Strait of Hormuz: why even neutral and distant countries like Switzerland can’t escape the fallout 
Ukraine's Svyrydenko Returns from U.S. With Renewed Support and Diplomatic Momentum 
Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz Again After Brief Reopening, Rattling Global Energy Markets 
Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions 
IMF and World Bank Resume Ties with Venezuela, Opening Door to Billions in Funding 
Iran-Lebanon War: Ceasefire Reached as U.S. and Iran Edge Closer to Nuclear Deal 
Myanmar Grants Amnesty to Over 4,000 Prisoners Under New President Min Aung Hlaing 
South Korea Denies U.S. Intelligence Restrictions Over North Korea Nuclear Site Disclosure 
Trump Administration Moves to Deport Iranian Academic Yousof Azizi Over Alleged Visa Fraud 
U.S. and Philippines to Build 4,000-Acre Tech Hub Under Pax Silica Initiative 
Anthropic CEO Meets Trump Officials to Discuss Powerful New AI Model Mythos 
France and Britain Lead 40-Nation Talks to Reopen Strait of Hormuz 
Trump Teases Imminent Release of UFO Documents After Government Review 
U.S. Weapons Delays to Europe Amid Ongoing Iran Conflict 
Trump Warns Iran on Nuclear Weapons Amid Ongoing Feud with Pope Leo 
North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Amid Growing Nuclear Ambitions 
Trump's Iran Claims Spark Market Confusion Over Strait of Hormuz 
The top prosecutor for the International Criminal Court travelled to Ukraine this week in an effort to investigate Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The probe on Ukraine’s power grid comes amidst the ongoing investigation into war crimes committed in the conflict that has been going on for more than a year.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan visited Ukraine on Tuesday and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Khan was in Ukraine to investigate Russia’s missile and drone attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and other infrastructure that led to hundreds of civilians dead and millions without electricity or water. While Moscow said the strikes were to weaken Ukraine’s military, Kyiv says Russia was conducting the strikes to intimidate civilians.
Speaking to reporters north of Kyiv, Khan said the ICC’s role was to provide justice for Ukrainians and “not to get a round of applause by a conjuring trick.”
“Generally we see clearly a pattern, I think, in terms of the number, scale, and breadth of attacks against the power grids of Ukraine and we need to look at why that’s taking place, are they legitimate targets or not?” said Khan. “We need to find out what pattern if any, is demonstrated by that because these are not isolated occurrences.”
The ICC at The Hague has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide on the territory of Ukraine committed by either side and is expected to focus on high-profile suspects. Such cases may take years to build.
Khan said there have yet to be arrest warrants issued by the ICC that resulted from last year’s work in Ukraine. However, Khan defended the court and its partners in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are holding their positions in the key city of Bakhmut, where the fighting has been at its heaviest. Kyiv has said the city has limited strategic value but its forces are determined to hold their positions for as long as possible as Russian forces are looking to encircle the city in an effort to claim their first territorial victory in months. Moscow lost significant amounts of territory in the second half of 2022.
