Hungary said on Thursday it would break with the rest of the EU as it begins procedures for withdrawing from the world’s only permanent tribunal for war crimes and genocide, drawing widespread condemnation.
The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed for his first visit to Europe since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against him in November for war crimes in Gaza.
Explaining the decision, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the ICC was no longer impartial but had become political, as shown "most clearly by the decisions on Israel".
The decision was made by Gergely Gulyas, Mr Orban's chief of staff. “Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court,” he said. “The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework.”
Hungary, an EU country, invited Mr Netanyahu immediately after the ICC issued its arrest warrant on charges including using starvation as a method of warfare and crimes against humanity, such as murder. Mr Orban has described the warrant as "shameful", "outrageously impudent" and "cynical".
By taking this position, Mr Orban is openly defying the EU's pro-ICC stance. Member countries of the ICC are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that and relies on states to comply.
Set up in 2002, the ICC, based in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands, seeks to prosecute those responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.
"It's important for all democracies, it's important to stand up to this corrupt organisation," " Mr Netanyahu said of the ICC at a joint press conference with Mr Orban on Thursday.
Commenting on rumours of the withdrawal announcement, a European Commission representative on Wednesday said the bloc would "deeply regret" Hungary pulling out of the ICC.
Article 127 of the Rome Statute, the founding text of the ICC, says parties can withdraw by written notification to the UN Secretary General. "However, such a withdrawal takes effect one year after notification of the depository and does not affect the state's duty of co-operation in relation to investigations," the representative said.
The ICC on Thursday insisted Hungary was obliged to co-operate with the body. "The court recalls that Hungary remains under a duty to co-operate with the ICC," spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said.
The Hungarian leader has repeatedly clashed with the bloc on issues including Ukraine, Russia and human rights. Yet several EU countries such as Germany and France have also said they would not arrest Mr Netanyahu, who is considered an ally.
"The chilling message is clear: those capable of mass violence, forced resettlements, or even genocide can now anticipate impunity."
The term "genocide" to describe the war on Gaza is disputed by Israel and its western allies but was found to be "plausible" by the International Court of Justice last year.
Mr Orban is "encouraging Netanyahu and his government leaders to continue committing crimes, undermine the path of international justice and perpetuate a policy of impunity", a Palestinian Foreign Ministry statement read.
Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu, who is scheduled to stay in Hungary until Sunday, has for years cultivated his links with Europe's far-right, despite its anti-Semitic roots.
"Having become a potent symbol of violent confrontation against the Islamic world, Netanyahu has conveniently rebranded these far-right populists into supporters of Israel’s own extreme right," Mr Scheiring said. "But make no mistake: under the rising banner of illiberal extremism, no minority remains safe: not Arabs, not Muslims, and certainly not Jews."
Amnesty International this week called on European and global leaders to pressure Hungary to arrest Mr Netanyahu. “Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary must not become a bellwether for the future of human rights in Europe," said the human rights organisation. "European and global leaders must end their shameful silence and inaction, and call on Hungary to arrest Netanyahu during a visit which would make a mockery of the suffering of Palestinian victims of Israel’s genocide in Gaza."
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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The%20specs
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NBA Finals so far
(Toronto lead 3-1 in best-of-seven series_
Game 1 Raptors 118 Warriors 109
Game 2 Raptors 104 Warriors 109
Game 3 Warriors 109 Raptors 123
Game 4 Warriors 92 Raptors 105
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
Barbie
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The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
