THE HAGUE: Dutch judges on Wednesday turned down a lawsuit calling for a submarine deal between the Netherlands and France to be revised, saying there was “no reason” to further investigate the multi-billion-euro agreement.
The Netherlands in March picked French defense company Naval Group and its Dutch partner Royal IHC to build four new submarines for its navy, choosing the bid over one from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Swedish defense group Saab AB.
TKMS then filed an objection before The Hague District Court, saying it believed that the Dutch state “has wrongly judged that its offer is invalid.”
The Kiel-based ship and submarine builder wanted judges to order a repeat of the procurement process “in an adapted form” or that “at least various further investigations would be carried out and that a new award decision would then be made.”
Dutch judges however said the state’s decision to declare TKMS’s bid invalid was “on good grounds.”
“Contrary to what TKMS argued, there is no reason for further investigations into Naval’s submission,” it added.
“The judge therefore dismisses TKMS’s claims in the summary proceedings.”
The vessels are set to replace the Netherland’s four Walrus class subs which entered service in the early 1990s. One of the Walrus class subs was decommissioned last year so that its spare parts could be used to keep the other three in operation.
An outgoing Dutch parliament in June approved the deal, ahead of the new government led by Dutch MP Geert Wilders’ far-right PVV party.
The decision is a boon for Naval Group, coming three years after it abruptly lost a major contract to build 12 Barracuda submarines for Australia.
It also comes as European countries have stepped up military spending in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The submarines will be built in Naval Group’s shipyards, but there will also be an industrial cooperation accord to “reinforce the technological and industrial base of the Dutch defense industry,” the French defense ministry has said.
The first two subs are to enter service within 10 years of the contract being signed.
Dutch court tosses out submarine deal lawsuit
https://arab.news/pmv2n
Dutch court tosses out submarine deal lawsuit
- The Netherlands in March picked French defense company Naval Group and its Dutch partner Royal IHC to build four new submarines for its navy
- Dutch judges however said the state’s decision to declare TKMS’s bid invalid was “on good grounds“
Singapore arrests teen for planning Daesh-inspired stabbing spree
After watching Islamic State propaganda glorifying knife attacks, the 17-year-old visited the suburb to rehearse his attack before he was arrested in August, Home Minister K. Shanmugam said.
“He was quite serious because he actually practiced stabbing motions with the scissors. He checked out which place would cause death — basically the neck area — so he practiced hitting at the neck,” Shanmugam told reporters.
“I would say this was a very close shave. It is very fortunate that ISD (Internal Security Department) arrested him in time.”
The teenager, detained under the Internal Security Act, had allegedly planned a stabbing spree to coincide with school holidays in September when the area would be teeming with people.
In a statement released on Friday, ISD said the teenager was exposed to the deluge of online extremist materials posted by the Daesh group after Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
“He joined various online groups which provided updates on Daesh’s activities and bought into Daesh’s rhetoric of promoting the use of violence to establish an Islamic caliphate,” ISD said.
By January, “the youth had become a staunch Daesh supporter and aspired to die as a martyr while fighting for the group,” it added.
He took a pledge of allegiance to IS and intended to travel to Syria to fight there, according to ISD.
The teenager acted alone as he was unable to radicalize other people, ISD added.
His family noticed him watching videos of radical preachers and advised him to stop, but he continued, using “codewords” when discussing his beliefs online, the department said.
Angry Macron blasts media over reporting of Israel comments
- A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday faced accusations of seeking to reduce the media to merely reproducing press releases after blaming journalists, ministers and commentators for the furor over comments attributed to him on Israel.
A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels with a tirade against those who he accused of distorting remarks made in a closed-door cabinet meeting and showing a “lack of professionalism” in their work.
The remarks attributed to Macron that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as the state was created by the world body angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also sparked strong reactions in France.
His comments were quoted by two participants who spoke to AFP after the meeting and asked not to be named.
“Mr Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN,” Macron told ministers, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
Netanyahu accused Macron of a “distressing distortion of history” and “disrespect.” In France, the speaker of the upper house Senate, Gerard Larcher, said he was “astounded” by the remarks and accused the president of showing his “ignorance” of history.
“I would like you to allow me to recall a few rules,” Macron solemnly told reporters at the start of his news conference on Thursday.
“I must tell you how astonished I was to read so many comments, comments on comments, reactions, including from political leaders, foreign or French, to remarks that I made without seeking to know what exactly I said.”
Macron attacked “ministers,” “journalists” and “commentators” for the ensuing controversy, denying his remarks “as they were reported,” arguing his words were taken out of context.
“I believe I say enough about the situation in the Middle East not to need a ventriloquist,” he added.
He called on ministers to “show respect for the rules and functions so as not to circulate false information” and on journalists “to treat the remarks reported with the necessary precautions.”
After come critics in France questioned whether Macron had been casting doubt on Israel’s right to exist, the president said that “there is no ambiguity” in the position of France.
But the Association of the Presidential Press (APP), which groups together reporters covering the head of state, said Macron had “seriously questioned the ethics of the press, which investigates and cross-checks its sources rigorously.”
“Our work cannot be limited to repeating official statements. The definition of journalism cannot be a presidential prerogative,” it said.
With heavy sarcasm, Greens MP Benjamin Lucas said on X: “That’s right, journalists, why don’t you simply and blindly reproduce the official press releases? Why bother searching, by cross-checking sources, to seek the truth?“
But after a controversy that has dogged Macron all week some supporters applauded his reactions.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where the president retains leeway after the inconclusive outcome to summer legislative elections and appointment of a right-wing government left the centrist looking increasingly isolated.
“The voice of France in the world deserves better than the distortion of the truth. Those who engage in this are playing a very dangerous game for the country,” said pro-Macron MP Mathieu Lefevre.
Female entrepreneurs carve out a niche for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan
- 800 women in Herat province alone received business licenses in the past three years
- Most female-run businesses are in the apparel, handicraft, food and packaging sectors
KABUL: Barred from schools, restricted in public places and not allowed to work in most jobs, women in Afghanistan’s western Herat province are turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.
The employment rate has dropped significantly across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021 and their administration was hit with a host of international sanctions.
The situation is further aggravated by restrictions the Taliban have steadily imposed on women’s participation in the public sector, their secondary and higher education, and movement.
“The unemployed class is increasing, the education system is currently blocked, most women and girls are unemployed and stay at home, underage marriages have increased, and the economy is down,” said Shafiqa Barak, director of Afghan Barak, a clothing company based in Herat.
She is among an increasing number of businesswomen for whom entrepreneurship is a way to obtain some empowerment and independence.
As women have been absent from so many aspects of public life, Barak told Arab News that being professionally active was essential.
“Afghan Bark company has created work opportunities for 18 women ... creating jobs and creating work opportunities is today one of the basic needs of women in Afghanistan,” she said.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation, where there is no other way to improve my morale and earn income, gives me the best feeling because I make several families happy and help several women and girls get out of despair.”
She is not alone. Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat told Arab News that the number of women obtaining business licenses was increasing, with 800 permits received over the past three years.
These female-led businesses are in sectors such as apparel, carpet weaving, miniature painting, food production, processing and packaging.
“Most of them have licenses from the municipality, and some have licenses from the Department of Commerce,” she said.
“Overall, the Islamic Emirate is ready to support women in the private sector, including women’s participation in international exhibitions outside Afghanistan.”
With women only allowed to work as long as they work for women and among women, navigating the restrictions is not easy. It is further complicated by the sanctions that are in place and the fragile Afghan economy.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation not only gives me a sense of power and empowerment, but also an opportunity to prove that women are capable to overcome challenges and excel in different professional fields,” said Parisa Elhami, who runs Watan Collection, a fashion brand in Herat which currently employs 15 women.
“One of the main obstacles facing women entrepreneurs is legal and financial complications. Among these obstacles, we can point out the difficulties of obtaining a business license, high business tax costs, restrictions on access to suitable places to operate, and economic fluctuations that affect the sales market,” she told Arab News.
“For me, creating job opportunities for other women means fulfilling social responsibility and realizing the latent potential in society. This also leads to reduction of gender inequality, increasing women's social participation, and strengthening family foundations.”
Harris, Trump to rally voters in key state on same day
- Kamala Harris finds herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel
- While Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza
DEARBORN, United States: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will lead dueling rallies Friday in Michigan, a crucial battleground state where Arab American voters angered by US support for Israel may hold the key to a deadlocked race.
The killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar drew optimism from Vice President Harris for a Gaza ceasefire, but Israel quickly said his death is not the end of over a year of war.
Harris has found herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel, while Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza.
One of those voters in the extremely close race, 51-year-old Marwan Faraj, said he supported Biden but won’t cast a ballot for Harris because of her backing for Israel.
“They have been supporting this ethnic cleansing and genocide since day one, with our tax dollars, and that’s wrong,” said Faraj, who emigrated from Lebanon, referring to Biden and Harris.
The vice president, who replaced Biden on short notice in the race just three months ago, is holding a series of campaign events in Michigan on Friday to try to convince voters to back her.
“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Harris said in reaction to Sinwar’s death, “and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends.”
The Uncommitted movement, a pro-Palestinian group, stopped short of explicitly endorsing Harris earlier this month, but warned “it can get worse” under Trump.
One of the group’s co-founders, Lexi Zeidan, said voters should consider “the better antiwar approach” rather than “who is the better candidate.”
However, Abandon Harris, another group of anti-war voters, has endorsed fringe Green Party candidate Jill Stein, potentially turning her into a spoiler that would help elect Trump in swing states decided by just a few thousand votes.
Harris’s rival in the November 5 election, former president Trump, has yet to react to Sinwar’s killing but has expressed support for the Israeli campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The Republican candidate will also be in Michigan on Friday, for a major campaign rally in auto industry capital Detroit.
According to his campaign team, this will be an opportunity to detail how Michigan families have been hit by inflation under Biden and Harris’s leadership.
The economy, immigration and abortion are among the most hotly debated issues in a particularly tense and close election.
The candidates are racing toward election day with the Democratic vice president narrowly leading her Republican rival nationally and in several crucial swing states, although most polls are within the margin of error.
Harris’s momentum in the polls has plateaued in recent weeks, however, and both candidates have been on a blitz of new and traditional media as they try to win over the small number of undecided voters.
China’s President Xi to attend BRICS summit in Russia
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22 to 24, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
During his visit, Xi will attend the leaders’ meeting, the expert leaders’ dialogues and other activities, and have in-depth exchanges with leaders on the current international situation, Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.
China is ready to work with all parties to promote BRICS cooperation, to usher in a new era of unity and self-reliance in the Global South, and jointly promote peace and development in the world, Mao said.
