the impact of boycotts in Egypt and Jordan as well as non-Arab countries like Muslim-majority Malaysia.

    Reuters reports that as of fiscal 2022, the company franchised and operated about 40,275 McDonald’s restaurants across more than 100 countries. The fast-food chain reported total annual revenue of $23.18 billion in the year.

    Shares of the company were down marginally in afternoon trading.

  • Woman finds ring worth more than 22 crore in an unusual place

    Woman finds ring worth more than 22 crore in an unusual place

    A woman lost a diamond ring worth more than $800,000 or Rs 22 crore, 45 lac, 34 thousand and 480 rupees at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, kicking off a large search campaign by hotel and security staff.

    The ring was eventually found in a vacuum cleaner bag.

    The woman was staying at the famed Ritz Hotel when she left her ring on the nightstand in her room.
    When she returned from a morning outing, the ring was gone. Authorities were alerted, but after a search by hotel and security staff, the ring was found in a vacuum cleaner bag.

    The woman is originally from Malaysia and is currently in London where she will receive her ring soon.

  • Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Two Pakistanis arrested for smuggling drugs in onion sacks to Malaysia

    Malaysian authorities have seized a consignment of onions shipped from Pakistan that contained drugs worth Rs. 5 billion, including 100 kgs of cocaine and 411 kgs of methamphetamine, reports The Express Tribune.

    Malaysian Authorities shared the information via a letter to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), confirming the recovery of 500 kgs of drugs from a container loaded with Pakistani onions.

    The operation was carried out by the Malaysian Narcotics Crime Investigation Department on October 27, 2023. They have arrested five locals, all aged between 21 and 53, under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

    Two Pakistanis have been arrested on charges of drug trafficking. Suspect Chaudhry Nadeem has been detained at the Karachi airport while leaving for Thailand. Clearing agent Amir Ali Khan has also been arrested.

    The company in whose name the Goods Declaration (GD) was filed was the second GD of this company.

  • PIA’s Boeing 777 seized once again in Malaysia due to unpaid lease dues

    PIA’s Boeing 777 seized once again in Malaysia due to unpaid lease dues

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) faced another setback as one of its Boeing 777 aircraft was once again seized at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport over an ongoing lease dispute. The incident marks the second time this specific aircraft has been halted in Malaysia due to payment issues.

    The aircraft, bearing the registration number BMH, was acquired by PIA on lease from Malaysia. However, the lease dispute resurfaced, and the airline was unable to settle outstanding dues amounting to $4 million. Subsequently, a local court ordered the seizure of the PIA plane upon receiving the company’s request.

    According to ARY News, this is not the first instance in which the national carrier of Pakistan has encountered such a predicament in Malaysia. In 2021, the same Boeing 777 was seized by authorities at the Kuala Lumpur airport due to non-payment of dues. The situation was resolved after diplomatic assurances were given, leading to the release of the aircraft.

    Following the recent seizure, the PIA plane was eventually released and safely returned to Pakistan on January 27, accompanied by 173 passengers and crew members. However, the lease dispute appears to have persisted, resulting in the aircraft being seized once again in Malaysia.

    The ongoing lease dispute poses significant challenges for Pakistan International Airlines, as it impacts their operations and raises concerns about the financial stability of the airline. PIA authorities have yet to comment on the recent seizure and the steps they plan to take to resolve the dispute.

    The incident highlights the importance of maintaining robust lease agreements and ensuring timely payment of dues to avoid disruptions in international aviation operations. Both PIA and Malaysia will likely engage in further negotiations to find a resolution to the long-standing lease dispute and prevent any future incidents that could tarnish the airline’s reputation.

    As of now, travelers and stakeholders eagerly await updates from Pakistan International Airlines regarding the situation and hope for a swift resolution to the lease dispute, allowing the airline to resume its operations smoothly.

  • Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    Malaysia bound PIA flight delayed over hijacking scare

    A Malaysia-bound Pakistan International Airline (PIA) flight PK-894 from Islamabad was delayed on Thursday night because of a plane hijacking scare, reports Saama.

    The flight was supposed to take off at 12:30 am but it was cleared by 2 am as the plane was thoroughly searched.

    The national airline’s spokesperson said that as they had doubts about a terror attack, therefore they started a search and checked passengers. This took time and delayed take-off.

    He said that false information was circulated that a hijacking alert has been issued but this wasn’t true.

  • India’s Harnaaz Sandhu becomes Miss Universe amidst controversies

    India’s Harnaaz Sandhu becomes Miss Universe amidst controversies

    Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu was given the title of Miss Universe 2021 in the 70th edition of the annual pageant, held in Eilat, Israel on Monday. Several participants took part in the event despite the pressure to boycott in support of Palestinians. This is the first time the pageant was held in Israel. The event has faced several complications due to the covid pandemic as well.

    Nadia Ferreira from Paraguay took the first runner-up position and Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane filled the second-runner up spot.

    Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts of South Africa had stressed upon its participant to stay away from Eilat due to “atrocities committed by Israel against Palestinians.”

    South Africa also withdrew their support from its participant Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane but she took part in the event.

    The grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela also supported the call to boycott the annual pageant.

    Miss Universe 2017, Sarah Idan, who belong to Iraq tweeted, “All I can say is how dare you? How dare you as a man try to tell an organization for women, and women empowerment what to do.”

    The other groups for Palestinian advocacy also requested to avoid the event to voice out the atrocities of Israel against Palestine.

    The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote: “We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights.”

    Contestants from Muslim majority countries also participated in the pageant which includes Morocco and Bahrain who have normalized their diplomatic ties with Israel last year.

    Miss Universe 2020, Andrea Meza from Mexico also emphasised that the annual pageant should be away from politics and religion. She said that it is only for women and what they can contribute to society.

    Muslim majority, Malaysia and Indonesia nations which have no diplomatic ties with Israel, did not send their participants due to complications of the covid pandemic and not because of any political grounds.

    The United Arab Emirates, UAE which also normalised the ties with Israel last year has not sent its contestant due to time constraints in the selection of a national winner.

    Participants of the pageant have also faced criticism on cultural appropriation when candidates wore robes with traditional Palestinian embroidery while rolling grape leaves.

    Ines Abdel Razek of the advocacy group the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy. tweeted, “Colonialism, racism, cultural appropriation, patriarchy, whitewashing, all in one place.”

  • PIA plane confiscated by Malaysian authorities minutes before departure, with passengers on board

    PIA plane confiscated by Malaysian authorities minutes before departure, with passengers on board

    A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) jet was on Friday impounded by Malaysian authorities, minutes before it took off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

    According to media reports, the Boeing-777 was confiscated over the national carrier of Pakistan’s failure to pay leasing dues to a Vietnamese company, and on the orders of a Malaysian court.

    PIA had leased two aircraft, including the Boeing-777,  from the company in 2015. 

    “Flight was ready for departure with passengers on board and when authorities came on board & informed the crew that they are not allowed to depart,” journalist Mubashir Zaidi claimed.

    The aircraft’s 18-member staff also become stranded in Kuala Lumpur due to the seizure, and will now quarantine for 14 days as per protocols, Geo reported.

    Meanwhile, PIA confirmed that the aircraft has been held back on the orders of a local court in Malaysia that “took a one-sided decision pertaining to a legal dispute between PIA and another party pending in a United Kingdom (UK) court”.

    “The passengers are being looked after and alternate arrangements for their travel have been finalised,” read a tweet by PIA.

    In a subsequent tweet, the national carrier termed the situation as “unacceptable” and said that the government of Pakistan had been approached to take up the matter using diplomatic channels.

  • Man finds monkey’s selfies after finding lost phone in jungle

    Man finds monkey’s selfies after finding lost phone in jungle

    A Malaysian man found monkey selfies and videos on his lost phone a day after finding it in the jungle behind his house.

    Zackrydz Rodzi, a student in Batu Pahat, Malaysia, woke up to find his mobile phone missing.

    Speaking to the BBC, Rodzi said he located his phone the following day after hearing it ring in a jungle area behind his house.

    There were a series of blurred photos of the monkey, trees in the phone’s gallery. 

    The monkey also recorded a video and tried to eat the device.

    Rodzi said he failed to find any trace of his phone until Sunday afternoon when his father noticed a monkey outside their house. He dialed his son’s number from his phone and heard a distant ringing in the jungle behind their back garden. He then found the phone under a palm tree, covered in mud.

    The gallery had a few pictures of a monkey, peering down the lens with bright green foliage and birds in the background.

    But it remained unclear exactly how the mobile went missing.

    “Unlike some parts of the world where monkeys live in or near urban areas, there is no history of monkeys stealing things from houses in the local neighbourhood”, said the student. He suspects the monkey may have entered the house through his brother’s open bedroom window.

  • Affordable SUV gifted to Imran Khan by ex-Malaysian PM to be launched in Pakistan market

    Affordable SUV gifted to Imran Khan by ex-Malaysian PM to be launched in Pakistan market

    Malaysian auto giant Proton has collaborated with Al-Haj — the makers of FAW automobiles in Pakistan — to launch its crossover SUV X70 by December along with a sedan named Saga.

    According to reports, the said cars, that are actually Chinese manufacturer Geely’s vehicles directly imported and licensed by Proton for the Malaysian market, will be offered in completely built-up (CBU) form in Pakistan.

    The company will start assembling the cars locally in the year 2021.

    X70 is powered by a 1.8 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 182 horsepower, 285 newton/meters of torque, and comes mated to a 6-speed automatic or a 7-speed DCT gearbox. The vehicle will be available in both Front-Wheel Drive and All-Wheel-Drive forms.

    The car is loaded with features such as an air purifier system, rear air vents, automatic dual-zone climate control, steering wheel switches, tilt, and telescopic adjustment, advanced gauge cluster with an LCD information screen, central door locking with auto-lock, a push-start button and a myriad of other modern features. Given that the X70 is a compact crossover SUV, it will go up against the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson.

    The X70, back in December 2019, was gifted to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan by former Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad.

    The other car, Saga, is a compact sedan that has recently entered its 4th generation. Saga features a 1.3 liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 94 horsepower, 120 newton/meters of torque and is mated to a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed CVT automatic transmission.

    The vehicles will be launched at a relatively lower price for success in the Pakistani market.

  • Pakistani businessman fined eight buffaloes for insulting indigenous groups in Malaysia

    Pakistani businessman fined eight buffaloes for insulting indigenous groups in Malaysia

    A Pakistani man has been fined eight buffaloes and eight gongs by a court on the Malaysian part of Borneo for insulting indigenous groups, an official said on Wednesday.

    The island is home to a kaleidoscope of tribes and, in the Malaysian part, special courts deal with indigenous laws and customs.

    According to reports, Amir Ali Khan Nawatay was ordered to pay the unusual fine by a native court in Sabah state after he pleaded guilty to making insulting comments about indigenous groups in May and June.

    Kota Marudu district chief Baintin Adun, who presided over Tuesday’s case, said recordings of the 50-year-old businessman’s comments had spread on social media, sparking a lot of rage.

    “We want to make this an example so other people don’t do the same thing again,” he said. “I want to appeal to the society that if there are misunderstandings or arguments, don’t mention another person’s race.”

    He did not reveal exactly what the Pakistani said. The businessman is a permanent resident of Malaysia, official news agency Bernama reported.

    Baintin said Amir had one month to pay the fine, or risked incurring a 4,000 ringgit ($940) fine or 16 months in jail, or both.

    Buffaloes and gongs are traditionally viewed as valuable items in indigenous communities in Sabah, and so can be used as a form of payment to settle grievances or even wedding dowries.

    Gong

    Race is a sensitive issue in multi-ethnic Malaysia, and Sabah is one of its most diverse states, with numerous indigenous groups.

    Borneo, shared between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, is home to vast swathes of jungle and numerous exotic species.