AP-Newswatch

War crimes prosecutor seeks arrest of Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the world’s top war crimes court is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Karim Khan of the International Criminal Court on Monday accused Netanyahu, his defense minister, and three Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The announcement was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel’s isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. Hamas also rejected the accusations. A panel of judges will consider the prosecutor’s evidence and decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed.

What is the ICC and why it is considering arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court could soon issue arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas more than seven months into their war. ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan said Monday that he is seeking warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense minister and three Hamas leaders. Khan said that they are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The ICC was established in 2002 as the permanent court of last resort to tackle impunity for war crimes, genocide and other grave crimes when states don’t prosecute those responsible.

What’s next for Iran’s government after death of its president in helicopter crash?

JERUSALEM (AP) — The death of Iran’s president is unlikely to lead to any immediate changes in Iran’s ruling system or to its overarching policies, which are decided by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Ebrahim Raisi was seen as a prime candidate to succeed the 85-year-old supreme leader. His death Sunday in a helicopter crash makes it more likely that the job could eventually go to Khamenei’s son. A hereditary succession would pose a potential crisis of legitimacy for the Islamic Republic, which was established as an alternative to monarchy but which many Iranians already see as a corrupt and dictatorial regime.

Top U.S. drug agency a notable holdout in Biden’s push to loosen federal marijuana restrictions

The Biden administration’s push to reclassify marijuana as a less-dangerous drug is going forward without the support of the nation’s premier narcotics agency. Newly released government records show the Drug Enforcement Administration requested more information on supporting science to reclassify marijuana but the Justice Department decided to move ahead without the drug agency’s signoff. Longtime observers of the DEA say politics may be at play, contending the Justice Department is moving forward because President Joe Biden wants to use the pot issue to woo voters in his re-election campaign. The White House has said Biden pledged in 2020 to ease restrictions on marijuana.

WikiLeaks founder Assange wins right to appeal against an extradition order to the US

LONDON (AP) — A British court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against an order that he be extradited to the U.S. on espionage charges. Two High Court judges on Monday said Assange has grounds to challenge the U.K. government’s extradition order. The ruling sets the stage for an appeal process likely to further drag out a years-long legal saga. Assange faces 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago. The Australian computer expert has spent the last five years in a British high-security prison after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years.

Tugboats escort ship that caused deadly Baltimore bridge collapse back to port

BALTIMORE (AP) — The container ship that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge was slowly escorted back to port. The Dali had remained at the collapse site since it lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns in March. The disaster killed six construction workers and snarled traffic into Baltimore Harbor. Several tugboats are escorting the Dali on its 2.5-mile path to the marine terminal on Monday morning. Pieces of the bridge’s steel trusses still protrude from the ship’s bow, which remains covered in mangled concrete from the collapsed roadway.

Iran’s president and foreign minister die in helicopter crash at moment of high tensions in Mideast

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister have been found dead hours after their helicopter crashed in fog. That leaves the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker Monday. The supreme leader has the final say in the Shiite theocracy. He insisted the government was in control, but the deaths mark yet another blow to a country beset by pressures both at home and abroad. Iran has offered no cause for the crash nor suggested sabotage brought down the helicopter. It fell in mountainous terrain in a sudden, intense fog.

Who is Jacob Zuma, the former South African president disqualified from next week’s election?

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been barred from running in next week’s national election over a previous criminal conviction, the latest twist in his return to politics. The decision by the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, may still be appealed. Zuma has returned to politics with a new party that has been highly critical of the ruling African National Congress he once led. The long-ruling ANC is facing a major challenge to its Parliamentary majority and the election could bring the most important shift in South African politics since apartheid ended in 1994.

US pediatricians reverse decades-old advice against HIV-positive mothers breastfeeding

A top U.S. pediatricians’ group is making a sharp policy change about breastfeeding by people with HIV. The group says they can breastfeed as long as they are taking medications that effectively suppress the virus that causes AIDS. It’s a reversal in a longstanding policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The group made the changes on Monday, effectively overturning guidance that dated back decades. Experts say drugs used to treat HIV can reduce the risk of passing the virus to infants to less than 1%. About 5,000 people who have HIV give birth in the U.S. each year.