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Trump Attack on Hague Court Seen as Bolstering World’s Despots

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, New York Times

Trump Attack on Hague Court Seen as Bolstering World’s Despots

When President Donald Trump's national security adviser, John R. Bolton, declared the International Criminal Court “ineffective, unaccountable, and indeed, outright dangerous,” in a speech this week, it was seen by ICC supporters as a threat and an invitation to world leaders to ignore the court’s authority. For the Trump administration, Bolton’s speech was the latest example of disdain for global organizations and — in this case — taking the same side as strongmen and dictators. But for the International Criminal Court, a relatively young institution, the new White House policy of open hostility comes at a perilous time.

Leaders of Sistine Chapel Choir Face Vatican Fraud Investigation

The leaders of the Sistine Chapel Choir have landed in the cross hairs of an investigation by Vatican prosecutors into possible money laundering, fraud, and embezzlement. The Vatican announced that Pope Francis had authorized an “investigation into some economic-administrative aspects” of the choral ensemble, the world’s oldest. The targets of the investigation — the Rev. Massimo Palombella, choirmaster, and Michelangelo Nardella, administrative director — denied any wrongdoing through their lawyers. The investigation became public Wednesday after the Vatican Insider, an online website wrote that the two were suspected of siphoning money from concert tours into an Italian bank account.

French Soldiers Tortured Algerians, Macron Admits 6 Decades Later

One of the ugliest unsolved crimes of France’s long-ago, quasi-colonial war in Algeria was finally laid to rest Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron recognized that the French army had tortured and killed a youthful anti-war intellectual in 1957. The death in custody of Maurice Audin, a 25-year-old mathematician, has for decades been a symbol of the French army’s brutality during the Algerian War, much as the My Lai Massacre became for the U.S. war in Vietnam. There have been books, films and furtive late-life declarations by aging officers, but the mystery has never been solved until now.

Rohingya Crisis ‘Could Have Been Handled Better,’ Leader Says

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader, on Thursday sidestepped widespread accusations that her country’s military had unleashed ethnic cleansing on Rohingya Muslims, a campaign so brutal that the United Nations has recommended that top commanders be tried for genocide. “There are, of course, ways in which, with hindsight, we might think that the situation could have been handled better,” Suu Kyi said in a rare appearance at an international forum, in Hanoi. Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh amid a frenzy of executions, rapes and village burnings.

Australian Politicians Threaten Schoolgirl Over National Anthem Protest

A 9-year-old Australian schoolgirl whose refusal to stand for the singing of the national anthem has stirred a nationwide debate said Thursday that she would continue to protest the song she said was racist even if it meant being kicked out of school. The girl, Harper Nielsen, was sent to detention and threatened with suspension from her Brisbane primary school last week after sitting through a schoolwide rendition of “Advance Australia Fair,” the national anthem, she said. News of her protest quickly went viral, leading to condemnations by conservative politicians and a national conversation about race and free speech.

Suspects in Skripal Case Say on Russian TV They Were Simply Tourists

Two Russians named by Britain as the prime suspects in a nerve agent attack that nearly killed a former Soviet spy popped up on Russian television Thursday to deny any involvement in the assault, claiming they were in the fitness industry. In an interview with RT, a state-funded network formerly known as Russia Today, the men identified themselves as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, names that Britain released last week but said were probably aliases. They insisted they were simple tourists who had traveled to the English city of Salisbury to look at its cathedral spire and 14th-century clock.

Philippines Scrambles to Prepare as Typhoon Bears Down

Thousands of people in the path of a powerful typhoon began evacuating in the northern Philippines on Thursday as officials scrambled to prepare for what could be a devastating storm. Typhoon Mangkhut, with winds measuring up to 127 mph, is expected to make landfall on Saturday in northern Luzon, the country’s largest and most populous island. The region is home to 4 million people. The Philippines’ civil defense chief, Ricardo Jalad, briefed top officials, including President Rodrigo Duterte, and said that government agencies were positioning emergency response teams, food, equipment and medical supplies in the areas likely to be affected.

What Happened to China’s Most Famous Actress?

Fan Bingbing — arguably the most famous actress in China, with roles in the “Iron Man” and “X-Men” franchises — is missing. Fan, who turns 37 on Sunday, has dropped out of public view for more than three months — the victim of a sudden and precipitous fall from grace. Her disappearance has been greeted with concern among fans and fear among her counterparts in the industry. It has fueled rumors of personal rivalries and political intrigue, even at the pinnacles of power in Beijing, though few concrete facts — even whether she is in detention, or in hiding.

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