Best photos of June 16: Iranian missiles strike Tel Aviv to Trump arriving for the G7 in Calgary
US President Donald Trump is greeted by Steven Crowchild of the Tsuut'ina First Nation at Calgary International Airport before the start of the G7 summit. AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
18 minutes ago
- Zawya
US-UK trade deal to be completed 'very soon,' says Starmer
Britain and the United States should finalise "very soon" the implementation of a trade deal agreed last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday ahead of a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada. "I'm certainly seeing President Trump today, and I'm going to discuss with him our trade deal," Starmer told reporters on the sidelines of a Group of Seven (G7) meeting. "I'm very pleased that we made that trade deal, and we're in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon." (Reporting by Suzanne Plunkett, Writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate Holton)
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
The Iraq play book is back for Israel's attack on Iran. But it fools no one
The world has seen this playbook before. A narrative of existential threat. A media chorus that refuses to question. Politicians beating the drums of war, invoking security to justify aggression. It was Iraq then. It's Iran now. And yet, in the background, one glaring fact goes unspoken: Israel already has nuclear weapons, and no one is holding it accountable. Let us lay out the facts. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and allows international inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is under constant surveillance and has faced crushing sanctions for even the possibility of nuclear capability. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Israel, on the other hand, is not a signatory to the NPT. It has never permitted IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities. And yet, it is widely believed to possess approximately 90 nuclear warheads. It is also the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, and has consistently behaved in opposition to international law with its lethal tactics targeting civilians. Staggering hypocrisy At this very moment, Israel's leaders are under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide. This is not theory or speculation - it is unfolding in real time. By allowing Israel to bomb Iran, Trump is pushing Tehran to go nuclear Read More » Gaza lies in ruins. Tens of thousands have been killed. Children dismembered. Families buried alive. Entire neighbourhoods turned into ash. And the state responsible for this is the same one armed with nuclear weapons and entirely exempt from the very scrutiny it demands for others. What does this tell us about the so-called rules-based international order? It tells us that the rules only apply to those without power. It tells us that some nations are permitted to act outside international law, shielded by geopolitical alliances and the silence of their enablers. It tells us that the same media and political institutions that claimed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, only to be proven catastrophically wrong, are again failing to ask the most obvious questions. Why is Israel not held to the same standard as Iran? Or any other nation? Why is a nuclear power that is actively on trial for genocide not the focus of urgent global concern? Why are we more afraid of a hypothetical Iranian bomb than an actual Israeli arsenal? The hypocrisy is staggering. And it is not lost on the rest of the world. Iraq playbook The Global South sees it. Muslims see it. The people of Palestine unfortunately have to live it. And increasingly, people in the West are waking up to the double standards that erode whatever moral authority the United States and its allies claim to hold. This is not about defending Iran or its record. This is about the consistent and dangerous erosion of international norms. Israel must be held accountable not only for its actions in Gaza and the West Bank but also for its nuclear arsenal If the international community truly cares about non-proliferation, then all nuclear states must be held accountable - especially those who refuse transparency, commit war crimes, and stoke regional instability. If Israel continues to receive a blank check for both its violence and its weapons stockpile, then the NPT becomes meaningless. The IAEA becomes toothless. And every future "red line" becomes just another shade of hypocrisy. So with moral clarity on this issue for any moral human being, it should be easy to say: Israel must be held accountable not only for its actions in Gaza and the Occupied West Bank but also for its nuclear arsenal. We cannot let the world be dragged into another war, propped up by false pretenses and selective enforcement. The Iraq play book should have been retired long ago. But if it's coming off the shelf once more, then so must our collective resistance to it. To question this double standard shouldn't be radical. To ignore it shouldn't be so typical. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
UK lobbying US against sanctioning ICC over Israel war crimes probe
The British government is lobbying the US against sanctioning the International Criminal Court - having so far successfully lobbied the Trump administration not to sanction UK nationals involved in the court's issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, Middle East Eye can reveal. The US has already imposed sanctions on the court's British chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, and four of its judges, but sanctioning the court itself could deal a fatal blow to its ability to function. This comes after MEE reported earlier this month that the Labour government believed the US could sanction prominent human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and other UK nationals over their roles advising Khan on arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. Numerous sources in the British government told MEE on Monday that the Labour government successfully lobbied the Trump administration not to sanction the UK nationals. However, British officials fear more US sanctions are likely to come. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Clooney and other British lawyers, including former ICC judge Lord Justice Adrian Fulford and Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, had served early last year on an independent panel of legal advisers convened by the ICC prosecutor. Exclusive: UK believes Trump may sanction Amal Clooney over ICC Palestine role Read More » The panel expressed their support for Khan's decision to seek arrest warrants for senior Israeli and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. ICC judges granted Khan's application in November, and in February this year the Trump administration imposed financial and visa sanctions on Khan. In early June the US imposed further sanctions on four ICC judges - from Benin, Peru, Slovenia and Uganda - whom it accused of being involved in 'illegitimate actions targeting the United States and Israel'. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute and have long rejected the authority of the court. A list of demands British government sources told MEE the UK is now aiming to persuade the US not to place sanctions on the institution of the ICC itself. MEE understands that earlier this month the US informed its allies that to avoid facing further sanctions, the court has to permanently close all actions against the US and Israel. The court has previously investigated alleged war crimes committed by American forces based in Afghanistan, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute. The US also said the ICC must commit to not targeting US nationals and US allies who have not consented to the court's jurisdiction. The British Foreign Office declined to comment. Khan, the ICC prosecutor, has had his American visa revoked and his wife and children have been banned from travelling to the US. His bank accounts have been frozen in the UK. If the US sanctions the court as an institution, this would prevent banks and software companies from dealing with it, which could destroy the ICC's ability to function. Cameron threatening ICC The Labour government's current approach represents a dramatic shift from that of the previous Conservative government. Exclusive: David Cameron threatened to withdraw UK from ICC over Israel war crimes probe Read More » Last week MEE revealed that in April 2024 David Cameron, then the Conservative foreign secretary, threatened in a phone call with Khan that the UK would defund and withdraw from the ICC if it issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. The British Foreign Office and Khan both declined to comment in response to the report, while Cameron did not respond to multiple requests by MEE for comment. On 10 June 2024 the Conservative government filed an objection to Khan's application to the ICC, arguing that the court did not have jurisdiction over Israeli nationals - a position the Israeli government has held for years. The next month, however, Keir Starmer's newly elected Labour government announced it would drop the objection. 'We're very clear about the importance of the rule of law and the independence of the court both domestically and internationally,' a spokesperson for Starmer said at the time. Palestine was accepted into the ICC in 2015, and in 2021 the court said it had the power to investigate war crimes in the occupied territories. Prosecutor on leave Khan is currently on leave after attempts to suspend him failed, and pending a UN investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct towards a colleague. He denies the allegations, which have not been referred to Dutch police. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution' - International Criminal Court The warrants for Israeli leaders are currently in the hands of two deputy prosecutors. In a statement, the ICC said it deplored the sanctions against Khan and the four judges. It said it stood fully behind its personnel and would continue its work undeterred. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 States Parties from all corners of the globe,' it said. The court recently ordered that any further warrants issued in relation to its Palestine investigation cannot be publicised.
