Hungarian lawmakers approve bill to quit International Criminal Court
Hungary's parliament approved a bill on Tuesday that will start the country's year-long withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government said has become 'political.'Orban's government announced the move on April 3, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. The ICC's Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move.The International Criminal Court was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.Orban last month said the ICC was 'no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court.'Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant 'brazen.'Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and ratified its founding document in 2001. However, the law has not been promulgated.The bill to withdraw from the ICC passed on Tuesday with 134 members voting in favor and 37 against.'Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organizations — in particular criminal courts — as instruments of political influence,' the bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, said on parliament's website.Netanyahu called Hungary's decision to leave the ICC a 'bold and principled decision.'The Israeli prime minister faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu has denied the allegations.A country's withdrawal from the ICC comes into effect one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives a written notification of the decision.
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12 hours ago
- Arab News
Pope Leo prays for reconciliation and dialogue
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed on Sunday for reconciliation and dialogue — a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace. The pope celebrated Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square in front of tens of thousands of faithful, and asked the Holy Spirit to 'break down barriers and tear down the walls of indifference and hatred.' 'Where there is love, there is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, tragically, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,' the first American pontiff said. Leo's homily did not call out current events and conflicts, nor identify individual leaders. But his choice of language was significant, encouraging people to 'open borders' within their hearts and minds. The address marked a month since the former Robert Prevost from Chicago was elected pope, and came during a Sunday mass to celebrate Pentecost held under sunny skies in St. Peter's Square. Before mass, the 69-year-old pontiff made a turn around the sprawling Baroque square in his popemobile to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd, estimated by the Vatican at around 80,000 people. Leo said the church 'must open the borders between peoples and break down the barriers between class and race.' People must move 'beyond our fear of those who are different,' he said. The pope also said the Holy Spirit was an antidote for toxic relationships marked by 'suspicion, prejudice, or the desire to manipulate others.' 'With great pain,' Leo cited 'cases where an unhealthy desire marks relationships for domination, an attitude that often leads to violence, as is shown, tragically, by numerous recent cases of femicide.' Leo also cited the dangers of social media, saying it risked making people 'ever more alone' within a 'vortex of individualism.' 'Constantly connected, yet incapable of 'networking'. Always immersed in a crowd, yet confused and solitary travelers,' he said. Since his election, Leo has offered to mediate between leaders of countries at war, and earlier this week, he had his first telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Several speeches of the new pontiff — including among his first words from St. Peter's Basilica when he became pope on May 8 — have focused on building bridges between individuals and peoples.
Arab News
17 hours ago
- Arab News
Kemi Badenoch says she refuses to speak to women in burqas at constituency surgeries
LONDON: The leader of the UK's Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch has said she asks women to remove face coverings, including burqas, before speaking with them at constituency surgeries, and believes employers should be allowed to ban staff from wearing the garment. In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Badenoch said she supported the right of individuals to wear what they liked, but drew a line at face coverings in certain settings. 'If you come into my constituency surgery, you have to remove your face covering, whether it's a burqa or a balaclava,' she said. 'I'm not talking to people who are not going to show me their face.' Her comments follow renewed debate over the issue after Reform UK's new member of Parliament, Sarah Pochin, urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to consider a burqa ban similar to those in countries such as France. Party leader Nigel Farage also backed the call, prompting a backlash from Muslim groups and some within his own party. Reform's chairman, Zia Yusuf, briefly resigned after the row, citing exhaustion and racist abuse, but has since returned. He told The Sunday Times he might support a ban in principle, but said other issues were more urgent. Yusuf is expected to take on a number of roles within the party, including overseeing local council spending. Badenoch linked the issue of face coverings to broader concerns over integration, pointing to Shariah courts and cousin marriages as 'more insidious' challenges. 'People should be allowed to wear whatever they want, not what their husband or community tells them to wear,' she said. She also backed the right of organizations to set their own dress codes, saying: 'It shouldn't be something that people should be able to override.' While employers can impose dress policies, they must meet legal tests of proportionality and legitimacy under equality and human rights law. Restrictions may be justified on grounds such as health and safety, or the need for clear communication. The debate echoes comments made in 2006 by then-Labour home secretary Jack Straw, who said he asked women visiting his surgery to remove the burqa to enable more meaningful conversation.
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Arab News
Leo, the first US pope, criticizes nationalist politics at Sunday Mass
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo criticized the emergence of nationalist political movements on Sunday, calling them unfortunate, without naming a specific country or national leader. Leo, the first pope from the US, asked during a Mass with a crowd of tens of thousands in St. Peter's Square that God would 'open borders, break down walls (and) dispel hatred.' 'There is no room for prejudice, for 'security' zones separating us from our neighbors, for the exclusionary mindset that, unfortunately, we now see emerging also in political nationalisms,' said the pontiff. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected on May 8 to succeed the late Pope Francis as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church. Before becoming pontiff, Prevost was not shy about criticizing US President Donald Trump, sharing numerous disapproving posts about Trump and Vice President JD Vance on X in recent years. The Vatican has not confirmed the new pope's ownership of the X account, which had the handle @drprevost, and was deactivated after Leo's election. Francis, pope for 12 years, was a sharp critic of Trump. The late pope said in January that the president's plan to deport millions of migrants in the US during his second term was a 'disgrace.' Earlier, Francis said Trump was 'not Christian' because of his views on immigration. 'A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,' Francis said when asked about Trump in 2016. Leo was celebrating a Mass for Pentecost, one of the Church's most important holidays.
