Six In The Morning Tuesday 28 May 2024

 Israeli tanks in the heart of Rafah as 21 reported killed in latest strikes

Rafah risks losing last operating hospital - UN agency

Amid reports of hundreds of injuries over the last few days, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the last operating hospital in Rafah could become non-functional if Israel launches a "full incursion" into the southern Gazan city.

"If the incursion would continue, we would lose the last hospital in Rafah," Richard Peeperkorn, the UN agency's representative for Gaza and the West Bank, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

He added that a contingency plan "will not prevent what we expect: substantial additional mortality and morbidity."

Peeperkorn did not publicly name the hospital.

Summary

1. Journalists and witnesses in Rafah, in southern Gaza, say Israeli tanks have seized control of a key roundabout in the heart of the city
2. The takeover of the al-Awda roundabout - around 500 metres from the border with Egypt - came amid intense Israeli shelling
3. The Hamas-run health ministry says 21 people were killed and 64 injured in a displaced persons camp on Tuesday
4. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip have been sheltering in Rafah
5. On Sunday, Israeli air strikes killed 45 people in a camp for displaced people - Israel called it a "tragic mishap"
6. The IDF now says weapons stored near the camp could have been responsible for the extent of the blaze

Spying, hacking and intimidation: Israel’s nine-year ‘war’ on the ICC exposed

Exclusive: Investigation reveals how intelligence agencies tried to derail war crimes prosecution, with Netanyahu ‘obsessed’ with intercepts

• Revealed: Israeli spy chief ‘threatened’ ICC prosecutor over war crimes inquiry

Harry Davies, Bethan McKernan and Yuval Abraham in Jerusalem and Meron Rapoport in Tel Aviv

Tue 28 May 2024 13.00 BST

When the chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) announced he was seeking arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders, he issued a cryptic warning: “I insist that all attempts to impede, intimidate or improperly influence the officials of this court must cease immediately.”

Karim Khan did not provide specific details of attempts to interfere in the ICC’s work, but he noted a clause in the court’s foundational treaty that made any such interference a criminal offence. If the conduct continued, he added, “my office will not hesitate to act”.

The prosecutor did not say who had attempted to intervene in the administration of justice, or how exactly they had done so.

Georgia parliament pushes through 'foreign agents' law

The legislation has triggered weeks of protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and drawn criticism from Western governments. Opponents say it will curb media freedom and hurt Georgia's chances of joining the European Union.

Georgian lawmakers on Tuesday voted down a presidential veto of the controversial "foreign agents" legislation, clearing the way for the bill to come into force. 

The law, which has led to weeks of mass protests, would require media outlets and NGOs that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as "pursuing the interests of a foreign power."

Lawmakers voted 84 to 4 to override a veto by President Salome Zourabichvili and pass the bill. 

Mexican elections: Dodging bullets on the campaign trail

Mexico heads to the polls on June 2 and it’s almost certain that the country's new head of state will be a woman. The two favourites are Claudia Sheinbaum, who has been mentored by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador; and Xochitl Galvez, who is backed by three opposition parties. With only a few days to go before the country's biggest election – legislative and municipal elections are also taking place on the same day – candidates may soon breathe a sigh of relief, even if they lose. Since campaigning began, at least 24 candidates and pre-candidates have been assassinated as organised crime remains rampant in many parts of the country, particularly in the state of Guerrero.

VOX POPULI: International Criminal Court deserves respect of all nations

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.

May 28, 2024 at 12:41 JST

"Today we once again underline that international law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader--no one--can act with impunity."

These unforgettable and powerful words were uttered on May 20 by Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Khan had just then filed applications for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, as well as for two senior Hamas officers and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Cape Town’s poor ‘neglected’ in South Africa’s only opposition-run province

Township residents say the opposition Democratic Alliance party is elitist and runs a city that functions only for the rich.

By Crystal Orderson

Published On 28 May 202428 May 2024

In the leafy, picturesque southern suburbs of Cape Town, Dee Lackay, 38, is making a new start after leaving Johannesburg for what he feels is a safer and better city.

The ambitious personal trainer used to run a specialised exercise studio in South Africa’s economic capital until the high crime rate and lack of service delivery became too much for him and his wife to handle.“One thing about Jo’burg was that it was getting too dangerous, especially around the suburbs – so where else were you going to move?” Lackay told Al Jazeera, recounting the carjackings he witnessed and saying even the wealthier parts of town were not immune.