Latest news with #PiroschkavandeWouw
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
EU backs International Criminal Court after US sanctions judges
FILE PHOTO: The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo BRUSSELS/THE HAGUE - The EU gave its backing on Friday to the International Criminal Court after Washington imposed sanctions on four ICC judges, and EU member Slovenia said it would push Brussels to use its power to ensure the U.S. sanctions could not be enforced in Europe. "The ICC holds perpetrators of the world's gravest crimes to account and gives victims a voice. It must be free to act without pressure," European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said on social media platform X. Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, which represents national governments of the 27 member states, called the court "a cornerstone of international justice" and said its independence and integrity must be protected. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions on four judges at the ICC in retaliation for the war tribunal's issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a past decision to open a case into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. order names Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. The U.S. sanctions mean the judges are now on a list of specially designated sanctioned individuals. Any U.S. assets they have will be blocked and they are put on an automated screening service used by not only American banks but many banks worldwide, making it very difficult for sanctioned persons to hold or open bank accounts or transfer money. Trump's initial order announcing sanctions on the ICC also said that U.S. citizens who provide services for the benefit of sanctioned individuals could face civil and criminal penalties. Slovenia urged the EU to use its blocking statute, which lets the EU ban European companies from complying with U.S. sanctions that Brussels deems unlawful. The power has been used in the past to prevent Washington from banning European trade with Cuba and Iran. "Due to the inclusion of a citizen of an EU member state on the sanctions list, Slovenia will propose the immediate activation of the blocking act," Slovenia's foreign ministry said in a post on social media site X late on Thursday. ICC president Judge Tomoko Akane had urged the EU already in March this year to bring the ICC into the scope of the blocking statute. The new sanctions have been imposed at a difficult time for the ICC, which is already reeling from earlier U.S. sanctions against its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who last month stepped aside temporarily amid a United Nations investigation into alleged sexual misconduct. The court's governing body, which represents its 125 member states, on Friday condemned the U.S. government's decision to retaliate against judges. "These ... are regrettable attempts to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions", the Presidency of the Assembly of States Parties said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trump administration imposes sanctions on four ICC judges in unprecedented move
FILE PHOTO: The International Criminal Court building is seen in The Hague, Netherlands, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File photo WASHINGTON/THE HAGUE - President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court, an unprecedented retaliation over the war tribunal's investigation into alleged war crimes by U.S. troops in Afghanistan and over the court's issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Washington designated Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibanez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia, according to a statement from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel. The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies," Rubio said. The ICC did not immediately have comment. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Dutch car sharing firm adds Renault EVs capable of powering local grid
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Renault is seen inside a Renault car dealer in Arnhem, Netherlands February 18, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/ File Photo LONDON/PARIS (Reuters) -Dutch car sharing firm MyWheels will plug in the first of 500 grid-connectable Renault EVs to its fleet in the Netherlands this week, expanding the number of vehicles in Europe capable of strengthening the power grid as the technology gains traction. Vehicle-to-grid technology, known as V2G, allows electric vehicles to store power and provide it to the electricity grid at times of peak demand. The technology has been available for several years but only recently became commercially viable after the introduction of smart charging technology and batteries able to sustain intensive usage. The rollout by MyWheels will be the largest V2G car-sharing scheme in Europe and the largest addition of V2G-enabled cars in the region. It follows growing concern about grid stability after a major blackout in Spain and Portugal this year, and sabotage to power supply in southern France during this year's Cannes film festival, which have triggered more interest in a technology that can help balance fluctuating supply and demand, said Kees Koolen, an investor in We Drive Solar, the Dutch producer of the special chargers used in the project. 'It feels like we're at a tipping point,' said Koolen, who estimated that the project in the Dutch city of Utrecht has cost around 100 million euros ($114 million) to develop. The global V2G market was worth $3.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights, and is expected to grow by 38% annually between 2025 and 2034 to reach $80 billion. The Netherlands is an early adopter of V2G technology due to ambitious plans to electrify its transport and heating systems while also moving to renewables. Japan's Nissan has also recently supplied dozens of V2G-enabled Leaf and Ariya modelsto France and Spain. MyWheels says 500 of Renault's V2G-compatible cars, including its electric R5, will be on the road by next year. When not driving, the cars will be plugged intoWe Drive Solar's bidirectional chargers and the scheme's operators will be paid for electricity absorbed and sold to the grid. Grids have become increasingly unstable with growing electrification and as more intermittent renewable energy is fed into the system. 'Our research shows that vehicle-to-grid technology could allow the growing electric vehicle fleet to become a significant asset to the grid, with vast storage potential locked up in electric vehicles,' said Madeleine Brolly, advanced transport analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. A key challenge ahead will be standardisation across manufacturers, which will be needed for it to be adopted at scale, she added. (Reporting by Anna Hirtenstein and Gilles Guillaume; Editing by Dominique Patton and Christian Schmollinger)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
What will happen next in Dutch government crisis?
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders speaks to the media following his decision to leave the governing coalition, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw FILE PHOTO: People sit on a bench with a view of the parliament building, ahead of the elections across 27 European Union member states, of which the Netherlands is the first country to go to the polls in this round of elections to the bloc's parliament, in the Hague, Netherlands, June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Netherlands' Prime Minister Dick Schoof leaves the Elysee Palace on the day of a meeting with European leaders and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on peace and security for Ukraine, in Paris, France, March 27, 2025. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier AMSTERDAM - Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders triggered a government collapse in the Netherlands on Tuesday by pulling his nationalist PVV party out of the right-wing government coalition, which prompted the cabinet to resign. Here's a look at what will happen next: NEW ELECTIONS Prime Minister Dick Schoof said he would resign following Wilders' unexpected move, which left the coalition with only 51 seats in the 150-seat Lower House of Parliament. After Schoof formally presents his resignation to Dutch King Willem-Alexander, the head of state, a new election is expected to be called. It is unlikely that the vote will be held before mid-October, based on previous election cycles. Wilders' PVV won the last election in November 2023 with a surprisingly wide margin of 23% of the vote. Polls indicate he has lost some support since then, to about 20%, at par with the Labour/Green combination, the second-largest in parliament. Political preferences in the Netherlands have shifted rapidly in recent years, making it almost impossible to predict the outcome of an election in October. Wilders did not emerge as a likely winner of the previous election until a few days before that vote, and other right-wing parties that enjoyed sudden success in recent years have seen their gains disappear as quickly as they came. CARETAKER GOVERNMENT Schoof has already said that he and the remaining ministers of the other three coalition parties will stay in their positions to form a caretaker government until a new government is formed after an election. In the fragmented Dutch political landscape it usually takes months for a coalition to form. "As caretaker government we will do all we can in the interest of the people in this country, within the room granted to us by parliament. We have decisions to take that do not bear any delay," the outgoing prime minister said. In the coming days parliament is expected to set out which disputed topics the caretaker government cannot deal with and which they can still make decisions about. The Netherlands is expected to continue its political and military assistance to Ukraine as this enjoys wide political support. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Dutch Prime Minister Schoof steps down after Wilders quits coalition
FILE PHOTO: Former Dutch intelligence chief Dick Schoof looks on at a press conference as he is presented as the proposed prime minister of the Netherlands, in The Hague, Netherlands, May 28, 2024. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo
