MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

The UN’s top court found there was a case to answer about whether Palestinian rights were being denied. (AFP)

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Updated 28 January 2024

Arab News

January 27, 2024 16:03

MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

GCC chief urges swift international action to ensure Israel’s compliance with verdict

Updated 28 January 2024

Arab News

January 27, 2024 16:03

RIYADH: The Muslim World League on Saturday welcomed the UN’s top court’s preliminary ruling that any acts of genocide, or statements that call for genocide, aimed at Palestinians in the Gaza Strip must cease.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice ruled on Friday in favor of a South African request to impose emergency measures on Israel over its war in Gaza, and dismissed an Israeli petition to have the charge of genocide thrown out.

The court found there was a case to answer about whether Palestinian rights were being denied. The 17-judge panel instructed Israel to report back in a month on its progress in complying with the ruling.

The interim ruling did not reach a decision on the merits of the genocide allegation, which could take years.

In a statement, the MWL commended South Africa’s efforts and stressed the need for continued work from the international community to stop the war and ensure the protection of civilians in Gaza and the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi said that the court’s ruling against Israel confirms its “brutal crimes” against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

Albudaiwi commended the court for its accurate documentation of these crimes, highlighting the court’s commitment to following up on the case and making the appropriate decisions in the future based on Israel’s adherence to the verdict.

“The International Court of Justice’s verdict is in line with international laws and treaties related to the protection of innocent civilians, especially the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which Israel violated by targeting civilian institutions and hospitals, which led to the killing and wounding of tens of thousands of innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip,” Albudaiwi said.

The GCC chief commended the efforts exerted by South Africa and the legal team that prepared the case.

He also underscored the urgent need for the international community to ensure that Israel complies with the verdict and immediately stops its attacks on the Gaza Strip, as well as the need to halt the displacement of Palestinians and provide them with all necessary aid.

The secretary-general reiterated the GCC member states’ commitment to supporting the Palestinian people in realizing their legitimate rights, based on the Arab Peace Initiative and the relevant international resolutions that call for the establishment of an independent and internationally-recognized state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday also welcomed the ruling and stressed its “categorical rejection of the Israeli occupation’s practices and violations of the UN Convention on Genocide.”

The ministry emphasized the importance of the international community taking further measures to stop the violence in the Gaza Strip, providing protection for the Palestinian people, and holding Israeli forces accountable for their systematic violations of international law.

Topics: Muslim World League (MWL) GCC

Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

Updated 7 min 18 sec ago

AFP

November 09, 2024 06:11

Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

Updated 7 min 18 sec ago

AFP

November 09, 2024 06:11

SEDAVI, Spain: The sea of mud and stagnant water submerging Spanish towns more than 10 days after the country’s worst floods in decades has sparked a sickening stench and health fears.
“That’s the rotten meat,” said Toni Marco, pointing to a destroyed supermarket in the devastated town of Sedavi from which a disgusting odour wafted when AFP visited.
The meat was only removed recently, well after the floods cut the refrigerators’ electricity supply, added Marco, a 40-year-old employee of a private cleaning company.
The nearby town of Catarroja also remains a mud bath after the October 29 disaster that has claimed 219 lives, with a powerful reek compounding the woes of survivors.
The diversity of matter decomposing under the mud produces a spectrum of smells ranging from the mildly unpleasant to the outright repulsive.
“Each decomposition of an element smells differently,” which explains why the odours vary from street to street, said Angel Aldehuela, a 51-year-old firefighter from the southern Seville region.
Dead animals may also lie buried under the mud, he told AFP.
When the mud dries, the organic matter decomposes without oxygen and “that’s where those smells we’re not used to start to appear,” explained Miguel Rodilla, a biologist at Valencia’s Polytechnic University.
“There aren’t necessarily bodies nearby, but simply organic matter decomposing.”

FEARS OF AN OUTBREAK
In scenes reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic, rescuers, volunteers and residents have worn facemasks and gloves during the clean-up, while some people have complained of the stink causing headaches and dizziness.
Breathing in the pestilential miasma “isn’t ideal for health,” but “higher concentrations” of decomposing matter would be necessary to make it toxic, said Rodilla.
Stagnant water can trigger gastrointestinal disorders or pneumonia, Health Minister Monica Garcia told public radio RNE, but she ruled out the possibility of an “outbreak.”
The health board of the Valencia region, particularly crippled by the floods, has also reported no outbreak of infectious diseases or a major threat to public health.
Even so, regional health authorities have asked local councils to apply measures to control and prevent the proliferation of mosquitoes and other insects capable of spreading diseases.
Aldehuela warned that the foetid fumes enveloping Catarroja “will get worse, without a doubt,” predicting they would linger for up to a week more.
But in towns where the muck has been cleared swiftly, an aroma of bread or fruit has replaced the stench, the head of the army’s emergencies unit Javier Marcos said on Friday.

Topics: Spain floods weather

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

Updated 11 min 45 sec ago

Saadullah Akhtar

November 09, 2024 09:07

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army has claimed the bomb attack in Balochistan’s capital of Quetta
It comes amid a spike in militant attacks in Balochistan, home to a long-running insurgency, in recent months

Updated 11 min 45 sec ago

Saadullah Akhtar

November 09, 2024 09:07

QUETTA: At least 16 people were killed and 30 others injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, officials said on Saturday, in the latest violence to hit the restive Balochistan province.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a decades-long separatist insurgency by ethnic Baloch militants. The province has lately seen an increase in attacks by separatist militants.
Saturday’s blast occurred at a time when the railway station was crowded with passengers, who were waiting for the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express train, according to Muhammad Baloch, senior superintendent of police (SSP).
“Around 150 passengers were gathered at the platform,” Baloch told Arab News. “We are investigating whether it was a suicide attack or any explosive device was placed at the platform.”
The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), the most prominent of several separatist groups in Balochistan, claimed responsibility for the bomb attack.
Bilal Safdar, an eyewitness who was standing some 500 meters away from the site of the blast, told Arab News people were crowded under a shed, when he heard a powerful explosion at the platform.
“There was a plume of smoke at the station and people were screaming for help, bodies and injured were laying down on the ground,” he told Arab News. “We just ran away from the site and my feet was injured.”
SSP Baloch shared the injured persons had been shifted to Civil Hospital in Quetta, while officials were awaiting footage from security cameras installed at the railway station to ascertain the exact nature of the blast.
Balochistan, home to major China-led projects such as a strategic port and a gold and copper mine, has seen a surge in militants attacks in recent months.
Last month, 21 miners working at privately run coal mines in Balochistan’s Dukki were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen, while five people were killed in an attack by armed men on the construction site of a small dam in Balochistan’s Panjgur district Oct. 29. In August, separatist militants killed more than 50 people, including civilians and security men, in a string of coordinated attacks in various districts of Balochistan, with the BLA claiming most of them.
The separatists accuse the central government of exploiting Balochistan’s mineral and gas resources. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working to uplift the region through development initiatives.

Topics: Quetta Blast Quetta attack Arab News Pakistan

Cavs ride huge first half to crushing win over Warriors and perfect 10-0

Updated 32 min 29 sec ago

AFP

November 09, 2024 08:53

Cavs ride huge first half to crushing win over Warriors and perfect 10-0

Atkinson: Ten-0 is a magic number
In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 33 points to lead the Celtics in a 107-102 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets

Updated 32 min 29 sec ago

AFP

November 09, 2024 08:53

LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their perfect start to the NBA season in sensational style on Friday, seizing a 41-point halftime lead on the way to a 136-117 rout of the Golden State Warriors.

The Cavs improved to 10-0, ending the Warriors’ five-game winning streak and handing them their first road defeat of the season.

The damage was done early, the Cavs’ 83 first-half points tying a franchise record for most scored in any half and their 41-point halftime lead the biggest in team history.

Against the Warriors’ second-ranked defense, the Cavs posted their fifth game of the young season with at least 130 points.

That ties a team record for the most 130-plus point games for an entire season.

“Ten-0 is a magic number,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We’re playing really good basketball and I’m just really pleased where the group is.

“I was worried about tonight — they’re 7-1 and rolling and they’re coming in here, they’re champions and they’re going to try and knock our block off.”

Darius Garland scored 27 points, Evan Mobley added 23 and Ty Jerome chipped in 20 off the bench as six Cavs players scored in double figures against a Warriors defense that came in ranked second in the league.

Meanwhile, they kept the potentially explosive Warriors offense in check, opening the game on a 20-2 scoring run.

“The way we came out tonight — that surprised me, how ready we were, how hungry we were,” Atkinson said.

Andrew Wiggins with nine points and Stephen Curry with seven were the only Warriors starters to score before the break.

Golden State were able to adjust after the break, out-scoring the Cavs 41-29 in the third quarter.

“First half, can’t play much better than that,” Atkinson said. “But second half, way we came out, they scored 13 points in the first three minutes. It was a little frustrating.”

The Warriors, however, were in too deep a hole.

Jonathan Kuminga led Golden State with 21 points off the bench, Curry finished with 12 on five-of-10 shooting, making just one from three-point range.

“We’ve got to execute better,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Thirteen turnovers in the first half — we were completely disorganized.”

In Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 33 points to lead the Celtics in a 107-102 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who led by as many as 14 in the first half and didn’t surrender the lead until the fourth quarter.

In Detroit, Cade Cunningham drove for the go-ahead basket with 8.5 seconds left to play in the Pistons’ 122-121 victory over Atlanta, then sealed the victory with a block on a driving Onyeka Okongwu.

Cunningham finished with a triple-double of 22 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists with a steal and the game-saving block.

Jusuf Nurkic’s free throw with eight-tenths of a second remaining lifted the Phoenix Suns to a 114-113 victory over the Mavericks in Dallas.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and Nurkic added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who notched a seventh straight victory to improve to 8-1.

“It’s been fun,” Durant said of the Suns start. “(It has) definitely been nerve-wracking with the tight games we’ve been in, but I think that’s great for our team to understand what it’s like in crunch time.”

Luka Doncic scored 30 points and Kyrie Irving added 29 for Dallas, who have now lost twice this season to Phoenix.

In New York, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 32 points for the Knicks, who led by as many as 30 in a 116-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Milwaukee, who trailed all the way.

Topics: Warriors basketball

Nikola Jokic’s third straight triple-double leads Nuggets past Heat 135-122

Updated 47 min 57 sec ago

November 09, 2024 04:55

Nikola Jokic’s third straight triple-double leads Nuggets past Heat 135-122

Jamal Murray had 28 points and became the first player in Nuggets franchise history with 1,000 career 3-pointers

Updated 47 min 57 sec ago

November 09, 2024 04:55

DENVER: Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his third straight triple-double to lead the Denver Nuggets past the Miami Heat 135-122 Friday night.
The triple-double was Jokic’s NBA-best fifth of the season.
After missing the past three games in concussion protocol, Jamal Murray had 28 points and became the first player in Nuggets franchise history with 1,000 career 3-pointers.
The Heat played most of the game without Jimmy Butler, who turned his ankle on a drive against Murray seven minutes into the game and did not return.
Denver raced out to a 17-6 lead in the opening 4:10 as part of a 40-point first quarter in which it made 14 of its 20 shots. Though it fought back to get within seven in the final five minutes of the game, Miami never led and trailed by as many as 26 in the second half.
Tyler Herro had a team-high 24 points and 11 assists for the Heat.
Takeaways
Heat: Miami’s fourth loss in its past five games came with the added pain of losing Butler, who is second on the Heat with 18.1 points per game.
Nuggets: Though concerns continue to persist about the drop off between its starting five and its bench, Denver continued its recent surge, winning for the sixth time in the past seven games after an 0-2 start.
Key moment
After carrying an 11-point lead into halftime, the Nuggets outscored the Heat 15-4 in the opening 3:03 of the third quarter to extend its advantage to 86-64.
Key stat
Russell Westbrook continued a strong recent stretch, dishing out a season-high 10 assists for Denver. It’s just the second time he’s had double-digit assists in his past 44 games.
Up next
The Nuggets host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the same day the Heat continue a six-game road swing at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Topics: basketball Nikola Jokic Denver Nuggets Miami Heats NBA

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Updated 09 November 2024

Aamir Saeed

November 09, 2024 08:07

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Federal government wants 33.58 million tons, while provinces expect 27.92 million due to reduced sowing area
Farmers urge minimum support price announcement from Punjab to encourage wheat sowing this season

Updated 09 November 2024

Aamir Saeed

November 09, 2024 08:07

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expected to face a wheat shortage of over five million tons next year with a reduction in the crop sowing area and production, according to provincial governments estimates, as economists and food security experts say this will strain on the economy and lead to inflation.
Wheat is a staple food in Pakistan and its shortage can lead to political unrest and protests against governments. The South Asian nation of 241 million is expected to face a shortfall of 5.66 million tons of the commodity next year and would have to spend foreign exchange to import wheat to fulfill local demand.
This year, the government allowed the private sector to import over three million tons of wheat to overcome shortages while tens of thousands of farmers staged protests in several cities over the government’s decision not to buy their wheat, causing them huge income losses.
The government routinely purchases around 20 percent of all the wheat produced by local farmers at a fixed cost to ensure price stability, prevent hoarding, and maintain the supply chain. However, it lowered its purchase target to two million tons from around six million tons this year, with farmers in Punjab, the country’s largest wheat producer, asking the authorities to stop imports and purchase the commodity from them at the minimum support price fixed officially.
“The provinces have come up with a lower sowing area and production target of wheat for the next year, therefore the country will face a shortage of the commodity,” Yasir Shakeel, a deputy director at Ministry of National Food Security and Research, told Arab News. “The provincial governments have been taking measures to achieve the sowing and production targets of wheat to fulfill the local need.”
He said the Federal Committee on Agriculture had set a wheat production target of 33.58 million tons from target area of 10.368 million hectares for 2025-26 based on national requirement for the produce to attain self-sufficiency.
“According to provincial governments’ proposals the target area for wheat will be 9.263 million hectares with production of 27.92 million tons,” he said.
The official said the Indus River System Authority’s advisory committee has anticipated a shortage of water to the extent of about 16 percent for Punjab and Sindh during the winter crop season, running from October to April, which could impact the wheat production along with other crops.
Farmers on the other hand have urged the government to announce a minimum support price of over Rs4,500 per 40 kilogram to encourage their community to sow the crop to achieve the government’s production target.
“There are still 15 to 20 days before the wheat sowing season concludes, so the government’s intervention at this stage may help encourage farmers sow the crop instead of looking for the alternatives,” Khalid Bath, President Kissan Ittehad, a farmers’ association, told Arab News.
As per the Kissan Ittehad estimates, the wheat sowing area can drop more than 30 percent this year compared to the previous year due to the Punjab administration’s policy of reducing the procurement target.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, food security expert, said the farmers had not received a fair price for their cash crop, adding they were short of investments to sow the wheat crop on a large area.
“Farmers are looking for substitutes to earn profits on their crops as the government is apparently not willing to announce the minimum support price for the next year’s crop,” he told Arab News. “This will definitely lead to food shortages in the country, and the private sector will have a role to play to import the product to meet the local demand.”
Asif Arsalan Haider, a senior economist, maintained Pakistan’s inflation rate was heavily influenced by the agricultural products in the country, pointing out that wheat shortage would have a major impact on it.
“Pakistan’s rural economy is dependent on agriculture,” he said. “Therefore, farmers may face hardships if the government does not procure their produce at a fixed price.”
“The government should come up with a long term agricultural policy instead of resorting to stopgap arrangements each year,” he added.
Earlier this year in May, local media reported that the Punjab government had reduced its usual wheat procurement, allowing the private sector to play a larger role in purchasing the crop due to significant financial constraints, with annual procurement costs reaching around Rs400 billion ($1.4 billion).
The move was described partly as a response to the International Monetary Fund’s recommendations to cut provincial expenditures.
Reports also quoted Punjab’s Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman as saying that most farmers had sold their wheat to middlemen, leading to market prices of Rs3,200-3,300 per maund, a traditional unit of mass commonly used in South Asia, amounting to about 40 kilograms, though this shift slightly reduced profit margins for farmers.

Topics: Pakistan wheat Pakistan farmers

MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

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Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

A week after Spain’s floods, families hope that the missing are alive with 89 unaccounted for

Spanish royals visit flood-hit region as fresh downpours loom

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

At least 16 killed, 30 injured in blast hitting Pakistan railway station

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Cavs ride huge first half to crushing win over Warriors and perfect 10-0

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Nikola Jokic’s third straight triple-double leads Nuggets past Heat 135-122

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Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

Latest updates

Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

Cavs ride huge first half to crushing win over Warriors and perfect 10-0

Nikola Jokic’s third straight triple-double leads Nuggets past Heat 135-122

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At least 24 killed in Pakistan train station bomb blast, police say

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MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

MWL, GCC welcome UN court’s ruling on Israeli actions in Gaza

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Reeking mud sparks health fears in Spain flood epicenter

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Pakistan to face 5 million ton wheat shortage next year amid reduced sowing area

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