Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1541426
A 32-year-old man was arrest- ed for rape a day before he was scheduled to return to India to get married. Lukman Kizhakke Puthan Purayil is accused of raping a woman at his residence in Mo- sta on the night between 1 and 2 October. According to the woman, she was at his apartment when he served her alcohol, causing her to become heavily intoxicated. She told police that she had never consumed alcohol before this. The woman said she woke up the following morning com- pletely naked, with blood run- ning down her legs. Lukman was allegedly also naked beside her. When she asked what had happened, he reportedly told her that they had engaged in sexual intercourse. The alleged victim further in- formed officers that Lukman was set to leave Malta the next day to return to India for his wedding. Police subsequently arrested him at his workplace in Għaxaq. An audiovisual statement documenting the woman's ac- count was taken by investiga- tors. Bail was not requested at this stage, and Lukman was re- manded in custody. Inspectors Wayne Buhagiar and Italo Mizzi prosecuted to- gether with Attorney General lawyer Miriayah Borg Magistrate Nadia-Helena Vella presided over the case. Lawyer Victor Bugeja ap- peared for the man. 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 NOVEMBER 2025 NEWS MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt UN Security Council supports Trump's peace plan for Gaza THE UN Security Council has voted in favour of a US-drafted resolution which includes Don- ald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza. The resolution was backed by 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Somalia, with none voting against the proposal. Russia and China were the only two that abstained. Adopting it was an "impor- tant step in the consolidation of the ceasefire", a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General An- tonio Guterres said. The plan includes the establishment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which the US says has received contribution offers from multiple unnamed coun- tries. Hamas has rejected the res- olution, saying it fails to meet Palestinians' rights and de- mands. Writing on Telegram, they claimed the plan "imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people reject." They also said that assigning the international force with roles inside the strip, including disarming the resistance, will strip it of its neutrality. Under the resolution, the ISF will work with Israel and Egypt, along with a newly trained Pal- estinian police force, to help secure border areas and en- sure the process of permanent- ly disarming non-state armed groups, including Hamas. The Security Council also ap- proved the creation of a transi- tional governance body called the Board of Peace (BoP), which would supervise governance of a Palestinian technocratic, apo- litical committee and oversee the reconstruction of Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Under the resolution, both the ISF and the BoP would work alongside a Palestinian com- mittee and police force. Apart from this, reconstruction of Gaza would be financed from a trust fund backed by the World Bank. Trump called the Securi- ty Council vote "historic" and said it was a way of "acknowl- edging and endorsing" the BoP, with its final membership to be announced soon. He is expect- ed to chair the board. "This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the His- tory of the United Nations, will lead to further Peace all over the World, and is a moment of true Historic proportion!" he wrote on his Truth Social platform. Israel has strongly opposed the creation of a Palestinian state, with Arab states pressur- ing the resolution drafters to include Palestinian "self-deter- mination" in the text. The US, the Palestinian Au- thority, and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, in- cluding Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, have called for the quick adoption of the resolu- tion. Whilst Russia and China ab- stained from the vote, Moscow and Beijing criticised the reso- lution, stating there was little clarity about the mechanisms' composition, which did not en- sure the UN's participation and failed to affirm a commitment to the two-state solution. The initial phase of the plan came into force on October 10, when hostages and detainees were handed over between Isra- el and Hamas. JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt UN Security Council votes in favour of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza (Photo: UN News / Screenshot) Alleged rapist was scheduled to depart Malta to get married day after arrest File photo