Iran to charge fee for the Strait of Hormuz transit
Iran seeks charges for ships to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, said the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi is the first top official to accuse Iran of charging for safe passage through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of all natural gas and oil once passed, AP reported.
He spoke during a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
France to get in a meeting with other 20 nation
From about 20 nations, the chief of France’s armed forces are gathering on Thursday to discuss how to regulate and safeguard the shipping in the Strait of Hormuz as of ongoing Iran war, AP reported.
Chief of the French Defence staff said that it will be discussed in a video meeting hosted by Gen. Fabien Mandon. The meeting aims to show what resources such a mission could expect from countries interested in taking part, including warships, intelligence and other military assistance.
According to AP, French President Emmanuel Macron said that “when circumstances permit” and fighting has subsided, he envisions warships escorting oil tankers and other commercial shipping through the narrow strait.
Netanyahu seeks to avoid snap vote as Iran war gives no boost in polls
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to pass a state budget and stave off early elections he would likely lose, with the war in Iran so far doing little to improve his standing in the polls, Reuters reported.
In the war's first days, Netanyahu's camp saw a chance for his right-wing coalition to capitalise on the opening salvo that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by holding elections ahead of an expected October date, a source familiar with Netanyahu's political strategy said.
One way to force snap elections would be to let parliament fail to pass the budget by March 31, which under Israeli law would trigger a vote within 90 days. As US-Israeli strikes killed a host of top Iranian figures, some of Netanyahu's confidants publicly floated the idea of a June vote, according to Reuters.
UN votes to recognise enslavement of Africans as 'gravest crime against humanity'
The United Nations General Assembly has voted to recognise the enslavement of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade as "the gravest crime against humanity", a move advocates hope will pave the way for healing and justice, BBC reported.
The resolution - proposed by Ghana - called for this designation, while also urging UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. It does not mention a specific amount of money.
The proposal was adopted with 123 votes in favour and three against - the United States, Israel and Argentina, according to BBC.
