Dozens of migrants leave Albania after Italian court ruling

Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP)
Migrants board an Italian Coast Guard vessel as part of a transfer operation from the asylum processing centers in Albania back to Italy following a court decision in Rome, at the port of Shengjin, northwestern Albania, Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (AP)
Short Url
Updated 01 February 2025
Follow

Dozens of migrants leave Albania after Italian court ruling

Dozens of migrants leave Albania after Italian court ruling

SHENGJIN: Dozens of migrants left Albania in Italian custody on Saturday after a ruling by judges in Rome struck a fresh blow to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s embattled third-country migration centers.
According to an AFP reporter, an Italian boat carrying 43 migrants departed from the Albanian port of Shengjin just after midday on Saturday.
The migrants arrived in Albania on Tuesday, following an earlier months-long pause in the scheme. Several were sent back the same day, while dozens remained.
On Friday, Rome’s Court of Appeals referred the case to the European Court of Justice, or ECJ, meaning the 43 migrants in Albania had to be transferred to Italy, said a government source.
Meloni’s plan to outsource migrant processing to a non-EU country and speed up repatriations of failed asylum seekers is being followed closely by other European nations.
The plan, heavily criticized by rights groups and opposition parties in Italy, has run into repeated blocks, and the ECJ is examining legal questions raised by several Italian courts.
The migrants sent to Albania were among a group intercepted by Italian authorities as they tried to cross the Mediterranean.
Most hailed from Bangladesh, while there were also six Egyptians, one man from Ivory Coast and one from Gambia, said rights associations.
Meloni signed a deal with Albanian counterpart Edi Rama in November 2023 to open two Italian-run centers in Albania.
The centers became operational in October, but after judges ruled against the detentions of the first two groups of men transferred there, they were instead sent to Italy.
Like many other countries, Italy has a list of so-called safe countries from which asylum seekers can have their applications fast-tracked.
The judges who blocked the first transfer of migrants cited an ECJ ruling stipulating that EU states can only designate entire countries as safe, not parts of countries.
Italy’s list included some countries with unsafe areas.
In response, Meloni’s government passed a law cutting its safe list to 19 countries from 22 — and insisting all parts of those nations were safe.
But judges ruled against a second transfer of migrants — seven men from Egypt and Bangladesh — saying they wanted clarification from the ECJ.
According to Italian media, an ECJ hearing has been provisionally set for February.

 


South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
Updated 54 min 21 sec ago
Follow

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid

South Africa condemns ‘misinformation’ after Trump freezes aid
  • “We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation,” the government said
  • South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa condemned on Saturday US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze aid to the country over a law he alleged allows land to be seized from white farmers.
“We are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation,” the government said.
“It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.”
The law would “enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation,” Trump alleged in an executive order, which also noted foreign policy clashes between the two countries over the war in Gaza.
South Africa said it “has taken note” of Trump’s executive order, but added: “It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.”
Land ownership is a contentious issue in South Africa, with most farmland still owned by white people three decades after the end of apartheid and the government under pressure to implement reforms.


War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say

War crimes prosecutor first target of Trump’s ICC sanctions, sources say
  • The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States
  • The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned

THE HAGUE: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan is the first person to be hit with economic and travel sanctions authorized by US President Donald Trump that target the war crimes tribunal over investigations of US citizens or US allies, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Khan, who is British, was named on Friday in an annex — not yet made public — to an executive order signed by Trump a day earlier, a senior ICC official and another source, both briefed by US government officials, told Reuters. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential matter.
The sanctions include freezing of US assets of those designated and barring them and their families from visiting the United States.
The order directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in consultation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit a report within 60 days naming people who should be sanctioned.
The ICC on Friday condemned the sanctions, pledging to stand by its staff and “continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all situations before it.” Court officials met in The Hague on Friday to discuss the implications of the sanctions.
The International Criminal Court, which opened in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council.
Dozens of countries warned on Friday that the US sanctions could “increase the risk of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the international rule of law.”
“Sanctions would severely undermine all situations currently under investigation as the Court may have to close its field offices,” the 79 countries — who make up about two-thirds of the court’s members — said in a statement.

UN DEAL WITH US
Under an agreement between the United Nations and Washington, Khan should be able to regularly travel to New York to brief the UN Security Council on cases it had referred to the court in The Hague. The Security Council has referred the situations in Libya and Sudan’s Darfur region to the ICC.
“We trust that any restrictions taken against individuals would be implemented consistently with the host country’s obligations under the UN Headquarters agreement,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday.
Khan was most recently in New York last week to brief the Security Council on Sudan.
“International criminal law is an essential element to fighting impunity, which is unfortunately widespread,” Haq said. “The International Criminal Court is its essential element, and it must be allowed to work in full independence.”
Trump’s move on Thursday — repeating action he took during his first term — coincided with a visit to Washington by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who — along with his former defense minister and a leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas — is wanted by the ICC over the war in the Gaza.
During a visit to the US Congress on Friday, Netanyahu praised Trump’s move, describing the court as a “scandalous” organization “that threatens the right of all democracies to defend themselves.”


Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth

Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth

Zelensky urges allies to ‘invest’ in mineral wealth
  • “We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them away to anyone, even to strategic partners,” Zelensky posted on social media
  • “It is about partnership. Put your money in. Invest. Let’s develop this together and make money”

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday Kyiv wants its allies to invest in its mineral resources after US President Donald Trump asked for “rare earths” in exchange for military aid.
“We have mineral resources. This does not mean that we give them away to anyone, even to strategic partners,” Zelensky posted on social media, quoting answers he had given in an interview with Reuters news agency.
“It is about partnership. Put your money in. Invest. Let’s develop this together and make money,” Zelensky said.
Trump said this week the United States was “looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.”
Quoting his Reuters interview, Zelensky said Ukraine’s mineral wealth was worth “trillions of dollars,” citing its reserves of titanium and uranium, which he described as the largest in Europe.
He said it is very important for Ukraine to “keep all this” because these resources represent “security guarantees,” adding that he also did not want them to fall into Russia’s hands.
Trump’s call for a deal involving rare earths prompted criticism from the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday,
“We are helping (Ukraine) without asking to be paid in return. This should be everyone’s position,” he told the RND media group.
The US president said on Friday he would “probably” meet Zelensky next week in a location outside Ukraine.
Zelensky wrote on X on Friday that Ukraine and the US were “planning meetings and talks” and “working out the details,” without confirming there would be talks next week.
Trump has urged both Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the war, which is nearing a third year with Russia making steady advances in east Ukraine.
The US leader has said he is ready to meet Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but no talks have been confirmed.


Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship

Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship

Amal Clooney takes up Oxford University professorship
  • Blavatnik School of Government ‘delighted’ to appoint leading British-Lebanese barrister
  • She has won landmark legal cases representing victims of genocide, sexual assault, persecution

LONDON: Leading British-Lebanese human rights barrister Amal Clooney has become a professor at Oxford University.

She will be a visiting professor of practice in international law at the Blavatnik School of Government, The Times reported.

The 47-year-old is an Oxford graduate, having studied law at St. Hugh’s College. She said she was honored to return to her alma mater as a professor.

The Blavatnik School of Government said it was “delighted” to appoint Clooney, adding that her expertise will enhance research and teaching at the school.

Clooney has won landmark legal cases representing victims of genocide, sexual assault and persecution at some of the world’s top courts, including the International Criminal Court.

She co-founded the Clooney Foundation for Justice with her husband in 2016. It provides legal aid for free speech and women’s right cases in more than 40 countries.

Clooney has published two textbooks on international law, and was a visiting professor at New York City’s Columbia Law School.

“It is a privilege to have this opportunity to engage with the next generation of global leaders and to contribute to the vibrant academic community at Oxford,” she said.

“I look forward to collaborating with both faculty and students to advance access to justice around the world.”


India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW

India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW
Updated 08 February 2025
Follow

India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW

India’s installed solar capacity surpasses 100 GW
  • Growth fueled by local solar module production
  • Country targets 280 GW solar capacity by 2030

NEW DELHI: India has announced that its installed solar power capacity has exceeded 100 GW as it aims to generate 500 GW of electricity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 under its Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement.

As of Jan. 31, India’s total installed solar capacity stood at 100.33 GW. Another 84.10 GW are under implementation and an additional 47.49 GW under tendering, according to data shared by New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday.

“India’s energy journey over the past 10 years has been historic and inspiring. Initiatives like solar panels, solar parks and rooftop solar projects have brought about revolutionary changes,” Joshi said in a statement.

“Today India has successfully achieved the target of 100 GW of solar energy production. In the field of green energy, India is not only becoming self-reliant but is also showing the world a new path.”

According to the ministry’s data, India’s solar power sector has increased capacity by 3,450 percent over the past decade, rising from 2.82 GW in 2014. That growth has been fueled by local solar module production, which in 2014 had a capacity of only 2 GW.

“Over the past decade, this has surged to 60 GW, establishing India as a global leader in solar manufacturing,” Joshi said in his statement. “With continued policy support, India is on track to achieve a solar module production capacity of 100 GW by 2030.”
Solar energy is the dominant contributor to the country’s renewable energy growth, accounting for 47 percent of the total installed renewable energy capacity.

“India’s milestone of 100 GW installed solar capacity is a testament to its rapid clean energy transition, proving its ability to scale renewable infrastructure ... However, challenges remain: grid integration, financing gaps, and the continued dependence on coal for baseload power highlight the complexities of India’s energy future,” Binit Das, renewable energy program manager at the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, told Arab News.

“As the country pushes toward its 280 GW solar target by 2030, addressing these hurdles will be key to ensuring a truly sustainable and resilient energy system,” Das added. “To truly achieve energy independence, India must complement solar with robust storage, hybrid solutions, and emerging technologies like green hydrogen and offshore wind. A diversified, resilient strategy is key to unlocking the full potential of renewables.”