25/03/2026

WEDNESDAY | MAR 25, 2026

9 ‘Breach of international law’

SUIT AGAINST WORLD CUP TICKET PRICES LAUSANNE: The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group filed a lawsuit yesterday with the European Commission against Fifa over “excessive ticket prices”for this year’s World Cup finals. The FSE and the Euroconsumers group said the tickets for the June 11-July 19 tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico were overpriced and complained that Fifa has a monopoly. “Euroconsumers and FSE have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against Fifa, alleging that the football body has abused its monopoly position to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions on European fans” FSE said. “The cheapest openly available final tickets now start at US$4,185 (RM16,562), more than seven times the cost of the cheapest 2022 World Cup final ticket.” – AFP SWEDEN TO DEPORT DISHONEST MIGRANTS STOCKHOLM: Sweden yesterday said it would put forward a Bill introducing a requirement for migrants to adhere to an “honest living” or face deportation. Its government is trying to push through reforms ahead of legislative elections in September. The new requirement would make it easier to withdraw residence permits for migrants. “Following laws and rules is a given, but it must also be a given that we do our best to live responsibly and not harm our country,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell said. “If you ignore paying your debts, if you cheat the benefits system, if you cheat your way to a Swedish residence permit ... then you do not have the right to be here.” – AFP HOFFMANN, FINK TO LEAD WEF GENEVA: The World Economic Forum (WEF) will not make further leadership changes, with co-heads Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink set to remain in their roles, Hoffmann told Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung . He said the pair had dropped the “interim” designation and would “still be in office as bosses next January”. Hoffmann, who represents the founding family of Swiss drugmaker Roche, and Fink, head of US investment firm BlackRock, took over leadership last year following the departure of founder Klaus Schwab. The WEF had initially indicated it would seek a permanent successor. Hoffmann said too many changes in a short period would not help the institution’s stability. – Bernama PENTAGON TIGHTENS PRESS RESTRICTIONS WASHINGTON: The Pentagon beefed up restrictions on journalists covering the US military on Monday, days after a court ruled that its earlier overhaul to press access was unconstitutional. The clampdown is the latest in a string of measures against journalists and news outlets often derided as “fake news” when their reporting displeases the administration. A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Defence Department’s changes to press access last year violated the constitution. But it responded with even tighter restrictions, announcing on Monday that it would close a press area called the Correspondents’ Corridor and that “all journalist access will require escort by authorised staff”. – AFP

BR I E F S

o German president says no going back

BERLIN: German President Frank Walter Steinmeier spoke yesterday of a “deep rift” with traditional ally the United States and said the US Israeli war on Iran was a “breach of international law”. In unusually strong comments, the German head of state said that just as there was no going back from Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, “there will be no going back to before Jan 20, 2025”, when US President Donald Trump entered the White House for a second time. “The rift is too deep and the trust in American power politics has been lost, not only among our allies but ... worldwide,” he said at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of the German Foreign Ministry. Although Steinmeier’s role is largely ceremonial, his words carry weight in Germany, which has not officially condemned the war against Iran. Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, said: “Our foreign policy does not become any more convincing simply because we do not call a breach of international law a breach of international law.” He stressed that the US-Israel war on Iran was, “in my view, in breach of international law”. “There is little doubt that, in any case, the justification of an

Israeli firefighters in Tel Aviv work to put out a fire following missile strikes yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

“The US government has a different world view to ours, one that shows no regard for established rules, partnership or hard-won trust. “We cannot change that. We must deal with it. But this is my conviction: we have no reason to align ourselves with this world view.” Israel said yesterday it had struck several areas of Iran, including Isfahan. – AFP Katz said there could be no homes or residents in areas of southern Lebanon where there was “terror” in the area, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah, whose fighters have continued to launch daily rocket and drone attacks into Israeli territory and battle Israeli troops in southern Lebanese villages. Katz said Israeli soldiers were manoeuvring to establish a “forward defensive line”, fighting Hezbollah and destroying infrastructure used by the group, including homes. For the second time this week, he said the approach was similar to that taken by the military in Gaza, clearing and demolishing buildings near the border “to create a defensive buffer and push the threat away from communities”. On Monday, influential Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel should annex southern Lebanon up to the river. Israel’s strikes on Lebanon have caused widespread destruction across the country’s south and parts of the capital, Beirut, and have killed more than 1,000 people. Over a million people have been forced from their homes. The UN human rights chief has criticised Israel’s actions, particularly its use of widespread evacuation orders. Among those killed are 120 children, 80 women and 40 medical personnel, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which does not otherwise distinguish between civilians and militants. – Reuters

in future”, while also making clear Germany would not enter the conflict. Steinmeier called the military campaign “a politically disastrous mistake” and “a truly avoidable, unnecessary war”. “Realism means we must be pragmatic in our dealings with this US administration and focus on our core interests,” he said. “But realism also means we must not compromise our own principles.

imminent attack on the US does not hold water,” he said. Germany’s head of government, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has harshly criticised Iran’s leadership and backed several key US-Israeli war goals but also stated that, had Berlin been consulted in advance, it “would have advised against” the war. Merz has repeatedly said Germany shares “the objective that Iran should no longer pose a threat

Israel to occupy swathe of southern Lebanon BEIRUT: Israel’s military will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, Defence Minister Israel Katz said yesterday, the first time Israel has clearly spelled out its intent to seize swathes of territory that make up nearly a tenth of Lebanon. with the military chief of staff that the military would “control the remaining bridges and the security zone up to the Litani”, and was creating a “defensive buffer”. The Litani River meets the Mediterranean about 30km north of the Israeli border with Lebanon. to the Israeli border as part of a campaign that Israel says is aimed at Hezbollah and not civilians. Under international law, attacks on civilian infrastructure, including homes and bridges, are generally prohibited.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Katz’s remarks. The military has previously said ground troops were carrying out limited and targeted raids close to the border.

Katz has previously threatened Lebanon’s government it would lose territory if it did not disarm Hezbollah. Katz said yesterday in a meeting

The military has destroyed five bridges over the river since March 13 and has accelerated the demolition of homes in Lebanese villages close

What’s left of an Amana fuel station in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr near Tyre yesterday. – AFPPIC