ICC prosecutor seeks arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders

The Hague,  Netherlands 

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes.

Karim Khan KC said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity from the day of Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October onwards.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh, along with the group's military chief Mohammed Deif, are also wanted for arrest.

ICC judges will now decide whether they believe the evidence is sufficient to issue arrest warrants - something which could take weeks or months.

Mr Netanyahu said in a statement that he rejected "with disgust The Hague prosecutor's comparison between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas".

US President Joe Biden described the ICC prosecutor's move as "outrageous".

Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz called the move by Mr Khan an "unrestrained frontal assault" on the victims of the 7 October attacks and a "historical disgrace that will be remembered forever".

He announced that a special command centre would be set up to fight the decision, which he said was intended to tie Israel's hands and deny it the right to self-defence.

Hamas demanded the “cancellation of all arrest warrants issued against leaders of the Palestinian resistance” and denounced what it called Mr Khan's "attempts... to equate the victim with the executioner".

The group also complained that the application for warrants against Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant had come “seven months late”, and that other Israeli political and military leaders had not been named alongside them.

Mr Khan accused the Hamas leaders of having committed crimes including extermination, murder, hostage taking, rape and sexual violence, and torture.

"The crimes against humanity charged were part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Israel by Hamas and other armed groups," he said in a statement.

"Some of these crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day."

Hamas, he said, had inflicted "unfathomable pain through calculated cruelty and extreme callousness".

He said Israel's prime minister and defence minister were suspected of crimes including starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, murder, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and extermination.

Mr Khan said his office had evidence that Israel had "intentionally and systematically deprived the civilian population in all parts of Gaza of objects indispensable to human survival".

Israel, he said, has a right to defend itself but not by "intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury to body or health of the civilian population" which he said were criminal acts.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz - a political rival of Mr Netanyahu - denounced the prosecutor's decision.

"Drawing parallels between the leaders of a democratic country determined to defend itself from despicable terror to leaders of a bloodthirsty terror organisation is a deep distortion of justice and blatant moral bankruptcy," he said.

DR Congo says 'coup attempt' sought to 'destabilize state institutions'

KINSHASA,  DR Congo 

The Congolese government has condemned what it called a coup attempt on President Felix Tshisekedi.

A statement from the ministry of communication and media said the attack aimed at destabilizing the country's institutions. 

Residents of the capital Kinshasa expressed shock at the events of Sunday morning.

“In any case, we're in a democratic country, so we can't accept these kinds of coups that are attempted at any time. This country has a president, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi, President of the Republic (Democratic of Congo). The enemies of peace are always looking for a coup d'état,” said Didier Tshinzu, a resident of Kinshasa.

The government statement cited Christian Malanga, a self-exiled political figure as the mastermind.

The African Union chief also condemned the coup attempt in a statement on Sunday. 

There's been no word from the Congolese presidency on the matter.

Iran declares five days of mourning after President Raisi’s death

DUBAI/TEHRAN

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Monday five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash.

Rescue team members work at the crash site of a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Varzaghan, northwestern Iran on May 20, 2024.

“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.

Khamenei has appointed First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber acting president and has a maximum period of 50 days to hold elections following the death of Raisi, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported. 

Raisi, the country’s foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hourslong search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest, state media reported. Raisi was 63.

The government cabinet has appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as acting foreign minister.

Lebanon and Syria on Monday announced three days of national mourning for the Iranian president and foreign minister, who were killed in a helicopter crash overnight near the Azerbaijan border.

Iran enjoys sway in both countries, backing the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in Lebanon and supporting Syria’s government and security forces stay in power throughout more than a decade of war.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am about this incident that happened. Especially that the foreign minister had become a friend,” Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told reporters on Monday.

The helicopter also carried the governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan province, other officials and bodyguards, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they “suspected to be wreckage of helicopter.” The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain.

Footage released by the IRNA early Monday showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: “There it is, we found it.”

Condolences started pouring in from neighbors and allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors from the crash. Pakistan announced a day of mourning and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that his country “stands with Iran in this time of sorrow.” Leaders of Egypt and Jordan also offered condolences, as did Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Ebrahim Raisi, right, shakes hands with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev during their meeting in the inauguration ceremony of dam of Qiz Qalasi, or Castel of Girl in Azeri, at the border of Iran and Azerbaijan, on May 19, 2024. 

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said he and his government were “deeply shocked” — Raisi was returning on Sunday after traveling to Iran’s border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Aliyev when the crash happened.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi “as a true friend of Russia.”

Khamenei, who had himself urged the public to pray Sunday night, stressed the business of Iran’s government would continue no matter what.

Under the Iranian constitution, Iran’s vice first president takes over if the president dies, with Khamenei’s assent, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days.

First Vice President Mokhber already had begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisi’s absence, state media reported. An emergency meeting of Iran’s Cabinet was held as state media made the announcement Monday morning. The Cabinet issued a statement afterward pledging it would follow Raisi’s path and that “with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with management of the country.”

A hard-liner who formerly led the country’s judiciary, Raisi was viewed as a protégé of Khamenei and some analysts had suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after Khamenei’s death or resignation.

With Raisi’s death, the only other person so far suggested has been Mojtaba Khameini, the 55-year-old son to the supreme leader. However, some have raised concerns over the position being taken only for the third time since 1979 to a family member, particularly after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the hereditary Pahlavi monarchy of the shah.

Raisi won Iran’s 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. Raisi is sanctioned by the US in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war.

Under Raisi, Iran now enriches uranium at nearly weapons-grade levels and hampers international inspections. Iran has armed Russia in its war on Ukraine, as well as launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast, like Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, mass protests in the country have raged for years. The most recent involved the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been earlier detained over allegedly not wearing a hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained.

In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the “physical violence” that led to Amini’s death.

Raisi is the second Iranian president to die in office. In 1981, a bomb blast killed President Mohammad Ali Rajai in the chaotic days after the country’s Islamic Revolution.

Anchored Tanzania ship capsizes, partially sinks in Lake Victoria

By Our Correspondent, MWANZA Tanzania

A Tanzania’s passengers ship, MV Clarias owned by the Marine Services Company Limited (MSCL), which makes its trips between Mwanza North Port and Ngoziba Island in Kagera region, capsized and sank in Lake Victoria while anchored at Mwanza North Port on the night of May 19. 2024.

The ship, capable of carrying 216 passengers and ten tons of cargo, returned last Saturday morning from the island with passengers and cargo.

Our source said that the capsized ship was scheduled to travel to Ukerewe island the next day replacing the MV. Butiama which had no sufficient fuel due to internet failure in Tanzania and the government systems.

The ship underwent major repairs last year, so the incident of capsizing and sinking in the water while anchored raises complex questions.

The incident happened a few days before the 28th commemoration anniversary of the MV Bukoba that sank into Lake Victoria killing more than 800 people.

The Chief Executive Officer of MSCL, Eric Hamissi, speaking by phone from the scene, has acknowledged the capsize of the MV Clarias and noted that they are making efforts to lift it from the water.

"Here we are making efforts to lift the ship out of the water, but there is no harm to humans because there were no passengers or cargo inside when it capsized," he said.

Eric has said that at the moment it is too early to determine what happened and caused the ship to overturn, so he will give an official statement of the cause after lifting it.

At the same time, MSCL's Information Officer, Abdulrahman Ally, has said that the ship overturned while anchored at the port of Mwanza North.

"MV Clarias traveling between Mwanza Port in the North and Gonziba Island, returned safely from the island on Saturday morning with passengers and cargo, dropped them off at Kirumba before coming to park in the North Port," he said.

Abdulrahman said that on May 19, this year, around 10:00 in the morning, the port guards reported that the ship was lying on one side in the water while under way.

He explained that from 5:00 to 9:00 at night, the ship was safe floating in the water, so the reports of it lying on one side and then capsizing surprised them because there were no passengers or any cargo inside.

MSCL has the fleet of 18 vessels for both passengers and cargo transportation. Nine (9) of these vessels are deployed in Lake Victoria, 3 in Lake Tanganyika and 5 in Lake Nyasa.

The fleet is made up of 9 passenger-cargo vessels, 2 Oil Tankers, 3 Cargo vessels, 1 Tug, 2 self-propelled barges and 1 tourist boat.

US to complete withdrawal from Niger by Sept. 15

NIAMEY, Niger

Niger and the United States have reached an agreement on the withdrawal of American troops from the West African country, a process that has already begun and will be finished by Sept. 15, they said in a joint statement.

Niger's ruling junta last month told the U.S. to withdraw its nearly 1,000 military personnel from the country. Until a coup last year Niger had been a key partner in Washington's fight against insurgents in the Sahel region of Africa, who have killed thousands of people and displaced millions more.

The agreement between Niger's defense ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense, reached after a five-day commission, guarantees the protection of U.S. troops until their withdrawal and establishes procedures to ease the entry and exit of American personnel during the withdrawal process.

"The Ministry of Defense of Niger and the U.S. Department of Defense recall the common sacrifices of the Nigerien and American forces in the fight against terrorism and welcome the mutual efforts made in building up the Nigerien armed forces," they said in a joint statement.

"The withdrawal of American forces from Niger in no way affects the pursuit of relations between the United States and Niger in the area of development. Also, Niger and the United States are committed to an ongoing diplomatic dialogue to define the future of their bilateral relations."

Niger's decision to ask for the removal of U.S. troops came after a meeting in Niamey in mid-March, when senior U.S. officials raised concerns about issues such as the expected arrival of Russian forces and reports of Iran seeking raw materials in the country, including uranium.

Russian military personnel have since entered an air base in Niger that is hosting U.S. troops.

Iranian President killed in helicopter crash

DUBAI, United Arabs Emirates 

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner long seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday.

The charred wreckage of the helicopter which crashed on Sunday carrying Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was found early on Monday after an overnight search in blizzard conditions.

"President Raisi, the foreign minister and all the passengers in the helicopter were killed in the crash," a senior Iranian official told Reuters, asking not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Raisi's death was later confirmed in a statement on social media by Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and on state television.

State TV reported that images from the site showed the aircraft slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash.

State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran's nuclear programme, had earlier sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

Rescue teams fought blizzards and difficult terrain through the night to reach the wreckage in the early hours of Monday.

“With the discovery of the crash site, no signs of life have been detected among the helicopter's passengers,” the head of Iran’s Red Crescent, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state TV.

Earlier, the national broadcaster had stopped all regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country.

Video showed a rescue team, wearing bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a pitch-black mountainside on foot in a blizzard.

Several countries had expressed concern and offered assistance.

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had been briefed on reports about the crash. China said it was deeply concerned. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology.

Man City win historic fourth straight English Premier League title

MANCHESTER,  England 

Manchester City created English football history on Sunday, beating West Ham 3-1 to win an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title.

 Phil Foden scored twice and Rodri was also on target as Pep Guardiola's men sealed their sixth title in seven seasons, condemning Arsenal to second place again.

The Catalan coach has masterminded six Premier League wins in the past seven seasons.

In four of those years, City have also surpassed 90 points. They were pushed this season to deny Arsenal a first title since 2003-04.

The Gunners celebrated a 0-0 draw at the Etihad last month that kept them one point in front of City with nine games to play.

But the champions were relentless in the run-in, winning their final nine league games while scoring 33 goals.

Guardiola conceded City had felt the pressure in a nervy 2-0 win at Tottenham in midweek that kept the destiny of the title in their own hands.

In the same scenario two years ago, they needed a remarkable late fightback from 2-0 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 on the final day.

There was far less drama as West Ham melted under the baking Manchester sun in David Moyes' final game in charge of the Hammers.

Foden was recently crowned the football writers' player of the year for his best-ever goalscoring season and ended any suspense after just 79 seconds.

The England international arrowed a blistering drive into the top corner to ensure there was no nervous wait for the title party to get started.

Foden doubled City's lead inside 20 minutes with another cool left-footed finish from Jeremy Doku's cross for his 27th goal of the season.

City should have been out of sight before halftime as Alphonse Areola denied Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland failed to turn in from point-blank range.

Out of nowhere, there was a twist in the tale of the first half when, from a West Ham corner, Mohammed Kudus' outrageous overhead kick flew high past Stefan Ortega.

Haaland claimed his second Golden Boot in as many seasons in the Premier League despite a day to forget in front of goal.

The Norwegian missed a huge chance to restore the home side's two-goal cushion when he spooned over another inviting Doku cross.

City swiftly restored order at the start of the second period and fittingly it was Rodri, himself a player of the year contender, who delivered the knockout blow to Arsenal's title hopes.

The Spaniard has not been on the losing side for club or country since March 2023.

City's only three Premier League defeats came in the three games the 27-year-old was suspended.

This time Areola should have done better as the Frenchman failed to turn Rodri's tame effort round the post.

City could cruise to the finish line and extend a remarkable 35-game unbeaten streak in all competitions from open play.

The only blip on that run was a penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals that denied Guardiola's men the chance of back-to-back trebles.

They can make it double next weekend when Manchester United have the unenviable task of stopping their local rivals in the FA Cup final.

By achieving a degree of league dominance never seen before, City have made their case to be considered the greatest side English football has produced.

There was an anti-climactic end as City players had to tell fans to get off the pitch before the fulltime whistle.

Thousands of supporters poured onto the field at the end despite pleas from the club to stay off the playing surface.

DR Congo army says it has thwarted attempted coup

By Mbelechi Msoshi, KINSHASA, DR Congo 

The Democratic Republic of Congo army says it has quashed an attempted coup against President Felix Tshisekedi in the capital Kinshasa involving Congolese and foreign fighters.

DR Congo army spokesperson Brig Gen Sylavin Ekenge said on the state-run broadcaster RTNC TV that several suspects have been detained and the "situation is now under control".

His statement comes hours after armed men attacked the house of Vital Kamerhe, the former chief of staff and close ally to President Tshisekedi early on Sunday morning.

Witnesses say a group of about 20 assailants in army uniform attacked the residence and an exchange of gunfire followed.

Two guards and an assailant were killed in the attack on Mr Kamerhe's house, his spokesman and the Japanese ambassador said in posts on X.

The men also occupied the Palais de la Nation, the office of the President of the Republic which is located in the city centre, a place highly secured by the Republican Guard.

Japan's ambassador in the Congolese capital has warned nationals not to go out.

President Tshisekedi has not made any public comment on the situation so far.

Local media reports said the assailants were members of the New Zaire Movement linked to formerly-exiled politician Christian Malanga.

The BBC has seen a video of Mr Malanga saying in Lingala, the local language: “We the military are tired, we cannot march together with Vital Kamerhe and President Félix Tshisekedi."

President Tshisekedi was re-elected for a second term in the disputed elections last year in December. He won about 78% of the vote.

Nearly 20 people were killed in election-related violence in the run-up to the vote.

Congo is a country with vast mineral wealth and a huge population, but despite this life has not improved for most people, with conflict, corruption and poor governance persisting.

Much of the country's natural resources lie in the east where violence still rages despite Mr Tshisekedi's attempts to deal with the situation by imposing a state of siege, ceasefire deals and bringing in regional troops.

South Africa's Zuma promises jobs, education as he launches party manifesto

JOHANNESBUG, South Africa 

Former South African President Jacob Zuma Saturday lamented the high levels of poverty among black South Africans and promised to create jobs and tackle crime as he launched his new political party's manifesto ahead of the country's much anticipated elections.

He told thousands of supporters who gathered at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg that his party would build factories where many people would be employed and provide free education to the country's youth.

"We want our children to study for free, especially those from poor households because the poverty we have was not created by us. It was created by settlers who took everything, including our land. We'll take all those things back, make money and educate our children," he said.

Zuma also has pledged to change South Africa's Constitution to restore more power to traditional leaders, saying their role in society has been reduced by giving more power to magistrates and judges.

Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe party, known as the MK Party, has emerged as a significant player in South Africa's upcoming elections after it was launched in December last year.

He is currently involved in a legal battle with the country's electoral authority, the Independent Electoral Commission. He has appealed against a court judgment that barred him from standing in the election because of his criminal record.

Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defying a court order to appear before a judicial commission of inquiry which was probing corruption allegations in government and state-owned companies during his presidential term from 2009 to 2018.

In 2018, he was forced to resign as the country's president following wide-ranging corruption allegations, but he has made a political return and now seeks to become the country's president again.

"When they talk about unemployment, they are talking about us, there is nobody else. When they talk about people who live in shacks, that is us, there is nobody else who lives in shacks except us," Zuma told his supporters, many of whom had travelled from other provinces such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, where he still enjoys significant support.

Poverty among black people is the reason behind South Africa's high levels of crime, according to the former president.

"Our hunger and poverty is what creates a perception that we are criminals, we don't have a brain, we have nothing. That time is over, because we are good people who are giving, but some people are pushing us towards criminality," he said.

Zuma said his party was aiming to get more than 65% of the national vote in the upcoming elections as it would allow them to change many laws in the country's constitution.

Recent polls and analysts have suggested that the ruling African National Congress might get less than 50% of the vote and would need to form a coalition with smaller parties to remain in power.

South Africans will go to the polls on May 29.

Gabon denies torturing deposed president's family

LIBREVILLE, Gabon 

Gabon's military-led government has denied allegations by deposed President Ali Bongo's lawyers that his wife Sylvia and eldest son Noureddin were tortured in custody.

Mr Bongo's lawyers had said on Tuesday that the ousted president and his two youngest sons had gone on hunger strike to protest against the alleged torture, which they said included beatings, whippings, strangulation and electrocution with a taser.

They added that they had filed a complaint with the Paris judicial court over the alleged acts.

Speaking in an address on state TV, government spokeswoman Laurence Ndong said the allegations were "slanderous" and "damaging Gabon's image".

"The government wishes to state emphatically that they are not being subjected to any form of torture or mistreatment as stated by their lawyers," she added.

She further denied that the junta authorities were preventing Mr Bongo from leaving Gabon or receiving visitors, including his lawyers and family members, at his home.

Bongo, 65, was ousted in a military coup in August last year, shortly after he won a disputed presidential poll.

He had led the oil-rich country since 2009 when he succeeded his father who had been in power for more than 40 years.

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