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New Zealand seeks more pineapple imports from Malaysia
New Zealand seeks more pineapple imports from Malaysia

The Sun

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • The Sun

New Zealand seeks more pineapple imports from Malaysia

WELLINGTON: New Zealand has shown keen interest in importing more pineapples from Malaysia due to rising consumer demand, according to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He highlighted the fruit's superior quality, taste, and texture as key factors driving its popularity in the New Zealand market. 'Malaysian pineapples are well-liked for their unique flavour and texture, making them highly sought after,' Ahmad Zahid told Malaysian media after concluding his five-day working visit. However, he noted that Malaysia's current export capacity remains limited, requiring better coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), state governments, and agro-entrepreneurs. 'The demand is high, but our export capabilities are still constrained. We have the quality — the flavour and texture are excellent,' he said. To address this, Ahmad Zahid plans to discuss expansion strategies with Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu. He will also direct state governments in Selangor, Pahang, Johor, and Melaka to increase large-scale pineapple cultivation to meet export demands. During his visit, Ahmad Zahid also met with the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), where he received a request for Malaysia's assistance in providing Maori-language Qurans. 'I was asked to help contribute Maori-language Qurans. I have contacted Yayasan Restu to explore this, and will seek funding from non-governmental sources, including individuals and private organisations,' he said. He added that around 1,200 Maori have embraced Islam, presenting an opportunity for Malaysia to support the growing Muslim community in New Zealand, which currently has 96 mosques. Ahmad Zahid's working visit included meetings with senior government officials, community discussions, a halal industry forum, and visits to educational institutions and disaster management centres. - Bernama

New Zealand Keen To Boost Pineapple Imports From Malaysia
New Zealand Keen To Boost Pineapple Imports From Malaysia

Barnama

time5 days ago

  • Business
  • Barnama

New Zealand Keen To Boost Pineapple Imports From Malaysia

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi holds a press conference in conjunction with the final day of his official working visit to New Zealand today. From Ahmad Erwan Othman WELLINGTON, July 18 (Bernama) -- New Zealand has expressed interest in increasing imports of Malaysian pineapples, driven by strong demand for the tropical fruit, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said Malaysian pineapples, known for their distinctive quality, flavour and texture, have gained popularity among consumers in New Zealand, presenting significant export potential in the global market. However, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Minister of Rural and Regional Development, acknowledged that Malaysia's current export capacity remains limited and stressed the need for greater focus and coordination among the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM), state governments, and agro-entrepreneurs to meet the growing demand. 'The demand is high, but our export capabilities are still constrained. We have the quality — the flavour and texture are excellent,' he told Malaysian media at the end of his five-day working visit to New Zealand on Saturday (Friday in Malaysia). Also present were Malaysia's High Commissioner to New Zealand, Mazita Marzuki, and John K. Samuel, Undersecretary of the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Oceania Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ahmad Zahid said he would discuss the matter further with Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, and will instruct the Selangor, Pahang, Johor and Melaka governments to expand large-scale cultivation of pineapples to meet export needs. During a meeting with the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ), Ahmad Zahid said he received a request for Malaysia's assistance in providing copies of the Quran translated into the Maori language. 'I was asked to help contribute Maori-language Qurans. I have contacted Yayasan Restu to explore this, and will seek funding from non-governmental sources, including individuals and private organisations,' he said.

Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Party Exits
Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Party Exits

Yahoo

time03-06-2025

  • Business
  • Yahoo

Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Party Exits

Leader of far-right party PVV, Geert Wilders, speaks to the media after he leaves the Dutch government coalition in The Hague, June 3. Credit - Robin van Lonkhuijsen—ANP/Getty Images The Dutch government has collapsed after Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) withdrew from the ruling coalition, leaving the administration without a parliamentary majority and plunging the Netherlands into political uncertainty. Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent who took office last July, has resigned from his role in the wake of the collapse. The government's fall after less than a year in power is expected to trigger snap elections, although experts say a vote before October is unlikely and the process of forming a new government could take months. Without PVV's 37 seats in the House of Representatives, the coalition government now only has 51 seats out of 150. Wilders' party won the previous general election in November 2023 in a shock result, signaling a significant shift to the right in the Netherlands that has been echoed in other elections across Europe over the last year, including in Germany, France, and the European Parliament. Wilders, 61, is one of the most prominent and polarizing figures in Dutch politics. Originally from Venlo in the south of the Netherlands, Wilders is a seasoned politician, first joining the field in 1990 as an assistant to Frits Bolkestein, a centre-right politician and then-leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), before securing his first elected position in 1997 as a VVD city councillor in Utrecht. He was elected to the House of Representatives a year later, and has gone on to become the longest serving lawmaker in Dutch politics. In 2004, he left the VVD and formed his own party, later renamed PVV, which he currently leads. Anti-immigration policy is at the top of Wilders' agenda. His manifesto during the 2023 general election included a ban on all mosques, Islamic schools, the use of Qurans, and anyone wearing a Hijab entering government buildings in the Netherlands. The manifesto also said the PVV wants to reduce non-Western immigration and implement a 'general asylum freeze.' Wilders' speeches have been marked by hardline anti-immigrant and anti-Islam rhetoric as well: In late 2016, a panel of judges found him guilty of inciting discrimination against Dutch Moroccans over comments he made in a post-election address in 2014; months later, ahead of parliamentary elections in 2017, Wilders described some Moroccans in the Netherlands as 'scum.' As of January 2024, just under 3 million people in the Netherlands were born abroad, 176,000 thousand of whom were born in Morocco. One or both of another 250,000 residents' parents were also born in Morocco. Wilders has been calling for the Dutch government to implement his party's 10-point plan, which includes slashing migration, turning away asylum seekers, and returning thousands of Syrians back to their home country. He has also been calling for changes to the 'Main Outline Agreement' signed when the government coalition formed last year. On Tuesday morning, after walking out of a meeting of coalition party leaders, Wilders said in a post on X: 'No signature for our asylum plans. No changes to the Main Outline Agreement. PVV leaves the coalition.' Wilders' announcement that his PVV party will be leaving the coalition means that any party members holding ministerial positions in the cabinet will leave, while remaining ministers from three other parties will continue as part of a caretaker cabinet. After Prime Minister Schoof's resignation on Tuesday, a general election is likely to be called as the current government will struggle to function with a minority in the House of Representatives. The ruling coalition comprised four parties: PVV (37 seats), VVD (24 seats), NSC (20 seats), and BBB (7 seats), which together held 88 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives. With PVV's withdrawal, the coalition loses its majority, retaining only 51 seats. Based on previous election timeframes, Reuters reported that an election before October is unlikely, and forming a new government in the meantime could take months due to the country's fractured politics. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius, whose party formed part of the government coalition, called for elections 'as soon as possible' in a post on X, adding that the Netherlands needs a strong cabinet to 'continue to deliver on the right-wing policies that the voters voted for.' Earlier on Tuesday, Yesilgöz-Zegerius said in a separate post: 'Wilders is putting his own interests above the interests of our country by walking away … Everything that could be done, we were already going to do. Everything we had already agreed upon.' Contact us at letters@

Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Leader Wilders Walks Out
Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Leader Wilders Walks Out

Time​ Magazine

time03-06-2025

  • Business
  • Time​ Magazine

Dutch Government Collapses After Right-Wing Leader Wilders Walks Out

The Dutch government has collapsed after Geert Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) withdrew from the ruling coalition, leaving the administration without a parliamentary majority and plunging the Netherlands into political uncertainty. Prime Minister Dick Schoof, an independent who took office last July, has resigned from his role in the wake of the collapse. The government's fall after less than a year in power is expected to trigger snap elections, although experts say a vote before October is unlikely and the process of forming a new government could take months. Without PVV's 37 seats in the House of Representatives, the coalition government now only has 51 seats out of 150. Wilders' party won the previous general election in November 2023 in a shock result, signaling a significant shift to the right in the Netherlands that has been echoed in other elections across Europe over the last year, including in Germany, France, and the European Parliament. Who is Geert Wilders? Wilders, 61, is one of the most prominent and polarizing figures in Dutch politics. Originally from Venlo in the south of the Netherlands, Wilders is a seasoned politician, first joining the field in 1990 as an assistant to Frits Bolkestein, a centre-right politician and then-leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), before securing his first elected position in 1997 as a VVD city councillor in Utrecht. He was elected to the House of Representatives a year later, and has gone on to become the longest serving lawmaker in Dutch politics. In 2004, he left the VVD and formed his own party, later renamed PVV, which he currently leads. Anti-immigration policy is at the top of Wilders' agenda. His manifesto during the 2023 general election included a ban on all mosques, Islamic schools, the use of Qurans, and anyone wearing a Hijab entering government buildings in the Netherlands. The manifesto also said the PVV wants to reduce non-Western immigration and implement a 'general asylum freeze.' Wilders' speeches have been marked by hardline anti-immigrant and anti-Islam rhetoric as well: In late 2016, a panel of judges found him guilty of inciting discrimination against Dutch Moroccans over comments he made in a post-election address in 2014; months later, ahead of parliamentary elections in 2017, Wilders described some Moroccans in the Netherlands as 'scum.' As of January 2024, just under 3 million people in the Netherlands were born abroad, 176,000 thousand of whom were born in Morocco. One or both of another 250,000 residents ' parents were also born in Morocco. Wilders has been calling for the Dutch government to implement his party's 10-point plan, which includes slashing migration, turning away asylum seekers, and returning thousands of Syrians back to their home country. He has also been calling for changes to the 'Main Outline Agreement' signed when the government coalition formed last year. On Tuesday morning, after walking out of a meeting of coalition party leaders, Wilders said in a post on X: 'No signature for our asylum plans. No changes to the Main Outline Agreement. PVV leaves the coalition.' What could happen next? Wilders' announcement that his PVV party will be leaving the coalition means that any party members holding ministerial positions in the cabinet will leave, while remaining ministers from three other parties will continue as part of a caretaker cabinet. After Prime Minister Schoof's resignation on Tuesday, a general election is likely to be called as the current government will struggle to function with a minority in the House of Representatives. The ruling coalition comprised four parties: PVV (37 seats), VVD (24 seats), NSC (20 seats), and BBB (7 seats), which together held 88 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives. With PVV's withdrawal, the coalition loses its majority, retaining only 51 seats. Based on previous election timeframes, Reuters reported that an election before October is unlikely, and forming a new government in the meantime could take months due to the country's fractured politics. VVD leader Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius, whose party formed part of the government coalition, called for elections 'as soon as possible' in a post on X, adding that the Netherlands needs a strong cabinet to 'continue to deliver on the right-wing policies that the voters voted for.' Earlier on Tuesday, Yesilgöz-Zegerius said in a separate post: 'Wilders is putting his own interests above the interests of our country by walking away … Everything that could be done, we were already going to do. Everything we had already agreed upon.'

Geert Wilders Pulls Plug on Coalition to Collapse Dutch Government
Geert Wilders Pulls Plug on Coalition to Collapse Dutch Government

Morocco World

time03-06-2025

  • Business
  • Morocco World

Geert Wilders Pulls Plug on Coalition to Collapse Dutch Government

Leader of the Dutch far-right Party For Freedom (PVV) Geert Wilders resigned on Tuesday morning, leading to a European political crisis. This resignation by the leader of the Dutch government's largest political party has led to the collapse of said coalition government and calls for snap elections in near future. Geert Wilders is a far-right populist politician who has been criticized repeatedly for racist and xenophobic statements. In 2016, he was found guilty of discrimination against the Moroccan immigrant community in a rally. Political experts have meanwhile reported him to be a NATO sceptic and anti-migration. Wilders's party is also known for calling for 'no Islamic schools, Qurans and Mosques.' The far-right in the Netherlands has grown consistently over the past decade, paving the way for Wilders's party winning the most seats during the 2023 parliamentary election. This resulted in a prolonged period of coalition negotiations, eventually leading to a new government in July 2024. The coalition was ultimately led by civil servant Dick Schoof, as other parties refused to accept a Wilders-led government, forcing him into the political margins. Tense cohabitation at the top The relationship between Geert Wilders, leader of the largest party, and Dick Schoof, leader of the coalition, was tense from the start. Although officially a member of the government, Wilders had been criticizing the government continuously on elements of policy like the continued support for Ukraine. Wilders eventually made an ultimatum to the government, stating that if the Prime Minister and other members of the coalition, which includes several parties, didn't accept the proposals on asylum migration, he and his party would resign from the government. 'Voters signed up for the toughest asylum policy and not the downfall of the Netherlands,' he fumed. Wilders then proposed his 10-point plan which parties were supposed to debate on Tuesday, despite not expecting much agreement. The 10 points include sealing all borders with military patrols, rejecting all asylum seekers, suspending family reunification for refugees, and deporting Syrians on temporary Visas as he claimed Syria is now safe. Wilders on Tuesday morning informed the prime minister that he was resigning and that his party would be withdrawing from the coalition. He then gave a speech at The Hague following a meeting with coalition leaders. The far-right politician then made an announcement on social media, explaining his reasons for resigning. This brought instability to the four-party coalition. An 'unnecessary and irresponsible decision' The resignation led to strong condemnation of other coalition leaders, including Dilan Yesilogoz, the leader of the Freedom and Democracy Party, former Prime Minister Mark Rutte's old party. ' Wilders is putting his own interests above those of the country,' Yesilogoz lamented. Dick Schoof agreed, arguing that the far-right leader's decision was 'unnecessary and irresponsible.' But Schoof admitted that this left the government position untenable. Schoof presented the resignation of the PVV ministers to King Wilhem-Alexander. But he stated that his government would resign as he realized that with only 51 out of 150 seats the government couldn't control the parliament. But Schoof stated that his government would remain in place until elections are called in the near future. With the resignation of Wilders, the Netherlands has to call for a snap election to be held in the near future. Polls predict that these elections will lead to large gains from centre-based parties and the Labor-Green alliance is likely to do well in the next election. Yet, despite the fact that the PVV is predicted to lose some support, many expect it to still win the highest number of seats. This means that the Netherlands is entering a period of great political uncertainty. Tags: dutch governmentDutch politician Geert WildersGeert Wilders

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