UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel
UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel/node/2606354/world
UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel
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An Israeli military vehicle manoeuvres near the Israel-Gaza Border, as seen from Israel, June 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 30 June 2025
Reuters
UK court rejects NGO’s case over F-35 parts to Israel
Updated 30 June 2025
Reuters
LONDON: Britain’s decision to allow the export of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel, despite accepting they could be used in breach of international humanitarian law in Gaza, was lawful, London’s High Court ruled on Monday.
Al-Haq, a group based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, had taken legal action against Britain’s Department for Business and Trade over its decision to exempt F-35 parts when it suspended some arms export licenses last year.
The UK had assessed that Israel was not committed to complying with international humanitarian law in Israel’s ongoing military campaign. But Britain did not suspend licenses for F-35 components, which go into a pool of spare parts that Israel can use on its existing F-35 jets.
Britain said suspending those licenses would disrupt a global program that supplies parts for the aircraft, with a knock-on impact on international security and “undermine US confidence in the UK and NATO.” Al-Haq had argued at a hearing last month that the decision was unlawful as it was in breach of Britain’s obligations under international law, including the Geneva Convention, but the High Court dismissed the group’s challenge.
Russia drone incursion in Poland may have been by ‘mistake:’ Trump
Updated 23 sec ago
AFP
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the alleged incursion of Russian drones into neighboring Poland may have happened by “mistake.”
“It could have been a mistake,” Trump told journalists.
His remark that seemed to make excuses for Russia followed an ambiguous initial response to the provocative act by Moscow that has put the United States’ NATO allies in Europe on edge.
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform late Wednesday morning, nearly a half-day after Poland announced that several Russian drones entered its territory over the course of many hours and were shot down with help from NATO allies.
Trump’s comment stood in sharp contrast to the strong condemnation by several European leaders and was notably less robust than that of his ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.
“We stand by our @NATO Allies in the face of these airspace violations and will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Whitaker posted on X.
The incursion occurred as the US leader is struggling to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to engage in direct peace talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to end Russia’s more than 3-year-old war in Ukraine.
Invasive plants and bacteria threaten Iraq’s Euphrates
Updated 11 September 2025
AFP
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s Euphrates River is running at historically low levels as the drought-stricken country faces its worst water scarcity in living memory.
Its 46 million people face rising temperatures, chronic water shortages, and year-on-year droughts, in a country intensely impacted by climate change.
The impact has been felt most acutely in the south, where reduced flow is fueling water pollution and the rapid spread of algae.
The once-mighty Tigris and Euphrates, which have irrigated the country for millennia, originate in Turkey, and authorities in Iraq have repeatedly blamed upstream Turkish dams for significantly reducing river flows.
“In recent weeks, the Euphrates has seen its lowest water levels in decades,” particularly in the south, said Hasan Al-Khateeb, an expert from the University of Kufa.
Iraq currently receives less than 35 percent of its allocated share of the Tigris and Euphrates, according to authorities.
To maintain the flow of the Euphrates, Iraq is releasing more water from its dwindling reservoirs than it receives, a measure that may not be sustainable.
Khaled Shamal, spokesman of the Water Resources Ministry, said that water reserves in artificial lakes “are at their lowest in the history of the Iraqi state.”
Reserves have fallen from 10 billion cubic meters in late May to less than 8 billion, which is less than 8 percent of their capacity.
BACKGROUND
Iraq’s 46 million people face rising temperatures, chronic water shortages, and year-on-year droughts, in a country intensely impacted by climate change.
Reduced water flow has resulted in poor water quality and poses a threat to the Euphrates ecosystem.
Khateeb said that releasing water from aging reserves to feed the river has led to the spread of algae, which depletes oxygen and endangers aquatic life.
The environment ministry warned Sunday of increased bacterial pollution and large areas of algae in Karbala province.
Authorities have also warned of “very poor” water quality in the neighboring province of Najaf.
In Lake Najaf, a photographer said the once-lush lake has been reduced mainly to stagnant pools scattered across the basin.
In Nasiriyah, the capital of Dhi Qar province, a photographer saw water hyacinth blooming in the Euphrates.
Water hyacinths, present in Iraq since the 1990s, have become more prevalent due to the low water flow, which also worsen their impact, according to Al-Khateeb.
This invasive plant can absorb up to 5 liters of water per plant per day and obstructs sunlight and oxygen, which are vital for aquatic life.
The Environment Ministry said Monday it purifies water to strict standards, and the quality is so far “acceptable” and safe for use in cities in south and central Iraq.
LILONGWE, Malawi: Malawians vote for a new president next week in an election clouded by economic hardship as incumbent Lazarus Chakwera squares off against his predecessor in a race where few voters see a real alternative.
Three of the 17 candidates for the Sept. 16 polls have already served as president of the southern African nation, and another is the current vice president.
While the list of contenders is unusually crowded, voters have lost faith in the political class to deliver meaningful change to one of the poorest countries in the world, analysts say.
“Whether it is Chakwera or (his predecessor Peter) Mutharika, nothing changes for us. It’s like choosing between two sides of the same coin,” said Victor Shawa, a 23-year-old unemployed man in the capital, Lilongwe.
Optimism that accompanied Chakwera’s coming to power has long since been eroded by runaway inflation of around 30 percent, chronic fuel and foreign exchange shortages, and corruption scandals touching senior government figures.
“People feel trapped,” said Michael Jana, a Malawian national and political scientist at South Africa’s Wits University.
“The economy is in crisis, the politicians are the same, and many Malawians don’t believe this election will change their lives,” he said.
FASTFACT
Three of the 17 candidates for the Sept. 16 polls have already served as president of the nation, and another is the current vice president.
Chakwera, a 70-year-old preacher, wants a second term after a mixed performance during his first run, which was handed to him only after the 2019 election result was canceled over rigging claims.
The 2020 rerun gave Chakwera, leader of the Malawi Congress Party or MCP, nearly 59 percent of ballots, denying a second term to Mutharika, a lawyer, from the Democratic Progressive Party, who had been ahead in the tarnished first round.
“I will vote for Chakwera because he has improved road infrastructure and supported youth businesses,” said 20-year-old Mervis Bodole, a small trader from central Malawi.
“But the cost of living is still too high, and many of us are struggling.”
Mutharika, 85, is banking on discontent with Chakwera to revive his political fortunes.
But his own term, which ran from 2014 until 2020, was marked by economic stagnation, shortages of basic goods, and allegations of cronyism.
According to a survey of 2,400 voters by the Institute of Public Opinion and Research, or IPOR, released last week, Mutharika leads with 41 percent ahead of Chakwera at 31 percent.
As outright victory requires 50 percent plus one vote, analysts say a second round is all but inevitable.
Results are due a week after voting.
Joyce Banda, Malawi’s only female president (2012-2014), and Vice President Michael Usi are also running, but their chances are seen as slim, and any role of kingmaker may go to former Central Bank Gov. Dalitso Kabambe, who polls a distant third.
For most Malawians, the choice on election day — when hundreds of local and parliamentary seats are also up for grabs — boils down to a single issue.
“The economy, the economy, and the economy — in that order — is what is driving this election,” said Boniface Dulani, a lecturer in politics at the University of Malawi.
“Inflation, fuel shortages and corruption have eroded public trust in Chakwera, whose support has nearly halved since 2020,” he said.
While Chakwera has been in power, the country has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2023’s Cyclone Freddy which killed more than 1,200 people, and successive droughts.
But critics argue that these exposed, rather than excused, the administration’s lack of strategy.
“When people cannot afford food, when jobs are scarce, when inflation is out of control — those factors influence the vote more than anything else,” said Bertha Chikadza, president of the Economics Association of Malawi.
“Young people are told we are the future,” Shawa said.
“But when we look at these elections, all we see are the same old faces fighting for power while we fight to survive.”
LONDON: ֱ’s leading defense organizations are this week taking part in Defense and Security Equipment International in London, an arms fair that brings together global leaders from the security and military industries.
The General Authority for Military Industries is supporting the pavilion at the event, which includes entities such as ֱn Military Industries, Saudi Chemical Co. Ltd., Saudi Co. GDC Middle East and the World Defense Show.
ֱ is currently undergoing significant changes to its defense sector. As part of Vision 2030, it plans to become a global manufacturing and technology hub and localize more than half of its military spending.
A view of ֱ’s pavilion at the Defense and Security Equipment International arms fair in London. (Bahar Hussain/AN Photo)
Although the Kingdom is one of the world’s major arms importers — sourcing nearly 74 percent of its weapons from the US, with the rest coming from Spain, the UK and France — its spending on foreign weapons fell by almost 41 percent between 2020 and 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
The drop was due to temporary delays in deliveries, resulting from the gap between using and replacing weapons, the institute said.
In May, the US and ֱ signed a $142 billion arms deal, which the White House described as the largest defense sales agreement in history.
ֱ wants to position itself as a kind of core around innovation. So the show’s theme really is about positioning the Saudi defense industry as a hub for innovation
Andrew Pearcey, CEO
The third edition of the World Defense Show will be held in Riyadh in February. More than 80 countries and 925 exhibitors are expected to take part in the event, whose theme is “The Future of Defense Integration.”
WDS CEO Andrew Pearcey said: “The future of defense integration is really mirroring what’s going on in the industry, which is this move to the seamless integration between all of the (military) domains.
“ֱ wants to position itself as a kind of core around innovation. So the show’s theme really is about positioning the Saudi defense industry as a hub for innovation.”
Ahmad Al-Ohali, the governor of GAMI, on Tuesday launched the Saudi pavilion at the London exhibition in the presence of representatives from the country’s military and diplomatic corps. (GAMI)
One of the features of the show will be the “Future Defense Lab,” which showcases how innovative integration across air, land, sea, space and security can create new commercial and collaborative opportunities.
Others include the “Naval Zone,” which focuses on maritime technology, assets and crafts, and the “Unmanned Systems Zone,” which Pearcey described as one of the highlights.
“We are in the desert and that’s great,” he told Arab News. “We’ve got the area to demonstrate unmanned vehicles and bring in all the latest unmanned technology, (including) robotics in one area and showcase it … in the air or on the ground.”
Since its creation in 2022, the WDS has supported many Saudi small- and medium-sized enterprises operating in the military and security sectors.
We created an area called the ‘Saudi supply chain’, which aims to bring Saudi companies, authorities and international arms manufacturers to work together to try to localize the 50 percent of spending by 2030
Mansour Al-Babtain, VP Commercial Partnerships
Mansour Al-Babtain, vice president for commercial partnerships and liaison, told Arab News that next year’s event aimed to, “put ֱ in a position of one of those big countries in the defense sector.”
“We created an area called the Saudi supply chain, which (aims) to bring Saudi companies, authorities and international (arms manufacturers) to work together to try to localize the 50 percent (spending) by 2030,” he said.
The former Royal Saudi Air Force fighter pilot said the WDS had, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and 80 colleges and universities, set up the “Future Talent Program” to support the next generation of Saudi defense professionals.
On the aim of February’s show, he said: “Our target is not only to bring exhibitors (to the WDS), but also to bring investors to our country. We are holding an investor program … to encourage international and local investors to be a part of the (Saudi defense) sector.”
GAMI was established in 2017 and is ֱ’s military regulator. (Bahar Hussain/AN Photo)
The show would also include a “Meet the KSA” feature that would enable investors to meet government authorities who could explain “how the ecosystem works,” he said.
Ahmad Al-Ohali, the governor of GAMI, on Tuesday launched the Saudi pavilion at the London exhibition in the presence of representatives from the country’s military and diplomatic corps. It showcases key products and the industrial capabilities ֱ will use to enhance its defense sector.
GAMI, which is the Kingdom’s military regulator, was established in 2017 and formed the WDS as part of a broader strategy to support national security and promote sustainable economic development.
Albania appoints AI-generated minister to avoid corruption
Edi Rama: ‘Diella is the first (government) member who is not physically present, but virtually created by AI’
Rama: ‘Diella will be entrusted with all decisions on public tenders, making them ‘100-percent corruption-free’
Updated 11 September 2025
AFP
TIRANA, Albania: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Thursday he had appointed the world’s first AI-generated government minister to oversee public tenders, promising its artificial intelligence would make it “corruption-free.”
Presenting his new cabinet at a meeting of his Socialist Party following a big May election victory, Rama introduced the new “member,” named “Diella” — “sun” in Albanian.
“Diella is the first (government) member who is not physically present, but virtually created by artificial intelligence,” Rama said.
Diella will be entrusted with all decisions on public tenders, making them “100-percent corruption-free and every public fund submitted to the tender procedure will be perfectly transparent,” he added.
Diella was launched in January as an AI-powered virtual assistant — resembling a woman dressed in traditional Albanian costume — to help people use the official e-Albania platform that provides documents and services.
So far, it has helped issue 36,600 digital documents and provided nearly 1,000 services through the platform, according to official figures.
Rama, who secured a fourth term in office in the elections, is due to present his new cabinet to lawmakers in the coming days.
The fight against corruption, particularly in the public administration, is a key criterion in Albania’s bid to join the European Union.
Rama aspires to lead the Balkan nation of 2.8 million people into the political bloc by 2030.
