Global Pulse

标签： Asia

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  • Iranian FM mocks Trump talk about guarding strait for 20% fees

    Iranian FM mocks Trump talk about guarding strait for 20% fees

    On a recent Monday, former U.S. President Donald Trump sparked immediate international backlash and sarcastic pushback from Iran after announcing he would renew the American economic blockade of Tehran and impose a 20 percent fee on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, framing the charge as payment for U.S. security guarantees in the strategic waterway.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi turned Trump’s own words against him in a viral social media post, opening with sarcastic agreement: “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.” Araghchi doubled down on Iran’s long-standing claim to regional security responsibility, adding, “Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair.”

    The announcement originated during a Monday morning interview on Fox News’ *Fox & Friends*, where Trump framed the United States as “the guardian angel of the strait” and insisted the U.S. deserved compensation for its security role. Shortly after the interview, Trump repeated the proposal in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, writing that “the USA will be, from this point forward, known as ‘THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,’ but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”

    Policy analysts and critics have been quick to point out the significant contradictions in the Trump proposal, noting that the 20 percent toll is exponentially higher than the 1 to 2 percent fee Iran has previously sought for shipping through the strait. Many experts warn that Trump’s move has inadvertently strengthened Iran’s argument that it is entitled to charge its own fees for navigation security in the waterway.

    The contradiction also directly undermines recent public statements from senior U.S. leadership. Just weeks before Trump’s announcement, current U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed long-standing U.S. policy to reporters, stating that “no country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law. That’s the way it is in international waterways all over the world, and that’s the way we expect it’ll be here. So I don’t think we have anybody to convince around here in that regard. I think all the countries in this region would agree with us.”

    The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for global energy trade, with roughly a fifth of all global oil consumption passing through its waters on a yearly basis. Disputes over navigation rights and security in the strait have been a core point of tension between the U.S. and Iran for decades.

  • China investigates mine-safety official for corruption after deadly gas explosion

    China investigates mine-safety official for corruption after deadly gas explosion

    BEIJING – Months after a catastrophic gas explosion at a Shanxi province coal mine claimed 82 lives, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog has announced that the region’s leading mine safety regulator is facing formal investigation for suspected graft and serious violations of disciplinary and legal rules. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) confirmed in a public notice released Monday evening that Hu Haijun, who holds dual roles as director of the Shanxi Bureau of the National Mine Safety Administration and the bureau’s Communist Party chief, is the subject of the ongoing probe. The short announcement posted to the CCDI’s official website did not disclose further details about the specific violations alleged against Hu. Per reporting from Caixin, a leading Chinese independent business publication, Hu marks the highest-ranking official swept into the expanding investigation into governance and safety practices across Shanxi’s coal mining sector, one of the world’s largest concentrated coal production hubs. The deadly May accident, which stands as China’s deadliest industrial mining disaster in several years, prompted Chinese authorities to launch a sweeping, province-wide blanket safety inspection of all operating coal mines in the region. While China has made consistent, measurable progress in reducing mining fatalities and improving overall worksite safety over the past decade, systemic gaps in mine oversight and industrial safety regulation remain persistent challenges for national regulators. The mine where the explosion occurred is operated by Shanxi Tongzhou Coal & Coke Group, which was formally listed as a high-risk, disaster-prone operation by the National Mine Safety Administration earlier this year in 2024. Even as China accelerates its global-leading buildout of wind and solar renewable energy capacity, coal continues to anchor the country’s national energy mix, accounting for more than half of China’s total annual energy consumption. As China’s preeminent coal-producing province, Shanxi is home to roughly 800,000 coal mining workers and churned out 1.3 billion tons of coal in 2023 alone – nearly one-third of the entire country’s total annual coal output. The probe into Hu comes as Beijing continues to push a years-long national campaign to crack down on corruption across critical regulated industries, with safety oversight highlighted as a priority for anti-graft efforts following high-profile industrial accidents.

  • Death toll from a Bangkok music bar fire rises to 30, dozens remain in hospital

    Death toll from a Bangkok music bar fire rises to 30, dozens remain in hospital

    BANGKOK – Thai capital officials announced Tuesday that the death count from a catastrophic blaze at a popular Bangkok music and beer hall has climbed to 30, marking the city’s deadliest fire incident in nearly two decades. The deadly inferno broke out late Sunday evening at Rong Beer Na Ladprao, a sprawling nightlife venue located in northern Bangkok, and it took responding firefighters 30 minutes to fully contain the spread of flames.

    In addition to the rising death toll, city health authorities confirmed that more than 70 injured survivors remain in hospital care, with 24 of those patients still fighting for their lives in critical condition. The venue, which brands itself as a large-scale brewery and beer hall in Thai, publicly advertises a maximum capacity of 600 patrons, though investigators have not yet confirmed how many people were inside the establishment when the fire ignited.

    Police leading the investigation have revealed that most of the deceased were found trapped inside windowless bathroom spaces, where many victims had fled in a desperate bid to escape the advancing flames. Authorities have launched a full probe into both the root cause of the fire and whether the venue was compliant with mandatory public safety and fire code regulations, with results still pending.

    By Tuesday, former customers and grieving community members had begun gathering at the cordoned-off disaster site to pay their respects. A growing mound of white flowers and handwritten condolence notes, written in Thai, Korean and multiple other languages, has accumulated against the guardrails blocking access to the charred venue. Investigators cleared charred debris from the building on Monday, moving destroyed remains including blackened chair frames and melted musical instruments out to the adjacent sidewalk, where the twisted wreckage still lies scattered.

  • Business executives making ‘contingency plans’ for UAE-Saudi Arabia feud

    Business executives making ‘contingency plans’ for UAE-Saudi Arabia feud

    The already tense relationship between neighboring Gulf powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates has escalated into what insiders describe as an economic war of attrition, pushing global business leaders and financial institutions to draw up emergency contingency plans to mitigate potential fallout.

    Multiple major international publications have documented the growing rift, which stretches across both geopolitical and economic spheres. The two oil-rich nations already hold opposing positions on several high-stakes regional issues, from the ongoing conflict in Yemen to power struggles in Sudan and diplomatic engagements with Israel. Beyond geopolitics, however, the rivalry has deepened into direct economic competition that threatens the operations of foreign companies operating across both markets.

    One of the most visible flashpoints is competition to become the Gulf region’s leading business hub. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in transforming Riyadh into a top global commercial center, a strategy that directly challenges the long-standing dominance of the UAE’s Dubai. The pair also clashed openly on energy policy earlier this year, when the UAE withdrew from the Saudi-led OPEC production alliance and rapidly scaled up its own crude output.

    Tangible disruptions to cross-border trade and finance have already emerged, according to recent on-the-ground reporting. Semafor documented that border crossing wait times for commercial trucks moving from the UAE into Saudi Arabia have stretched to several days in recent months, with some drivers reporting waits as long as a week, forcing many to sleep in their vehicles while waiting for entry approval. The Financial Times additionally revealed that Saudi banks have repeatedly held up or returned payments sent to UAE-based accounts belonging to Dubai-based companies and individuals since May, in most cases without providing any formal explanation for the disruptions.

    Against this backdrop, Bloomberg reported Monday that leading global investment banks are bracing for an unprecedented ultimatum: they may soon be forced to choose between maintaining major operations in Abu Dhabi or expanding their presence in Riyadh, as both sides pressure international firms to pick sides in the deepening rivalry.

    Businesses across sectors have already begun taking proactive steps to prepare for further escalation. Some firms have developed separate logistics networks operating independently in each country to avoid disruptions if the border closure worsens. Other organizations are conducting full reviews of existing commercial contracts, with a particular focus on identifying force majeure clauses that could protect them if existing agreements collapse. Many are also auditing their local partnerships to identify any connections that could prompt retaliation from either government.

    The Gulf region has long been a high-priority market for Western businesses, drawn by vast state capital pools, booming infrastructure projects, and growing investment opportunities in emerging sectors like artificial intelligence. For decades, Western law firms, consulting practices, and financial institutions have generated substantial profits from working with Gulf governments. Even so, Saudi Arabia has in recent years begun reducing spending on foreign advisors as part of a push to create more jobs for local citizens and cut unnecessary costs.

    Despite the lack of an open, formal break between the two nations, business leaders are refusing to take risks amid the creeping escalation. One anonymous international law firm told Bloomberg it has begun turning down certain client engagements specifically to avoid alienating either Saudi or Emirati officials. In another high-profile case, a global investment firm raising capital for a new regional fund was informed by Saudi stakeholders that it was prohibited from allocating any capital to UAE-based projects, and could only invest in assets focused exclusively on the Saudi market.

  • China’s June exports surge 27% from a year earlier as AI boom drives strong demand

    China’s June exports surge 27% from a year earlier as AI boom drives strong demand

    HONG KONG – New data released by China’s General Administration of Customs on Tuesday shows the country’s export growth accelerated sharply in June, climbing 27% year-on-year in a performance that outpaced nearly all economist projections. The reading marked a notable jump from May’s 19.4% annual growth, with industry analysts linking the stronger-than-expected expansion to multiple global market factors, most prominently the worldwide boom in artificial intelligence development.

    Imports also saw stronger growth than forecast in June, surging 36% compared to the same period last year, up from May’s 27.4% annual increase. Analysts note that rising geopolitical tensions, particularly the ongoing conflict involving Iran, have pushed up global commodity and energy costs, contributing to the higher overall value of China’s import volumes for the month. The country’s monthly trade surplus widened to $125.6 billion in June, up from $105.4 billion recorded in May.

    Julian Evans-Pritchard, head of China Economics at Capital Economics, highlighted in a client note released Tuesday that the surge in trade values reflects a broader market shift tied to AI development. “Trade values took another big leg up in June,” Evans-Pritchard wrote. “This predominantly reflects the recent surge in semiconductor prices on the back of the AI boom. But even putting that aside, foreign demand for Chinese goods remains robust.”

    Beyond semiconductors, China has seen rapid export growth in two key high-value sectors: electric vehicles (EVs) and other technology-focused manufactured goods. As global industries rush to integrate AI tools into operations, demand for semiconductors, circuit boards and other electronic components produced in Chinese factories has risen sharply, driving the overall export expansion. EV exports have emerged as a particularly bright spot, with separate data showing China’s passenger vehicle exports jumped 80% year-on-year in June amid rising global demand for affordable electric vehicles.

    The strong performance of China’s export manufacturing sector has provided critical support for the country’s overall economic growth this year, offsetting persistent softness in domestic consumer spending and fixed investment. The sluggishness in domestic activity stems largely from a prolonged downturn in China’s real estate industry, which has historically accounted for a large share of the country’s economic output and household wealth.

    For the first half of 2026 overall, Chinese customs data shows exports grew 17.6% year-on-year, while imports rose 26.6% over the same period. Breaking down export growth by region, shipments to Southeast Asia surged nearly 35% year-on-year in June, while exports to the European Union and Latin America rose more than 18% and 28% respectively. Exports to the United States also climbed almost 14% from a year earlier, a gain partially driven by comparison to weak 2025 volumes that dropped after former U.S. President Donald Trump implemented new higher tariffs on Chinese goods during his second term.

    Policymakers in the U.S. and Europe have repeatedly raised concerns over growing bilateral trade deficits with China in recent years. In response to trade barriers including higher tariffs, many Chinese manufacturing firms have relocated production capacity to regional hubs across Europe and other global markets to bypass import restrictions. China has also actively diversified its export markets, ramping up shipments to fast-growing economies in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa to reduce reliance on traditional Western markets.

    While many analysts project China’s export growth will continue in the coming months, they warn the expansion is increasingly fragile. Wei Li, head of Multi-Asset Investments at BNP Paribas Securities (China), noted that the strong growth in auto and AI-related goods exports remains heavily dependent on sustained global consumer and business demand, as well as future changes to international trade regulations that could create new headwinds.

    China is scheduled to release its official second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth data on Wednesday. Chinese policymakers have set an annual GDP growth target of 4.5% to 5% for 2026, which is slightly lower than the 5% growth the country recorded in 2025. Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its 2026 growth forecast for China by 0.2 percentage points to 4.6%, but the organization projects China’s annual growth will slow to 4.1% by 2027 amid long-term structural headwinds.

    To counter softness in domestic demand, Chinese leaders have rolled out a series of stimulus measures aimed at boosting consumer spending, including trade-in subsidies for new vehicles and home appliances. However, many households remain cautious amid ongoing economic uncertainty, with many consumers delaying large, big-ticket purchases to preserve savings.

  • Italy’s Cannone suspended for 4 weeks for head-butting in rugby’s Nations Championship

    Italy’s Cannone suspended for 4 weeks for head-butting in rugby’s Nations Championship

    WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A significant disciplinary action has shaken up the 2024 Nations Championship after Italian rugby lock Niccolo Cannone received a four-week suspension for a violent head-butting incident during Saturday’s test match against New Zealand’s All Blacks.

    The incident unfolded in the 52nd minute of the match at a ruck, where Cannone made contact with New Zealand scrumhalf Cam Roigard using his head. On-field officials initially issued a yellow card for the offense, but post-match video review upgraded the punishment to a red card. The red card forced Italy to play with just 14 players on the field for the final 20 minutes of the match, which ended in a lopsided 47-17 defeat for the Italian side.

    On Tuesday, the tournament’s independent Foul Play Review Committee (FPRC) concluded its formal review of the incident, formally finding Cannone in violation of World Rugby Law 9.12, which prohibits physical abuse of opposing players.

    In an official public statement released after the ruling, the FPRC explained its sentencing process. “The FPRC determined that the act of foul play merited a low-end entry point of six weeks or matches,” the statement read. “In light of Cannone’s acceptance that he committed an act of foul play worthy of ordering off, as well as mitigating factors such as his clean disciplinary record, respectful conduct throughout the review process, and genuine expression of remorse, the FPRC applied a 2-week reduction to the sanction.”

    The four-week suspension will rule Cannone out of Italy’s next critical Nations Championship fixture, scheduled for this Saturday in Perth against Australia. It is unclear whether he will be available for selection for any subsequent tournament matches following the completion of his ban.

  • Thai police probe safety lapses after deadly Bangkok bar fire

    Thai police probe safety lapses after deadly Bangkok bar fire

    A devastating late-night fire at a popular Bangkok live music bar has claimed at least 28 lives and left dozens injured, triggering an official investigation into widespread safety lapses that may have turned a manageable blaze into a fatal tragedy.

    The fire erupted on Sunday evening near the performance stage of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, where Thai indie band Thotsakan was mid-performance. Preliminary investigations point to an air conditioning unit short circuit as the initial source of ignition; the fault immediately cut power to the entire venue, plunging the already dimly lit space into total darkness. Investigators confirm that highly flammable decorative materials, including plastic floral arrangements covering the stage and combustible foam plastered on the venue’s ceiling, allowed the flames to spread across the space in seconds, producing toxic fumes that overwhelmed patrons almost instantly.

    Multiple accounts and post-fire inspections reveal a cascade of life-threatening safety failures. Survivors and inspectors have confirmed that emergency exit doors were locked, entrance doors were partially blocked by furniture, and clear emergency exit signage was entirely absent from the venue. A former visitor to the bar described convoluted, unmarked winding corridors that left patrons disoriented even under normal operating conditions. When the fire broke out, many customers instinctively fled toward the rear of the venue where restrooms were located, only to find the door at that location locked and no alternate escape route. Many victims were ultimately found in these rear restrooms, having been trapped while attempting to escape the blaze.

    Structural engineering experts note that the use of flammable synthetic materials created toxic “smoke twins” — carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide — that likely killed most victims via inhalation long before they were burned by flames. Two members of the performing band Thotsakan are among the dead.

    In the wake of the tragedy, Thai police have opened an investigation into whether severe negligence on the part of venue owners contributed to the death toll. National Police Chief Kittiratt Phanphet condemned the venue’s safety standards Monday, saying the multiple hazards “indicate a lack of caution and disregard for the safety of the patrons.”

    Further investigation has uncovered that the venue was legally registered as a “restaurant with live music” rather than a formal entertainment venue. This lower-risk classification meant the establishment was not required to use fire-retardant building or decorative materials, creating a regulatory loophole that directly contributed to the fire’s rapid spread. The venue’s owner has a prior history of fire incidents: local Thai media reports confirm the owner previously operated a pub in Yasothon province that was destroyed by fire in December 2019, though that blaze caused no casualties as it broke out during daytime operating hours when the building was not packed with people.

    Following the disaster, Bangkok’s Metropolitan Administration announced it has launched a full review of safety regulations covering both restaurants and entertainment venues, with the goal of closing regulatory gaps that allow high-risk venues to operate without meeting adequate fire safety standards.

  • Australian police reveal unseen photos 25 years after British backpacker murder

    Australian police reveal unseen photos 25 years after British backpacker murder

    July 14, 2026 marks 25 years since one of Australia’s most high-profile missing person and murder cases unfolded in the remote outback of the Northern Territory. On that same date in 2001, 28-year-old British backpacker Peter Falconio, originally from Huddersfield, was shot and killed by Bradley Murdoch on a desolate stretch of Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek, roughly 300 kilometers north of Alice Springs. To this day, Falconio’s body has never been recovered, and 25 years on from the attack, Northern Territory (NT) Police have made the unprecedented decision to release a collection of never-before-seen photographs from their original investigation, in a last-ditch effort to jog public memory and elicit new information that could finally lead investigators to Falconio’s remains.

    The newly released batch of images captures key pieces of evidence and context from the immediate aftermath of the attack. Included among them is a full-length portrait of Murdoch taken during the early police investigation, a raw shot of Falconio’s travel partner and girlfriend Joanne Lees visibly traumatized just hours after the assault, close-up images of the binding injuries Lees sustained when Murdoch tied her wrists with cable ties, the abandoned orange Volkswagen Kombi van the couple was driving around Australia that was found parked off the Stuart Highway near the attack site, and multiple shots of the remote outback crime scene itself.

    The attack that shook both Australia and the United Kingdom unfolded after Murdoch pulled his vehicle alongside the couple’s camper van, claiming he had spotted sparks coming from the van’s exhaust. When Falconio stepped out to inspect the issue, Murdoch shot him in the head before forcing Lees into his own vehicle and binding her. Lees managed to escape Murdoch’s custody, hiding in dense outback scrubland for several hours before she was able to flag down a passing truck for help.

    Murdoch was ultimately found guilty of Falconio’s murder, as well as charges of assault and attempted kidnapping of Lees, in a unanimous jury verdict following his 2005 trial. Despite overwhelming DNA evidence linking him to the crime, Murdoch consistently maintained his innocence, launched two unsuccessful appeals to overturn his conviction, and never cooperated with authorities to disclose where he had hidden Falconio’s body. Last year, the 67-year-old died in prison from terminal throat cancer, taking the secret of Falconio’s burial location to his grave. Just one week before his death, NT Police conducted a final recorded interview with Murdoch in a last attempt to get him to reveal the location; footage of that interview was released to the public in recent days.

    NT Police Commissioner Martin Dole emphasized that the investigation will remain open until Falconio’s family gets the closure they have waited 25 years for. “This was a traumatic and horrific event for Ms Lees, and for Peter’s family, who have now gone such a long time without the answers they deserve,” Dole said in an official statement. “While a murderer has been held accountable for his crimes, this investigation can never be considered closed until Peter’s remains are found and his family can lay him to rest.”

    Dole added that it was “deeply regrettable that Murdoch died without, as far as we know, ever disclosing the location of Peter’s remains. His cowardly silence has denied his family, friends and loved ones the closure they deserve.” Police remain committed to pursuing every possible lead to bring the case to a full conclusion, and an existing reward of up to AU$500,000 remains active for any information that leads investigators to the recovery of Falconio’s remains. Commissioner Dole expressed hope that the 25-year milestone, paired with the release of these unseen images, will prompt anyone with even small pieces of forgotten information to come forward.

  • Rubio says US will dismantle ICC ‘brick by brick’

    Rubio says US will dismantle ICC ‘brick by brick’

    In a stark public challenge to the International Criminal Court (ICC) just months after it issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally announced the Trump administration’s deliberate campaign to dismantle the global judicial body “brick by brick”.

    Rubio laid out the administration’s hardline stance in a candid opinion piece published in *The Wall Street Journal* on Monday, framing the ICC’s oversight of U.S. military and law enforcement activities as an unprecedented overstep of institutional authority that poses an existential threat to American national sovereignty. “The ICC’s interfering with American military and law enforcement operations isn’t just a grave overreach of its purported authorities. It would mean the death of the U.S. as a sovereign and independent nation,” he wrote.

    “Using all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC – brick by brick, if necessary,” Rubio added. He doubled down on this position in a pre-recorded monologue released to social media platform X the same day, arguing the court seeks to strip American citizens of their long-held legal right to be tried under domestic law by a jury of their peers. “But today powerful people in far away places want to take that away from us. They believe that they should be in charge of your laws, of your country, your life – and they don’t care whether or not you agree,” he stated in the video.

    Rubio further accused the ICC of actively waging a campaign against the U.S., noting that most American citizens have no familiarity with the court’s judges, prosecutors, or leadership — and that they “shouldn’t have to”. He emphasized that opposition to the court crosses U.S. party lines, a longstanding position dating back to the ICC’s founding in 2002, when the body was established to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes following mass atrocities in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

    Notably, Rubio avoided any direct reference to the 2024 arrest warrants issued by the ICC for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who stand accused of crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, where the Gaza health ministry reports more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed since conflict resumed in October 2023. The court also issued arrest warrants for senior Hamas leaders over the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed roughly 1,200 people; all Hamas leaders named in the warrants have since been assassinated by Israeli forces.

    Rubio framed the administration’s campaign against the court through a nationalist lens, positioning the effort as a defense of state sovereignty against what he calls overreach by global institutions. “The U.S. is launching a diplomatic campaign with a simple message – sovereign states over globalism,” he said. Drawing a parallel to the American Revolution, he added: “Our forefathers fought a revolution against a foreign power transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences. Independence is our birthright. We don’t intend to trade it for rule by a self-appointed priesthood of ‘international law’.”

    He reminded audiences of the ICC’s 2020 investigation into alleged war crimes committed by U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, warning that the court could eventually extend its probes to U.S. Border Patrol agents and Marine Corps personnel. “The ICC is backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S,” he claimed. In his X video, he pushed back against the court’s founding mandate, arguing that while it was billed as a tribunal to prosecute severe crimes when national courts are unable to act, it has become an unaccountable body of unelected officials with near-unlimited claims to power.

    In reality, the ICC counts 125 member states, including all member nations of the European Union. Major global powers have historically opposed the court, largely to avoid submitting their own personnel to its jurisdiction. The U.S.’s primary geopolitical rivals, Russia and China, are not ICC members.

    U.S. opposition to the court stretches back more than two decades: in 2002, then-President George W. Bush formally withdrew U.S. signature from the court’s founding Rome Statute and signed the American Servicemembers’ Protection Act (ASPA), a law that restricted any U.S. cooperation with the ICC. The legislation even authorized the use of military force to rescue any U.S. personnel detained by the court, earning it the popular nickname the “Hague Invasion Act”. At the time, Washington also pressured dozens of countries around the world to sign bilateral immunity agreements barring them from surrendering U.S. citizens to the ICC.

    Analysts view Rubio’s broadside as confirmation that the U.S. and its closest allies have launched a full diplomatic assault on the ICC specifically because of its efforts to hold Israeli leadership accountable for alleged war crimes in Gaza, a situation that the United Nations, leading human rights organizations, and prominent genocide scholars have formally designated as a genocide.

    This campaign is not new: last year, former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on ICC judges over their investigation into senior Israeli officials. According to previous reporting from Middle East Eye, these sanctions have severely impacted judges’ ability to travel, threatened their personal security and that of their families, and restricted their access to basic financial services. MEE has also exclusively reported on a parallel pressure campaign led by former UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who privately threatened ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan in April 2024 that the UK would defund and withdraw from the court if it moved forward with arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.

    The U.S. did play a role in the ICC’s early founding: then-President Bill Clinton signed the Rome Statute in 2000, but the agreement was never sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification amid widespread bipartisan fears that the court would eventually prosecute U.S. military personnel and government officials for alleged war crimes in conflicts including Afghanistan and Iraq. Notably, the ICC has also issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes connected to the invasion of Ukraine.

    Rubio closed his video monologue with a sharp warning to the ICC and its supporters: “This administration will not sit by as the ICC and its allies seek to threaten our people. If they believe they can deprive us of our sovereignty, we will teach them the full meaning of American resolve.”

  • Sudan court sentences RSF commander to death over West Darfur killings

    Sudan court sentences RSF commander to death over West Darfur killings

    In a landmark ruling marking the first judicial conviction of senior Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leadership since Sudan’s brutal civil war erupted in April 2023, an anti-terrorism court based in Port Sudan handed down death sentences in absentia on Sunday to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—widely known as Hemedti—and 15 other co-defendants. The convictions center on allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the targeted assassination of West Darfur Governor Khamis Abdullah Abakar in the West Darfur capital of el-Geneina.

    The case was rooted in the 2023 assassination of Governor Abakar, which occurred just 24 hours after the governor publicly condemned RSF shelling of the el-Jamarik neighborhood in el-Geneina. Circulated video evidence showing RSF fighters mutilating Abakar’s body has been publicly available, though the paramilitary group has consistently denied involvement and pinned blame on the opposing Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

    Human Rights Watch’s 2024 investigation into violence in el-Geneina concluded that the attacks against the Masalit people and other non-Arab communities in the region amounted to ethnic cleansing, with strong evidence pointing to acts of genocide. Data from Middle East Eye’s June 2023 reporting estimates that roughly 1,500 people were killed in el-Geneina in the first two months of the war alone, forcing tens of thousands of Masalit civilians to flee on foot across the border to refugee camps in eastern Chad.

    Among the convicted defendants are two of Hemedti’s brothers: RSF deputy leader Abdel Rahim Hamdan Dagalo and Algoney Hamdan Daglo Musa, commonly referred to as al-Qoni. Additional high-profile convictions include West Darfur RSF commander Abdel Rahman Juma Barkallah and the region’s former deputy governor al-Tijani al-Tahir Karshoum.

    Presiding over the trial, special judge Mohamed al-Amin ruled that Hemedti bore direct legal responsibility for orchestrating the genocide of the Masalit community and organizing the siege of el-Geneina. The judgment detailed systemic patterns of property destruction and looting, as well as deliberate targeted attacks on civilian populations, residential zones, schools, and religious sites. Abdel Rahim Dagalo was found guilty of co-organizing the el-Geneina siege, mass civilian displacement, and the Masalit genocide; al-Qoni was convicted of facilitating the siege; and Barkallah was held responsible for leading frontline RSF fighters in coordinated assaults on Masalit-majority neighborhoods.

    Alongside the death sentences, the court ordered the full confiscation of all RSF assets and directed Sudanese authorities to request Interpol red notices to secure the arrest and extradition of all convicted individuals. In his closing statement, Judge Amin delivered a blistering rebuke of the RSF’s actions, noting that the group deployed heavy weaponry in residential areas, carried out widespread looting, arson, and sexual violence, and acted on explicit ethnic hatred with the goal of eradicating the Masalit community.

    “These convicted individuals were state leaders who abused their authority and turned state weapons—meant to protect citizens—into tools of crime,” Judge Amin said. “Their actions left thousands dead or displaced, destroyed an entire city, and erased its civilization and history.”

    The Port Sudan ruling comes just days after International Criminal Court (ICC) Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Khan announced a “breakthrough” in the court’s investigations into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in West Darfur, following an investigative trip to eastern Chad. However, a recent Middle East Eye investigation uncovered that the ICC prosecutor’s office has privately decided not to move forward with an arrest warrant application for an RSF member, despite three years of investigations and public promises that applications would be filed imminently. The decision has sparked growing scrutiny over the timeline and commitment of international judicial action against RSF leadership.

    While international progress on accountability remains slow, the first extraterritorial prosecution attempt against RSF members has already been launched in neighboring Kenya. On June 9, 12 Sudanese victims represented by Legal Action Worldwide and the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies filed a formal complaint alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity with Kenya’s Director of Public Prosecutions, relying on the principle of universal jurisdiction.

    The complaint calls for an investigation into allegations of torture and sexual violence committed by 10 RSF members, several of whom are believed to currently reside in Kenya. The filing directly undermines the Kenyan government’s long-standing public partnership with the RSF: Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto has hosted Hemedti at the country’s State House, allowed the RSF to hold meetings for a parallel Sudanese administration in Nairobi, and granted Kenyan passports to RSF leaders to facilitate cross-border travel. Critics further accuse the Ruto administration of supplying crates of ammunition to the paramilitary group and enabling the smuggling and export of Sudanese gold and gum arabic through Kenyan ports.
    “This moment is not just a test of Kenya’s commitment to upholding international justice,” said Dr. Owiso Owiso, lead Kenyan counsel for the 12 victims. “It also proves that even when domestic accountability systems and the broader international community have failed the people of Sudan, avenues to seek justice are not completely closed.”