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Ukraine restarts Russian oil to Europe, unblocking 90-billion-euro EU loan

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Resumption of oil deliveries enables Hungary to lift veto, with EU’s 27 members now on track to formally approve loan.

The European Union is expected to sign off on a 90-billion-euro ($106bn) loan for Kyiv after a months-long standoff over the stalled operations of a war-damaged pipeline transporting Russian oil via Ukraine to Europe.

EU diplomats meeting in Brussels gave their preliminary approval for the loan on Wednesday, their move coinciding with the resumption of Russian oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary and Slovakia.

The two EU countries, which had accused Ukraine of dragging its feet over repairs, are expected to receive the first shipments by “tomorrow at the latest”, according to Hungarian oil group MOL, which said Wednesday that Kyiv had confirmed the oil was flowing.

Slovakia’s Economy Minister Denisa Sakova said on Facebook that the first deliveries were expected in the early hours of Thursday.

The development, already signalled on Tuesday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has said the pipeline was damaged by Russian attacks in late January, allowed Hungary to finally lift its longstanding veto on the EU loan, with the bloc’s 27 member states now expected to formally sign off on it by Thursday.

The EU agreed to the loan last year to maintain Ukraine’s liquidity through 2026 and 2027, but outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has maintained cordial relations with Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the Slovak government had blocked it.

Ukraine’s prospects of receiving the loan had already improved when Orban lost Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 12. The leader of the winning party, Peter Magyar, has said he will no longer block the EU funds for Kyiv, though he is only expected to formally take power next month.

Resolving the deadlock should enable Brussels to start paying out the loan soon, throwing a financial lifeline to Ukraine more than four years into a costly pushback against Moscow’s full-scale invasion, as Washington withdraws its support and eases pressure on the Kremlin.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has repeatedly clashed with Kyiv and Brussels, said on Wednesday that he “would not be surprised if the 90-billion loan were unblocked and then oil supplies were cut off again”.

Alongside the loan, EU countries are also looking to approve a new round of sanctions on Russia that had also been stalled by both Hungary and Slovakia over the pipeline row.

The new round of economic penalties on Moscow,  the 20th from the EU since the war started in 2022, includes measures targeting Russia’s energy, banking and trade sectors.

The capacity of Druzhba, which in Russian means friendship, is 1.2 million to 1.4 million barrels of oil a day, with the possibility to increase to up to 2 million barrels a day.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/22/ukraine-restarts-russian-oil-flows-to-europe-unblocking-90bn-eu-loan?traffic_source=rss

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Israel continues strikes on Lebanon despite halting attacks on Iran

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Israel continues strikes on Lebanon despite halting attacks on Iran

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a halt in fighting with Iran, but vowed to respond “with force” to future attacks. Israel says it will continue operations in Lebanon, claiming to focus on Hezbollah targets.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/9/aje-onl-nf_israel-continues-strikes-on-lebanon-halts-on-iran-080626?traffic_source=rss

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ICC prosecutor suspended pending vote on sexual misconduct claims

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Karim Khan rejects suspension as ICC governing body refers him to disciplinary proceedings before member states.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, has been suspended from his duties, the tribunal’s governing body said, following a probe into sexual misconduct allegations.

In a statement on Monday, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties said it will refer Khan to disciplinary proceedings before all 125 ICC member states, which will vote on his fate in a special session.

“This suspension is not an indication of the final outcome,” it said.

The bureau, which is the executive committee of the court’s oversight body, said it referred Khan after making its own decision on the disciplinary proceedings involving the prosecutor.

It said the decision was based on a report of a United Nations investigation, the advice of an ad hoc panel of judicial experts, and written submissions, but did not give details about what it had decided.

“The decision of the ⁠Bureau and the related documentation will remain confidential,” the statement said.

Khan’s lawyers ⁠said in a statement that he rejected the decision in the strongest terms, and repeated his denial of any wrongdoing.

“The decision is unlawful, procedurally unfair and unsupported by evidence,” the statement said.

Khan, 56, drew international attention when he applied for warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

He also sought warrants for Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, for the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Khan was among the first to be sanctioned by Israel’s ally, the United States, which expressed outrage over the arrest warrants.

He has maintained that the misconduct probe is a politically motivated smear campaign.

According to Reuters and the Associated Press news agencies, the UN probe found a “factual basis” for the allegations of sexual misconduct made by a female aide. However, a three-judge panel selected by the executive committee for a legal assessment of the findings found that the investigation was not conclusive enough.

Khan’s lawyers had previously told Reuters that the judges had unanimously concluded that the “factual findings do not establish misconduct or breach of duty”.

Khan has not led the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor since ⁠last May, when he took a voluntary leave of absence pending the outcome of the inquiry.

He is the first ICC prosecutor to be formally suspended from his role by the court’s oversight body.

Only the Assembly of States Parties has the authority to remove Khan from office, a move that would require a majority in a secret ballot of its 125 member states.

Sixty-three countries would need to support a measure to remove him.

No date was immediately set for the session.

Khan’s suspension will have little practical impact on the functioning of the court, given his existing leave of absence.

He has already been removed from pleading in the ICC’s most high-profile current case, against former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/9/icc-prosecutor-suspended-pending-vote-on-sexual-misconduct-claims?traffic_source=rss

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UN questions legality of Israeli forced evacuation orders in Lebanon

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UN questions legality of Israeli forced evacuation orders in Lebanon

A UN spokesman says forced evacuation orders issued across southern and eastern Lebanon are nearly impossible to follow safely, and calls into question whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/6/9/un-questions-legality-of-israeli-forced-evacuation-orders-in-lebanon?traffic_source=rss

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