The top executive at McDonald’s said that “misinformation” about the company’s position on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has hurt sales in the Middle East and in Muslim countries worldwide.

Chris Kempczinski, the president and CEO of McDonald’s, acknowledged on Thursday that “several markets in the Middle East and some outside the region are experiencing a meaningful business impact due to the war and associated misinformation that is affecting brands like McDonald’s.”

The US government slapped three McDonald’s franchises in Kentucky with more than $200,000 in fines after an investigation found they employed minors, including a 10-year-old who was illegally made to work until 2 a.m. and who was allowed to operate a deep fryer — all without getting paid.

A franchise in Louisville employed two 10-year-old workers who were among some two dozen minors under the age of 16 to work across 10 McDonald’s locations owned by Louisville-based Bauer Food LLC, it was alleged.

Three McDonald's franchisees are being fined more than $200,000 after breaking federal child labor laws, including employing, but not paying two 10-year-olds, the Department of Labor said Tuesday.

Bauer Food, Archways Richwood and Bell Restaurant Group – which operate 62 locations across Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio – collectively had 305 minors working at their restaurants illegally, the agency found.

They must pay $212,544 in civil penalties, the DOL said.

Three McDonald’s franchises in Louisville are facing fines after an investigation found they had minors working illegally.

Investigators with the U.S. Department of Labor found 305 minors, including kids as young as 10, working late nights in kitchens near dangerous equipment. The franchises were fined $212,754 for having minors work more than the legally allowed hours and having them perform tasks prohibited by law for underage employees.

The National Action Network, a non-profit civil rights activism group headed by Rev. Al Sharpton, has warned it will "mobilize" against McDonald's unless the fast food company addresses accusations of racial discrimination.

Sharpton said he sent a letter to McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski on Thursday urging the company to acknowledge complaints of racism in its employment, advertising and franchising practices, though National Action Network did not publish a copy of the letter.

McDonald's Corp is temporarily closing its U.S. offices this week as it prepares to inform corporate employees about layoffs undertaken by the fast food giant as part of a broader company restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported.

McDonald's said in an internal email last week to U.S. employees and some international staff that they should work from home from Monday through Wednesday, so it can deliver staffing decisions virtually, the report said.

McDonald’s revealed a test restaurant near Fort Worth, Texas, earlier this month in which automation technology replaces many positions formerly held by employees, drawing mixed reactions from conservatives and liberals.

McDonald’s opened its first automated restaurant, with machines handling everything from taking orders to delivering the food – and dividing opinions everywhere. 

"When you step inside the test restaurant concept, you'll notice it's considerably smaller than a traditional McDonald's restaurant in the U.S.," McDonald’s said in a statement. "Why? The features—inside and outside—are geared toward customers who are planning to dine at home or on the go."

McDonald’s will have to defend itself against a $10 billion lawsuit from media mogul Byron Allen over an allegation that the fast food chain doesn’t advertise with Black-owned media.

A federal court ruled last week said that Allen and his company, Allen Media Group, can try to prove in court that McDonald’s violated civil rights laws.