VALLETTA: The widow of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has appealed a decision by a Malta court ordering the Bank of Valletta to return to Libya some 95 million euros ($100 million) deposited by Qaddafi’s late son Mutassim, court officials said.
Safiya Ferkash Mohammed and her lawyers argue in their appeal that the courts lacked jurisdiction and could not decide the case over the funds.
The sentence was delivered at the end of June after a legal battle that started in 2012, a year after Qaddafi was overthrown and killed.
Mutassim, who was also killed, was found in possession of several Bank of Valletta credit cards as the owner of a Maltese-registered company.
The appeal was filed on behalf of the Qaddafi heirs by Maltese lawyer Louis Cassar Pullicino. No date for a hearing has been set yet.
The original court had upheld arguments by Libya’s attorney-general that according to Libyan law, as an army officer, Mutassim had been precluded from drawing benefits from any business interests.
Moreover, he had failed to submit a full declaration of assets as required by law.
In her appeal, the widow argues that the Libyan laws invoked in the case were criminal ones but that no criminal case was ever initiated against Mutassim Qaddafi or his heirs.
Furthermore, the Maltese courts were asked to grant Libya a remedy pursuant to a foreign penal law whereas in principle a domestic court cannot apply the penal law of a foreign state to grant such remedy.
Qaddafi’s widow appeals Malta decision to repatriate funds to Libya
https://arab.news/mnuun
Qaddafi’s widow appeals Malta decision to repatriate funds to Libya
- Safiya Ferkash Mohammed and her lawyers argue in their appeal that the courts lacked jurisdiction
- The sentence was delivered at the end of June after a legal battle that started in 2012
Clearing Gaza war rubble could release 90K tonnes of greenhouse gases: study
- Estimated 39 million tonnes of concrete debris created between October 2023 and December 2024
- Findings suggest it could take up to 37 years to clear the enclave using locally available equipment
LONDON: Rubble in Gaza caused by Israeli bombardment could cause more than 90,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, a study has suggested.
Research using open-source data published in the journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability suggested that about 39 million tonnes of concrete debris had been created between the start of the war in October 2023 to December a year later.
It added that 2.1 million truck journeys spanning a total of 29.5 million km would be needed to move it, generating about 66,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Researchers at the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh based their findings on two scenarios, one which assumed 80 percent of the debris was viable for crushing, which with a fleet of 50 industrial machines would take more than half a year and add a further 2,976 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Using the same number of local, smaller crushers could take up to 37 years to complete the task, and generate 25,149 tonnes.
The longer the task took, the researchers said, the more additional emissions would be produced, adding that the model did not account for additional emissions caused by other substances left in the enclave such as asbestos, as well as unexploded ordnance.
It is believed that about 90 percent of homes in Gaza, as well as a significant proportion of its infrastructure, have been destroyed by Israeli strikes.
“The CO2 emissions from clearing and processing the rubble may seem small compared to the total climate cost of the destruction in Gaza, but our micro-focus unpacks the labor and work required to even begin the process of reconstruction,” said Samer Abdelnour, the study’s lead author and senior lecturer in strategic management at the University of Edinburgh Business School.
“While filling the military emissions gap is important, our work can also support Palestinian policymakers, civil engineers, planners and other workers on the ground who are determined to reclaim what was lost, stay on the land and rebuild.”
Nicholas Roy, a statistical science student at Oxford University and co-author of the study, said: “Looking ahead, finer spatial and temporal resolution of satellite images, advances in deep learning for building and damage classification, and methods that integrate information from different perspectives — such as street-level cellphone footage and top-down satellite images — open new opportunities to estimate military emissions across different scopes and better understand the true climate cost of war.”
The carbon footprint of global military activity is estimated at about 5.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions — more than civil aviation and international shipping combined. The Gulf region in particular is uniquely vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Ben Neimark, a senior lecturer at Queen Mary University of London investigating the climate impact of Israeli military activity, told The Guardian: “The methodological focus on debris is cutting-edge work, highlighting often-missed environmental damage left by militaries after the war is over. It provides a fresh look at the daily images of bombed-out buildings and rubble from Gaza, rather than seeing them as longer-term climate impacts of war.”
In June, Neimark’s work estimated that the impacts of Israel’s war in Gaza could release more than 31 million tonnes of CO2.
Stuart Parkinson, executive director of Scientists for Global Responsibility, told The Guardian: “Militaries and war are large and hidden contributors to the climate crisis … it is important to include the full range of activities from production of the military equipment to fuel use during warfighting, from the damage to carbon stores like forests to cleanup efforts and reconstruction following the end of the war. This study adds to this bigger picture of war-related emissions.”
Israeli far right discusses Gaza ‘riviera’ plans
- Name of the event evokes a proposal floated by Trump in February to turn the territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after moving out its Palestinian residents
JERUSALEM: Some Israeli far-right leaders held a public meeting on Tuesday to discuss redeveloping the Gaza Strip into a tourist-friendly “riviera,” as Palestinians face a worsening humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory.
The meeting, titled “The Riviera in Gaza: From Vision to Reality,” was held in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, under the auspices of some of its most hard-line members.
It saw the participation of firebrand Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as well as activist Daniella Weiss, a vocal proponent of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, among others.
The name of the event evokes a proposal floated by US President Donald Trump in February to turn the war-ravaged territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East” after moving out its Palestinian residents and putting it under American control.
The idea drew swift condemnation from across the Arab world, and from Palestinians themselves, for whom any effort to force them off their land would recall the “Nakba,” or catastrophe — the mass displacement of Palestinians during Israel’s creation in 1948.
Participants in Tuesday’s Knesset meeting discussed a “master plan” drafted by Weiss’s organization to re-establish a permanent Jewish presence in Gaza.
The detailed plan foresees the construction of housing for 1.2 million new Jewish residents, and the development of industrial and agricultural zones, as well as tourism complexes on the coast.
Eight Israeli settlements located in various parts of the Gaza Strip were dismantled in 2005 as part of Israel’s unilateral decision to “disengage” from Gaza following years of violence between settlers, Palestinian armed groups and the army.
For the past two decades, a small but vocal section of Israeli society has urged the resettlement of the Strip.
Those voices have become louder after Palestinian militant group Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, with advocates presenting resettlement as a way to maintain tighter security control over the area.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza has killed 59,106 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in the Strip has reached catastrophic proportions after 21 months of conflict and a two-month aid blockade imposed by Israel.
Israel began easing the blockade in late May, but extreme scarcities of food and other essentials persist, and cases of malnutrition and starvation are becoming increasingly frequent, according to local authorities, NGOs and AFP journalists on the ground.
WFP warns Gaza is on brink of full scale famine
- UN official warns a quarter of the population at risk suffering from acute food shortages
- Secretary-General Guterres demands protection for civilians harmed by gunfire at aid sites
NEW YORK: The UN World Food Programme warned on Monday that Gaza is teetering on the brink of full-scale famine, with nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition amid rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions.
Speaking to reporters at a UN briefing, senior WFP official Ross Smith said that hunger is worsening, and humanitarian access has been severely restricted.
“A quarter of the population are facing famine-like conditions,” he said. “People are dying from lack of assistance every day.”
Smith stressed that food and humanitarian aid are the only viable solutions at present, but movement inside Gaza remains perilous and limited. “The markets are non-functional. Nothing is really moving inside Gaza for us,” he said, outlining the “minimum operating conditions” required to respond effectively. These include functioning border crossings, reduced wait times and security approvals, and the ability to transport goods freely and safely.
He said the WFP requires a minimum of 100 aid trucks to enter Gaza daily to meet urgent needs. “Until we have that scale of assistance, it’s going to be really, really difficult to control the situation on the ground.”
Smith called for all armed actors to stay away from aid convoys and distribution points.
Over the weekend scores of people were killed when a crowd surged around a WFP food convoy near a Gaza checkpoint.
“We cannot independently verify the death toll,” Smith said, noting WFP staff on the ground reported at least 40 fatalities, though other reports suggest as many as 80. “One death is too many. This is far, far too many.”
He denied any indication the incident was organized by militant groups, instead pointing to growing desperation among civilians. “These were people putting their lives on the line, trying to get something off a truck,” he said.
Fuel shortages and logistical hurdles continue to hamper aid distribution. Since mid-May, the WFP has managed to deliver less than 10 percent of the required food assistance. Smith said the agency has enough supplies pre-positioned outside Gaza to support the entire population for two months — provided a ceasefire is in place and aid routes are secured.
“We have the capacity, but we need a ceasefire,” he added.
The UN does not use armed escorts for its convoys and has no operational relationship with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Smith confirmed. While the GHF has pushed for collaboration, no agreements are currently in place.
Smith warned that time is running out for thousands at risk of starvation. “Severe acute malnutrition, particularly in children, carries a very high mortality risk. They need treatment immediately,” he said.
The UN continues to press for adherence to existing humanitarian agreements and call for a ceasefire to prevent further tragedy. “Yesterday’s incident is one of the greatest tragedies we’ve seen in Gaza,” Smith said. “It was completely avoidable.”
Meanwhile, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that a new mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military is further eroding Gaza’s already collapsing humanitarian infrastructure.
The directive, covering four neighborhoods in Deir Al-Balah, has forced thousands to flee, with an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 people in the affected area at the time of the order, including 30,000 already displaced sheltering at 57 sites.
UN staff remain stationed at dozens of locations within the area, and OCHA has stressed that all civilian and humanitarian sites must be protected regardless of military operations.
The order encompasses critical infrastructure, including four health clinics, humanitarian warehouses, and essential water systems such as Gaza’s Southern Desalination Plant. OCHA warned that any damage to these facilities could have life-threatening consequences for civilians.
Nearly 88 percent of the Gaza Strip now falls under displacement orders or Israeli-controlled zones, effectively confining 2.1 million people to just 12 percent of the territory.
By cutting across Deir Al-Balah to the Mediterranean, the order further fragments the enclave, choking off humanitarian access.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed serious concern over the latest Israeli evacuation order. He said UN staff remain in the area, despite two UN guesthouses being hit in recent days, even after their coordinates had been shared with the relevant parties.
“These sites must be protected,” Guterres said, calling once again for the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel, and infrastructure. He reiterated his urgent appeal for unimpeded delivery of aid and repeated his call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Guterres condemned growing reports of malnutrition among children and adults, and denounced the continued violence — including against people trying to access food.
“Civilians must never be targeted,” Guterres said, adding that Israel is obligated under international law to facilitate humanitarian relief. He stressed that the population remains gravely undersupplied with essentials such as food, water, and medicine.
No aid supplies left and staff are starving in Gaza, says Norwegian Refugee Council
- The Norwegian Refugee Council’s supplies of food and safe drinking water are running out
GENEVA: The Norwegian Refugee Council told Reuters on Tuesday its aid stocks are completely depleted in Gaza, with some of its staff now starving, and accused Israel of paralysing its work.
“Our last tent, our last food parcel, our last relief items have been distributed. There is nothing left,” Jan Egeland, the secretary general of the council told Reuters in an interview via video link from Oslo. The council’s comments echo those made earlier on Tuesday by the head of the Palestinian refugee agency, who said UNRWA’s staff were fainting on the job from hunger and exhaustion.
The NRC says that for the last 145 days it has not been able to get its hundreds of truckloads containing tents, water, sanitation, food and education materials into Gaza.
“Hundreds of truckloads have been sitting in warehouses or in Egypt or elsewhere, and costing our Western European donors a lot of money, but they are blocked from coming in… That’s why we are so angry. Because our job is to help,” Egeland said.
“Israel is not yielding. They just want to paralyze our work,” he added. The NRC has 64 Palestinian and two international staff on the ground in Gaza. On Sunday the NRC had to move 33 of its staff out of Deir al Balah following Israeli evacuation warnings.
The NRC said its supplies of safe drinking water, which have reached 100,000 people in central and northern parts of Gaza in recent weeks, are also running out, as fuel availability to run desalination plants reaches its limit.
Jordan’s king, Canada’s PM discuss Syria, Gaza and aid
- Mark Carney to provide $28.4m to support Jordan
- Israel urged to end war on Gaza, allow flow of aid
LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan met with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday in Ottawa for talks which included the situation in Syria and Gaza.
Carney, who met with King Abdullah for the first time since taking office in March, also announced that Canada would allocate $28.4 million to support Jordan.
The funding is for education, health and job creation, in addition to bolstering Jordan’s defense and security to combat terrorism and cross-border crime, the Petra news agency reported.
King Abdullah acknowledged Canada’s support for Jordan’s development, emphasizing the need to enhance investment and collaboration in trade, education, and healthcare.
He also emphasized Canada’s crucial role as a partner with Jordan in fostering peace and stability in the Middle East, and praised the country’s support for humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
The leaders called on Israel to ends its war on Gaza and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to civilians in the territory.
King Abdullah also called for end to the violence of Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank; and for the international community to support the creation of a Palestinian state.
In addition, he reaffirmed Jordan’s support for Syria’s security, stability, and territorial integrity.
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, Jordan’s Ambassador to Canada Sabah Al-Rafie, and Canadian officials attended the meeting.
