Amnesty International Exposes Illicit $46m South Sudan Arms Deal

People walk along a street in Juba, South Sudan December 21, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo
People walk along a street in Juba, South Sudan December 21, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo
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Amnesty International Exposes Illicit $46m South Sudan Arms Deal

People walk along a street in Juba, South Sudan December 21, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo
People walk along a street in Juba, South Sudan December 21, 2013. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

Amnesty International exposed in a recent research how a shell company in the heart of London’s West End acted as an intermediary in huge prospective arms deals to war-torn South Sudan and other countries, thanks to regulatory gaps which are making the UK a hotspot for companies involved in illicit arms transfers.

Commercial documents name S-Profit Ltd, a tiny UK-registered company, as the ‘supplier’ in a 2014 deal to provide at least US$46m worth of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition to the South Sudanese government. The report, From London to Juba: a UK-registered company’s role in one of the largest arms deals to South Sudan, also reveals that the UK government has been aware of similar practices taking place on British soil for more than eight years, without taking effective regulatory action.

“South Sudan is awash with weapons that have been used to kill and maim thousands of civilians, causing Africa’s biggest refugee crisis. The UK government has been a vocal proponent of a UN arms embargo on South Sudan, yet is turning a blind eye to illegal deals taking place right under its nose,” said James Lynch, Amnesty International’s Head of Arms Control and Human Rights.

“Glaring gaps in UK company regulation mean a dealer of illicit arms can go online and set up a UK company to front its activities with fewer checks than joining a gym or hiring a car. The UK must urgently review its company registration procedures – right now it provides the perfect conditions to become a hotspot for the kind of irresponsible arms transfers that have devastated South Sudan.”

The weapons in question form part of a previously undisclosed 2014 contract between a Ukrainian state arms company and a UAE-based company to procure US$169m of weapons on behalf of South Sudan. These include thousands of machine guns, mortars, RPGs and millions of rounds of ammunition.

If fulfilled, the total deal would constitute one of the largest publicly disclosed arms transfers to South Sudan since the outbreak of fighting in December 2013.

Amnesty International has not been able to determine whether some or all of the weapons listed in these documents have yet been delivered to South Sudan. However, a UK company may violate UK export control laws even by being involved in the negotiation of an arms deal to South Sudan. The involvement of the Ukrainian state-owned arms company and a UAE private company in weapons supplies to South Sudan also potentially contravenes the Ukraine and UAE’s obligations as signatories to the Arms Trade Treaty.

S-Profit’s director –a Ukrainian national based outside the UK – denied to Amnesty International that the firm had supplied military products to South Sudan, but has not responded to further questions, including whether it played an intermediary role.

Amnesty International affirmed that it has provided UK authorities with the documents and information it has obtained. The report also reveals that the UK government has, for more than eight years, been aware of UK shell companies being used unlawfully as contract vehicles for weapons dealers to supply arms to human rights violators and embargoed destinations including Syria, Eritrea and South Sudan. Yet, the UK has made no regulatory changes to address these gaps.

Meanwhile, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit said he was not happy about the ongoing civil war and suffering of citizens in the country.

"I am not really happy. I can be seen to be happy but hurting inside. How can I be happy when I see my people suffering? People are starving and dying in criminal actions and battles.” Kiir said in an interview with SSBC on Friday.

“Being the leader I must put a brave face where I can be seen to be happy but I am not happy,” he added.

Kiir pointed out that the national dialogue is a hope that will reunite the people of South Sudan address grievances which were not tackled by the 2015 peace accord.

The world’s youngest nation has been embroiled in a violent conflict since 2013, when a split between President Salva Kiir and his former vice president, Riek Machar, escalated into outright civil war.

The devastating conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions that have sought refuge in neighboring countries.



Israel Says it Killed Deputy Commander of Hezbollah Rocket, Missiles Unit

28 March 2024, Lebanon, Naqura: Lebanese women walk past rubble of a café that was hit by an overnight Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura. Photo: STR/dpa
28 March 2024, Lebanon, Naqura: Lebanese women walk past rubble of a café that was hit by an overnight Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura. Photo: STR/dpa
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Israel Says it Killed Deputy Commander of Hezbollah Rocket, Missiles Unit

28 March 2024, Lebanon, Naqura: Lebanese women walk past rubble of a café that was hit by an overnight Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura. Photo: STR/dpa
28 March 2024, Lebanon, Naqura: Lebanese women walk past rubble of a café that was hit by an overnight Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Naqoura. Photo: STR/dpa

The Israeli military said on Friday it had killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, in an airstrike in the area of Bazouriye in Lebanon.

It said he was one of the group's leaders in heavy-warhead rocket fire and was responsible for conducting and planning attacks against Israeli civilians.


After Veto, Russia Says Big Powers Need to Stop ‘Strangling’ North Korea

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
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After Veto, Russia Says Big Powers Need to Stop ‘Strangling’ North Korea

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023 in this image released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA via Reuters)

Russia said on Friday that major powers needed a new approach to North Korea, accusing the United States and its allies of ratchetting up military tensions in Asia and seeking to "strangle" the reclusive state.

Russia vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Moscow's move, which strikes a blow at the enforcement of a myriad of UN sanctions imposed after Pyongyang carried out its first nuclear test in 2006, underscores the dividend that Kim Jong Un has earned by moving closer to President Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine.

"It is obvious to us that the UN Security Council can no longer use old templates in relation to the problems of the Korean Peninsula," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova said the United States was stoking military tensions, that international restrictions had not improved the security situation and that there were severe humanitarian consequences for the population of North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"The United States and its allies have clearly demonstrated that their interest does not extend beyond the task of 'strangling' the DPRK by all available means, and a peaceful settlement is not on the agenda at all," she said.

The Russian veto is seen as a major turning point in the international sanctions regime against North Korea, which was formed in 1948 with the backing of the then-Soviet Union while the Republic of Korea was backed by the United States.

North Korea is the only country to have conducted nuclear tests in the 21st century - in 2006, 2009, 2013, twice in 2016, and 2017, according to the United Nations.

SANCTIONS?

Russia said the experts' work was neither objective nor impartial, and that they had turned into a tool of the West.

"The Group of Experts of the UN Security Council Committee 1718 has lost all standards of objectivity and impartiality, which should be integral characteristics of its mandate," Zakharova said.

She said the experts had "turned into an obedient tool of the DPRK's geopolitical opponents. There is no point in saving it in this form".

The veto illustrates just how far the Ukraine war, which triggered the deepest crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, has undermined big-power cooperation on other major global issues.

Since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has gone out of its way to parade a renaissance of its relationship - including military ties - with Pyongyang.

Washington says North Korea has supplied Russia with missiles that it is using against Ukraine, assertions which have been dismissed by the Kremlin and Pyongyang.

For Putin, who says Russia is locked in an existential battle with the West over Ukraine, courting Kim allows him to needle Washington and its Asian allies while securing a deep supply of artillery for the Ukraine war.

For Kim, who has pledged to accelerate production of nuclear weapons to deter what he casts as US provocations, Russia is a big power ally with deep stores of advanced missile, military, space and nuclear technology.

Russia, Zakharova said, sought a compromise under which sanctions would be reviewed over specific time limits, though that proposal had been met with "hostility" by Washington.

"We call on the parties concerned to refrain from escalating steps and reconfigure themselves to find ways to detente, taking into account known security priorities," Zakharova said.


France to Boost Olympics Security with Foreign Military, Police Support

FILE PHOTO: French police patrol at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: French police patrol at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
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France to Boost Olympics Security with Foreign Military, Police Support

FILE PHOTO: French police patrol at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: French police patrol at the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, March 4, 2024. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo

France has asked about 45 foreign countries to contribute several thousand extra military, police and civilian personnel to help safeguard the Paris Olympics this summer, government sources said on Friday, amid a complex geopolitical and security outlook.
The country plans to deploy about 45,000 French police and security forces, 20,000 private security personnel and around 15,000 military each day to protect an event that will see millions of sports fans and tourists stay in the country for several weeks at the height of summer.

Germany will introduce temporary border controls as part of ramped-up security around soccer's 2024 European Championship which it is hosting, the interior minister said Tuesday.
The tournament starts on June 14 and is set to attract 2.7 million fans to stadiums and up to 12 million at public viewing events.


Tajikistan Detains 9 People over Russian Concert Hall Attack

People line up to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial to the victims of a shooting attack set up outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia, March 24, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
People line up to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial to the victims of a shooting attack set up outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia, March 24, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
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Tajikistan Detains 9 People over Russian Concert Hall Attack

People line up to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial to the victims of a shooting attack set up outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia, March 24, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
People line up to lay flowers at a makeshift memorial to the victims of a shooting attack set up outside the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the Moscow Region, Russia, March 24, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Tajikistan has detained nine people this week suspected of having links to a mass shooting at a Russian concert hall last Friday and also to the militant group that claimed responsibility, a Tajik security source told Reuters.
Four suspected gunmen behind the deadliest attack in Russia in 20 years are Tajik citizens. They have been arrested along with seven other suspects, some of whom also come from the ex-Soviet Central Asian nation.
Tajikistan's state security committee detained nine people on Monday in the city of Vakhdat and the suspects are now in the capital, Dushanbe, the source said, without providing any further details.
At least 143 people were killed in the attack on the concert hall near Moscow.
Tajikistan, which is a member of a Russian-led security bloc and hosts a Russian military base, has also rounded up the families of the suspected gunmen so that Russian investigators can question them in Dushanbe, sources told Reuters this week.
The predominantly Muslim nation of 10 million bordering Afghanistan depends heavily on remittances from migrant laborers working in Russia. Its own economy was devastated by a civil war in the 1990s.
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the concert hall attack and US officials say they have intelligence showing it was carried out by the network's Afghan branch, ISIS Khorasan (ISIS-K).
Russian investigators said on Thursday they had found proof that the concert hall gunmen were linked to "Ukrainian nationalists", an assertion immediately dismissed by the United States as baseless propaganda.
Kyiv has strongly denied any involvement in the concert hall attack.


Ukraine Receives $1.5 Bln Funding Tranche Under World Bank Program

A view shows residential buildings damaged during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the city of Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine March 29, 2024. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS
A view shows residential buildings damaged during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the city of Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine March 29, 2024. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS
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Ukraine Receives $1.5 Bln Funding Tranche Under World Bank Program

A view shows residential buildings damaged during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the city of Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine March 29, 2024. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS
A view shows residential buildings damaged during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the city of Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine March 29, 2024. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk region/Handout via REUTERS

Ukraine has received a $1.5 billion tranche of funding under a World Bank program, the country's prime minister said on Friday.

"984 million dollars come from Japan and 516 million dollars from the UK. The funds will cover budget spending for social and humanitarian needs and reconstruction," Denys Shmyhal said on X.

In December, Ukraine received $1.34 billion under the World Bank's public expenditures for administrative capacity endurance in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian finance ministry said in a statement the financing consisted of a $1.086 billion loan from the World Bank, $190 million grant from Norway, $50 million grant from the United States and $20 million grant from Switzerland.

The ministry said the funds would be used to partially compensate for non-security and defense-related expenditures of the Ukrainian state budget, including old-age social payments and payments to employees of the state emergency service.


Lebanon: Hezbollah Launches Two Attacks on Israeli Outposts in Shebaa Farms

People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
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Lebanon: Hezbollah Launches Two Attacks on Israeli Outposts in Shebaa Farms

People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)
People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike in Habbariyah, southern Lebanon, 27 March 2024. (EPA)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said it carried out two attacks on Friday on an Israeli military outpost in the Shebaa Farms in “support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”.
On its account on Telegram, Hezbollah said its militants inflicted “direct” missile hits on the Zebdine barracks. It also said that three of its members were killed in Israeli strikes in South Lebanon.
On Thursday, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said nine members of Hezbollah and the Amal party were killed in Israeli shelling that targeted the towns of Naqoura and Tayr Harfa in the south.
Seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Al-Habbariyah in southern Lebanon early on Wednesday, before Israel announced that 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon on the town of Kiryat Shmona in the north, resulting in one casualty, according to the Arab World Press agency.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire across Lebanon's southern border in parallel with the Gaza war. More than 270 Hezbollah fighters and 50 civilians - including medics, civilians and journalists, have been killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon. About a dozen Israeli troops and half as many civilians have been killed in northern Israel.


Hijab Wearing Players in Women’s NCAA Tournament Hope to Inspire Others

Diaba Konate #23 of the UC Irvine Anteaters dribbles against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first quarter in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center on March 23, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Getty Images/AFP)
Diaba Konate #23 of the UC Irvine Anteaters dribbles against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first quarter in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center on March 23, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Hijab Wearing Players in Women’s NCAA Tournament Hope to Inspire Others

Diaba Konate #23 of the UC Irvine Anteaters dribbles against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first quarter in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center on March 23, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Getty Images/AFP)
Diaba Konate #23 of the UC Irvine Anteaters dribbles against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first quarter in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center on March 23, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Getty Images/AFP)

N.C. State's Jannah Eissa and UC Irvine's Diaba Konate are leaving a big impact off the court, bringing visibility and inspiration to Muslim women by wearing hjiabs while they play.

They aren't the first women to do it in NCAA Tournament play, but with record viewership and attendance they are certainly getting noticed.

“Representation really matters,” said Konate whose team lost in the first round of the tournament to Gonzaga. “Just having people, young Muslim women wearing the hijab, we’re not there yet. Just seeing us play, I think it makes me really happy because I used to have people that I was looking up to. Now having people that look up to me makes me happy.”

Konate admires Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, who made NCAA history by being the first to wear a hijab in college basketball when she played for Memphis a decade ago. Abdul-Qaadir was instrumental in getting FIBA to overturn its own ban on headgear in 2017.

Konate started 31 of the team’s 32 games, averaging 7.5 points and nearly four assists. She moved to the US from France after receiving a scholarship from Idaho State. She transferred to UC Irvine as a junior.

She’d love for a chance to play in a hijab at home in France, where she won two medals playing on their youth teams, but as of now the French Federation of Basketball prohibits the wearing of “any equipment with a religious or political connotation”.

“Being French and hosting the Olympics, it really hurts to not be able to be ourselves,” said Konate, who first started wearing the hijab in 2020. “Hopefully, it changes.”

Eissa and Konate have never met, but are aware of each other.

“I just know there’s another woman wearing a hijab,” Eissa said. “I just saw a post about two days ago. I was so happy there are other people.”

Eissa, who turned 18 in February was a walk-on at N.C. State, joining the team after trying out in September. Even though she didn't play much this season — appearing in 11 games and hitting one 3-pointer — her impact is definitely being felt.

Earlier this season a group of young Muslim girls came to her game. They ended up coming a few more times to support her.

“I’d love to say I was a role model to them. Never thought I could be a role model for someone I didn’t know,” said Eissa, who grew up in Cairo before coming to N.C. State. “Never knew one person could make such an impact. They were so young girls and girls my age looking up to me and I was so happy.”

Eissa chose N.C. State because her dad got his PhD from the school and her two older sisters go there.

She said that even when she was having a bad day or an off day, she'd remember her young fans and it would make her happy.

“If they see someone giving them hope, I’m happy that I’m the person to give it to them," Eissa said. “I want to make it as far as I can for the image of women in hijabs.”


Murray Pulls Out of Monte Carlo, Munich Due to Ankle Injury

 Andy Murray, of Great Britain, celebrates winning a game against Tomas Machac, of Czech Republic, in their men's third round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP)
Andy Murray, of Great Britain, celebrates winning a game against Tomas Machac, of Czech Republic, in their men's third round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP)
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Murray Pulls Out of Monte Carlo, Munich Due to Ankle Injury

 Andy Murray, of Great Britain, celebrates winning a game against Tomas Machac, of Czech Republic, in their men's third round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP)
Andy Murray, of Great Britain, celebrates winning a game against Tomas Machac, of Czech Republic, in their men's third round match at the Miami Open tennis tournament, Sunday, March 24, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP)

Andy Murray will miss the Monte Carlo Masters and Munich Open next month as he recovers from a severe ankle injury sustained during his exit from the Miami Open, the Briton's team announced on Friday.

The 36-year-old rolled his ankle in the deciding set of his 5-7 7-5 7-6(5) defeat by Czech Tomas Machac in southern Florida last Sunday and had said that he would be out for an "extended period" on the sidelines with ruptured ligaments.

"Following consultation with his team and medical experts, Andy Murray has taken the decision to miss the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and BMW Open Munich," a statement from his team read.

"At this stage, it is still not clear how long Andy will be out of action, and he is continuing to review options with his medical team.

"Obviously this is disappointing news for Andy and he has reiterated his desire to get back on court as soon as possible."

Former world number one and three-times Grand Slam champion Murray, who returned after hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, had previously said he did not plan to "play much past this summer" but hoped to compete at another Olympics.

He had also said he hoped to play at the French Open, which starts at Roland Garros on May 26.

Wimbledon, where Murray has twice been champion, will begin on July 1 and the Paris Games get underway later that month.

The Monte Carlo Masters will be held April 7-14, and the Munich Open April 15-21.


32,623 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Offensive Since Oct. 7

A Palestinian man inspects the rubble in a house, following Israeli bombardment, in the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
A Palestinian man inspects the rubble in a house, following Israeli bombardment, in the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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32,623 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Offensive Since Oct. 7

A Palestinian man inspects the rubble in a house, following Israeli bombardment, in the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
A Palestinian man inspects the rubble in a house, following Israeli bombardment, in the Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on March 29, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

At least 32,623 Palestinians have been killed and 75,092 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said on Friday.

The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into the war-ravaged enclave.

The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its military campaign launched after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.

Israel denies it is committing genocide and accused South Africa of trying to “undermine Israel's inherent right and obligation to defend its citizens.”

The court also ordered Israel to immediately ensure that its military does not take action that could that could harm Palestinians' rights under the Genocide Convention, including by preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
It told Israel to report back in a month on its implementation of the orders.


Pro-Palestinian Protesters Interrupt Biden, Obama, Clinton at $25 Million New York Fundraiser

Protestors, calling for ceasefire in Gaza, attend a demonstration near Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, on the day of a fundraising event for US President Joe Biden with him and former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Protestors, calling for ceasefire in Gaza, attend a demonstration near Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, on the day of a fundraising event for US President Joe Biden with him and former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
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Pro-Palestinian Protesters Interrupt Biden, Obama, Clinton at $25 Million New York Fundraiser

Protestors, calling for ceasefire in Gaza, attend a demonstration near Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, on the day of a fundraising event for US President Joe Biden with him and former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)
Protestors, calling for ceasefire in Gaza, attend a demonstration near Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan, on the day of a fundraising event for US President Joe Biden with him and former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in New York City, US, March 28, 2024. (Reuters)

President Joe Biden and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, headlined a star-studded fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton on Thursday, offering a robust defense of the White House's handling of the Gaza crisis as protesters interrupted the event.

Biden, who traveled with Obama on Air Force One to New York, took part in a discussion with Clinton moderated by "The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in front of thousands of guests. Organizers say the event raised more than $25 million for Biden's US reelection campaign.

But the fundraiser was punctuated by several protests inside the massive auditorium, with attendees rising at several different moments to shout over the discussion, referencing Biden's backing of Israel in the Hamas war that has killed more than 30,000 people in Gaza.

"Shame on you, Joe Biden!" one yelled.

Obama and Clinton offered a presidential perspective of the Gaza crisis that stressed the political realities of being in the White House.

A president needs to be able to support Israel at the same time as fighting for Palestinians to have more access to food, medical supplies and a future state, they said.

"It's a lonely seat," Obama said. "One of the realities of the presidency is that the world has a lot of joy and beauty, but it also has a lot of tragedy and cruelty."

People "understandably, oftentimes, want to feel a certain purity in terms of how those decisions are made," he said. "But a president doesn't have that luxury."

When a protestor inside the theater interrupted Obama, the former president snapped back: "You can't just talk and not listen...That's what the other side does."

The pair of former presidents also defended Biden's handling of the economy, which gets low ratings in national polls.

Clinton said Biden's economic numbers have significantly outpaced Trump's administration.

"I believe in keeping score," Clinton said. "He's been good for America" and deserves another term.

Before the event, the three leaders' motorcade passed hundreds of protesters demonstrating against Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, another sign that some young voters and other progressives who voted for Biden in 2020 are furious about his staunch backing of Israel in its response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

LIZZO, $500,000 TICKETS

The event included musicians Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele performing. Some high-paying attendees had their pictures with the three presidents taken by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

Former President Donald Trump, Biden's Republican challenger in November's election, was in the New York area on Thursday as well, attending a wake for a slain New York City policeman.

Biden, 81, has faced concerns about his age and fitness for a second four-year term. Recent Reuters/Ipsos polls show his approval rating at 40% and in a tight race with Trump, 77, ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The show of support from Biden's predecessors was meant to demonstrate party unity and project fundraising strength.

Tickets for Thursday's Biden event cost between $250 and $500,000, according to a Democrat familiar with the planning. More than 5,000 people were expected to attend.

Biden's high-profile allies are seeking to shore up his support despite opinion polls showing tepid enthusiasm for the president and in contrast to a Republican Party where many major figures oppose Trump.

Biden showed flashes of humor at the event. He referenced President Harry Truman's advice that if you wanted a friend in Washington, get a dog. Biden quipped that he got one and it bit a Secret Service agent. The president's dog Commander left the White House last year after a series of biting incidents.

The event closed with each of the men donning aviator sunglasses, Bidens trademark.

"Dark Brandon is real," Biden bellowed, referencing a meme about himself.

TRUMP IN LONG ISLAND

Earlier on Long Island, east of New York, Trump attended a wake for Jonathan Diller, the policeman who was gunned down during a routine traffic stop earlier this week in the city.

"These things can't happen. We need law and order," Trump, surrounded by mourning uniformed officers, told reporters gathered outside a funeral home in Massapequa.

Trump has sought to make supporting police a focal point of his campaign, while criticizing law enforcement that targets him.

He faces four criminal trials for his efforts to undermine the 2020 election, his mishandling of classified documents and his involvement in a "hush money" scheme involving a porn star. He was fined hundreds of millions of dollars for overstating his net worth to lenders. He says he is innocent.

Biden has been routinely outraising Trump and is taking in more money than his rival in big donations and small donations under $200. Biden's reelection effort raised more than $53 million in February and $10 million in the 24 hours following his March 7 address to Congress.

Trump aims to raise $33 million in an April 6 fundraiser, a source familiar with the Republican's plans told Reuters.

A Trump campaign adviser said on Thursday the candidate won't be able to match Biden's totals, blaming the disparity on the Democrat's "billionaire" supporters and painting a picture of a Trump campaign fueled by grassroots, working-class supporters.