TV News LIES

Member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) voted by a majority on Friday to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan over misconduct claims, during a special session at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

According to diplomatic sources, 82 out of the court's 125 members voted by a secret ballot to dismiss the prosecutor, surpassing the absolute majority threshold (63) needed for removal.

Thirteen voted against removal, while 15 abstained.

The President of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), Paivi Kaukoranta, confirmed the vote results in a statement to assembly members broadcast live on UN Web TV.

She said the 82 states voted that "the elected official... committed serious misconduct and a serious breach of duty" by engaging in "prohibited conduct against a subordinate staff member".

It is the first time in the ICC's 24-year history that member states have voted to remove a sitting chief prosecutor from office.

The removal decision takes immediate effect, and elections for a new prosecutor will follow.

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Barely a month appears to go by without Donald Trump making a fresh attempt to destroy the international rules-based order. The US has pulled funding from dozens of international institutions, shut down USAID and withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement. Nato may survive on paper, but Trump has made clear that he has little interest in coming to the aid of any ally that is attacked. The Board of Peace is clearly an attempt to sideline the United Nations.

But the state department’s announcement last week that it wishes to dismantle the international crihttps://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/24/icc-international-criminal-court-trump-putin-netanyahuminal court “brick by brick” could be Trump’s most frightening move of all.

This is not an idle social media post sent out late at night; there is no chance that the next person to speak to Trump might change his mind. It is now official US policy to destroy the ICC, and the administration is prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to do so.

Nations that do not fall into line will be punished. The state department has promised “increased scrutiny of nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on US assistance”, particularly targeting those countries that “enjoy the benefits of the US security umbrella”. That will include the UK, a country that contributes just over £15m a year to the ICC, making it the fourth largest donor after Japan, Germany and France.

Travel and sanctions bans have already been imposed on judges and senior officials; now more will be targeted. As one of those previously threatened with sanctions told me, it can result in individuals being completely cut off from modern life. Personal bank accounts are shut down, while a whole host of US apps and websites, from Uber to booking.com, are off-limits. Email accounts can be blocked – Microsoft and Google are US companies. For the court itself, it means backing up evidence previously held on Microsoft systems.

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President Trump has thrown the Saudi nuclear deal into question less than 24 hours after it was signed, making it conditional on the Saudis normalizing relations with Israel.

His Thursday announcement appears vastly different from what sources familiar had disclosed about the deal on Wednesday, raising questions about whether it marks a U-turn or just a confusing rollout.

The Saudis have long said that any normalization with Israel is conditioned on seeing a pathway to the establishment of a Palestinian state, something Israel has dismissed.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in a briefing that Trump has said if the Saudis don’t join the Abraham Accords, “the deal is off.”

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According to the reporting, US President Donald Trump approved one of the landmark policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, granting Riyadh a 30-year civilian nuclear deal that could allow uranium enrichment in the kingdom.

Israeli politicians took to social media to voice their concerns regarding the agreement, with some stating that it harms Israel's security interests and signals yet another failure of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Saudi Arabia's civilian nuclear programme will end with nuclear weapons and will lead to a frantic arms race throughout the entire Middle East," said Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the right-wing opposition Yisrael Beytenu party.

"The State of Israel must state clearly and unequivocally: we will strongly oppose this," Lieberman added, urging Israeli action in the US Congress to block the deal.

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After a week of nationwide protests over the direction of Ukraine's military strategy in the ongoing war with Russia, the Ukrainian military has a new armed forces commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Drapatyi to replace military chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, whom he fired late Tuesday.

"There is a difficult task ahead, so we are not making loud promises," Drapatyi wrote in a Facebook post after his appointment was announced. "We are working with responsibility for our decisions and for the people who hold the front line and help Ukraine stand firm."

The 43-year-old major general, widely viewed as a reformer, takes the reins at a time of political and military transition in Ukraine. He is also the face of a younger, post-Soviet generation of military leaders in Ukraine who are adapting more quickly to a tech-focused approach to the battlefield.

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A modelling scout who recruited women for Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home near Paris, French officials have said.

Daniel Siad, 69, was under investigation by the prosecutors specialising in human trafficking in France, accused of rape and other charges. His name appeared in more than 1,000 documents in the US Department of Justice Epstein files that were declassified earlier this year.

Siad was one of several French men accused of aiding Epstein to traffic and abuse women. He had not yet been questioned by investigators, but had denied the allegations, saying he wanted to give his version of events.

He was found dead in his home on Monday evening. An investigation to determine the cause of death has been opened and an autopsy is to be carried out.

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