AFP Asia Business

The United States on Wednesday defiantly expanded efforts to hobble the International Criminal Court over its prosecution of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sanctioning a judge from ally France.Secretary of State Marco Rubio also targeted a Canadian judge in a separate case in his latest volley of sanctions against the tribunal in The Hague, which is backed by virtually all other Western democracies as a court of last resort.”The Court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,” Rubio said in a statement, using a term popular with President Donald Trump’s supporters.He attacked the court for investigating US and Israeli citizens “without the consent of either nation.”Among the four people newly slapped with sanctions was Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.France — whose president, Emmanuel Macron, was in Washington two days earlier — expressed “dismay” over the action.The sanctions are “in contradiction to the principle of an independent judiciary,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in Paris.The ICC in its own statement denounced the “flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution.”The court’s prosecution alleges Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel’s offensive in Gaza including by intentionally targeting civilians and using starvation as a method of war.Netanyahu saluted Rubio for his “decisive act against a smear campaign of lies against the State of Israel” and the Israeli army.Israel launched the massive offensive in response to an unprecedented attack by Hamas against Israel in which mostly civilians were killed.The ICC has also sought the arrest of former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who has since been confirmed killed by Israel.Guillou is a veteran jurist who previously participated in trials over Kosovo and Lebanon. He worked for several years in the United States assisting the Justice Department with judicial cooperation during Barack Obama’s presidency.Under the sanctions, he will be refused entry to the United States and any assets he has in the world’s largest economy will be blocked — measures more often taken against US adversaries than citizens of friendly nations.- Defending Israel, exempting Putin -Also targeted by the latest US sanctions was a Canadian judge, Kimberly Prost, who was involved in a case that authorized an investigation into alleged crimes committed during the war in Afghanistan, including by US forces.Rubio also slapped sanctions on two deputy prosecutors — Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal. The State Department said the two were punished by the United States for supporting “illegitimate ICC actions against Israel,” including by supporting the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant.Rubio imposed sanctions on four other ICC judges in June.The Trump administration has roundly rejected the authority of the court, which was set up as a court of last resort when national systems do not allow for justice.Trump on Friday welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to Alaska even though Putin faces an ICC arrest warrant, a factor that has stopped him from traveling more widely since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine.The United States, Russia and Israel are among the nations that reject the ICC.Previous president Joe Biden’s administration also opposed its action against Israel but withdrew previous sanctions and was open to narrow cooperation with the ICC, including in gathering evidence in Ukraine.

Sony on Wednesday said it is bumping up the price of PlayStation 5 video game consoles by $50 in the United States due to a “challenging economic environment.”Tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump hike the cost of goods brought into the US, leaving companies like Japan’s Sony to decide whether to pass that on to …

PlayStation prices rise as US tariffs bite Read More »

Stock markets fluctuated on Wednesday, with many investors sticking to the sidelines while looking for clues on US interest rate moves.Trading volumes were light overall, with another pullback in US tech heavyweights spurring caution after their stellar run since April.Tuesday’s tech sell-off, which extended into Wednesday, was “sparked by concerns about overexcitement and overvaluations in …

Stock markets diverge awaiting Fed signals as tech sell-off deepens Read More »

Israel’s defence minister approved a plan on Wednesday for the conquest of Gaza City and authorised the call-up of around 60,000 reservists, piling pressure on Hamas as mediators push for a ceasefire.Defence Minister Israel Katz’s move, confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson, came as mediators awaited an official Israeli response on their latest proposal in ceasefire talks.While mediator Qatar had expressed guarded optimism over the latest proposal, a senior Israeli official said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any agreement.The framework that Hamas had approved proposes an initial 60-day truce, a staggered hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid into Gaza.On the ground in Gaza City on Wednesday, Mustafa Qazzaat, head of the emergency committee in the Gaza municipality, described the situation as “catastrophic”, with “large numbers” fleeing eastern neighbourhoods.One resident, Anis Daloul, 64, said the Israeli military had “destroyed most of the buildings in Zeitoun and displaced thousands of people”.Israel’s security cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the plan to conquer Gaza City in early August, sparking fears it would worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza.According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu has not yet called a security cabinet meeting to discuss any response to the latest truce proposal.- ‘Permanent war’ -Netanyahu has come under growing pressure at home and abroad to end the war, with the German government saying on Wednesday that it “rejects the escalation” of Israel’s campaign.French President Emmanuel Macron said the offensive “can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples”, warning it would “drag the region into a permanent war”.Katz’s approval of plans to conquer Gaza City came days after Hamas said it had accepted the latest proposal from mediators for a ceasefire to halt almost two years of devastating war.Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP on Wednesday that the proposal envisages the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza.The remaining captives would be released in a second exchange within the 60-day period, during which negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place, the sources said.Israel and Hamas have held on-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces during which Israeli hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Qatar, one of the mediators in the talks, said the latest proposal was “almost identical” to an earlier version agreed by Israel.Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the truce plan, but said last week that his country would accept “an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war”.- ‘Gradual operation’ -An Israeli military official told journalists on Wednesday that the new phase of combat would involve “a gradual precise and targeted operation in and around Gaza City”, including some areas where forces had not previously operated.Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes and fire killed at least 25 people across the territory on Wednesday.When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military asked for coordinates and specific timeframes to comment on the reports, but said it would look into reports of eight people killed by Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of Gaza.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.The Israeli military said it killed 10 Hamas militants in southern Gaza on Wednesday while repelling an attack by the armed wing of the Islamist group, which claimed it killed several Israeli soldiers.Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.In the West Bank, Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in an area that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state.The Palestinian Authority swiftly condemned the approval “in the strongest terms”, saying it entrenched division in the territory. 

Hundreds of supporters of Irish rap band Kneecap protested outside a London court Wednesday, as one of the band members appeared charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah.Liam O’Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November.He arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London with other band members to cheers from a sea of supporters brandishing banners and chanting “Free Palestine” and “Free Mo Chara”.Wednesday’s hearing dealt with legal arguments, with the defence team seeking to have the charges thrown out on a legal technicality.The court adjourned the case until September 26 for a decision.Since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has been an offence to show any support for it.In recent months, Kneecap has grabbed headlines for provocative statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel.The hearing comes amid a growing UK controversy over government moves to prosecute those deemed to show support for banned organisations.More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000.The government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7.0 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.The group said its activists were responding to Britain’s indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza.Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.- Provocative -There has been huge support for Kneecap and O’Hanna, Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Irish, from the band’s fans since his first court appearance in June.Mary Hobbs, 31, from Belfast told AFP on Wednesday: “I’m glad I could make it. I took a day off just to be here.””The charges are ludicrous, ludicrous. The justice system is just broken when you have things like this happening.”Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was “not about Mr O’Hanna’s support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel”.”He is well within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity,” Bisgrove said.Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O’Hanna wearing and displaying “the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while allegedly saying ‘Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'”.After Wednesday’s hearing, O’Hanna thanked the crowds outside the court for their support, and urged everyone “to continue to speak about Palestine” and what is happening in the conflict with Israel.The raucous punk-rap group has denied the accusations and said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context.Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the group’s members rap in the Irish language as well as English.Formed in 2017, the group is no stranger to controversy. Their lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they have repeatedly clashed with the UK’s previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland.Last year, the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that scooped multiple awards including at the Sundance festival.

Syrian state media said a US-led anti-jihadist coalition killed an Iraqi leader from the Islamic State group during an operation on Wednesday in the country’s northwest.”Coalition forces carried out an air drop targeting a house in the town of Atme” in Idlib province, state television cited an unidentified security source as saying.The operation targeted Iraqi national Salah Numan, known as Ali, who was “a leader in the Daesh (IS) organisation”, the source said, calling him “one of the most dangerous men wanted for his involvement in activating and mobilising IS cells in Syria”.The coalition has not released any statements about an operation in northwest Syria.But three witnesses, including the owner of the building where Numan was living, told AFP the raid took place after midnight, reporting the sound of aircraft and gunfire.State television said coalition forces raided the house where Numan was living with his family and mother, shooting him dead after he jumped from the balcony of their first-floor flat.An Iraqi security source, requesting anonymity, told AFP that Numan was the brother of a top IS leader who was killed in 2020 in a coalition strike in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province.Iraqi intelligence led to Wednesday’s operation, the security source said, adding that Numan’s wives were arrested.Mohammed al-Sheikh, who owns and lives in the building, told AFP that at around 2:30 am (2330 GMT Tuesday), he heard noise and went outside to find coalition forces ordering him to surrender.”I started calling to my family one by one,” he said, adding that “the translator’s accent was Iraqi”.Sheikh said the forces blindfolded his family, led them away and took their details including fingerprints.He said he rented the house to Numan “via a real estate agency and had no connection to him”.Neighbour Abdel-Qader al-Sheikh said Numan had lived there for two years, adding: “We didn’t have anything to do with him.”The US-led coalition has often carried out strikes in Idlib targeting IS officials, including a raid announced in June. Several former IS leaders have been killed in the province, including in coalition strikes.IS seized swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory in 2014 during Syria’s civil war, before being territorially defeated in the country five years later.Its fighters still maintain a presence there, particularly in Syria’s vast desert.burs-lk/lg/jsa