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Ghislaine moved to Texas prison WASHINGTON: Ghislaine Maxwell (pic) , the accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been moved from a prison in Florida to a minimum security facility in Texas, triggering an angry reaction from some of their victims. No reason was given for her is at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas,” a Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman said. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, interviewed Maxwell for two days at a Florida courthouse last week. Maxwell has offered to testify before Congress about Epstein if given immunity and has reportedly been seeking a pardon from Trump. She is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls. Two women who said they were sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell and the family of another accuser who recently committed suicide condemned the prison transfer. “It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Maxwell has received,” Annie and Maria Farmer and the family of Virginia Giuffre said in a statement. “Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted children, and she should never be shown any leniency,” they said. “Yet, without any notification to victims, the government has moved Maxwell to a minimum security luxury prison in Texas. This move smacks of a cover-up. The victims deserve better.” – AFP Trump deploys nuclear subs WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines on Friday in an extraordinary escalation of what had been an online war of words with a Russian official. Trump and Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, have been sparring on social media for days. Trump said he had “ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in appropriate regions. “Words are very important and can often lead to unintended consequences,” he saidd. Trump did not say in his post whether he meant nuclear powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. But in an interview with Newsmax that aired on Friday night, Trump said the submarines were “closer to Russia”. – AFP transfer but it comes a week after a top Justice Department official met her. “We can confirm Ghislaine Maxwell

New push to reach plastic pollution pact

300 disagreements to be addressed

whether to restrict production of new plastic, with petroleum producing nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia opposing limits. Another contentious point: establishing a list of chemicals considered dangerous, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of synthetic chemicals often called forever chemicals as they take an extremely long time to break down. Beeler, head of the IPEN network of activist groups working to eliminate pollutants said that no one wants the talks to go to a third round and the diplomats need to show progress. The “context is difficult”, a diplomatic source acknowledged on condition of anonymity, saying they could not ignore the changed US attitude towards multilateral initiatives under Donald Trump’s administration. – AFP

so small that not only do they find their way throughout the ecosystem but into human blood and organs, studies show, with largely unknown consequences on health. Despite the complexity of trying to reconcile the diverging interests – the environment, human health and industry – “it’s very possible to leave Geneva with a treaty”, said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen. The text published after the failed talks in South Korea contained 300 points that still needed to be resolved. “You have over 300 brackets in the text, which means you have over 300 disagreements,” said Bjorn Beeler, executive director and international coordinator at IPEN, a global network aimed at limiting toxic chemicals. “So 300 disagreements have to be addressed.” The most divisive issue is

PARIS: Negotiators will take another stab at reaching a global pact on plastic pollution at talks opening on Tuesday in Geneva but they face deep divisions over how to tackle the health and ecological hazard. The coming 10 days of talks involving delegates from 180 nations follows a failure to reach a deal last December on how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment each year. Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peak, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body. In 2022, countries agreed they would find a way to address the crisis by the end of last year, but the talks in Busan, South Korea failed to overcome

fundamental differences. One group of countries sought a binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals. However, a group of mostly oil-producing nations rejected production limits and wanted to focus on treating waste. The stakes are high. If nothing is done, plastic consumption could triple by 2060, according to OECD projections. Plastic waste in soils and waterways is expected to surge 50% by 2040, according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which is acting as the secretariat for the talks. Some 460 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is single-use. And less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled. Plastics break down into bits

UAE, Jordan lead aid airdrop ISTANBUL: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan led a multinational airdrop on Friday of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, joined by aircraft from France, Germany, Italy and Spain, according to the Foreign Ministry of the Gulf nation.

UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan spoke by phone with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, to discuss the humanitarian developments in Gaza and ways to enhance relief coordination efforts. Sheikh Abdullah said that, under the directives of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country continues to lead global initiatives to provide urgent humanitarian support to Palestinians in Gaza through land, air and sea operations amid severe humanitarian conditions. He said the 59th airdrop operation of humanitarian aid was carried out on Friday, led by the UAE and Jordan, alongside seven aircraft from France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Abdullah described the effort as an effective model of international cooperation in humanitarian response. The Israeli army announced earlier that it would allow foreign countries to airdrop aid into Gaza. Previously, aid parachuted into famine-stricken Gaza had been seen falling on civilians and causing fatalities. Some of the aid dropped from

Aid being airdropped from a Spanish Air Force airplane on Friday. – SPAIN DEFENCE MINISTRY/AFPPIC

Palestinian officials have said a minimum of 600 aid trucks are needed per day to meet the needs of the territory’s 2.4 million people. The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct 7, 2023, killing more than 60,300 Palestinians. The bombardment has devastated the enclave and led to food shortages. – Bernama

four Palestinians in Gaza faces famine-like conditions, and 100,000 women and children are suffering from acute malnutrition. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza for 18 years and, since March 2, has sealed all border crossings, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and worsening already dire conditions in the enclave.

planes also fell into the sea, prompting civilians to rush into the water. The parachute-drop method has drawn criticism. Last week, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that one-third of Gaza’s population had gone without food for several consecutive days due to the Israeli siege. The WFP estimates that one in