Latest news with #BAT
The Star
a day ago
- Business
- The Star
BAT Malaysia 2Q earnings up 40%
Illustration shows BAT (British American Tobacco) PETALING JAYA: British American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT Malaysia) is ready to navigate any new challenges from new laws and regulations that will be enacted this year. The company said 2025 will be a crucial time for it as the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) will take effect in phases during the year. There is also the new pictorial health warning and labelling requirements, as well as a retail display ban that will take effect on Oct 1, 2025, it said. Against this backdrop, BAT Malaysia said it remains focused on continuing to deliver its financial performance, driven by the strength of its combustibles portfolio and its leadership position in the premium segment through Dunhill. 'The group is committed to continually strengthening its combustibles portfolio by ensuring its products stand out in quality, innovation and brand heritage,' it said. Meanwhile, BAT Malaysia said the sales and service tax scope expansion and the targeted subsidy reforms are expected to temporarily weigh on consumer sentiment. However, it expects overall consumer spending to remain steady in the second half of 2025 due to policy easing, higher wages and increased tourism activity. In its latest financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025 (2Q25), its net profit rose 40% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM50.95mil as revenue declined by 2.45% to RM624.65mil. Basic earnings per share for the quarter rose y-o-y to 17.8 sen from 12.7 sen and it declared a dividend of 12 sen. 'Our second-quarter results demonstrate the resilience of our combustibles portfolio, even in a highly competitive market environment, signalling that we are heading in the right strategic direction,' managing director of BAT Malaysia Nedal Salem said in a statement. 'The tobacco black market also saw a decline of 0.4 percentage point at 54.4% in 2Q25, compared to the previous quarter. 'This was largely contributed by the work done by the Royal Malaysians Customs Department and we continue to applaud their efforts in combating illicit trade in Malaysia,' Nedal added.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
BAT Malaysia sees 2Q profit recovery on the back of combustibles segment
Illustration shows BAT (British American Tobacco) KUALA LUMPUR: British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd's focus on its combustibles segment, particularly its flagship Dunhill brand, is yielding results as its second quarter results showed improvement over the previous corresponding quarter. According to the group, the strategic decision to transition out e-cigarette brand Vuse enabled more effective cost management and portfolio focus, which saw a 38.5% increase in profit from operations to RM78 million compared to RM56mil in the same period last year. In the quarter under review, BAT posted a net profit of RM50.95mil, up from RM36.28mil in the year-ago quarter. Earnings per share climbed to 17.8 sen from 12.7 sen previously. Its revenue dipped slightly to RM624.75mil in 2QFY25 from RM640.46mil in the comparative quarter. For the six-month period, BAT reported net profit of RM74.22mil against RM66.27mil in 1HFY24, while revenue dropped to RM946.74mil from RM1.05bil in the comparative period. The board of directors declared a second interim dividend of 12 sen per share, going ex on Aug 13, 2025, and payable on Sept 4, 2025, to shareholders. "Our second quarter results demonstrate the resilience of our combustibles portfolio, even in a highly competitive market environment, signalling that we are heading in the right strategic direction. 'Dunhill continues to stand out as the leading brand in Malaysia, gaining further momentum this quarter," said BAT Malaysia managing director Nedal Salem in a statement. He reported that the tobacco black market also saw a decline of 0.4 percentage point at 54.4% in 2QFY25, compared to the previous quarter.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Did Ozzy Osbourne really eat a bat on stage? Rock legend's wildest rumour explained after his death
Ozzy Osbourne, the larger-than-life icon who helped shape the very sound of heavy metal, has died at the age of 76. The news comes just weeks after his final performance in Birmingham, where he delivered a throne-bound farewell packed with hits from both Black Sabbath and his solo catalogue. Fans across the globe are grieving, not just for the man, but for the mythology he carried with him. The infamous Ozzy Osbourne's bat incident: What really happened? One tale has followed Ozzy for decades, whispered backstage and screen-printed on the back of leather jackets: did he actually bite the head off a bat on stage? As unbelievable as it sounds, the answer is yes, but with a few wild twists. In 1982, during a concert in Des Moines, a fan hurled what Ozzy believed to be a rubber bat onto the stage. Without hesitation, he picked it up and bit its head off. Unfortunately for him, it was real. His then-girlfriend Sharon Osbourne is said to have shouted in horror when she realised the truth. Ozzy Osbourne 'the prince of darkness' has passed. Des Moines will never forget the BAT 🦇 Osbourne, stunned and panicked, immediately threw the bat back into the crowd. Later that night, he was rushed to hospital for a series of rabies shots. He later recalled that moment as one of chaos and confusion, and said the bat may have even bitten him in return. Not the first animal incident of Ozzy Osbourne This was not Ozzy's first encounter with creatures of the animal kingdom. A year earlier, in a bizarre promotional stunt gone wrong, he reportedly bit the heads off two doves in a meeting with record executives. What was meant to be a peaceful gesture quickly spiralled into rock history infamy. The legacy of Ozzy Osbourne Despite these dark and dramatic stories, Ozzy was not always the outrageous figure headlines portrayed. His more vulnerable moments, including cooking breakfast in a metal documentary or starring in The Osbournes, showed the man behind the myth. But even as fans grieve, many choose to remember him as rock's ultimate wildcard, who turned shock into spectacle and mayhem into music.
Scottish Sun
22-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
The little-known reason Scots should love BATS and why they're a lifesaver in the garden this summer
'Scotland would have a lot more midges and other insects without them' BATS AMAZING The little-known reason Scots should love BATS and why they're a lifesaver in the garden this summer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KING Charles is to provide a new home for bats at his Scottish mansion so work can go ahead. Surveys found evidence of potential roosting sites after he applied for permission to build a luxury wedding venue in Dumfries House near Cumnock, Ayrshire, where bat boxes have now been installed in the grounds of the A-listed building. 4 The common pipistrelle is having to fight for survival. 4 A cloud of dreaded midges, that can blight any summer event. 4 Dr Joe Nunez-Mino is one of the UK's top bat experts. But The King isn't the only one to be left in a flap over bats with a £100million 'bat tunnel' also constructed for the controversial HS2 rail line in Buckinghamshire. Chief Features Writer MATT BENDORIS speaks to a top conservationist about why we need to help these nocturnal flying mammals. DOCTOR Joe Nunez-Mino has many reasons why a thriving bat population is good for the environment but one should endear them to Scots more than others - their voracious appetite for midges. As the biting insects continue to cause havoc at family barbecues and day-trips this summer, the one thing helping to keep them at bay are Scotland's airborne mammals. And Dr Joe from the Bat Conservation Trust insists that our nine species of resident bats help in many other ways too. He said: 'We can only estimate but we do know bats eat a lot of insects, each individual bat eating hundreds or even thousands (of midges) every night. 'Different bat species specialise in eating different insects, from biting insects like midges through to moths, including some insects that damage crops and gardens. 'To give one example, a study published last year estimated that bats in apple orchards reduce the total weight of apples damaged by codling moths by 50 per cent.' In the UK all bat species and their roosts are legally protected by both European legislation and domestic laws including Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017). But since the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 it has been a criminal offence to disturb a structure or place bats use for shelter or protection. 'He is spooked' - Moment The Open commentator hides under his jacket as BAT invades broadcasting booth at Portrush It means DIY and commercial builders have to carry out expensive bat surveys costing several thousands - or more if the mammals are found and need to be removed. Dr Joe said: 'There is a cost associated with protecting the environment just like there is with health and safety or protecting historical heritage. 'While we as an organisation don't have any control or influence on the costs of bat surveys, we have worked with some Statutory Nature Conservation Organisations (SNCO) to streamline the process where possible. 'To avoid delays, it's important to take bats into account from the earliest stages of planning work.' He adds: 'Having a bat roost does not prevent developing a property, bats just need to be taken into account as part of the process. Householders should seek advice from their SNCO.' However Dr Joe believes that bats get a bad press including the 1km long bat tunnel in Buckinghamshire that added an extra £100million to the runaway cost of the HS2 rail line. He said: 'We were not involved in the process. However, we do know that multiple cross-party inquiries have found that HS2's delays and cost overruns stem from mismanagement, not nature protections. 'HS2 did not carry out a timely strategic environmental assessment which could have identified viable alternatives that could have avoided significant expenditure and delay.' While in 2002 Scottish wildlife artist David McRae, 56, from Tayside, died from rabies after being bitten by a bat - it was the first case of indigenous rabies in the UK in 100 years. Dr Joe said: 'Two rabies-related viruses have been detected in two bat species in the UK and in only a very small number of individuals. 'If someone is bitten, licked, nipped or scratched by a bat they should wash and disinfect the area and urgently seek medical treatment. 'The NHS has said prompt post-exposure vaccinations have been 100 per cent effective in preventing the disease.' But Dr Joe believes that work done by organisations like his and the stringent laws are helping bats, which have been in decline, to slowly make a recovery. BATS HAVE DELAYED HOUSE DEMOLITION BUT I STILL WANT TO PROTECT THEM LAST March my wife and I bought an uninhabitable bungalow on Scotland's West Coast and wanted to pull it down before it fell down and replace it with a shiny new build. But 16 months on there hasn't even been a spade in the ground because late on in the planning process it was suddenly announced we needed a bat survey. The problem was by the time we were informed last year, the flying mammals would be hibernating for the winter and a dusk survey - with infrared cameras and sound equipment - couldn't be carried out until the spring. In the end we didn't have any roosting bats, but it has added a £1,800 bill to the project we hadn't budgeted for. Someone else in the area wasn't so lucky and it cost them £5,000 to have their bats removed by an ecologist. But surely with all the technology now available there has to be a quicker - and far cheaper - way of checking where they are roosting, so people can get on with their projects? And when I do finally get my new house built any neighbourhood bats are more than welcome to come and live rent free. He explains: 'All bat species have suffered historical declines in population numbers but we have seen signs of initial recovery in some species. 'We are currently able to monitor five of the nine resident bat species in Scotland through the National Bat Monitoring Program. 'Of these five, four species - Daubenton's bat, Natterer's bat, common pipistrelle and brown long-eared bat - show no significant change since the base line year of 1999 and one species has increased - soprano pipistrelle. 'Bat conservation is important because they are a vital part of our natural heritage which make up around a quarter of our mammal species and they also play a critical role in the ecosystem. 'There is very good evidence that bat populations help to reduce the need for pesticides which ultimately harms the health of other wildlife and people too.' He adds: 'Scotland would have a lot more midges and other insects without them.' *For more information on the Bat Conservation Trust visit
Daily Mirror
19-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Top British firms donated to Republicans who denied 2020 US election result
Our investigation reveals that 24 firms with UK HQs have given over £1m to Republicans who questioned the 2020 election that Trump lost - sparking the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol More than 20 of Britain's biggest companies have donated to over 100 Republican politicians in the US who refused to certify the 2020 presidential election, The Mirror can reveal. BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Deloitte and British American Tobacco are among 24 UK headquartered-firms that have donated more than $1.7 million (£1.3m) to election-denying candidates since 2021 through in-house bodies which collect donations from staff. The donations come through the firms' Political Action Committees or PACs, which are often run by senior company execs and which channel staff donations to politicians. Under US law, companies are not allowed to donate directly and the companies contacted for comment stressed that their PACs operate independently and comply fully with US campaign finance rules. Employees of companies donate money to a PAC, companies themselves are not allowed to do so, but they do often pay for office costs such as rent, staff and fundraising activities. Employees who contribute to their firm's PAC can specify if they want the money to go to Republicans or Democrats and the PAC generally goes on to bankroll politicians or candidates who are viewed as supportive of their industry. These donations were made despite many of the largest corporations pledging not to donate to election denialists after the Jan 6 insurrection in which supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. Firms who have PACs supporting Republican candidates we established in our joint investigation with the Democracy for Sale Substack include: Accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, who announced in January 2021 that it had 'suspended all political contributions to any member of Congress who voted to object to the certification of electoral votes' but its Political Action Committee has given $93k to a string of GOP candidates who refused to certify the election. PwC did not respond to a request for comment. British American Tobacco's US subsidiary's PAC has donated to Andrew Clyde who claimed the Capitol Riots looked more like a 'normal tourist visit' and voted against giving medals to police officers who responded to the riots. A BAT spokesperson said: 'It is a well-established practice in the U.S. political system for individuals, not-for-profits and private sector companies to make financial contributions to major political parties. BAT believes that engaging in the political process is an important way for us to advocate for policies that support our industry and overall economic growth.' The PACS of several firms including Deloitte, BAT, advertising giant WPP contributed to Steve Scalise, who spoke at a white nationalist conference with former KKK head David Duke. The PACs of firms including Deloitte, Rolls Royce and BAE have funded house speaker Mike Johnson, who played a leading role in attempts to overturn the 2020 election result, according to the New York Times. He voted against the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, which federally protects same-sex marriages and interracial couples, and has said that America can only be saved it it returns to "eighteenth-century values". Defence firm BAE Systems announced in January 2021 that, 'In response to the deeply disturbing violence at the US Capitol on January 6th, our US political action committee has suspended all donations while we assess the path forward'. However, since then BAE Systems's PAC has donated $229,500 to Republicans who have refused to certify the 2020 elections, starting in April 2021. BAE Systems said: 'We do not make corporate contributions or donations to political parties. Eligible employees in the US can choose to contribute to the BAE Systems Political Action Committee, which must operate in full compliance with US federal laws and regulations.' After his re-election, President Trump has pardoned or commuted sentences for every defendant convicted for their roles in January 6, including those convicted of violence against Capitol police and the leaders of extremist groups. In the US, foreign companies are not allowed to donate to politicians but, if they have an American subsidiary, they can donate through so-called PACs. PACs are lobbying organizations that make campaign donations to political candidates. Big companies have PACs that are often headed by a company executive, or someone working for them. The Treasurer of the Deloitte PAC is Patrick Givens, a Deloitte employee for the last 17 years. The Treasurer of the BAT's US subsidiary Reynolds' PAC, is Steve Kottak, a BAT/Reynolds employee for the last 21 years who is currently senior director in state and local government relations. The Treasurer of the PwC PAC is Roz Brooks, A PwC employee for the last 29 years. The amounts that PACs can give to a candidate are limited to no more than $5000 for the primary and another $5000 for the election itself. Some British-listed companies have donated huge sums to Republican causes. British American Tobacco gave more than $25m to conservative causes in 2024, including $10m to Make America Great Again PAC, Open Secrets has previously revealed. Christopher Avery, Director at the campaign group Donations and Democracy, said: "It is exceptionally disappointing that so many major UK companies have subsidiaries whose Political Action Committees have been directly funding the campaigns of politicians after they tried to overturn the results of a democratic election in the United States. Making donations to those politicians raises serious concerns about respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law."
