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McDonald’s Malaysia has sued a pro-Palestinian group for $1.3 million over its calls to boycott companies allegedly supporting Israel. In a statement issued Friday, the fast-food chain said the civil suit against BDS Malaysia was aimed at protecting “our rights and interests in accordance with the law”. McDonald’s said it “does not support nor condone the current conflict in the Middle East”. “While we understand and respect that the act of boycotting is an individual decision, we believe that it should be based on facts and not false allegations,” McDonald’s said. McDonald’s has sought six million ringgit in damages for alleged defamation, according to a copy of the legal document seen by AFP. In a post on the social media platform X on Friday, BDS Malaysia said “we ca...

Sarawak’s free tertiary education, which is expected to be implemented by 2026, will not lead to an increase in taxes or cuts in other areas of development, said Sarawak Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development, Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee. He said a sound financial model that the state government has implemented over the years, which is evident in the consistent growth of revenue over the last few years, can sustain the policy. “We know that our income (revenues) will increase. The state has recorded a revenue of RM13.1 billion in 2023… our gross domestic product (GDP) is also expected to increase,” he told reporters via a Zoom interview here today. On November 22, Dr Annuar reportedly said that about 25,000 Sarawakian students in the state will benefit fr...

The people have the right to know about the RM700 million expenditure on advertising and publicity spent by the two previous governments, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. Through a post on X yesterday, he said it was a significant expenditure. “The people have the right to know how this RM700 million was spent, whether everything was recorded properly or if there were any legal violations,” he said. The media reported that the federal government spent nearly RM700 million on advertising, promotion, and publicity work to disseminate the government’s agenda from 2020 to 2022. The previous two administrations incurred the expenses to promote the government’s achievements and efforts. — Bernama https://twitter.com/fahmi_fadzil/status/1740319967898407075?ref_src=t...

Singapore households are bracing for a sales tax hike that takes effect in the new year as the government shores up coffers ahead of an expected surge in social spending in the rapidly ageing city-state in the years ahead. The goods and services tax, which is levied on everything from groceries to diamond rings, will be increased by one percentage point to 9% on Monday, the second phase of a two-stage rate hike. This year the sales tax was raised to 8% from the previous 7%, which has been unchanged for 15 years. The hikes come on top of already rising living costs, prompting opposition lawmakers to call for a delay in the rise. Core inflation in Singapore has moderated to 3.2% in November from a peak of 5.5% in January and February, but remains stubborn with the central bank...

The devastating air crash on Aug 17 near Elmina, Shah Alam, Selangor, involving a Beechcraft Model 390 (Premier 1) plane, which resulted in the loss of 10 lives, including two road users, stands as one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies for Malaysians this year. The tragic incident at 2.50 pm on Thursday claimed the lives of Pahang local government, housing, environment and green technology committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun, 53, and pilot Shahrul Kamal Roslan, 41, who was assisted by Heikal Aras Abdul Azim, 45. Five other passengers, namely Muhammad Taufik Mohd Zaki, 37, Khairil Azwan Jamaludin, 43, Shaharul Amir Omar, 49, Mohammad Naim Fawwas Mohamed Muaidi, 35, and Idris Abdul Talib @ Ramali, 41, were also killed in the unfortunate plane crash. The incident also...

The Ministry of Local Government Development is now known as the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT). KPKT, in a statement yesterday, said the name was amended based on the decision made during the Cabinet meeting on Dec 13, and it will be officially gazetted under the Ministerial Functions Act 1969. It said that providing affordable housing remains the ministry’s main thrust, with a target of constructing 500,000 housing units nationwide, especially for the B40 and M40 groups through the 12th Malaysia Plan. It added that the strategic direction through the implementation of KPKT’s vision and mission will continue to be strengthened through eight main functions, namely Affordable Housing, Urban Planning, Landscape Development, Local Government Empowerment, Firefig...

The demolition process of the Shah Alam Stadium for the reconstruction of the new Shah Alam Sports Complex (KSSA) is expected to be carried out soon. This follows the approval given by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) for the KSSA development project last Friday (Dec 22), a matter recently confirmed by the Selangor Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. “Just got the approval from MBSA yesterday (Friday),” he said in response to inquiries from his followers on X who wanted to know about the progress of the KSSA reconstruction project. The Selangor government was previously reported to have submitted the Planning Permission (KM) plan for the KSSA project on Nov 15, involving a demolition process of the Shah Alam Stadium with a cost of RM35.5 million. The media reported ...

Most Londoners are hunkering down, hoping to weather Britain’s housing storm rather than look for more affordable homes outside the capital. Londoners spent roughly £29 billion (RM170.19 billion) on homes outside the capital this year, almost a third less than in 2022, according to a report from broker Hamptons International. While affordability pressures caused the rate of London outmigration to rise over the past 12 months, the number of homes bought outside the capital dropped to just over 69,000 — the lowest in nine years. “With only around a million homes changing hands across Great Britain this year, fewer Londoners crossed the M25 in 2023,” Hamptons head of research Aneisha Beveridge said, referring to a major highway that encircles the Greater London area. “Those that di...