Will ICC step out of US shadow with warrant for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders?

ICC Attorney General Karim Khan requested the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, alongside Hamas leaders, on charges related to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, thus marking a significant departure from its historical alignment with US policies.

Christopher C. Black, a seasoned international criminal lawyer, argued that Khan's decision was foreseeable given the mounting global pressure and the International Court of Justice's suggestion of possible genocide. However, he criticized the timing and scope of the charges.

He also condemned the parallel charges against Hamas leaders, viewing them as politically motivated and potentially detrimental to ongoing peace negotiations. The inclusion of high-profile experts like Amal Clooney and Baroness Kennedy, both with connections to Western political agendas, adds another layer of complexity to the decision.

"Why Khan buckled finally vis a vis Israel is a question. The answer may be found in the "experts" so-called he called on to support him. The most important, Amal Clooney and Baroness Kennedy are assets of the British...But we may never know all the political shadow play that has gone on to produce this drama," said Black.

The US reaction, characterized by strong condemnation and threats of sanctions, was deemed predictable by both Black and Professor Alfred de Zayas, a former UN Independent Expert International Order. Black criticized the US for its hypocritical stance—denouncing charges against Israel while leveraging the ICC against Putin.

De Zayas, on the other hand, welcomed the ICC's move as a step towards restoring its credibility. He emphasized the need for accountability for all involved in the conflict.

"The credibility of the International Criminal Court improves by virtue of Karim Khan's request for the issuance of arrest warrants against both Israeli and Hamas leaders," he stated.

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💥 The Russian Armed Forces launched three strikes on energy facilities in the city of Shostka, Sumy region, including in the area of military warehouses, coordinator of the Nikolayev underground Sergey Lebedev told Sputnik. According to him, a strike was also carried out on energy facilities in Konotop, one of the largest railroad hubs in Ukraine.

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, who died in a helicopter crash with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, will be buried on Thursday morning in the city of Rey in Tehran Province, Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

The burial ceremony for Amirabdollahian will take place at the Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine at 11:00 a.m. local time (07:30 GMT), the report said.

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❗️EXCLUSIVE❗️

Tucker Carlson refutes reports that he has become a host on Russian television

Newsweek and several other outlets reported yesterday that Tucker Carlson launched his own show on Russian television, a claim that was then widely picked up by users on social media.

Tucker Carlson told Sputnik that this claim was unequivocally false.

“By claiming I work for a foreign government, Newsweek is trying to justify a FISA warrant that would allow the Biden administration to continue to spy on me. It’s disgusting,” he said.

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Blinken сlaims Iranians are better off with death of Raisi

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has claimed that the Iranian people and the world at large have benefited from the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

"Bearing in mind the horrific acts in which he was involved as a judge and president, and the fact that he cannot be involved in them in the slightest, yes, the Iranian people are probably better off… We are definitely not grieving over his death." he said when asked by Senator Ted Cruz if "the world is a better place now that Raisi is dead."

Blinken said the US does not mourn Raisi's passing and would not declare a moment of silence at the UN in his memory.

At the same time, the State Department issued condolences on the death of the Iranian president the previous day.

The helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian and other officials crashed on 19 May in the north-west of the country in the Verzegan region. The delegation was returning from a visit to Azerbaijan, where Raisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev participated in the opening ceremony of the Giz Galasi and Khudaferin hydroelectric complexes on the Araks border river.

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If France sends troops to Ukraine, then the retaliatory measures will go far beyond the political sphere, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s First European Department Artyom Studennikov told Sputnik.

"We note that the increasingly belligerent rhetoric of the French president, who does not rule out the possibility of sending French troops to Ukraine, does not encounter, mildly speaking, widespread support among EU and NATO allies and is rejected by a significant majority of the French people. Nevertheless, we cannot but take such statements, which in essence are veiled threats, with all seriousness," Studennikov said.

He noted that France's participation in Ukraine would make it a party to the conflict and increase the risk of a clash between two nuclear powers.

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🗣 "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has every opportunity to become a pillar of the multipolar system and a driving force in transforming Eurasia into a single continental space of peace. All participants in the Council of Foreign Ministers spoke of this," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the possibility of the SCO becoming a guarantor of Eurasian security.

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Media report reveals which countries will recognize Palestinian statehood on Wednesday

Ireland will officially recognize Palestinian statehood in coordination with at least two other European countries, Politico reports.

The announcement is expected to be made by Ireland’s three-party government, as represented by Prime Minister Simon Harris, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan at an 8 a.m. press conference, an Irish official was cited as saying.

Similar moves are expected in two other European capitals, added the unnamed official, without clarifying their identity.

However, it is reported that over the past few weeks Ireland discussed the timing of Palestinian statehood recognition in meetings with the governments of Belgium, Spain, Slovenia, Norway and Malta. Currently, the State of Palestine is recognized by nine EU member states. Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia took this step in 1988, before joining the EU, while Sweden recognized the State of Palestine in 2014.

As of May 2024, Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 143 out of 193 member states of the United Nations.

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▪️ EXCLUSIVE: Tucker Carlson refutes reports he is host on Russian TV

▪️ US lawmakers ask team Biden to allow Ukraine to use US weapons to strike Russia

▪️ Netanyahu claims more people die of malnutrition in US than in Gaza

▪️ Will ICC step out of US shadow with warrant for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders?

▪️ Blinken сlaims Iranians are better off with death of Raisi

▪️ Watch crowds wishing to bid farewell to the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi

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🗣 "Death to Israel" was chanted by attendees at Iranian President Raisi's funeral procession in Tehran

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🇮🇷 Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei leаds a farewell prayer for President Raisi and his companions

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