The warning was direct, blunt and left no room for doubt. "We expect all ICC actions against the United States and our ally Israel – that is, all investigations and all arrest warrants – to be terminated," said Reed Rubinstein, legal adviser at the US State Department, before delegates of the 125 member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday, July 8, at a meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York from July 7 to 9.

If the ICC arrest warrants for crimes against humanity and war crimes issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant on November 21, 2024, as well as ongoing investigations into crimes committed in the Gaza Strip and the settlement of Palestinian territory, are not dropped, "all options remain on the table," he declared.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pushing back against the Trump administration's dictates and plans to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing before heading to Washington, observes Le Monde columnist Sylvie Kauffmann.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/38306661

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The Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Auckland had requested the removal of the documentary Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Seas from the Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand, the festival organizers confirmed on Saturday, July 5.

In a statement [...] Doc Edge Festival confirmed it had received a formal request from the Chinese consulate, which claimed the film was “rife with disinformation and false propaganda” and served as “a political tool for the Philippines.”

The Chinese government urged the festival not to screen the film “in the interest of public accountability and China–New Zealand relations,” citing New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon’s recent visit to China.

Doc Edge Festival rejected China’s request and stood by its “independence and curatorial freedom.”

“Doc Edge stands by our kaupapa (principles) and the festival’s independence and curatorial freedom,” the organizers said.

“We are, however, happy to present the perspective of the Chinese Consulate-General in the interest of transparency and fairness. We encourage audiences to seek out their own sources, view the film, and engage in open conversation and dialogue,” it added.

On Thursday, July 3, the Filipino documentary bagged the Tides of Change award in the Doc Edge Festival.

Earlier, the Doc Edge Festival had referred to the documentary as “a banned film that must be seen.”

Just two days before the Puregold Cinepanalo 2025 film festival was set to open on March 14, the documentary was pulled from the lineup. It was originally slated to be one of the festival’s eight featured films.

The documentary directed by Baby Ruth Villarama follows the struggles of Filipino fisherfolk, the Philippine Coast Guard, as well as some Navy personnel, in delivering food and aid to communities, all while defending the tensions that arise in the waters.

The Doc Edge Festival is an Oscar-qualifying film festival that was established in 2005. For 20 years, it has dedicated itself to spotlighting excellence in documentary storytelling.

[...]

New Zealand is among the many countries that have consistently supported the Philippines in calling China out for harassing Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea. In late April 2025, Manila and Wellington signed a Status of the Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) which makes it easier for the militaries of either countries to access each others’ territories for exercises, disaster response, or other defense reasons.

Soldiers most commonly use EVO drones, produced by the Chinese company Autel, which are primarily intended for photography and cost around NIS 10,000 (approximately $3,000) on Amazon. However, with a military-issued attachment known internally as an “iron ball,” a hand grenade can be affixed to the drone and dropped with the push of a button to detonate on the ground. Today, the majority of Israeli military companies in Gaza use these drones.

In the reports, all Palestinians killed were listed as “terrorists.” However, S. testified that aside from one person found with a knife and a single encounter with armed fighters, the scores of others killed — an average of one per day in his battalion’s combat zone — were unarmed. According to him, the drone strikes were carried out with the intent to kill, despite the majority of victims being located at such a distance from the soldiers that they could not have posed any threat.

Indeed, commercial drones converted into weapons have become common on modern battlefields because they offer a low-cost, accessible alternative to traditional airstrikes. Both Ukraine and Russia have used Chinese-made DJI drones in the current war in eastern Europe, outfitted with 3D-printed mounts to carry grenades and other explosives. In May, after China discovered that Ukraine was using commercial drones for military purposes, it banned their sale to the country, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.