fbpx

Media Summary

ICC could investigate British military after BBC allegations

[ssba]

BBC News, the Guardian and ITV News report that the International Criminal Court (ICC) could open its first investigation into the British military following a BBC programme about alleged war crimes. BBC Panorama found evidence that the state had covered up killings of civilians by UK troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ICC said it took the findings very seriously, while the MoD has said the allegations are unsubstantiated. The Times reports that a former head of the British army and opposition politicians are among those calling for a new investigation into alleged war crimes by British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Telegraph, Richard Dannatt argues that “we should hold all our soldiers to the highest account, but most of them are not thugs and murderers”.

BBC News, the Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Independent, FT and Reuters report that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has backed a fuel price rise that has sparked protests across the country. The Ayatollah blamed “hooligans” and counter-revolutionaries for violence witnessed in several cities. At least one person has been confirmed dead, but reports suggest the number could be considerably higher. Officials have warned of a tougher response if “illegal” actions continue.

The Independent reports that British volunteers who joined the Kurdish People’s Protection Units to fight against IS in Syria have accused British authorities of treating them like terrorists as part of a “hypocritical” campaign of harassment. At least one person has left the UK because of alleged interference by the security services.

The Daily Mail reports that Palestinian militants fired two rockets deep into southern Israel from Gaza on Saturday, and the IDF responded with a number of air strikes on militant targets, shaking an already tenuous truce.

BBC News and the Independent report that the IDF has said it is investigating “harm caused to civilians” from an air strike it launched in Gaza that killed eight members of one family, including five children. Israel said the attack targeted the home of a militant commander from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

BBC News, the Telegraph, FT, Reuters and Sky News report that Saudi Arabia has placed a preliminary valuation on state oil company Aramco of between $1.6tn (£1.22tn) and $1.7tn. The company has published an updated prospectus for its initial public offering, seeking more than $25bn for the sale of 1.5% of its shares.

The Telegraph reviews online videos posted by Kurdish residents seeking refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan and fighters within the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), who have boasted about plundering areas in north-east Syria seized under Operation Peace Spring: “Taken together, they present a picture of deliberate demographic engineering being carried out by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies that some claim amounts to ethnic cleansing”.

In the Independent, Patrick Cockburn writes that “Erdogan’s ethnic cleansing of the Kurds is still happening now – and we have Trump to thank”.

The Independent reports that a car bomb exploded Saturday in a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters, killing at least 12 people and wounding several others.

The FT reports that the Turkish incursion into north-east Syria has brought President Recep Tayyipd Erdogan little political support, despite an initial “patriotic bounce” in his approval ratings, according to political analysts.

The Telegraph reports that the deaths of three separate families within ten days have shocked Turkey as the country struggles with mass unemployment and a financial crisis.  On Friday, authorities confirmed that a family of three had been found dead in their home in the central Istanbul district of Bakırköy in a suspected murder-suicide. It follows two similar stories involving cyanide poisoning.

Reuters reports that Libyan authorities at Misrata airport have seized a Libyan Airlines aircraft operating from Benghazi in the east of the country.

In the FT, Heba Salah argues that ordinary Libyans are bearing the brunt of the seven-month siege of Tripoli.

Reuters reports that the Association of Banks in Lebanon has agreed a set of temporary directives for commercial banks including a $1,000 cap on weekly withdrawals from US dollar accounts, amid a worsening political-economic crisis.

Reuters reports that Airbus and Boeing have fought to save billions of dollars of jet deals as host airline Emirates kept the Dubai Airshow in suspense over dozens of tentative orders.

Hamas fires on Beersheva: All the Israeli media reported that two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern Israeli city of Beersheva overnight on Saturday. Both rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defence system. The IDF said Hamas had launched the attack and retaliated by striking Hamas military targets inside Gaza. The Hamas attack was significant as Hamas stayed out of last week’s conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Analysts suggested that the attack was not approved by Hamas’s leadership but was a show of solidarity after strong domestic criticism at its lack of participation in the recent fighting. Nevertheless, the fragile ceasefire has held since early Sunday morning.

Messi arrives in Israel ahead of Argentina-Uruguay match: Football superstar Lionel Messi and the Argentina national team landed in Israel yesterday ahead of a friendly match against Uruguay in Tel Aviv tonight, all Israeli media reported. The match has received major publicity in the Israeli press, with tickets selling-out quickly. It was not clear until the weekend whether the teams would arrive after last week’s fighting in Gaza. The match is seen as a major public relations coup for Israel after Messi and Argentina last year cancelled another friendly match in Israel after coming under pressure from the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

Israeli ambassador criticises Bernie Sanders: Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, criticised Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for his recent remarks regarding Gaza, Ynet reported. Sanders recently said that the US should condition military aid to Israel on a shift in its Gaza policy. Danon, speaking at a Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) conference, said: “Mr. Sanders, a few months on a Kibbutz in 1963 cannot teach you a lot….maybe Sanders did not hear that Israel left Gaza in 2005.”