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Hungary to pull out of ICC as Netanyahu visits Budapest

Hungary has said it will begin the process of withdrawing from the international criminal court, hours after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – the subject of an ICC arrest warrant – arrived in the country for an official visit. “Hungary will withdraw from the ICC,” Gergely Gulyás, prime minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, said. “The government will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework.” The announcement came shortly after Netanyahu, who has been under an international arrest warrant since November over allegations of war crimes in Gaza, was greeted at Budapest airport in the early hours of Thursday morning by Hungary’s defence minister. Withdrawing from the court, to which all 27 EU members belong, would entail passing a bill through parliament, which is dominated by Orbàn’s Fidesz party, and would be expected to take up to a year. Orbán invited his Israeli counterpart to visit the day after the Hague-based ICC, the world’s only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide, issued the warrant, described by Israel as politically motivated and fuelled by antisemitism. Netanhayu’s government has also alleged the court lost its legitimacy by issuing the warrants against a democratically elected leader of a country exercising the right of self-defence after the October 2023 attack by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel. In principle, Hungary – which signed the ICC’s founding document in 1999 and ratified it in 2001 – should be required to detain and extradite anyone subject to a warrant from the court, but Budapest has argued the law was never promulgated. “It was never made part of Hungarian law,” Gulyás said late last year, meaning no ICC measure can be legally carried out within Hungary. Orbán in any case said he would not respect the ruling, calling it “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable”. Hungary’s illiberal prime minister told reporters in November that he would “guarantee” the ICC’s ruling would “have no effect in Hungary”, and has floated the prospect of pulling his country out of the court on several occasions since. “It’s time for Hungary to review what we’re doing in an international organisation that is under US sanctions,” Orbàn said on in February when Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan. Orbàn has been a strong supporter of Netanyahu for many years, embracing Israel’s rightwing prime minister as an ally who shares the same nationalist and sovereigntist views. Hungary has frequently blocked EU statements or sanctions against Israel. The visit marks Netanyahu’s second trip abroad since ICC warrants were announced against him and his former defence chief, as well as for the Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri. In February, he travelled to the US, which like Israel is not a member of the ICC. ICC judges said when they issued the warrant that there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and his former defence chief were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war.

‘It’s really crude’: concern over mix of misogyny and Franco nostalgia among Spanish teens

Three or four years ago, the Spanish psychologist Jesús Moreno began to notice a difference in the drawings that the young participants in his workshops on masculinity produced when asked to sketch out their idea of what a man looks like. The figures they drew were no longer merely the muscular and bizarrely well-endowed drug dealers, etched with prison tattoos and surrounded by guns, knives, cars, sex workers and bundles of cash, to which Moreno and his colleagues had long grown accustomed. “We started getting things we hadn’t seen before, like Spanish flags and swastikas and people writing, ‘Vote Franco’,” says the psychologist. Moreno, who works with the Fundación Iniciativa Social to promote gender equality and raise awareness of the social and psychological issues men face, was not surprised. For him, the development was proof that Spanish teenagers and young men – many of whom had already absorbed the macho, misogynistic tropes of the “manosphere” – were also beginning to embrace the far-right political views that have gained so much ground globally over the past decade. “It showed that this had moved beyond the social networks where kids chat and had become something identitarian,” he says. In Spain, as elsewhere, the Netflix teen murder drama Adolescence has sharpened concerns over technology, toxic masculinity and intergenerational chasms, and dragged those issues to the fore. But, as the drawings in Moreno’s workshops attest, the country has the added ingredient of the still bitter legacy of the Franco dictatorship – and a powerful far-right political party. Alicia López, an ethics and philosophy teacher in central Spain, has also noticed a change in the language used by some of her male students. Nostalgic, ignorant talk of Franco has begun to surface – even though the dictator died 50 years ago this November and young Spaniards know very little about the era – mingling with familiar attacks on the perceived anti-male biases of modern society. “The stuff that’s said is really crude,” she says. “They talk about Franco and Francoism without knowing about it … [And] feminism … is under constant attack. If you tell off a male student for something, they will immediately say, ‘Why aren’t you telling the girls off?’” And, despite living in an area with very low levels of immigration, López has detected a rise in xenophobic talk. “There are very few immigrant children in class, but you hear insults, like asking people if they eat ham, and kids calling their peers terrorists,” she says. Moreno and López note that the increase in reactionary, anti-feminist, anti-immigrant language has, unsurprisingly, coincided with the growing political influence of the far right. Spain’s far-right, pro-Trump Vox party, once dismissed as an inconsequential band of provocateurs, broke through into the mainstream almost seven years ago and is now the third largest force in the Spanish congress. For many young men, much of Vox’s appeal lies in its rigid certainties and its fierce opposition to all things woke. A poll two years ago suggested that more than half of young men aged between 16 and 24 feel that the drive for women’s equality has gone so far that men are now discriminated against. Another, more recent survey found that 36.1% of men aged 18-28 would vote for Vox, compared with 14.6% of the population as a whole. While much of the support for Vox and apparent nostalgia for an unknown and repressive era may be rebellious adolescent posturing, it is nonetheless gaining ground. “The far right has sold them this idea that voting for them is a revolutionary act now, which feeds into that whole teenage process of thinking you’re unique,” says Moreno. López, who is the president of Colectivo DIME+, a nationwide group of teachers, counsellors and parents formed to fight the reactionary discourse around education, feels that boys’ embrace of extremes may also be an effort to be heard in a busy and time-poor world. “Because children’s voices and general wellbeing aren’t heeded enough, they end up in the arms of those they shouldn’t,” she says. Maria Freixanet, gender investigation coordinator at Barcelona’s Institute of Political and Social Sciences, has been investigating the effects of influencers on young men in Catalonia. She, too, has noted a fall in support for feminism that has coincided with the rise of the far right. “Last year, it dropped 18 points and there are now more young men who say they’re against feminism than in agreement with it,” she says. “We also see that across other values when it comes to issues such as immigration and support for the democratic system, both of which are falling.” Freixanet says her team’s research, which has not yet been published, makes it plain that the manosphere’s neo-sexist discourse – “the modern adaptation of the aged-old machismo” – is reaching and influencing boys and fuelling notions of male victimisation. “These boys have grown up at a time when anti-feminism already had a political voice,” she says. “There used to be things you couldn’t say and now you can.” Freixanet suspects that the loneliness and screen time of the pandemic years may also have played a part. “You used to finish school and then hang out with your friends to chat and eat snacks,” she says. “And now, kids are on their own at home in front of a screen … Boys and girls are separating and that’s giving rise to very different thought systems … there’s a big gulf and lack of trust.” A spokesperson for the education ministry said that while media reports pointed to “an increase in hatred and intolerance among young people”, the phenomenon was not confined to Spain. She said the government was analysing where young people got their news and views from, involving them in conversations about “democracy, freedom, justice and the climate crisis”, and working to give them the tools, education and historical memory lessons needed to help them build a future. Spain’s youth ministry is also working to address the same issues as it prepares the country’s first youth law, which will include measures to protect the economic, social and democratic rights of young people, as well as their mental health and wellbeing. On Tuesday, the cabinet approved a draft law aimed at keeping children safe in the digital sphere. Despite the ugly and provocative language and stances adopted by many boys, López believes difficult conversations are essential. “If a boy can’t express himself in class – if he feels that his voice and opinion aren’t being listened to – then you’re not going to know where the problem is,” she says. It is better, she adds, to listen and then to introduce context and information about the realities of Franco’s four-decade dictatorship to counter the misconceptions. Moreno agrees that demonisation and performative moral panics are not helping. “We shouldn’t trivialise the fact that young men are now more likely to vote for the far right – the statistics are there,” he says. “But by creating a continuous self-confirming bias and calling them fascists, we turn into the paternalistic state that’s telling them what they’re like and how they have to be.” The psychologist also says that today’s young people are a diverse bunch – and that there are grounds for optimism. “A lot of young people know much more about feminism than I did when I was their age,” he says. “There are a lot of boys – the majority – who don’t take a position.” Today’s young people have amazing potential despite the grim state of the planet and its politicians, he adds. “They’re wide awake even though we’re giving them an uncertain future in which we don’t know whether we’ll screw up the planet in the next 50 years. And yet they’re always looking to make sense of their lives. What if we could give them a sense of belonging that had nothing to do with neo-Nazi or far-right discourse? What if there was a pro-rights discourse? That’s the challenge.”

C of E vicars call for ’urgent and decisive action’ on increasing their pensions

Church of England vicars are demanding an increase in pensions amid claims that many face an impoverished old age, with some forced to rely on food banks or move in with adult children. Almost 2,000 C of E clergy have joined an action group on Facebook in the past few weeks and 700 signed a letter to the Church Times calling for “urgent and decisive action”. The Rev Marcus Gibbs, the vicar of the Ascension church in Balham, south London, and lead signatory, told the Guardian: “This is a justice issue, and a moral and Christian imperative to ensure that people who have dedicated their lives to the church can have a dignified retirement.” The action group is demanding the C of E reverses a 2011 cut in pensions that meant retiring vicars now get half the minimum clergy stipend (salary) of £28,680 rather than two-thirds. Most working clergy are also provided with housing, which they lose when they retire. The cut in pensions came four years after the qualifying period for a full clergy pension was increased from 37 years to 41.5 years. Clergy with fewer years of service get less than 50% of the minimum stipend. Meanwhile, the C of E’s assets have increased in value and are currently worth £10.4bn. Gibbs said: “Before the church can speak with credibility in the House of Lords on social justice issues, it must ensure it’s caring justly for those who’ve served it.” Citing a biblical proverb, he added: “The phrase that comes to mind is, ‘Physician, heal thyself.’” Providing an adequate pension was good business practice as well as a justice issue, he said. “If you want people to do a good job, you don’t want them living in fear of an impoverished old age. You look after people.” One retired vicar who contacted the action group said: “After 40 years of service, my pension barely covers my rent. I never thought I’d have to choose between food and medicine.” Another wrote: “I gave my life to the church, moved my family from town to town, living in parsonages that weren’t mine. Now I have nothing to show for it, and can’t afford a home of my own.” A third said: “I had to move in with my children because my pension wouldn’t cover even a small apartment. I feel like a burden and it breaks my heart.” Another said: “My spouse and I both served the church, but now we can’t afford our medical bills. The church asked everything of us, but where are they now, when you need help?” The Rev Ian Paul, a member of the archbishops’ council, an advisory body, submitted a motion last year to the General Synod, the C of E’s ruling body, calling on the church to restore pensions to their pre-2011 levels. It passed unanimously. “The key issue is that the church commissioners [who manage the C of E’s assets] are not letting go of the money,” he said. “It would cost them £25m a year to restore the cut, which is peanuts compared to assets worth £10.4bn.” Clergy approaching retirement were “now realising they are going to be in penury”. The action group was the result of a “crack in the dam opening up, and a huge body of discontent breaking through”, he said. “People have been reluctant to speak out, but many feel betrayed.” The action group also wants an independent review to examine pension provision. In February, Carl Hughes, the chair of the archbishops’ council finance committee, told the synod that the C of E planned to “increase future stipends automatically in line with inflation, on top of a catch-up increase to the national minimum stipend, which will boost both stipends and the starting rate of pensions”. Specific proposals are due be put before the synod in July.

Thursday briefing: What Israel’s new move to seize ‘large areas’ of Gaza means for the conflict

Good morning. On Tuesday, Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, announced a major expansion of attacks on Gaza and the “capture of large areas that will be added to the security zones of the state of Israel”. The announcement followed a night of airstrikes on Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, which officials said had killed at least 21 people, including a pregnant woman. The intensification of Israel’s offensive comes after more than two weeks of airstrikes and ground operations that have, according to Gaza’s health ministry, killed more than 900 people. Unicef has said that at least 322 of those killed since the renewed attacks have been children. Earlier this week 15 bodies of Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers, killed by Israeli forces and buried in a mass grave, were discovered. According to witnesses, some victims were found with their hands or legs bound and had gunshot wounds to the head and chest. For today’s newsletter, I spoke with the Guardian’s international security correspondent, Jason Burke, who has reported on the war since its beginning, about Katz’s announcements and what they mean for Gaza’s future. That’s right after the headlines. Five big stories UK economy | Donald Trump has hit the UK with tariffs of 10% on exports to the US as he ignited a global trade war. Other tariffs include 20% on the EU and 34% on China. Downing Street had been expecting 20% but Keir Starmer’s conciliation towards the Trump administration appeared to have paid off. Immigration | An investigation has been launched after a racist message was reportedly “blasted out” on portable radios used by Home Office contractors at an asylum processing centre. The deeply offensive broadcast – “fuck off you [N-word]s, go back to where you came from” – was reportedly heard at the Manston processing site for small boat arrivals in Kent. Health | Doctors have reported a rise in the number of patients with Victorian diseases such as scabies, as the Royal College of Physicians urged the government to do more to fight poverty. UK news | A third former South Yorkshire police officer has been arrested as part of an investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. The ex-constable, aged in his 50s, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in the town in 2004. Education | The fate of boys “is a defining issue of our time”, according to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as she calls for more men to become teachers to combat “toxic” behaviours. In depth: ‘Authorities who imagine they can eradicate Hamas through force are wrong’ Last week, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for people in Rafah and a stretch of land extending north towards Khan Younis, directing them to al-Mawasi – an area on the coast that Israel once designated a humanitarian zone but which has been bombed more than 100 times between May and January, according to the BBC. Other orders forced tens of thousands across the north of Gaza to move. Many have only just returned to their former homes, most of which are in ruins. The Gaza health ministry now puts the number of people killed by the Israeli offensive at more than 50,000, mostly civilians. In January the Lancet medical journal published a report that estimated that the death toll during the first nine months of war was approximately 40% higher. International agencies estimate that at least 110,000 people have been injured, often very seriously. The war was triggered by a Hamas surprise attack into southern Israel that killed 1,200, also mostly civilians, and led to 251 being taken hostage, of whom 59 remain in Gaza. *** Capturing territory “The language expressing a definite interest in taking control of territory, without giving any kind of timeline, feels much more explicit now and that’s a change,” Jason says. Throughout the war, some observers have warned that Israel’s offensive in Gaza could lead to annexation or resettlement. Israeli officials have previously avoided explicit statements about seizing territory in Gaza. One reason was undoubtedly pressure from the Biden administration, which insisted that Israel should not reoccupy Gaza after the conflict. However, things have changed following Donald Trump’s proposal to reconstruct Gaza as “the Riviera of the Middle East”, after displacing the Palestinian population to Egypt and Jordan. This prompted a warning against ethnic cleansing from the UN secretary general, António Guterres, but appears to have emboldened Israeli authorities, which threatened last month to annex parts of the devastated territory. According to the Israeli rights group Gisha, Israel has already taken control of around 62 square kilometres (approximately 17%) of Gaza as part of a buffer zone along its edges. In a video statement that was published on Wednesday evening, the Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would capture a “second Philadelphi route”, referring to the narrow Israeli-held corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border. “[By] dividing up the strip, we are adding pressure step by step, so that our hostages will be given to us,” Netanyahu added. It is still not clear how much more land Israel wants to capture. “Of course territory could be seized simply to put pressure on Hamas during ongoing negotiations over a new ceasefire and hostage release deal, or used as a bargaining chip in any deal, or to carve out a very wide buffer zone but a lot of observers suspect other motives,” Jason says. *** What does this mean long-term? Any seizure of land is potentially part of a broader, long-term ideological project of the Israeli right, particularly the far right, which wants the reoccupation of Gaza, the re-establishment of settlements and the displacement of the Palestinian population. Once dismissed as an Israeli fringe fantasy, this project has become far more plausible following Trump’s announcement of his plan for Gaza. Since then, Israeli authorities have approved a scheme to facilitate what they call “a voluntary transfer for Gaza residents who express interest in moving to third countries”, creating a bureau to oversee it. Legal experts are clear that under any reasonable interpretation of international law, any emigration in current circumstances from Gaza would be unlawful and constitutes ethnic cleansing. Many Palestinians have also made it clear that they are determined to stay and reject any proposals involving resettlement. Since the first phase of the ceasefire that was agreed in January ended at the beginning of March, Israel has blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza. Israeli authorities claim this is because Hamas is diverting aid for its own benefit, which Hamas denies. Israel then cut off remaining electricity supplies, forcing the closure of a water desalination plant and so depriving more than 600,000 people of clean water. The UN World Food Programme has warned its supply of hot meals will last for no more than two weeks, adding that all bakeries have been forced to shut down due to a lack of fuel and flour. “If parts of the Israeli government and the extreme right more generally want to see ‘voluntary emigration’ from Gaza, making it unliveable is a good way to advance that project,” Jason says. *** Pressuring Hamas Negotiations are ongoing but there is a massive gap between Hamas and Israel, Jason says. Hamas wants the previous ceasefire deal upheld, with a second phase that would end the war but allow Hamas to remain effectively in power in Gaza. Israel wants any pause to be temporary, and is offering a couple of months or so of ceasefire. This makes the imminent cessation of hostilities unlikely. “It has to be said that Hamas has sustained massive losses,” Jason continues. “It has few cards to play in any negotiations, other than the hostages and international public opinion. The only international public opinion that can influence Israel is the opinion of one individual, and that is the occupant of the Oval Office.” Currently that occupant has seemingly given Netanyahu a blank cheque, and this is not universally popular in Israel. Families of hostages have expressed their dismay at the expansion of the attacks, asking whether their loved ones were being sacrificed for the sake of territorial gains and expressing concern that the mission of returning their relatives had been pushed to the bottom of the government’s priorities. A recent poll indicated broad Israeli support for a ceasefire deal that returns the hostages in exchange for IDF withdrawal from Gaza. “But the numbers who believe there should just be a ceasefire deal – Israeli withdrawal and Hamas stays there with its weapons – are really small,” says Jason. In the absence of a political plan for the administration of Gaza, “a vacuum will inevitably emerge, which Hamas or a successor organisation will fill”, he adds. “Israeli authorities who imagine they can eradicate Hamas in Gaza purely through sustained military force are wrong.” What else we’ve been reading Rafael Behr has a strong, simple warning to Keir Starmer in his latest column: “Labour MPs are justified in worrying that their time in government is being squandered and they will end up being remembered for all the things they failed to do.” Charlie Lindlar, acting deputy editor, newsletters It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for (probably): voting is open on the Guardian’s invertebrate of the year competition. Exercise your democratic right to pick your favourite bug. Nimo Peter Bradshaw nails it in his tribute to Val Kilmer, who died this week at 65. He was a “terrific screen presence” and “ethereally handsome” actor who never quite became the leading man he could have been, yet who “in his autumn years, and all too briefly, showed us his real star quality”. Charlie Calling people illegal immigrants is not just dehumanising, it is also factually inaccurate, writes Mehdi Hasan. Hasan then asks why progressives are not making this argument more forcefully. Nimo In this week’s games newsletter, Keith Stuart breaks down everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch 2, which was officially unveiled yesterday. Top line? No one does “joy” like Nintendo. Charlie Sport Football | Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game as Liverpool won a feisty and hard-fought Merseyside derby against Everton to go 12 points clear at the top. Marcus Rashford struck his third goal in two matches as Aston Villa boosted their Champions League hopes with a 3-0 win over Brighton. More Premier League reports Football | Reading have had a potentially significant setback in their attempt to save the club by agreeing a sale this week, with Rob Couhig rejecting a proposal from the owner, Dai Yongge, to lift his security over the Select Car Leasing Stadium and training ground. Basketball | The sports minister, Stephanie Peacock, has asked the government body responsible for elite funding, UK Sport, to investigate allegations of unlawful tender made against the British Basketball Federation. On Wednesday, the BBF signed a 15-year agreement with an American consortium to operate a new men’s professional league from 2026. The front pages “Trump hits UK with 10% tariffs as US ignites global trade war” says the Guardian while the Times has “Trump piles on the tariffs”. “Trump triggers $1 trillion global trade war – in threat to UK jobs and wages” – that’s the i and the Daily Mail announces “Trump’s tariff war on ‘foreign scavengers’”. We’re “Trading blows” in the Daily Mirror as the “World faces economic war”. “Trump unleashes tariffs” is the splash headline in the Telegraph. The Express sees it as a win for vote leave: “Brexit Britain escapes worst of Trump tariffs pain”. In other news the Metro runs with “Heathrow ‘had two fire warnings’”. The top story on page one of the Financial Times is “UK plan for joint European fund to help finance continent’s rearmament”. We have one of our occasional roundups today where you can see all these front pages. Today in Focus How will Myanmar’s earthquake impact the civil war? Myanmar’s military junta has been losing territory for months. Will the earthquake and a new ceasefire help it turn the tide? Rebecca Ratcliffe reports Cartoon of the day | Nicola Jennings The Upside A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad Over five years, the photographer Spandita Malik travelled throughout India, meeting women who have survived gender-based violence. The resulting project, Nā́rī, includes artworks made in collaboration with some of the women she photographed. For this image of Praween Devi, for instance, she asked her subject to alter the image through embroidery. As Malik explains: “When she embroidered the portrait in phulkari, a traditional craft originally from the Punjab region, she didn’t remove the photograph of the men but instead inserted three women – figures draped in pink and green, mirroring her own clothing.” Her goal, Malik says, is to “disrupt the traditional power dynamics of documentary photography” by putting creative control in the hands of her subjects. “The act of embroidery becomes an extension of their voice, a reassertion of agency in a world that often silences them. Through Nā́rī, I aim to amplify their stories of survival and resilience – one stitch at a time.” Sign up here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, sent to you every Sunday Bored at work? And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Wordiply

Netanyahu visits Hungary as Orbán vows to defy ICC arrest warrant

Benjamin Netanyahu has begun a four-day official visit to Hungary, marking the first time the Israeli prime minister has stepped foot on European soil since the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for him over allegations of war crimes in Gaza. Hours after the ICC announced the warrants in November, Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, made it clear he would defy the court to host Netanyahu, telling reporters that he would “guarantee” the ICC’s ruling would “have no effect in Hungary”. Hungary has been a signatory of the ICC since the court was launched more than two decades ago, signing on to the requirement to arrest and hand over anyone facing a court warrant if they set foot in the country. In recent days, sources in Orbán’s government have reportedly floated the possibility of withdrawing from the court. The visit takes place as Netanyahu has said Israel is “seizing territory” and intends to “divide up” the Gaza Strip two weeks after it ended a fragile ceasefire with renewed bombing and the deployment of ground troops across the besieged Palestinian territory. It marks Netanyahu’s second trip abroad since the warrants were announced for him and his former defence chief, as well as for the Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri. Israel has rejected the court’s accusations, describing them as politically motivated and fuelled by antisemitism. In February, Netanyahu travelled to the US – which, like Israel, is not a member of the ICC – to meet Donald Trump. The US president seized on the visit to sign an executive order that sought to impose sanctions on the ICC over its investigations into Israel’s actions in the conflict, which began when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 captive. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 people, the majority of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. Across the EU and its 27 members – all of whom are signatories to the ICC – the question of whether the warrants would be enforced has long been divisive. While states such as Spain, the Netherlands and Finland said they would uphold the warrants, Poland earlier this year mulled the possibility of Netanyahu attending the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, while Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, Friedrich Merz, said last month he had promised to find a way for Netanyahu to visit Germany without being arrested. When asked earlier this week about reports of Netanyahu’s visit, a spokesperson for the European Commission said all states should ensure “full cooperation with the courts including by the prompt execution of outstanding arrest warrants”, according to Politico. Hungary’s decision to flout the court’s ruling has been criticised by rights groups. In a statement, Erika Guevara Rosas of Amnesty International said: “Prime Minister Netanyahu is an alleged war criminal, who is accused of using starvation as a method of warfare, intentionally attacking civilians and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts. Hungary’s invitation shows contempt for international law and confirms that alleged war criminals wanted by the ICC are welcome on the streets of a European Union member state.” Human Rights Watch pointed to accusations Orbán has repeatedly faced of weakening democratic institutions and gradually undermining the rule of law. “Allowing Netanyahu’s visit in breach of Hungary’s ICC obligations would be Orbán’s latest assault on the rule of law, adding to the country’s dismal record on rights,” said Liz Evenson of the organisation in a statement. “All ICC member countries need to make clear they expect Hungary to abide by its obligations to the court, and that they will do the same.” In a statement to the Guardian, the ICC said member states had a legal obligation to enforce the court’s rulings and added that it was not up to parties but to the ICC “to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court’s legal decisions.”

Ukraine war briefing: No Trump tariff on Russia as his officials host Putin investment tsar

Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with US officials in Washington on Wednesday, officials said, as the Trump administration considers business dealings with Moscow even as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine and refuse a ceasefire. Because of the war, Dmitriev is under sanctions that the US had to suspend so he could visit. Dmitriev is the highest-ranking Russian official to travel to the US on state business since Russia started the full-scale war in 2022. It was not clear what he discussed with the US officials on Wednesday. Dmitriev has close relations to the Trump team dating back to the 2016 election in which the Mueller investigation found “sweeping and systematic” Russian interference in Trump’s favour. Also on Wednesday, the Trump administration notably did not include Russia on an expansive list of countries that will face heavy new tariffs. Ukraine was slapped with a 10% levy, according to a fact sheet released by the White House. A team from Ukraine may be coming to the United States as soon as this week or next week, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday. A Russian ballistic missile strike has killed at least four people and wounded 14 others in Kryvyi Rig, the home town of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The head of Kryvyi Rig’s military administration, Oleksandr Vikul, said Russia attacked civilian infrastructure, sparking a large fire, and a rescue operation was launched. Earlier on Wednesday, a 45-year-old man was killed when a Russian strike hit cars parked outside a house in Zaporizhzhia, said Ivan Federov, the head of the Ukrainian region’s military administration. Russian forces unleashed an hour-long barrage of 17 Shahed drones on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, late on Wednesday, triggering fires, said the regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, who reported that five people were wounded in an attack on the same district earlier in the day. Syniehubov also reported a drone strike on the town of Derhachi, north-west of Kharkiv, with one person injured. A strike sparked a fire in Cherkaska Lozova, also outside Kharkiv. Nato allies have pledged more than €20bn in military support for Ukraine in the first three months of the year, the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, said on Wednesday. Foreign ministers from the alliance meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to discuss further support for Ukraine. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, is due to arrive in Brussels on Thursday for the two days of talks, bringing with him Matt Whitaker, the newly confirmed US ambassador to Nato. More details emerged of secondary sanctions that US senators want to place on countries friendly to Russia if Moscow continues to disrupt peace negotiations. The group of 50 Republican and Democratic senators are proposing 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy fuel and uranium from Russia. The Trump administration has so far failed to deliver on the president’s promise to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia in as little as 24 hours. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day general ceasefire which Moscow has rejected. Ukrainian authorities accused five suspects on Wednesday of involvement in a military procurement scandal that led to swift wartime anti-corruption reforms. The five including a former defence ministry department head are accused of inflating prices while ordering food for troops and embezzling millions between August and December 2022. They have been issued with “notices of suspicion” that could lead to formal indictment for embezzlement, suspected embezzlement and money laundering. It is alleged that embezzled funds were likely used in part to buy properties abroad, including hotels in Croatia. Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Wednesday of new attacks against each other’s energy facilities, citing a US-brokered moratorium, although there is no formal agreement in place. The IT systems of Polish prime minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform party have been hit by a cyber-attack, he said on Wednesday. Poland has been on high alert for foreign interference and sabotage ahead of a presidential election scheduled for May, as it says its role in helping Ukraine has made it a key target for Russian security services.

South Korea ‘at breaking point’ ahead of ruling on President Yoon’s impeachment

The usually quiet streets outside South Korea’s constitutional court in Seoul are now a political ground zero for a decision that will determine the country’s future. Months after Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law and triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades, the court will on Friday decide whether to uphold the suspended president’s impeachment or return him to office. The name of the neighbourhood in which the court lies is Anguk, which means “peaceful country”, an irony that will not be lost on South Koreans as they await the court ruling on the vote by MPs to impeach Yoon after his ill-fated attempt in December to suspend democracy. More than 14,000 police officers – more than a tenth of the country’s entire force – will be mobilised in Seoul when the verdict is delivered on Friday. A 100-metre radius “vacuum state” has been imposed outside the court building to prevent demonstrations. More police buses arrived ahead of the verdict, bringing traffic to a near-standstill. Ancient palaces in the neighbourhood will close on Friday, depriving people of the chance to get a close-up view of their popular spring blossoms. The security clampdown will extend well beyond barricades. Petrol stations near the court will close to prevent arson attacks, and rooftop access to high-rise buildings will be restricted to prevent people from jumping or throwing objects. Authorities are also planning to ban the release of firearms usually used to kill wild animals, with proposals to track licensed gun owners via GPS on the day of the ruling. Anguk station will close, and subway station lockers sealed to prevent bomb threats. A no-fly zone has been imposed over the court, with police deploying signal jammers against unauthorised drones. Eleven schools will close, and vendors have been told to close and remove items, such as flower pots, that could be used as weapons. If Yoon survives the ruling, he will have pulled off an extraordinary political comeback. If the decision goes against him, he will join a growing list of disgraced South Korean leaders who challenged the country’s democratic institutions. In December last year, Yoon deployed troops to the national assembly, claiming he needed to counter “anti-state forces” and investigate alleged election fraud. The military deployment lasted only hours before parliament voted to overturn the declaration, seeing his actions as a power grab. Yoon is also fighting for survival in a separate criminal trial in which he is accused of instigating an insurrection – a crime that carries a life sentence or even the death penalty, though South Korea has not conducted an execution since 1997. Weeks of uncertainty have been marked by huge and occasionally violent protests by Yoon’s supporters and opponents, and standoffs between his security detail and government authorities. Last weekend hundreds of thousands of people rallied for and against Yoon in central Seoul, despite the cold weather. “The people are overwhelmed with fatigue and frustration as … the ongoing crises remain unresolved,” Lee Han-sol, an anti-Yoon demonstrator, said. “The delays have led to a growing sense of scepticism.” His supporters, some of whom held up Trump-inspired banners reading “Make Korea Great Again,” insisted the impeachment trial was unlawful. “The constitutional court won’t be able to ignore us,” said Lee Hye-sook, 58. “Look at us, there are so many of us here.” With the constitutional court’s verdict on the impeachment looming, authorities are making every effort to prevent further unrest. An unprecedented security operation is being put in place to prevent a repeat of January’s violent storming of a Seoul courthouse by Yoon supporters that left dozens of police officers injured. And officials have not forgotten the tumult of March 2017, when four protesters died on the day the same court finalised former president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. The court is already partially barricaded, while those declaring loyalty to Yoon, a former prosecutor who has flirted with rightwing populism and conspiracy theories since taking office in 2022, are observing a round-the-clock vigil outside. “We are setting up plans considering the worst-case scenarios,” said Lee Ho-young, acting police chief, as authorities declared the highest-level emergency status for the day of the ruling. To formally remove Yoon from office, at least six of the court’s eight justices have to approve the impeachment motion passed by MPs in mid-December. That would trigger a presidential election that must be held within 60 days. If they do not, Yoon’s presidential powers will be immediately restored. Now into its fifth week of deliberations, the court has itself become a target of criticism that it was moving too slowly. The same court’s decision to remove Park came 11 days after the final hearings in her impeachment trial. “The country and the people are at breaking point,” said Kim Min-seok, an opposition Democratic party MP, said last month. “We wait for the court’s responsible decision. Further delay is abnormal and irresponsible.” Chung Sung-il, a 72-year-old anti-Yoon protester, said he expected the court to dismiss Yoon “100%”, adding: “If he is reinstated, so many dangerous things can happen.” The acting president, Han Duck-soo, whose impeachment was overturned by the constitutional court late last month, called on South Koreans to respect the court’s ruling on Yoon. “Whatever decision is made, we must calmly and coolly accept the result in accordance with the principles of the rule of law,” Han said on Wednesday. The tense atmosphere has been stoked by inflammatory rhetoric from Yoon’s allies. Jeon Kwang-hoon, a far-right pastor, told his followers: “If the constitutional court does something different [upholds impeachment], we will activate the people’s right to resist and sweep them away with one sword.”