Airlines halt many Middle East flights
Global airlines on Friday cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and other Middle East destinations, or rerouted planes, as airspaces were shut off following Israeli strikes on Iran.
Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan and Syria closed their airspaces after Israel hit military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Israel said Tehran launched drones in retaliation.
Air India's New Delhi-Vienna and Mumbai-London flights were about to enter Iranian airspace when Israel launched its attack, forcing the planes to turn back to their origin, according to aircraft tracker Flight Aware.
Its London-New Delhi flight had just entered Iranian airspace and was rerouted over Iraq before arriving in India one hour late, according to Flight Aware.
Air India diverted or called back a total of 16 flights between India and London and cities in Canada and the United States "due to the emerging situation in Iran".
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Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
US sanctions four ICC judges, prosecutors over war crimes investigations
The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Reuters/ File US President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on two judges and two prosecutors at the International Criminal Court, as Washington ramped up its pressure on the war tribunal over its targeting of Israeli leaders and a past decision to investigate US officials. In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court "a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare" against the United States and Israel. The move drew ire from France and the United Nations. Paris urged Washington to withdraw the sanctions, while the ICC said it deplored the designations, calling them "a flagrant attack" against the independence of an impartial judicial institution. Washington designated Nicolas Yann Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji, Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal, and Kimberly Prost of Canada, according to the US Treasury and State Department. All officials have been involved in cases linked to Israel and the United States. Also Read: Pakistan, China, Afghanistan forge deeper alliance with CPEC extension "United States has been clear and steadfast in our opposition to the ICC's politicization, abuse of power, disregard for our national sovereignty, and illegitimate judicial overreach," Rubio said. "I urge countries that still support the ICC, many of whose freedom was purchased at the price of great American sacrifices, to resist the claims of this bankrupt institution." The second round of sanctions comes less than three months after the administration took the unprecedented step of slapping sanctions on four separate ICC judges. The escalation will likely impede the functioning of the court and the prosecutor's office as they deal with major cases, including war crime allegations against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. ICC judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli defense chief Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri last November for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Gaza conflict. In March 2020, prosecutors opened an investigation in Afghanistan that included looking into possible crimes by US troops, but since 2021, it has deprioritized the role of the US and focused on alleged crimes committed by the Afghan government and the Taliban forces. Read: India test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-5 missile amid US tariff tensions The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the UN Security Council. Although the ICC has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in its 125 member countries, some nations, including the US, China, Russia, and Israel, do not recognise its authority. It has high-profile war crimes investigations under way into the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as in Sudan, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Venezuela. Undermining international justice Both France and the United Nations said the judges' work is crucial for international justice. "Their role is essential in the fight against impunity," a statement from the French Foreign Ministry said. The US sanctions undermine the foundation of international justice, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said, adding: "The (US) decision imposes severe impediments on the functioning of the office of the prosecutor." Netanyahu's office issued a statement welcoming the US sanctions. The designations freeze any US assets the individuals may have and essentially cut them off from the US financial system. Guillou is an ICC judge who presided over a pre-trial panel that issued the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Khan and Niang are the court's two deputy prosecutors. Canadian Judge Kimberly Prost served on an ICC appeals chamber that, in March 2020, unanimously authorized the ICC prosecutor to investigate alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Afghanistan since 2003, including examining the role of US service members. Also Read: Trump rules out US troops for Ukraine The Trump administration's dislike of the court goes back to his first term. In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and one of her top aides over the court's work on Afghanistan. Countering Rubio's call to other countries to oppose the ICC, the court urged member states to stand in solidarity. "The Court calls upon States Parties and all those who share the values of humanity and the rule of law to provide firm and consistent support to the Court and its work carried out in the sole interest of victims of international crimes," it said.
Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Selective patriotism
It was Ramazan, and a friend of mine refused to fast. When I asked why, he said that his doctor had advised against it due to health reasons. Yet, the same friend smoked incessantly. I tried to argue and asked whether the same doctor had advised against smoking as well. He made a poker face and said no such advice was given to him. I am not sure what kind of doctor would not advise against smoking. Even cigarette brands advise against smoking at the end of their ads. Life is a game of what one chooses to believe, practise, avoid and adopt. Just like religion, citizenship and patriotism are practised quite selectively as well. In the US, a specially tailored form of patriotism is in fashion, especially with the ascension of Trump to the White House. He was really voted in due to the poor situation of the US economy and the miserable conditions that the citizens found themselves in. Credit card debt had grown over a trillion dollars and even the paycheck-to-paycheck life that was once ridiculed had become an ambitious milestone quite far from the reach of the citizens. Immigrants were not really on people's minds when dealing with the inability to pay their bills. The genocide in Gaza and Elon Musk's tweets also played a serious role in defeating Biden. However, once Trump started his term, one of the first major things that he did was an intense crackdown on illegal immigrants, legal residents and even naturalised US citizens. ICE raids have become the norm in this society. The broader promise of America First and Make America Great Again (MAGA) did include this racist and violent practice but it meant that the interests of the US would be put ahead of the interests of any other state. Just like my friend who followed his doctor's advice on fasting but ignored it on smoking, when it comes to Israel, America is not first. The same politicians that make noise about patriotism and making America great again sacrifice all that in the interests of Israel. Ted Cruz, one such politician, proudly said that he had joined the US Senate with the goal of defending Israel and Israeli interests. Jews are disliked by this crowd but not when it comes to Israel. One US politician is quite interesting. Her name is Marjorie Taylor Greene. She is MAGA on steroids. She supports Trump and his racist anti-immigration policy. She is all about America First. But that same ideology, if that is what one wants to call it, also compels her to question the blind support the US provides Israel. She started making noise against supporting Israel, Ukraine and the genocide in Gaza. She even calls it a genocide, which is a term the mainstream Americans like to avoid uttering. She perhaps does not like immigrants like me in the US, but she doesn't practise a selective belief system. So, as part of that same mindset, she also wants the US focus its own citizens and improve their lives instead of blindly giving Israel billions of dollars when the US itself is drowning in debt. Moreover, politicians who care about keeping the US safe and loved around the world should also stick to the advertised image of America where it stands against the bullies and supports the oppressed. Supporting Palestine against Israel's terrorist actions is what America — if it truly prides itself on being the saviour of humanity — should be doing. This will not only be the right thing morally, but will also not generate anger against the US, which has always resulted in attacks against innocent Americans. This will be a policy very much in line with America First and MAGA.
Business Recorder
9 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US targets more ICC judges including over Israel
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on four more International Criminal Court judges or prosecutors, including from allies France and Canada, in a new effort to hobble the tribunal particularly over actions against Israel. 'The Court is a national security threat that has been an instrument for lawfare against the United States and our close ally Israel,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, using a term popular with President Donald Trump's supporters. Rubio said that the four people targeted from the tribunal based in The Hague had sought to investigate or prosecute nationals from the United States or Israel 'without the consent of either nation.' The four include Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which an arrest warrant was issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel urges ICC to drop arrest warrants against PM The case was brought forward by the State of Palestine, which is not recognized by Washington but, unlike Israel or the United States, has acceded to the statute that set up the tribunal in The Hague. Guillou, a veteran jurist, had worked for several years in the United States assisting the Justice Department with judicial cooperation during Barack Obama's presidency. Also targeted in 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. Under the sanctions, the United States will bar entry of the ICC judges to the United States and block any property they have in the world's largest economy – measures more often taken against US adversaries than individuals from close allies. 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 former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The Trump administration has roundly rejected the authority of the court, which is backed by almost all European democracies and 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. Rubio slapped sanctions on four other ICC judges in June.
