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☆ Host nation Ivory Coast continues miraculous run to AFCON final to set up a matchup against Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Samuel Joseph | Sam Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The host nation is seeking its third AFCON title, while Nigeria is looking to lift the trophy for the fourth time. ET on Sunday and will take place at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast midfielder Ibrahim Sangare (L) fights for the ball with DR Congo's Simon Banza. Against Mali, Ivory Coast pulled off yet another great escape, grabbing a last-minute equalizer. Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali made two saves and striker Kelechi Iheanacho netted the deciding penalty to send Nigeria into the final.

Persons: Ouattara, Ivory, Les Éléphants, Jean, Louis Gasset, Emerse Faé, Ibrahim Sangare, DR Congo's Simon Banza, Franck Fife, Faé, Franck Kessié, Simon Adingra, Sébastien Haller, Ivory Coast's, Sia Kambou, William Troost, Ekong, Victor Osimhen, Osimhen, Percy Tau, Teboho Mokoena, Issouf Sanogo, Grant Kekana, Stanley Nwabali, Kelechi Iheanacho Organizations: CNN, Africa, of Nations, beIN Sports USA, DR Congo, Guinea, Equatorial, Coast, Ivory, DR Congo's, Getty, Senegal, Against, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Super Eagles, South Africa Locations: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ivory, Abidjan, South Africa, Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, AFP, Against Mali, Europe, AFCON, Cameroon, Angola, Africa

☆ China Keeps Building Stadiums in Africa. But at What Cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Elian Peltier | Joao Silva | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Alassane Ouattara stadium rises like a piece of sculpture from the dusty brown earth north of Ivory Coast’s largest city, its undulating roof and white columns towering over the empty landscape like a spaceship that has dropped onto a uninhabited planet. On Sunday, the three-and-a-half-year-old stadium will host its signature moment, when the national soccer teams of Ivory Coast and Nigeria compete in the final of Africa’s biggest sporting event, in front of tens of thousands of fans chanting and cheering in a stadium financed and built by China. While that is nothing new for the tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, the arena is just the latest example of the contradictions that emerge from Chinese projects built on Chinese terms, and on African soil. Stadiums have been a cornerstone of China’s diplomatic reach into Africa since the 1970s, but their number has increased since the early 2000s, part of a larger Chinese strategy to build infrastructure — from highways to railroads, ports to presidential palaces and even the headquarters of the African Union — in exchange for diplomatic clout or access to natural resources.

Persons: Ouattara Organizations: Africa, of Nations, African Locations: Ivory Coast’s, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, China, Africa

☆ Red Sea crisis: How global trade is being upended by attacks on container ships
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

That’s added as much as two weeks to a typical East-to-West journey for container ships, and 18 days for slower bulk carriers and tankers. Global container shipping costs are less than half their level during the coronavirus pandemic, which peaked at $10,380 in September 2021. Even so, he said, container shipping is “very cost-effective” as many goods can be packed into a single shipping container. The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea on November 20, 2023. Fewer oil tankers have avoided the Red Sea than container ships, which the Houthi militants more closely identify with Western countries allied with Israel.

Persons: Richard Meade, Tesla, Peter Sand, Good Hope, That’s, ”, Lloyd —, “, ” Simon MacAdam, ” Maersk, Meade Organizations: London CNN —, Hamas, Lloyds, CNN, Maersk, Hapag, Carriers, Global, Container, Capital Economics, Organisation for Economic Co, Development, Galaxy Leader, Houthi Military Media, Reuters Locations: Iran, Suez, Asia, Europe, Germany, Swedish, Africa, South Africa’s, Good, Sand, Vietnam, Drewry, Shanghai, China, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Xeneta, Israel, United States, Canada

☆ Senegal was Africa’s poster child for democracy. Where did it all go wrong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —In a region plagued by volatility, Senegal had long been praised for its political stability. Senegal remains an outlier as the sole mainland West African country never to have experienced a military coup. Nobody wants democracy in Senegal to degenerate,” Ojewale said. “Senegal is the most enduring democracy in West Africa. Sonko’s opposition PASTEF Party, however, criticized the postponement of the election, describing it as “a serious threat” to Senegal’s democracy.

Persons: Macky Sall, Sall, Oluwole, ” Ojewale, Ojewale, “, Amadou Barry, ”, Sall’s, Ousmane Sonko, Karim Wade, Amadou Ba, Idrissa Seck, Sonko, Wade, Abdoulaye Wade, Malick Gackou, Aminata, Babacar, PASTEF’s Yassine Organizations: CNN, Sall, Institute of Security Studies, Ministry of Communications, Telecommunications, Amnesty, ”, Democracy, Constitutional, PASTEF Party, Senegalese, Amnesty International, Economic, West African States, French Foreign Ministry, United Nations Locations: Senegal, West Africa, West, Dakar, France, “ Senegal, ” Dakar, Senegal’s, ” France

☆ Playing Soccer in Abidjan? Get Yourself a Pair of Lêkê.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Elian Peltier | Joao Silva | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The wealthy pros of Ivory Coast’s national soccer team were resting in their luxury hotel last week, preparing for a match in Africa’s biggest tournament, when Yaya Camara sprinted onto a dusty lot and began fizzing one pass after another to his friends. Shiny soccer cleats like his idols’? No thanks, said Mr. Camara, a lean 18-year-old midfielder, as he wiped sweat from his brow. “How did the pros started playing when they were kids like us? With lêkê,” he added, referring to the sandals that are ubiquitous not only in his pickup game but almost any place an Ivorian puts their feet.

Persons: Ivory, Yaya Camara, ’, Camara Organizations: soccer team, Africa’s Locations: Ivory Coast’s

☆ Senegal parliament to debate extending president’s mandate as protests break out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Senegalese police on Sunday cracked down on protests against the postponement of the presidential election, as parliament prepared to debate a bill that would reschedule the vote for August and extend President Macky Sall’s mandate. “It (AU) strongly encourages all political and social forces to resolve any political dispute through civilized consultation, understanding and dialogue..,” the statement added. Senegal has never delayed a presidential vote and uncertainty about what happens next threatens to fuel further unrest like the deadly protests of recent years that have tarnished its reputation as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies. In one area, around 200 people retreated into side streets after police in riot gear fired tear gas and started detaining protesters. Further protests are planned outside parliament on Monday.

Persons: Macky Sall’s, Sall, ”, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Daouda Ndiaye, Anta Babacar Ngom, Aminata Toure, Macky’s, ” Toure Organizations: Reuters, Senegalese, Reuters . African, Economic, West African States, Sunday Locations: Senegal, West, Dakar

☆ Opinion | The World Has Caught Up to Frantz Fanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Adam Shatz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The shock of the new, in political life, often sends us back to the past, in search of an intellectual compass. ), which he joined while working as a psychiatrist in Blida, on the outskirts of Algiers. He captured, as no other writer of his time did, the fury engendered by colonial humiliation in the hearts of the colonized. Fanon wrote at the height of the Cold War, but, with no less prescience, he regarded the East-West struggle as a passing sideshow, of far less consequence than the divisions between North and South, of the rich world and the poor world. If the colonial world was, in his words, “a world cut in two,” our post-colonial world seems scarcely less so.

Persons: Donald Trump, Viktor Orban, Jair Bolsanaro, Hannah Arendt’s “, ”, Arendt, Frantz Fanon, Fanon, —, haven’t, It’s Organizations: National Liberation, Israel, Black Panthers, Palestinian Locations: East, Africa, Martinique, Blida, Algiers, North, Ukraine, Gaza

At the center of that growth are newer genres of Afrobeats — the renowned blend of distinct West African music styles — and amapiano, which fuses South African kwaito with African jazz, house music and soulful vocals. The 2022 track became the first led by an African artist to hit 1 billion Spotify streams and has the record for the most weeks — 64 — spent on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. And some tracks meld the genres under the African music umbrella. That reach is particularly interesting considering that African music is produced for its people, embodying all aspects of their lives from their culture and experiences to their struggles, LeriQ says. The continent leads mobile device web traffic in the world, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration, translating to more market opportunities for artists.

Persons: ”, Burna Boy’s, Rema’s, Selena Gomez, —, Joey Akan, ‘, Burna, ’, Musa Keys, Boy, Istanbul's, Rema, Davido, Tina Davis, Olamide's, Angélique Kidjo, LeriQ, Nay, Mitego, Chika Anene, gatekeepers, Eric Wainaina, G’bemi Ereku, Nigeria —, Jhello, ” ___ Mureithi, Maria Sherman Organizations: FIFA, International Federation of, Phonographic Industry's, Spotify, Afrobeats Intelligence, UEFA Champions League, Pew Research, U.S . International Trade Administration, United, Afro Nation, AP Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Nigerian, Saharan Africa, African, South Africa, Africa, Tanzania, Abuja, Kenyan, Lagos, United States, Statista, Nairobi, Kenya, Johannesburg, Los Angeles

☆ More than 800 Western officials pen scathing criticism of Gaza policy
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —More than 800 officials from the United States and Europe have signed a scathing criticism of Western policy towards Israel and Gaza, accusing their governments of possible complicity in war crimes. Among them are around 80 United States officials and diplomats, a source told CNN. The official added that the ICJ’s decision to hear a genocide case lodged against Israel was validation for the authors’ concerns. Despite the letter not listing its authors, the US official told CNN many colleagues feared losing their jobs, and that the lower number of US signatories reflected stronger protections for official dissents in Europe. CNN has asked the U.S. State Department, the European Union, and the Dutch Foreign Ministry for a response to the statement.

Persons: “, ”, Israel, Mohammed Salem Organizations: CNN, United, Hamas, International Court of Justice, Union, U.S . State Department, European Union, Dutch Foreign Ministry, ” Locations: United States, Europe, Israel, Gaza, Rafah, The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, British, Ukraine, Russia, China, Iran

☆ Sierra Leone is losing its forests. This sanctuary is trying to save chimpanzees and their vital habitat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Freetown, Sierra Leone CNN —When it comes to chimpanzee toddlers, girls rule. They are all orphans, rescued from across Sierra Leone and raised at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Tacugama Chimpanzee SanctuaryHe has become something of a legend in Sierra Leone. The canopy decimation is replicated throughout Sierra Leone and much of West Africa. In the center of the mountains of the Western Area Forest, a verdant valley drops into the Guma Dam reservoir.

Persons: Mamma Posseh, Mamma P, ”, Bala Amarasekaran, Amarasekaran, Bruno, “, It’s, ” Amarasekaran, Pataya, David McKenzie, Sonkita Conteh, CNN Parks, Conteh, Alejandro Striediger, Zoe MacIntyre, Siama, Veternarian Zoe MacIntyre, Macintyre, Sierra Leone Organizations: Sierra Leone CNN, World Food Program, Sierra, CNN, Western, Technologies, Area, Maxar Locations: Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sierra, Sri Lanka, West Africa, “, Conteh, Siama's, West Africa’s

☆ BRICS: South Africa says countries are clamoring to join the China and Russia-backed group
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Nearly three dozen countries are seeking entry into the China and Russia-backed BRICS economic group, member state South Africa said Wednesday, weeks after the body expanded its membership for the first time in more than a decade. Thirty-four countries have submitted an expression of interest in joining the bloc of major emerging economies, South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told reporters, without naming the nations. BRICS, which since 2011 had been made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, roughly positions itself as the Global South’s answer to the Group of Seven (G7) major developed economies. The group took shape as a summit-level gathering between Brazil, Russia, India and China in 2009 and expanded to include South Africa two years later. Six new BRICS countries were invited during the 2023 summit last August.

Persons: Naledi Pandor, Xi Jinping, Putin, Pandor Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, African Foreign, United Arab Emirates, United Nations Security Council, Finance Locations: China, Hong Kong, Russia, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ethiopia, Egypt, United States, Washington, Brazil, India, Beijing, Ukraine, Johannesburg, Russian, Kazan, Argentina

☆ Grammys 2024: There’s a new category for African musicians at the awards. Meet the nominees
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —For the first time, African music will have its own category at the Grammys. The Recording Academy will showcase three new categories for this year’s awards, including “Best African Music Performance” — featuring some of Afrobeats’ global superstars. The Nigerian singer best known as Davido is also nominated for Best Global Album and Best Global Music Performance. Burna BoyVideo Ad Feedback The night Burna Boy became a Hollywood star 03:19 - Source: CNNBurna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, is up for a total of four Grammys this year for Best Global Music Album, Best Melodic Rap performance, Best Global Music Performance and Best African Music Performance — and will perform at the awards. No stranger to the awards circuit, he won the Best Global Music Album Grammy in 2021 for his album “Twice as Tall.” Burna Boy ended a historic 2023 at No.

Persons: ”, Harvey Mason Jr, Arya Starr, Sarah Aderibigbe, Ayra Starr, “, Barack, Kelly Rowland, Stormzy, Tiwa Savage, ” Asake, Ahmed Ololade, Amapiano, Olamide, Tyla Tyla, John Lamparski, Musa Keys, David Adeleke’s, Davido, “ I’m Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Recording Academy, Recording, Spotify, YouTube, Mavin Records, CNN, Vibe, Art, Olamide, Getty Images, South, Hollywood, Best Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Los Angeles, Square , New York City, AFP, South African, Nigerian, Africa

☆ Pope Francis says Africa’s criticism of same-sex blessing a “special case”
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pope Francis has addressed criticism over his consent to priests to bless same-sex couples, saying the pushback from African bishops was “a special case” influenced by culture. African Catholic bishops said in a letter the pope’s endorsement “caused a shockwave” on the continent and “has sown misconceptions and unrest in the minds of many”, including pastors. Kazakhstani bishops Tomash Peta and Athanasius Schneider jointly described blessings for same-sex unions as a contradiction to the age-long practice and doctrine of the Catholic Church. “To bless couples in an irregular situation and same-sex couples is a serious abuse of the most Holy name of God,” said the preachers who head the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in the country’s capital Astana. French Archbishop Hervé Giraud said last month he could bless a gay couple as he believed such a blessing was not an acceptance of a same-sex union.

Persons: Pope Francis, “, Francis, ”, Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Tomash Peta, Athanasius Schneider, of Saint Mary, Hervé Giraud, ” Giraud Organizations: CNN, Italian, Stampa, Catholic Church, of, “, Catholic, La Croix Locations: Africa, Madagascar, Uganda, Asia, of Saint, Astana, Europe, France, Austria, Germany, Sens

☆ Why Domicide Should Be a Crime Against Humanity - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Balakrishnan Rajagopal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Opinion Domicide: The Mass Destruction of Homes Should Be a Crime Against HumanityThe widespread or systematic destruction of homes has long been a feature of modern warfare. We all understand that killing can be a murder, a war crime, a crime against humanity or an act of genocide, depending on the gravity and intention of the act. Indeed, what has happened to homes and lives in Gaza is a stand-alone crime: domicide. There is precedent for updating what we legally define as international crimes. Accountability for domicide in Gaza cannot stop with potential criminal prosecutions or declaratory judgments by courts someday in the future.

Persons: Yaqeen Baker, It’s, I’ve, Israel, Enshrining Organizations: West Bank, Israel, United, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Marshall Locations: Jabalia, Gaza, Aleppo, Grozny, Myanmar, Canada, Syria, United Nations, Dresden, Rotterdam, Mariupol, Israel, Hiroshima, Geneva, Rome, domicide, United States

☆ African National Congress Suspends Former President Jacob Zuma
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress, moved to kick Jacob Zuma out of the party on Monday, punishing the former president for campaigning for a rival political party. The party announced that it had suspended Mr. Zuma’s membership after he helped to form a rival party, of which he has become the “figure head,” the party’s leadership said. The announcement followed a meeting of its National Executive Committee. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Zuma would be allowed to challenge his suspension or face an internal disciplinary process. In the aftermath of his presidency, Mr. Zuma continued to sow political chaos as he evaded accountability and undermined the party’s current leadership through stinging public statements.

Persons: Jacob Zuma, Zuma Organizations: African National Congress, National, Committee

☆ Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s director of rugby, suffers chemical burns from detergent in ‘freak accident’
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —South Africa’s director of rugby Rassie Erasmus has been hospitalized after suffering chemical burns from detergent in a “freak accident,” South Africa Rugby said in a statement. The 51-year-old is said to be “recovering in hospital following a medical procedure for chemical burns sustained in a freak accident using a powerful detergent product.”“He is otherwise in good health and expects to return to full-time working within weeks,” the statement added. Erasmus coached the Springboks to the Rugby World Cup title in 2019 in Japan – the third time the country had lifted the Webb Ellis Cup – before stepping upstairs to the director of rugby role ahead of the 2023 edition of the tournament. South Africa is next scheduled to play in a two-game series against Ireland in July, first in Pretoria and then in Durban. With Jacques Nienaber installed as head coach and Erasmus overseeing the operation, South Africa retained its World Cup title in France last year, winning its second successive and fourth championship overall after beating New Zealand in the final.

Persons: Rassie Erasmus, Erasmus, Webb, Jacques Nienaber Organizations: CNN, South Africa Rugby, Springboks, Rugby, Ireland, New Zealand Locations: Japan, Africa, Pretoria, Durban, South Africa, France

☆ Why both South Africa and Israel are welcoming the UN court’s ruling in a landmark genocide case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A historic ruling by the United Nations’ top court in a genocide case against Israel on Friday was welcomed by the three main parties it involved: Israel, South Africa and the Palestinians. The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Netherlands, ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza after South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in the territory. It rejected Israel’s request for the case to be thrown out, but it also stopped short of ordering Israel to halt the war as South Africa has asked. “I would have wanted a ceasefire,” said South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor after the ruling in The Hague. Mohammed el-Kurd, a Palestinian activist from Jerusalem, said the ICJ failed on South Africa’s “most important request” to suspend the military operations.

Persons: “, Israel, ”, Naledi Pandor, Eylon Levi, ” Avi Mayer, ” Shelly Aviv Yeini, ” Robbie Sabel, Sabel, Yeini, didn’t, Mohammed el Organizations: CNN, United Nations ’, Israel, Court of Justice, Convention, Israel’s Haifa University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, ICJ Locations: Israel, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Gaza, Palestinian, Jerusalem, “

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis U.N.’s Highest Court Expected to Rule on Israel’s War in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Protesters gathering outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague this month. The International Court of Justice is set to rule on Friday on South Africa’s demand that Israel immediately suspend its military offensive in Gaza. Decisions by the court, the United Nations’ top judicial body, are binding, but the court has few means of enforcement. Still, a ruling against Israel would add to international pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the war. Image The judges of the International Court of Justice before the hearing of the genocide case against Israel in The Hague this month.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, ”, Remko De, Yoav Gallant, Avishag Shaar, Khan Younis, Fatima Shbair Organizations: International Court of Justice, Court of Justice, United Nations, Israel, South, Shutterstock South, Yashuv, The New York Times, Hamas, ., Associated Press, . Security, West Bank Locations: The Hague, Israel, Gaza, Remko De Waal, Shutterstock, Shutterstock South Africa, Rafah, United States

South Africa has accused Israel of genocide and asked the world court in The Hague, Netherlands, to impose interim measures as the case proceeds. Israel has denied committing genocide and asked the court to throw out the case, which the panel of 17 judges refused to do. — How genocide officially became a crime, and why South Africa is accusing Israel of committing it. South Africa requested interim steps since the proceedings could take several years. The world court is delivering its preliminary decisions in a genocide case that South Africa brought against Israel.

Persons: Israel, NETANYAHU, ISRAEL, JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, “, Judge Joan E, Donoghue, Aharon Barak, Joan E, ” Donoghue, Osama Hamdan, Hamdan, Al, Khan Younis, Gaza’s, Khan, Ashraf al, Qidra, “ Israel, Naledi Pandor, Antony Blinken, Matthew Miller, Blinken, ” Miller Organizations: Gaza, International Court of Justice, Health Ministry, Hamas, UN, Court of, HAGUE, Israel, International Court, Justice, INTERNATIONAL, Court of Justice, ISRAEL THE, United Nations ’, FIRE, West Bank, Palestinian, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, DEIR, Associated Press, ’ Hospital, Brigades, MINISTRY, SOUTH, Hague, United, State Department . State Department Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, South Africa, The Hague, Netherlands, Egypt, Georgia, U.S, Red, israel, Israeli, HAGUE, Africa, GAZA, ISRAEL THE HAGUE, HAMAS, FIRE RAMALLAH, West, Al Aqsa, Deir, Khan, ISRAEL, RAFAH, SOUTH AFRICA, South

JERUSALEM (AP) — The U.N. world court on Friday came down hard on Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, calling on Israel to “take all measures” to prevent a genocide of the Palestinians. Israel celebrated the court’s rejection of the cease-fire request and said it had endorsed the country’s right to self-defense. Yet harsh criticism of Israel’s campaign in Gaza could further dent its image in the court of public opinion. “But it’s something that Israel can live with.”THE WAR GOES ONNothing in the court's ruling requires Israel to halt the war from a legal standpoint. The U.S. has said it would like to see a revitalized authority, ousted by Hamas in 2007, return to power in Gaza after the war.

Persons: “, Israel, Israel “, Yuval Shany, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Barak Medina, Merav Michaeli, Pnina Sharvit Baruch, Joe Biden’s, Balkees Jarrah, Friday’s, Julia Frankel, Sam McNeil Organizations: JERUSALEM, South, Israel Democracy Institute, Hebrew, Labor Party, military’s, Israel's Institute for National Security Studies, Democratic, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, The, Human Rights Watch, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, United States, ”, “, The U.S, New York

☆ Top UN court says Israel must take ‘all measures’ to prevent genocide in Gaza but stops short of calling for ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The UN’s top court ordered Israel to “take all measures” to prevent genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for Israel to suspend its military campaign in the war-torn enclave. South Africa had accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in Gaza, and wanted the court to order a halt in fighting. Friday’s decision related only to South Africa’s request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the Court considers the full merits of the full genocide case, which could take years. The Court also ordered Israel to “prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide,” as well as to “ensure the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” in Gaza. Netanyahu hails rulingApart from its call for a halt in fighting, the bulk of South Africa’s nine requests to the Court were met.

Persons: Israel, “, ”, Joan Donoghue, Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, ” Janina Dill, Israel’s, ” Israel, Israel ” Organizations: CNN, Israel, International Court, Justice, Convention, Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law, Genocide, Hamas Locations: Gaza, The Hague, Netherlands, Gaza . South Africa, Israel, South, South Africa, ”

☆ Initial Ruling Expected in Genocide Case Against Israel: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The International Court of Justice is set to rule on Friday on South Africa’s demand that Israel immediately suspend its military offensive in Gaza. The ruling is an initial step in a wider case about whether Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the enclave. Decisions by the court, the United Nations’ top judicial body, are binding, but the court has few means of enforcement. Still, a ruling against Israel would add to international pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over the war. This month, the South African government accused Israel at the court in The Hague of “acts and omissions” that are “genocidal in character” against Palestinians in Gaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, ” Organizations: Court of Justice, United Nations, Israel, South Locations: Israel, Gaza, The Hague

☆ Israel Rebuts Genocide Charge by Declassifying Cabinet Decisions
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel has declassified more than 30 secret orders made by government and military leaders, which it says rebut the charge that it committed genocide in Gaza, and instead show Israeli efforts to diminish deaths among Palestinian civilians. The release of the documents, copies of which were reviewed by The New York Times, follows a petition to the International Court of Justice by South Africa, which has accused Israel of genocide. Much of South Africa’s case hinges on inflammatory public statements made by Israeli leaders that it says are proof of intent to commit genocide. Part of Israel’s defense is to prove that whatever politicians may have said in public was overruled by executive decisions and official orders from Israel’s war cabinet and its military’s high command. The court, the U.N.’s highest judicial body, began hearing arguments in the case this month, and is expected to provide an initial response to South Africa’s petition — in which it could call for a provisional cease-fire — as soon as Friday.

Persons: Israel, — Organizations: The New York Times, International Court, Justice Locations: Israel, Gaza, South Africa, South

It was time, the witness said, to tell the whole truth about the awful things he had done. Moments before testifying this week at an inquiry into one of South Africa’s deadliest residential fires, he pulled an investigator aside and said he needed to change his story. He was the one, he said, who had started the Aug. 31 blaze that engulfed a five-story building in downtown Johannesburg. After that confession at the inquiry, Mr. Mdlalose was arrested by the police, who are running a parallel criminal investigation into the fire, and charged with 76 counts of murder. While Mr. Mdlalose’s confession at the inquiry is inadmissible, prosecutors said, his confession will bolster the criminal investigation.

Persons: Sithembiso Mdlalose, Mdlalose Locations: Johannesburg

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week in Mali, killing more than 70 people, an official said Wednesday, and a search continued amid fears that the toll could rise. Artisanal miners — small-scale, informal ones — are often accused of ignoring safety measures, especially in remote areas. Political Cartoons View All 253 Images“The state must bring order to this artisanal mining sector to avoid these kinds of accidents in the future,” Berthé said. Artisanal gold mining is estimated to produce around 30 tons of gold a year, and represents 6% of Mali’s annual gold production. The country also has an estimated 2 million gold miners operating in around 300 artisanal mining sites, Pona said.

Persons: Karim Berthé, Abdoulaye Pona, ” Berthé, “, Pona Organizations: and Mining Directorate, Associated Press, Mali Chamber of Mines, Mines, International Trade Administration, U.S . Department of Commerce, of Mines Locations: BAMAKO, Mali, Kangaba district, Koulikoro, Africa’s, Bamako, “

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