<p>A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 170 passengers on board was held back in Malaysia over a lease dispute case between the cash-strapped national flag carrier and an Irish company pending in a UK court.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The PIA in a statement posted on Twitter said a Boeing 777 plane was stopped by the Malaysian authorities at the Kuala Lumpur airport with 170 passengers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The national carrier has termed the decision to seize the plane as a "one-sided" court decision.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"A PIA aircraft has been held back by a local court in Malaysia taking a one-sided decision pertaining to a legal dispute between PIA and another party pending in a UK court, the statement said. It added that the passengers were being looked after an alternate arrangement for their travel have been finalised. It is an unacceptable situation and PIA has engaged support from the government of Pakistan to take up this matter using diplomatic channels, it said. A PIA spokesman said that a leasing dispute was going on between the PIA and an Irish company and the latter had filed a case in the UK six months ago and the Malaysian court took an ex-parte decision about the plane. Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the Pakistan High Commission in Kuala Lumpur was in close contact with the Malaysian authorities to resolve the matter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Meanwhile, the passengers are being properly looked after an alternate arrangement for their travel to Pakistan have also been finalised," he said in a statement.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They will be departing Kuala Lumpur by a flight later tonight, he added. Shehbaz Gill, a government spokesman, said that PIA got the plane on lease 12 years ago and there was dispute about the payments and Malaysia had nothing to do with the despite but still the plane was held back in that country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>PIA has been going through difficult times since the crash of its airliner in Karachi last year which led to disclosure by the aviation minister that dozens of local pilots had fake documents.</p>


A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 170 passengers on board was held back in Malaysia over a lease dispute case between the cash-strapped national flag carrier and an Irish company pending in a UK court.

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane with 170 passengers on board was held back in Malaysia over a lease dispute case between the cash-strapped national flag carrier and an Irish company pending in a UK court. The PIA in a statement posted on Twitter said a Boeing 777 plane was stopped by the Malaysian authorities at the Kuala Lumpur airport with 170 passengers. The national carrier has termed the decision to seize the plane as a "one-sided" court decision. "A PIA aircraft has been held back by a local court in Malaysia taking a one-sided decision pertaining to a legal dispute between PIA and another party pending in a UK court, the statement said. It added that the passengers were being looked after an alternate arrangement for their travel have been finalised. It is an unacceptable situation and PIA has engaged support from the government of Pakistan to take up this matter using diplomatic channels, it said. A PIA spokesman said that a leasing dispute was going on between the PIA and an Irish company and the latter had filed a case in the UK six months ago and the Malaysian court took an ex-parte decision about the plane. Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said the Pakistan High Commission in Kuala Lumpur was in close contact with the Malaysian authorities to resolve the matter. "Meanwhile, the passengers are being properly looked after an alternate arrangement for their travel to Pakistan have also been finalised," he said in a statement. They will be departing Kuala Lumpur by a flight later tonight, he added. Shehbaz Gill, a government spokesman, said that PIA got the plane on lease 12 years ago and there was dispute about the payments and Malaysia had nothing to do with the despite but still the plane was held back in that country. PIA has been going through difficult times since the crash of its airliner in Karachi last year which led to disclosure by the aviation minister that dozens of local pilots had fake documents.

PIA passenger aircraft 'held back' at Kuala Lumpur airport over lease dispute

Malaysian authorities said on Wednesday (June 26) they had seized more than 5,000 smuggled terrapins at Kuala Lumpur airport last week. Two Indian nationals were travelling with 5,255 red-eared sliders, a semi-aquatic species of turtle, in baskets within their luggage.

Malaysia seizes over 5,000 smuggled terrapins at airport

<p>The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who has been murdered in Malaysia, pleaded for his life to be spared after a failed assassination bid in 2012, lawmakers briefed by Seoul&#39;s spy chief said Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kim Jong-Nam died after reportedly being attacked by two women believed to be North Korean agents at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Kim Jong-Nam died after reportedly being attacked by two women believed to be North Korean agents at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Kim Jong-Nam died after reportedly being attacked by two women believed to be North Korean agents at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday" target="_blank"><i class="fa fa-share">&nbsp;</i></a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

<p>Jong-Nam, the eldest son of the late former leader Kim Jong-Il, was once seen as heir apparent but fell out of favour following an embarrassing botched bid in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport and visit Disneyland.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He has since lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau, while Jong-Un took over the isolated, nuclear-armed state after the death of his father in December 2011.</p>

<p>The North in 2012 tried to assassinate Jong-Nam -- known to be a supporter of reform in Pyongyang -- Seoul lawmakers said following a closed-door briefing by the chief of the National Intelligence Service, Lee Byung-Ho.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;According to (Lee)... there was one (assassination) bid in 2012, and Jong-Nam in April 2012 sent a letter to Jong-Un saying &#39;Please spare me and my family,&#39;&quot; Kim Byung-Kee, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It also said &#39;We have nowhere to go... we know that the only way to escape is suicide&#39;,&quot; he said, adding Jong-Nam had little political support at home and posed little threat to Jong-Un. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jong-Nam&#39;s family -- his former and current wives and three children -- are currently living in Beijing and Macau, said another committee member, Lee Cheol-Woo.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;They are under the protection by the Chinese authorities,&quot; he said, adding Jong-Nam had entered Malaysia on February 6, a week before his death.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jong-Nam&#39;s murder is the highest-profile death under the Kim Jong-Un&#39;s regime since the execution of the leader&#39;s uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, in December 2013.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jang, known to be close to China and an advocate of economic reform in the North, was charged with treason.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jong-Nam, believed to have ties with Beijing&#39;s elite, was a relatively outspoken figure, publicly criticising Pyongyang&#39;s political system.</p>

<p>The 45-year-old said he &quot;personally opposed&quot; the hereditary power transfer in his own family, during an interview with Japan&#39;s Asahi TV in 2010.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One of his sons -- Han-Sol -- also described his uncle, Jong-Un, as a &quot;dictator&quot; in a rare interview with a Finnish TV station in 2012 while he was studying in Europe.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


They said he pleaded for his life to be spared after a failed assassination bid in 2012

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who has been murdered in Malaysia, pleaded for his life to be spared after a failed assassination bid in 2012, lawmakers briefed by Seoul's spy chief said Wednesday. Kim Jong-Nam died after reportedly being attacked by two women believed to be North Korean agents at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday. Kim Jong-Nam died after reportedly being attacked by two women believed to be North Korean agents at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday × Jong-Nam, the eldest son of the late former leader Kim Jong-Il, was once seen as heir apparent but fell out of favour following an embarrassing botched bid in 2001 to enter Japan on a forged passport and visit Disneyland. He has since lived in virtual exile, mainly in the Chinese territory of Macau, while Jong-Un took over the isolated, nuclear-armed state after the death of his father in December 2011. The North in 2012 tried to assassinate Jong-Nam -- known to be a supporter of reform in Pyongyang -- Seoul lawmakers said following a closed-door briefing by the chief of the National Intelligence Service, Lee Byung-Ho. "According to (Lee)... there was one (assassination) bid in 2012, and Jong-Nam in April 2012 sent a letter to Jong-Un saying 'Please spare me and my family,'" Kim Byung-Kee, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters. "It also said 'We have nowhere to go... we know that the only way to escape is suicide'," he said, adding Jong-Nam had little political support at home and posed little threat to Jong-Un. Jong-Nam's family -- his former and current wives and three children -- are currently living in Beijing and Macau, said another committee member, Lee Cheol-Woo. "They are under the protection by the Chinese authorities," he said, adding Jong-Nam had entered Malaysia on February 6, a week before his death. Jong-Nam's murder is the highest-profile death under the Kim Jong-Un's regime since the execution of the leader's uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, in December 2013. Jang, known to be close to China and an advocate of economic reform in the North, was charged with treason. Jong-Nam, believed to have ties with Beijing's elite, was a relatively outspoken figure, publicly criticising Pyongyang's political system. The 45-year-old said he "personally opposed" the hereditary power transfer in his own family, during an interview with Japan's Asahi TV in 2010. One of his sons -- Han-Sol -- also described his uncle, Jong-Un, as a "dictator" in a rare interview with a Finnish TV station in 2012 while he was studying in Europe. (AFP)

Kim half-brother pleaded for his life: Seoul MPs