Latest news with #185
Euronews
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
European dockworkers demand halt to arms shipments to Israel
European dockworkers are calling on EU governments to halt arms shipments and withdraw diplomatic support for Israel. They stress that international treaties state that weapons should not be exported to war zones where human rights are violated. 'Over the past two years, we've seen an increase in the movement of weapons through civilian ports,' says Josè Nivoi, a key figure in the Genoese dockworkers' movement. 'We've filed a number of legal complaints. An excuse they often use is that they frame it as a private transaction rather than a state-to-state arms transfer — as if they were trading bananas.' For years Nivoi has collected evidence about arms cargo loads in the port as a union manager. Dockworkers accuse authorities of deliberately keeping silent about controversial shipments. 'In Italy, Law no. 185 of 1990 in principle prohibits the transit and shipment of weapons to countries at war. We are calling for civilian ports not to be used to move arms.' In 2024, Italy announced that it had suspended shipments of military equipment to Israel, while honouring contracts signed before 7 October 2023. This translates into over €6 million in weapons, ammunition, maintenance and spare parts. Facts and figures on Israel's weapons' imports Israel imports almost 70% of its arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second supplier. Since 7 October 2023, it has exported 485 million euros worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1%. The UN Arms Trade Treaty and the European Common Position state that human rights violations and war crimes should prevent such sales. The EU Council Common Position is legally binding but it lacks enforcement. Member states can interpret it differently. Following the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have halted or restricted exports. There's little scrutiny over Hamas' weapons, mostly from Iran, which has not signed the UN arms trade treaty. Why does Israel receive military support from EU countries? The EU recently found that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations in Gaza. So why does Israel still receive military support from European countries? Giorgio Beretta, one of the most authoritative Italian analysts on the arms trade and a long-standing voice of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, explains that treaties are voluntary and then each country must commit to them. 'The regulations are sound. The problem lies in their enforcement, because there is always a wide margin of discretion,' says Giorgio Beretta of the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms, OPAL. Beretta says the information provided to national governments, which are responsible for ensuring weapons are not used to commit human rights violations, is often too vague. 'A general category might be indicated, such as 'aircraft' or 'naval vessels', but there's a big difference between aircraft used for ground attacks and aircraft used for rescue. By the time a parliament reviews exports, the weapons have often already been delivered.' In May, the EU announced a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement after finding Israel in breach of the trade deal's human rights clause, citing violations in Gaza and the West Bank. By July, the EU had postponed any actions, let alone any sanctions, including a possible arms embargo — yet again exposing its deep-rooted divisions over Israel.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Why are European arms reaching Israel?
European dockworkers are calling on EU governments to halt arms shipments and withdraw diplomatic support for Israel. They stress that international treaties state that weapons should not be exported to war zones where human rights are violated. 'Over the past two years, we've seen an increase in the movement of weapons through civilian ports,' says Josè Nivoi, a key figure in the Genoese dockworkers' movement. 'We've filed a number of legal complaints. An excuse they often use is that they frame it as a private transaction rather than a state-to-state arms transfer — as if they were trading bananas.' For years Nivoi has collected evidence about arms cargo loads in the port as a union manager. Dockworkers accuse authorities of deliberately keeping silent about controversial shipments. 'In Italy, Law no. 185 of 1990 in principle prohibits the transit and shipment of weapons to countries at war. We are calling for civilian ports not to be used to move arms.' In 2024, Italy announced that it had suspended shipments of military equipment to Israel, while honouring contracts signed before 7 October 2023. This translates into over €6 million in weapons, ammunition, maintenance and spare parts. Facts and figures on Israel's weapons' imports Israel imports almost 70% of its arsenal from the US, the world's largest arms exporter. Germany is Israel's second supplier. Since 7 October 2023, it has exported 485 million euros worth of weapons. Italy ranks third, supplying less than 1%. The UN Arms Trade Treaty and the European Common Position state that human rights violations and war crimes should prevent such sales. The EU Council Common Position is legally binding but it lacks enforcement. Member States can interpret it differently. Following Israel's war on Gaza, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have halted or restricted exports. There's little scrutiny over Hamas's weapons, mostly from Iran, which has not signed the UN arms trade treaty. Why does Israel receive military support from EU countries? The EU recently found that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations in Gaza. So why does Israel still receive military support from European countries? Giorgio Beretta, one of the most authoritative Italian analysts on the arms trade and a long-standing voice of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network, explains that treaties are voluntary and then each country must commit to them. 'The regulations are sound. The problem lies in their enforcement, because there is always a wide margin of discretion,' says Giorgio Beretta of the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms, OPAL. Beretta says the information provided to national governments, which are responsible for ensuring weapons are not used to commit human rights violations, is often too vague. 'A general category might be indicated, such as 'aircraft' or 'naval vessels', but there's a big difference between aircraft used for ground attacks and aircraft used for rescue. By the time a parliament reviews exports, the weapons have often already been delivered.' In May 2025, the EU announced a review of the EU Israel Association Agreement after finding Israel in breach of the trade deal's human rights clause, citing violations in Gaza and the West Bank. By July, the EU had postponed any actions, let alone any sanctions, including a possible arms embargo — yet again exposing its deep-rooted divisions over Israel.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
RM3.3 mln aid for rural communities in Gua Musang
GUA MUSANG: The government has allocated over RM3.3 million to support rural communities in Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis through the Essential Goods Distribution Programme. The initiative, running from this year until 2027, aims to provide six essential goods—white rice, white sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil, LPG, and RON95 petrol—at prices matching urban rates. Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail said the programme will benefit over 9,000 residents. 'This effort ensures rural consumers access basic necessities without price disparities,' he told reporters after the programme launch in Pos Brooke. Transportation costs for the goods will be fully covered by the government, with a contracted transporter delivering supplies from source points to rural sales centres. The estimated cost for Kuala Betis is RM1,185,409, while Pos Brooke's allocation exceeds RM2,187,840. Azman emphasised KPDN's commitment to improving rural livelihoods through this initiative. – Bernama
Barnama
2 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
KPDN Allocates Over RM3.3 Mln To Lessen Burden Of Rural Community
GUA MUSANG, July 29 (Bernama) -- The government has allocated over RM3.3 million to implement the Essential Goods Distribution Programme in areas around Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis for three years starting this year. Kelantan Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) director Azman Ismail said the programme was aimed at ensuring consumers in rural communities obtain basic goods at prices that are aligned with prices in urban areas. He said the programme, spanning this year to 2027, focuses on six main goods -- white rice, white sugar, wheat flour, cooking oil, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and RON95 petrol. 'The programme is expected to give great benefits to over 9,000 rural residents in Pos Brooke and Kuala Betis, and at the same time reduce the gap in the price of basic goods between urban and rural areas," he told reporters after the programme at Pos Brooke here today. Azman said the government will also bear the full costs of transportation for the six types of goods that are the basic needs of the people through the programme. "Transportation services are carried out by an appointed transporter company responsible for bringing goods from the point of source to the sales centre in the rural areas. "The estimated contract cost for the implementation of this programme for the three years is over RM1,185,409 in Kuala Betis and over RM2,187,840 in Pos Brooke," he said, adding that the KPDN would continue to be committed to ensuring the people's well-being through the implementation of this programme. -- BERNAMA
Arab Times
01-06-2025
- Health
- Arab Times
Crackdown on Fictitious Disabilities Files Saves Big Money
KUWAIT CITY, June 1: Acting Director of the Public Authority for Disabled Affairs (PADA) Wafaa Al-Mahanna revealed that the decision of the authority to suspend the files of persons with disabilities whose data have not been updated led to savings of KD166,445 per month or KD1.998 million per year, reports Al-Jarida daily. Al-Mahanna told the daily that the total number of these cases reached 826 -- 183 of which reported to the authority. He gave a breakdown of these cases as follows: three died in 2017, 2022 and 2025 respectively; 18 renewed their registration; 40 had appointments; 46 appeared before the committees but their renewal requests were denied; 25 renewed their registration with reduction in the severity of their disability -- from severe to moderate or from moderate to mild; 51 renewed their registration with the same degree of disability; and 643 neither reported to the authority nor responded to repeated calls to update their data and documents and re-submit them to the relevant medical committees. She confirmed that these individuals were given a 60- day grace period to respond and update their information, but they did not do so. She said the authority ensured that they were notified on the need to review their cases through various means like SMS messages, Sahel application or WhatsApp. 'After exhausting all available means, the authority was forced to suspend their files pending review and update,' she added. She revealed the financial impact of the suspension was as follows: 201 learning disability cases received a total of KD37,185,000 monthly or KD446,220,000 annually; 96 minor disability cases received KD17,760,000 monthly or KD213,120,000 annually; and 11 moderate disability cases received KD2,475,000 monthly or KD29,700,000 annually. On moderate disability cases receiving household worker and driver allowances; 277 cases got a total of KD27,700 monthly or KD332,400 annually; 114 moderate disability cases receiving personal, household worker and driver allowances got KD37,050 or KD444,600 annually; three severe disability cases receiving personal allowance got KD825 monthly or KD9,900 annually; 57 other severe disability cases receiving a household worker allowance got KD8,550 monthly or KD102,600 annually; 41 severe disability cases receiving personal, driver and household allowances got KD17,424 monthly or KD209,100 annually; five severe disability cases receiving household and disabled care allowances got KD2,250 monthly or KD27,000 annually; and 21 cases receiving personal, household, driver and disabled care allowances got KD15,225 monthly or KD182,700 annually.
