Sudan one of world’s ‘worst crises’ in decades: medical charity

Sudan one of world’s ‘worst crises’ in decades: medical charity
War has raged for more than a year. (FILE/AFP)
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Updated 21 June 2024
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Sudan one of world’s ‘worst crises’ in decades: medical charity

Sudan one of world’s ‘worst crises’ in decades: medical charity
  • War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
  • Both sides have been accused of war crimes including deliberately targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and blocking humanitarian aid

Port Sudan, Sudan: The ongoing civil war in Sudan has provoked one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises in decades, the international chief of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders said Thursday.
War has raged for more than a year between the regular military under army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
“Sudan is one of the worst crises the world has seen for decades... yet the humanitarian response is profoundly inadequate,” Christos Christou, international president of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said on social media platform X.
“There are extreme levels of suffering across the country, and the needs are growing by the day,” he added.
The conflict, which began in April 2023 has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced more than nine million people, according to the United Nations.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes including deliberately targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and blocking humanitarian aid, despite warnings that millions are on the brink of starvation.
Rights groups and the United States have also accused the paramilitaries of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.


Jordan and Ireland explore trade and investment cooperation

Jordan and Ireland explore trade and investment cooperation
Updated 4 min 53 sec ago
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Jordan and Ireland explore trade and investment cooperation

Jordan and Ireland explore trade and investment cooperation
  • The meeting between Mohammad Shoha and Marianne Bolger covered key sectors such as industry, technology, renewable energy, and agriculture

LONDON: The chairman of Jordan’s Irbid Chamber of Commerce met with the Irish ambassador to the kingdom on Sunday to discuss strengthening trade and investment relations between the two countries.

The meeting between Mohammad Shoha and Marianne Bolger covered key sectors such as industry, technology, renewable energy, and agriculture, Jordan News Agency reported.

During the talks, Shoha underscored the pivotal role of the chamber in supporting and developing the region’s commercial sector, which boasts a membership of around 16,000 businesses.

He highlighted the vitality of the Jordanian market and the ambition of local traders and investors to expand their operations both domestically and internationally.

Shoha also emphasized the chamber’s role in acting as a bridge between the Jordanian government and the private sector. He stressed the importance of dialog in overcoming obstacles and seizing new opportunities for growth.

While acknowledging the impact of regional political instability on investment, Shoha expressed confidence in Jordan’s ongoing efforts to attract foreign capital.
He said that, under the leadership of King Abdullah II, the government was focused on removing investment barriers by continuously updating laws, legislation, and infrastructure to enhance the business environment.

Bolger affirmed Ireland’s commitment to expanding its trade ties with Jordan and extended an invitation to Jordanian investors to visit Ireland to explore the country’s investment climate and opportunities.

Both sides exchanged views on promoting sustainable cooperation and building strategic partnerships aimed at fostering economic growth and enhancing trade and investment ties between the two nations.


Israel launches strikes on Yemeni Houthi targets

An Israeli fighter jet returning to base flies above an area near Tel Aviv on September 26, 2024. (File/AFP)
An Israeli fighter jet returning to base flies above an area near Tel Aviv on September 26, 2024. (File/AFP)
Updated 22 min 13 sec ago
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Israel launches strikes on Yemeni Houthi targets

An Israeli fighter jet returning to base flies above an area near Tel Aviv on September 26, 2024. (File/AFP)
  • Israeli military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power plants and a sea port at the Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports

TEL AVIV: Israel launched strikes at Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday after the Houthi militants fired missiles at Israel over the past two days, marking a fresh exchange in another front of the regional conflict.
The Israeli military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, attacked power plants and a sea port at the Ras Issa and Hodeidah ports.
The strikes caused power outages in most parts of the port city of Hodeidah, residents said.
“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the statement said.
Yemen’s Houthi militants have fired missiles and drones at Israel repeatedly in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians, since the
Gaza war
began with a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
In their latest attack, the Houthis said they had launched a ballistic missile on Saturday toward the Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, which Israel said it intercepted. Israel also intercepted another Houthi missile on Friday.
The Houthi movement earlier mourned Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, its ally in an Iran-backed alliance opposing Israel, following his death in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut.


Pope Francis, asked about Israeli strikes, slams attacks that go ‘beyond morality’

Pope Francis talks to journalists on the flight back to Rome at the end of his four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg.
Pope Francis talks to journalists on the flight back to Rome at the end of his four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg.
Updated 37 min 28 sec ago
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Pope Francis, asked about Israeli strikes, slams attacks that go ‘beyond morality’

Pope Francis talks to journalists on the flight back to Rome at the end of his four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg.
  • Pontiff said countries cannot go “over the top” in using their military forces
  • “War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality,” he said

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT: Pope Francis, asked on Sunday about Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as well as non-combatants, criticized military attacks that he said go “beyond morality.”
On the flight back to Rome from Belgium, the pontiff said countries cannot go “over the top” in using their military forces. “Even in war there is a morality to safeguard,” he said. “War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality.”
Responding to a question during an in-flight press conference about Israel’s latest strikes, the 87-year-old pope said: “Defense must always be proportionate to the attack. When there is something disproportionate, you see a tendency to dominate that goes beyond morality.”
Francis, as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, often makes calls for an end to violent conflicts, but is usually cautious about appearing to determine the aggressors. He has spoken more openly in recent weeks about Israel’s military actions in its nearly year-long war against Hamas.
Last week, the pope said Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon were “unacceptable” and urged the international community to do everything possible to halt the fighting. In a Sept. 28 press conference, he decried the deaths of Palestinian children in Israeli strikes in Gaza.
Francis said on Sunday he speaks on the phone with members of a Catholic parish in Gaza “every day.” He said the parishioners tell him about conditions on the ground, and “also the cruelty that is happening there.”


Pakistani lawyers urge judges to distance themselves from proposed constitutional court

Pakistani lawyers urge judges to distance themselves from proposed constitutional court
Updated 29 September 2024
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Pakistani lawyers urge judges to distance themselves from proposed constitutional court

Pakistani lawyers urge judges to distance themselves from proposed constitutional court
  • Pakistan’s government is widely believed to establish a federal constitutional court by amending the constitution
  • The matter has raised widespread concerns among independent lawyers, opposition parties and constitutional experts

ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of Pakistani lawyers on Sunday urged judges to distance themselves from a proposed federal constitutional court in the country, saying that any complicity in this regard would be tantamount to the “defacement” of the constitution.
Pakistan’s government this month sought to get a package of 52 history-making constitutional amendments passed in parliament but did not present it after failing to secure the required two-thirds majority needed for them to pass.
The proposed amendments are expected to establish a federal constitutional court, raise the retirement age of superior judges by three years and modify the process for the appointment of chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The matter has raised widespread concerns among lawyers, opposition parties and independent experts who say the moves are aimed at increasing the government’s power in making key judicial appointments and dealing with the defection of lawmakers during house votes.
“An assault on our Constitutional compact is being cloaked in the thin garb of arguments grounded in the supremacy of law. These are arguments that do not withstand the slightest intellectual scrutiny, given any serious consideration,” a group of over 300 senior lawyers said in an open letter addressed to the judges of high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
“We urge you — the judges of our constitutional courts — not to recognize this proposed court if such a bill is passed. We urge those of you who may be hand-picked to serve on it not to do so. Complicity will be no defense of the Constitution: it will be its defacement.”
This week, Aqeel Malik, a government spokesman on legal affairs, said Pakistan’s ruling coalition would table the constitutional amendments package in parliament in the first week of October.
The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged that the amendments are an attempt to grant an extension to incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who is widely viewed to be aligned with the ruling coalition and in opposition to its chief rival, the PTI.
Pakistan’s defense minister this month rejected the allegations and said the amendments would address “constitutional imbalances,” adding that public representatives had the right to undo any “intrusions” into parliamentary powers and the constitution.
“We refuse to engage, in good faith, with any such ideas because they are not ideas rooted in good faith,” the lawyers said, in their open letter to the judges of Pakistan’s superior courts.


ACWA Power, Badeel, and SAPCO reach $3.2bn financial close on 3 solar PV projects  

ACWA Power, Badeel, and SAPCO reach $3.2bn financial close on 3 solar PV projects  
Updated 29 September 2024
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ACWA Power, Badeel, and SAPCO reach $3.2bn financial close on 3 solar PV projects  

ACWA Power, Badeel, and SAPCO reach $3.2bn financial close on 3 solar PV projects  

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s upcoming solar photovoltaic projects — Haden, Muwayh, and Al Khushaybi — have reached financial close, securing a total investment of $3.2 billion.  

Spearheading these initiatives is the Kingdom’s energy transition leader, ACWA Power, along with Public Investment Fund-owned Water and Electricity Holding Co., also known as Badeel, and Saudi Aramco Power Co., an Aramco subsidiary.  

The projects will deliver a combined solar capacity of 5.5 gigawatts.  

These initiatives are part of Saudi Arabia’s National Renewable Energy Program, which is overseen by the Ministry of Energy and is reflected in PIF’s commitment to develop 70 percent of the country’s renewable energy target capacity by 2030.  

“Financial closure of the projects signals our dedication and commitment to providing clean, consistent and cost-effective energy. We are grateful to our stakeholders and our financial partners for their invaluable support in enabling us to make this vision a reality,” said Marco Arcelli, CEO of ACWA Power.  

The Haden and Muwayh plants, each with a capacity of 2 GW, are located in the Makkah region, while the Al Khushaybi plant, with a capacity of 1.5 GW, is situated in the Qassim region.  

The facilities will be jointly owned by Badeel, ACWA Power, and SAPCO, with the Saudi Power Procurement Co. serving as the procurer and off-taker for the projects.  

The $2.5 billion senior debt financing for these projects was secured through a consortium of local, regional, and international banks, including Banque Saudi Fransi, Mizuho Bank, and Riyad Bank, as well as the Saudi National Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and HSBC. 

“Reaching the financial close of these solar PV projects represents a major milestone in our journey to support Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing renewable energy sector and contribute to PIF’s commitment to developing 70 percent of Saudi Arabia’s renewable energy by 2030,” Sultan Al-Nabulsi, acting CEO at Badeel, said.  

This financial close follows significant investments by PIF in the renewable energy value chain. In July, PIF announced three new joint ventures to boost local production of wind turbine and solar PV components, with the intention of leveraging the global energy transition and supporting efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a manufacturing hub for the renewables sector.  

PIF and its partners are currently developing several projects with a total capacity of 13.6 GW, representing investments of over $9 billion.  

These projects include Sudair, Shuaibah 2, Ar Rass 2, Al Kahfah, and Saad 2 and are intended to support local private sector development through increased domestic supply chain participation.  

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with ACWA Power and Badeel, providing further impetus for the Kingdom’s rapidly growing renewables sector. Together, we are taking our renewables portfolio to the next level, advancing the energy transition to meet the rising demand for power with fewer emissions,” the Senior VP of New Energies at Saudi Aramco, Waleed Al-Saif, said.  

With the addition of these three new projects, ACWA Power’s solar portfolio in Saudi Arabia now includes 14 projects, totaling more than 17.8 GW of combined PV capacity. This brings ACWA Power’s total renewable capacity portfolio to 35 GW.