World Court to Rule on Gaza Emergency Measures in Israel Genocide Case on Jan 26

South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola addresses the media near the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on the day judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12, 2024. (Reuters)
South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola addresses the media near the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on the day judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12, 2024. (Reuters)
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World Court to Rule on Gaza Emergency Measures in Israel Genocide Case on Jan 26

South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola addresses the media near the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on the day judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12, 2024. (Reuters)
South Africa's Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola addresses the media near the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on the day judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12, 2024. (Reuters)

Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule on Friday whether or not they will grant emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide.

The United Nations' top court issued a statement on Wednesday saying the 17-judge panel will hand down its ruling in court on Jan. 26 at 1200 GMT.

Earlier this month, in two days of hearings, South Africa asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order an emergency suspension of Israel's devastating military campaign in the Palestinian enclave.

Israel dismissed the genocide allegations as "grossly distorted" and said it had a right to defend itself and was targeting Hamas militants, not Palestinian civilians.

In the ruling on Friday, the ICJ will not deal with the main question if Israel is committing genocide.

The court will just look at possible emergency measures, meant as a kind of restraining order to prevent a dispute from getting worse while the court looks at the full case, which usually takes years.

If the ICJ does decide on issuing emergency measures it is not bound to order exactly what South Africa asked for.

Rulings by the court are legally binding and without appeal, but the court has no way to enforce them.



Taiwan Warns of ‘Destructive’ Winds as Typhoon Nears

 Sandbags are stacked outside a building ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, in Taipei on July 9, 2026 (AFP)
Sandbags are stacked outside a building ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, in Taipei on July 9, 2026 (AFP)
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Taiwan Warns of ‘Destructive’ Winds as Typhoon Nears

 Sandbags are stacked outside a building ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, in Taipei on July 9, 2026 (AFP)
Sandbags are stacked outside a building ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bavi, in Taipei on July 9, 2026 (AFP)

Taiwan's weather forecaster warned on Thursday of "destructive" winds as the biggest typhoon in years swept towards the island after pounding US Pacific territories.

Typhoon Bavi is whipping up waves several meters (yards) high and is expected to batter the island's north on Friday and Saturday before smashing into China, already hit by deadly storms this week.

"Relatively destructive" winds are likely to "cause damage" in Taiwan, including in the port city of Keelung and the coastal county of Yilan, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Jason Cheng told AFP.

After hitting Guam and the Northern Marianas on Monday as a super typhoon, Bavi was downgraded to a typhoon as it moved across the Pacific Ocean.

The typhoon was packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 184 kilometers (114 miles) per hour and gusts of around 227 kilometers per hour on Thursday, the CWA said.

With a gale-force wind radius of 380 kilometers, Bavi is the largest typhoon to hit Taiwan since 1995 when methods for measuring the size of storms changed, Cheng said.

He said that the greatest impact is expected in northern areas including Yilan and Keelung, adding that "even areas away from the typhoon's center could be affected and should remain vigilant."

Most ferry routes to outer islands have been suspended.

Taiwan's coast guard warned people to stay away from the coast, with four-to-six-meter (13-20-feet) waves already recorded in waters off southern Taitung county and Orchid Island.

At a port in Keelung, fishing boat owner Tung Wan-tsai said he was "a bit worried" about the approaching typhoon.

"It's too big," Tung, 75, told AFP.

"Even if it doesn't make direct landfall, its radius of gale-force winds is simply too massive. Especially with this trajectory, it is bound to become a 'northwest typhoon', which is the worst-case scenario."

- 'Too dangerous' -

Fishing boat captain Chang Ting-hsin, 53, said he returned to port on Wednesday night, weeks earlier than he had planned, due to the typhoon.

"You absolutely have to come back," Chang said as he unloaded his catch.

"If you don't return, it's just too dangerous. If you're even a day late getting back, and you're not clear on the typhoon's movement, if it moves fast, you won't even have time to run."

On Japan's remote southwestern islands, schools and supermarkets will close on Friday.

Pineapple farmers harvested their fruit early and fishermen secured their boats ahead of Bavi, Japanese media said. Dozens of flights have been cancelled.

After sweeping past Taiwan, Bavi is expected to make landfall in eastern China over the weekend.

Extreme weather has already wreaked havoc on southern and central China this week, with storms leaving 17 dead and causing dozens of rivers to overflow and a reservoir dam to burst.

Oceans experienced their hottest June on record and could set fresh highs in the months ahead, the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service said last week.

Warmer oceans help tropical storms to intensify and add more moisture, which can fall as heavy rain.

Adding to the mix is the return this year of El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon that warms Pacific surface temperatures and typically occurs every two to seven years.


Flooding in Southern China Has Killed 39 People

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers evacuate stranded residents in the aftermath of tropical storm Maysak in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Zhang Ailin/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers evacuate stranded residents in the aftermath of tropical storm Maysak in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Zhang Ailin/Xinhua via AP)
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Flooding in Southern China Has Killed 39 People

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers evacuate stranded residents in the aftermath of tropical storm Maysak in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Zhang Ailin/Xinhua via AP)
In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, rescuers evacuate stranded residents in the aftermath of tropical storm Maysak in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Zhang Ailin/Xinhua via AP)

Authorities in southern China said Thursday that 39 people have died in flooding from Tropical Storm Maysak, as Taiwan and China's east coast braced for another major storm expected to make landfall in the coming days.

Most of the deaths were related to the breach of a dam in an area east of the city of Nanning, which claimed 26 lives, said Ding Wei, the city's vice mayor, at a news briefing. Nine people remained missing in the broader Guangxi region.

Maysak brought record rainfall to Guangxi starting Saturday, breaching reservoirs and stranding people for days in homes and other buildings. The previously announced death toll was six people.

Typhoon Bavi is forecast to pass just north of Taiwan, bringing heavy rain to the island of 23 million people, and make landfall in Zhejiang or Fujian province on Saturday.

Heavy rain battered southern Guangxi for days, with cumulative rainfall of 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) in some areas and more than 90 centimeters (35 inches) in hard-hit areas, the national meteorological center said.

The reservoir breaches sent torrents of water into towns and cities, The Associated Press reported.

Drones and some 5,700 boats have been used in a massive relief and rescue operation to reach people trapped by the waters, with rescuers battling stiff currents and debris to try to reach people. About 130,000 people have been evacuated.

Ding said the floodwaters are receding but more rain is expected in some areas in the next two days. Crews have been deployed to clear mud and debris and disinfect several towns in hard-hit Hengzhou city, which is east of Nanning and under its jurisdiction.

Road repairs are ongoing and electricity has been restored to more than 60,000 homes, Ding said.


US, Iran Trade New Strikes in Fight Over Hormuz Strait

Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
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US, Iran Trade New Strikes in Fight Over Hormuz Strait

Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)
Smoke rises from explosions at an unknown location, following what US Central Command (CENTCOM) said were strikes on Iranian military targets, in this screen grab from a video released on July 8, 2026. (US Central Command/Handout via Reuters)

The United States and Iran traded strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The vital oil shipping corridor is a flashpoint in the Middle East war, with Tehran insisting on control of the strait despite it being open to free passage before the US-Israeli attacks in February.

After the foes traded attacks on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was "over", but left the door open to more talks and added any strikes would end quickly.

US forces said the latest attacks against Iran were aimed at "their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz", citing recent strikes against commercial ships in the waterway.

The US Central Command said they had struck approximately 90 military targets, including missile and drone storage as well as military logistics sites along Iran's coastline.

Iran's reprisals came quickly, with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) saying they had struck "key infrastructure and facilities" at US bases in the region.

American strikes hit a railway bridge in Iran's northeast, according to several official media, and the official IRNA news agency reported strikes on a military base in coastal Bushehr, which hosts the nation's only civilian nuclear power plant.

Earlier, warplanes were heard over Iran's Kish Island and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, IRNA reported.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

Late on Wednesday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the Iranian side had "called a little while ago," and that they wanted "to make a deal so badly".

Trump did not provide further details of the call -- including who was on the line -- but went on to cast doubt over the value of any deal, calling the Iranians "sort of crazy".

- Control over the strait -

Iran's chief negotiator said Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under "Iranian arrangements".

"The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences," Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. "Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck."

Since US-Israeli strikes triggered war in February, Tehran has insisted on controlling the strait, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorized route.

Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday.

The latest strikes come just ahead of the Thursday burial of Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, who was killed at the outbreak of the war on February 28.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called meanwhile "on all parties to exercise maximum restraint" -- as did Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks.

Iran said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar's prime minister had spoken over the phone on Wednesday and "underscored the importance of using diplomatic means to resolve regional issues".

Both the United States and Iran said they had hit dozens of targets in the initial wave of attacks, which Iranian state television said had killed eight Iranian military personnel.

CENTCOM said its forces struck more than 80 targets on Tuesday, while the Guards said they hit dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The latest attacks by Iran did not result in any American casualties or cause major damage to facilities, a US military official said on Wednesday.

Washington wants free passage for ships while Iran is insisting on fees and has refused to allow vessels to pass through Omani waters.

All three vessels recently struck were sailing close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit corridor hugging its coastline.

Maritime traffic had tentatively resumed after Washington and Tehran signed the deal to end hostilities last month.

But almost 6,000 seafarers remain stranded in the area, International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez said Wednesday.