Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have issued arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and former defence minister, as well as Hamas’s military commander. A statement said a pre-trial chamber had rejected Israel’s challenges to the court’s jurisdiction and issued warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. A warrant was also issued for Mohammed Deif, although the Israeli military has said he was killed in an air strike in Gaza in July. The judges said there were “reasonable grounds” the three men bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war between Israel and…
Author: Agency
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Yemen’s Houthis will pay a “heavy price” after a missile fired by the group landed in central Israel. The Israeli military said the missile landed in an uninhabited area early on Sunday, but that shrapnel indicated air defence systems had failed to destroy it before it entered Israeli airspace. It added that it was investigating how the missile was able to reach so far into Israeli territory. The strike marks the first time a missile fired by the group has reached central Israel, which is around 2,000km (1,240 miles) from Yemen. The Israel…
Berlin has agreed to allow skilled and semi-skilled Kenyan workers into Germany in a controlled and targeted labour migration deal. Kenya is struggling with increasing difficulties in providing work and sufficient income for its young professionals, while Germany is facing a shortage of skilled labour. The German government has said the deal does not specify the number of workers who will be allowed in. Migration agreements are a central pillar in the German government’s efforts to curb immigration. The agreement will also simplify the repatriation of Kenyans who are in Germany without legal permission. Five Kenyan bus drivers have already…
A vulnerable widower has been left homeless and “truly suffering” after being hoodwinked into sending £85,000 to a woman who never existed. Rodrick Lodge, 69, was living in Leiston, Suffolk, when a friend he had met three years before in Kenya put him in contact with a “woman” named Anita. After building a relationship over social media, he felt himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife Pauline in 2019, and he later agreed to move to Nairobi to marry her. But what Mr Lodge was actually falling for was an elaborate scam, which…
The US has charged Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and several other prominent figures in the Palestinian group in connection with its deadly attack in Israel on 7 October last year. The justice department said it was indicting six Hamas members with seven charges, including the murder of US citizens, conspiracy to finance terrorism and use of weapons of mass destruction. The criminal complaint covers decades of alleged attacks by Hamas, as well as the unprecedented assault on southern Israel nearly a year ago. It is the first step by US law enforcement to hold accountable the ringleaders of the 7…
The US has seized a plane belonging to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, claiming it was bought illegally for $13m (£9.8m) and smuggled out of the country. According to the US justice department, the Falcon 900EX aircraft was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the US state of Florida. It is unclear how and when the plane ended up in the Dominican Republic. Tracking data showed it leaving La Isabela airport near the capital Santo Domingo on Monday, arriving at Fort Lauderdale airport in Florida soon after. Venezuela has denounced the seizure, saying that it amounted to an act…
The Africa CDC warns that high mpox cases, limited diagnostics, and a high fatality rate are major challenges hampering the continent’s response as cases surge. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said in a Friday update that the challenges include the rapid spread of mpox to new countries and inconsistent efforts to address the disease, highlighting the need for improved coordination. Data from the Africa CDC show that from the beginning of 2024 to Aug. 23, a total of 21,466 potential cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and 591 deaths have been reported from 13 African Union (AU) members. The…
A man in Japan – who for seven years was blissfully unaware of the 25-year age gap between him and his girlfriend – only discovered her true age before their wedding. The couple, Yoshitaka, 40, and his 65-year-old wife, Aki, have 18,000 followers on YouTube. They met at a Japanese-style bar, run by Aki, according to Bunshun Online, a Japanese media outlet. At that point, Yoshitaka was divorced and, deeply attracted by her mature charm, fell in love with Aki at first sight. Yoshitaka told Bunshun Online: “After talking with her, I found that we both had experienced failed marriages,…
At the University of Haifa, less than 50km (30 miles) from Israel’s border with Lebanon, they’re taking no chances. The morning after a rocket fell on a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers, the university authorities announced that all staff based above the fifth floor in the 30-storey building should work from home. The fear is growing that they’re in the line of fire from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. “In the last war with Hezbollah in 2006, their weapons reached Haifa”, Esther Parpara, a member of staff from the university told me. “This…
The US-based Ford Foundation on Tuesday rejected accusations by Kenyan President William Ruto that it was sponsoring “anarchy”.