A report from the administration of President Joe Biden has found that Israeli forces likely used United States-supplied weapons in a manner “inconsistent” with international law, but it stopped short of identifying violations that would put an end to the ongoing military aid. In the report, released on Friday after a delay, the US State Department indicated Israel did not provide adequate information to verify whether US weapons were used in possible violations of international law during its war in Gaza. The Biden White House had issued a national security memorandum, NSM-20, in February requiring Israel and other countries receiving military aid…
Author: KahawaTungu Editor
South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah as part of additional emergency measures over the war in Gaza, the United Nations’s top court said. In the ongoing case brought by South Africa, which accuses Israel of acts of genocide against Palestinians, the ICJ in January ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians. Israel has repeatedly said it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza, and has called South Africa’s genocide…
Russian forces attempted an armoured ground invasion of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region with artillery and guided aerial bombs, Ukrainian officials have said. On Friday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence said that Russian forces tried to breach Ukrainian defences near the town of Vovchansk with “armoured vehicles” at 5am (02:00 GMT), hitting an area near the border with aerial attacks. The assault had been repulsed, but “battles of varying intensity” continued, it said. A senior Ukrainian military source told the Reuters news agency that Russian forces had pushed one kilometre (0.6 miles) into the region. They aimed, he said, to advance as…
Kylian Mbappé has announced he is leaving PSG at the end of the season, after which he is expected to join Real Madrid. The announcement brings Real Madrid closer to ending their years-long pursuit of the France international, who is widely regarded as one of the best players in world football. He said in a video posted to Instagram: “Hi everyone, it’s Kylian. I wanted to speak to you, I’ve always said that I would speak with you when the time comes and so I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. “I…
The Philippine national security council on Friday called for Chinese diplomats to be expelled from the country for what it called a malicious disinformation campaign that had breached local laws and diplomatic protocols. The National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano in a statement said the Chinese embassy’s actions “should not be allowed to pass unsanctioned without serious penalty”. Ano was referring to a news report this week of an alleged leak of a call between a Chinese diplomat and a Filipino admiral discussing a dispute over the South China Sea, which carried a transcript that showed the admiral agreeing to concessions…
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the reappointment on Friday of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a technocrat who has helped him through the war in Ukraine and the economic challenges wrought by Western sanctions over Moscow’s invasion. The Duma’s approval of the low-key Mishustin is nearly certain, as there is virtually no opposition in parliament, which has supported Putin in all his decisions, including the February 2022 invasion of Russia’s smaller neighbour. As dictated by law, the government resigned just before Putin, Russia’s paramount leader for nearly a quarter of a century, was sworn in for another six-year term on Tuesday…
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday is set to back a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognizing it as qualified to join and sending the application back to the U.N. Security Council to “reconsider the matter favorably.” The Palestinians are reviving their bid to become a full U.N. member – a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state – after the United States vetoed it in the 15-member U.N. Security Council last month. The vote by the 193-member General Assembly on Friday will act as a global survey of support for the Palestinians. An…
David Beckham has urged Manchester United’s flops to prove they are motivated to play for the troubled club. Former United star Beckham was in Manchester on Thursday to attend the premiere of a new documentary about the club’s 1999 treble-winning side. Beckham was a key figure in the United team that won the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup under legendary boss Alex Ferguson. Now the former England captain’s Studio 99 company have played a role in the production of ’99’, a three-part series that launches on May 17. Twenty-five years on from his role in that epic treble…
Moroccan club Renaissance Berkane are due to host Egyptian outfit Zamalek on Sunday in the CAF Confederation Cup final first leg against a background of off-field drama. Algerian side USMA, who forfeited both legs of a semi-final in a storm over Moroccan maps on the Berkane shirts, have asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reverse those decisions. They also want the first leg of the title decider, scheduled for the 10,000-capacity Stade Municipal in northeastern Morocco, to be postponed. Separately, Zamalek have requested the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to change the Tunisian VAR officials chosen to…
Military leader Mahamat Idriss Deby has won a closely watched presidential election in Chad, according to provisional results released by its National Election Management Agency. Deby secured more than 61 percent of the vote, according to the numbers released on Thursday, eliminating the need for a run-off with his closest rival, Prime Minister Succes Masra, who received 18.5 percent. The victory allows Deby to hold onto the presidency in the central African country with a voter mandate. Previously, he led the country as its interim president, seizing power after his father, the late President Idriss Deby, was killed in April 2021 while fighting a…
The Israeli military has ramped up its attacks in Rafah, southern Gaza, and hit Gaza City while crippling humanitarian aid operations across the Palestinian territory as ceasefire talks ended without a deal. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on Friday that 110,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah. Israeli troops were advancing in the east of the city in close combat operations and conducting air raids. “People are petrified. People have been fearing this for a long, long time and it is now upon us. There is constant bombardment. There is smoke on the horizon.…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired the head of the state guards following allegations that two members were involved in a plot to assassinate the embattled Ukrainian head of state. Zelenskyy dismissed former leader of the state guards Serhiy Rud on Thursday, after the state security service (SBU) said earlier this week that it had unearthed an assassination plot against Zelenskyy and other important officials. A successor for Rud has yet to be named. The SBU said that the assassinations were meant to be a “gift” for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he was sworn in for a new term in office on Tuesday.…
A Spanish court said Thursday it had shelved a probe into an alleged tax fraud by Colombian pop star Shakira, putting an end to her legal woes in the country where she once lived. Prosecutors had opened the case in July, alleging she had used a network of companies, some in tax havens, to cheat the tax office out of 6.6 million euros (Ksh.931.5 million) in 2018. A month later, the so-called Queen of Latin Pop paid 6.6 million euros to settle the debt. But prosecutors on Wednesday asked for the criminal case to be dropped over “a lack of…
TikTok on Thursday said it will begin labeling AI-generated content automatically from several platforms, including OpenAI’s Dall-E and the company’s own tools and generators. Authentication has become a major concern in the fast development of AI, with authorities worried about the proliferation of deepfakes that could disrupt society. “AI-generated content is an incredible creative outlet, but transparency for viewers is critical,” said Adam Presser, Head of Trust & Safety at TikTok. The automatic labeling of AI-generated or edited content would be a first for social media platforms. TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said it would begin testing a label…
Israeli officials have struck a defiant tone after US President Joe Biden warned that the United States would not provide weapons for a full-scale ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are hemmed in with no safe way to leave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in televised remarks on Thursday that Israel, which is heavily reliant on US weapons shipments, would “fight with our fingernails” if necessary. “Hamas [hearts] Biden,” Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right security minister, wrote in a social media post. https://twitter.com/itamarbengvir/status/1788458123436433783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1788458123436433783%7Ctwgr%5Ed4aa755608035106a3d546828d52f90c0f6df66d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2024%2F5%2F9%2Fisraeli-officials-defiant-after-biden-weapons-warning-on-rafah-assault The US has consistently provided Israel with military support throughout the…