20/03/2025

THURSDAY | MAR 20, 2025

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Maersk denies shipping arms to Israel during conflict COPENHAGEN: Maersk on Tuesday denied shipping arms or ammunition to Israel during its war in Gaza, in response to a shareholder proposal at its annual general meeting but acknowledged shipping military-related cargo. “Maersk has a strict policy of not shipping weapons or ammunitions into any active conflict zone,” CEO Vincent Clerc told shareholders. The proposal to ban Maersk from shipping arms to Israel was put forward by Danish shareholder group Kritiske Aktionærer. Activist group Eko in a separate proposal called for Maersk to enact greater transparency in its human rights processes, particularly focusing on high-risk areas, including arms shipments. “We are fully compliant with all applicable laws,” said Clerc, adding that Maersk acts in accordance with UN guiding principles on business and human rights and OECD guidelines on responsible business conduct. UN experts have called on countries to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, arguing that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounted to genocide. Maersk ships cargo to Israel for US government agencies with its US subsidiary Maersk Line Limited. Both shareholder proposals were dismissed by shareholders. The family-owned holding company Maersk Holding owns 41.5% of the shares and 54.5% of the votes in the Danish company. Investigative media outlet Danwatch and Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet have reported bills of ladings from Maersk, which showed it had shipped armoured combat vehicles and other military hardware to Israel. Clerc said Maersk does transport military related cargo, albeit in accordance with all laws. “When we draw a line between what we accept to transport and what we don’t, it’s done after a very careful assessment and considering recommendations and regulations. We realise that our line may not coincide with the wishes of everybody,” said Clerc. Denmark, where Maersk is headquartered, does not have an arms embargo and has not imposed any restrictions on sending weapons to Israel. – Reuters TURKIYE DETAINS MAIN ERDOGAN RIVAL ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities detained President Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival yesterday on charges of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, in what the main opposition party called “a coup attempt against our next president”. Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), faces two separate investigations that also include charges of leading a crime organisation, bribery and tender rigging. CHP was poised to name him its challenger to Erdogan. Imamoglu said he would not give up and would continue standing straight in the face of pressure. – Reuters SIX DEAD, 40 MISSING IN MIGRANT SHIPWRECK ROME: Six people died and 40 are missing after a migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean, the United Nations said yesterday, with Italian media reporting the boat went down off the island of Lampedusa. Italy’s coastguard pulled 10 people to safety off the tiny rocky outcrop of Lampione. Those rescued said there had been 56 people on board when it left but only six bodies, all male, were recovered from the area. The migrants were from the Ivory Coast, Mali, Gambia and Cameroon. – AFP

Palestinians fleeing their homes in Rafah after Israel’s military issued evacuation orders on Tuesday. – REUTERSPIC

Hamas has not closed door on talks, says official

Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Palestinians said an Israeli drone fired at several fishing boats near Gaza City, setting several of them ablaze. The Israeli army yesterday dropped leaflets in Beit Hanoun and Khan Younis in the northern and southern Gaza Strip, ordering residents to evacuate their homes warning them they were in “dangerous combat zones”. “Staying in the shelters or the current tent put your lives and that of your family members in danger, evacuate immediately,” read a leaflet dropped in Beit Hanoun. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of breaching the truce, which had broadly held since January and offered respite for the 2.3 million inhabitants of Gaza, which has been reduced to rubble. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered strikes because Hamas had rejected proposals to secure a ceasefire extension. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones, 35 of them over the border Kursk region. The ministry reports only how many drones were destroyed, not how many were launched by Ukraine. Authorities in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar said yesterday a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a small fire at an oil depot near the village of Kavkazskaya. SHOT news in Russia posted a video of blazes at night at an industrial area, describing it as an important facility for transporting oil exports by rail and pipeline. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said flights were suspended for a few hours on Tuesday from airports in Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Nizhnekamsk to “ensure air safety”. – Reuters

“We have no conditions, but we demand that the occupation be compelled to immediately halt its aggression and war of extermination, and begin the second phase of negotiations,” Nunu said. He called on the international community to “take urgent action” to end the war, while accusing Israel of “violating the ceasefire agreement it signed”. Determined to force Hamas to agree to the release of more hostages, Israel on Tuesday launched the biggest and deadliest wave of air strikes since the truce took effect. The truce agreement brokered by Qatar, the United States and Egypt took effect more than 15 months into the war. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, Israel’s strikes on Tuesday killed more than 400 people, making it one of the deadliest days in Gaza in the entire war. hit in southern Russia, causing a fire. In Sumy, regional authorities said Russian drone attacks also damaged two hospitals, causing no injuries but forcing the evacuation of patients and hospital staff. In Kyiv region, authorities said a 60-year-old man was injured. Most of the damage near the capital was in the Bucha district, where police said airstrikes destroyed or damaged 18 houses, 20 flats, 19 cars, two shops and a cafe. Ukraine also reported Russian strikes on the city of Sloviansk near the front line around the time of the phone call on Tuesday, which left part of the city without power. Zelensky said Russia launched more than 40 drones against Ukraine in the hours following the call between Trump and Putin. The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 145 drones. Air defences shot down 72 of them and 56 were lost.

o ‘Noneedfornewagreements’

CAIRO: Hamas has not shut the door on negotiations, an official from the group said yesterday, after Israel launched its most intense bombardment of Gaza since a Jan 19 ceasefire. “Hamas has not closed the door on negotiations but we insist there is no need for new agreements,” Taher al-Nunu told AFP on the phone from Cairo, also calling for Israel to be forced to implement the ceasefire. “There is no need for new agreements in light of the existing agreement signed by all parties,” he said. Under the ceasefire deal drafted under former US president Joe Biden’s administration, a second phase of the truce should have begun early this month.

The agreement stipulated that Israeli forces should withdraw from Gaza and that a more lasting ceasefire should take effect during a second phase. Russia, Ukraine report air attacks after pause call The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas site in northern Gaza, where they detected preparations for firing into Israeli territory. Israeli naval vessels attacked several boats it said were intended to carry out attacks by Hamas, which still holds 59 hostages, accused Israel of jeopardising efforts by mediators to negotiate a permanent deal to end the fighting. – AFP/Reuters

BR I E F S

MOSCOW: Russia and Ukraine accused each other yesterday of launching air attacks that struck civilian targets including infrastructure, just hours after President Vladimir Putin told President Donald Trump he would pause attacks on Ukraine’s energy system. In their call on Tuesday, Putin declined to endorse a full 30-day ceasefire sought by Trump and previously accepted by Ukraine. Putin said he would agree to a limited pause in attacks on energy infrastructure, which was then accepted by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Both sides described scores of drone attacks. Ukrainian regional authorities said homes had been hit in the northeastern Sumy region and the region surrounding the capital, and attacks had hit the power system supplying railway services in the south. Russian authorities said an oil terminal was