fredag 15 maj 2026
New special court created for Ukraine
Australia, Costa Rica, 34 member states of the Council of Europe and the EU as an institution are creating a special court for Ukraine.
The court will be tasked with bringing Russia to justice over the war in Ukraine.
“The time for Russia to be held accountable for its aggression is fast approaching,” says Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.
The council’s aim is to promote democracy and human rights on the continent. Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe – which has nothing to do with the EU – in 2022, after it invaded Ukraine.
Political situation in the UK
The way is being cleared for a new challenger to the prime minister
Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is increasingly looking like the strongest challenger to Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, British media report. This is despite the fact that he cannot currently be formally elected as a replacement.
Because that requires being a Labour MP, and Burnham is not.
However, he may become one soon – a former top name for Labour in an upcoming local election has left his seat to give Burnham a chance to be elected to parliament, which according to several media outlets indicates Burnham's strong support internally.
According to a source for The Times, Starmer is now considering giving up the fight.
- He needs to go with dignity.
Starmer himself and his staff have denied all reports and speculation that a resignation is imminent.
Analysis: Everyone has their sights set on Starmer – but no one is firing
All of Labour’s biggest guns have been turned on Keir Starmer, but no one has yet dared to fire them. That’s how The Telegraph’s Daniel Martin and Tony Driver describe the situation after more than 90 of the party’s 403 MPs called for the British prime minister to resign.
At least four top names are widely considered to be in the running to challenge Starmer, but so far they seem to be just sitting there.
The Guardian’s Jessica Elgot wonders whether the seemingly deadlocked situation could lead to an unexpected alliance between Labour’s centre-left and the so-called “soft left” within the party. The defected health minister Wes Streeting and Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who are considered the candidates for their respective camps, are certainly quite far apart politically. However, Starmer is not their only common enemy.
“They are both deeply concerned about Reform – and above all, about the rise of bizarre and routine racism from the far right,” she writes.
In The Times, Patrick Maguire writes that everything ultimately depends on whether Andy Burnham wins the upcoming local elections. If he doesn’t, he won’t have a formal chance to stand as party leader. If he does, on the other hand, he has already shown that he can beat Nigel Farage and Reform at the polls.
“And if he does, he could well be prime minister within eight weeks.”
Middle East Crisis Iran War
Congress Bill to Stop War Fails – by Narrow Margin
House Democrats have once again failed to stop Donald Trump's war in Iran, Fox News reports. The vote ended with the numbers 212-212, and the bill introduced by Democrat Josh Gottheimer was thus stopped by the narrowest possible margin.
One Democrat voted against the bill and three Republicans voted in favor. Several members also abstained from voting altogether.
Democrats have criticized the war both for not receiving congressional approval and for its effect on prices for the American people. Many Republicans, however, believe that a ban on resuming fighting would have the opposite effect.
– By placing an arbitrary limit on America's ability to apply kinetic and diplomatic pressure on Iran, I believe we would damage our negotiating position and our ability to get Iran to back down, says Republican Zach Nunn.
Sources: China Considering Secret Arms Delivery to Iran
American intelligence sources claim that China is considering sending weapons to Iran in secret, writes the New York Times.
According to the newspaper's sources, the intelligence service has found evidence of talks between Iran and China. The two countries are also said to have made plans to send the weapons via other countries to hide their origin.
Whether any arms deals have actually been concluded is unclear. Previous intelligence reports have claimed that China has, among other things, offered Iran access to data from spy satellites during the war against the United States and Israel.
Russian invasion
The world's response
36 countries form tribunal to prosecute Putin
36 countries have formally formed a special tribunal to put Vladimir Putin on trial for war crimes, Euronews reports.
This concerns 34 European countries, including Sweden, as well as Australia and Costa Rica. The EU also supports the initiative, but four member states – Bulgaria, Hungary, Malta and Slovakia – did not sign.
– Putin has always wanted to make history. This tribunal will help him with that. He will make history as a criminal, says Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha at the EU Council's annual foreign ministers' meeting, where the decision was signed.
However, the tribunal's practical possibilities of actually putting Putin on trial in The Hague are vanishingly small.
The fighting
Russia and Ukraine exchange 205 prisoners of war
Ukraine and Russia exchanged 205 prisoners of war on Friday, AFP reports.
“Thank you to everyone who is working to bring our people home, and thank you first and foremost to our soldiers who replenish the exchange fund,” writes Volodymyr Zelenskyj on X.
The Ukrainian president repeatedly speaks of Russian prisoners of war as an exchange fund, since they can be exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners in Russia.
Today's exchange is the first step in the exchange, where 1,000 people are to be handed over by both sides as part of the three-day ceasefire that prevailed earlier in May.
Middle East Crisis Peace Talks
Iran: Open to seeking help from China in the conflict
Iran is open to letting China help resolve the conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, writes AFP. They say that Iran and China have a good relationship and that China has "good intentions".
- We appreciate all countries that have the ability to help, especially China, says Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to several reporters in India, where he is participating in a meeting with the BRICS cooperation organization.
At the same time, he says that the strait is open to commercial traffic from "friendly-minded countries" and urges ships to coordinate passage through the strait with Iranian forces.
Iran: Lack of trust hampers negotiations
The lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in the negotiations between Iran and the United States, says Iran's Foreign Minister and chief negotiator Abbas Araghchi according to the AP.
The US's contradictory messages have made Iran doubt their real intentions, he says during a visit to the Indian capital New Delhi.
- We doubt their seriousness, he says.
Donald Trump has dismissed Iran's response to the US's latest peace proposal as "garbage". His goal is to remove all enriched uranium from Iran and prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Iran has opened up for some concessions on its nuclear program, but claims it is peaceful and refuses to shut it down completely.
Trump: Losing Patience with Iran
Donald Trump is losing patience with Iran, he told reporters on Air Force One on his way home from China, according to Reuters.
The visit to Beijing did not result in any visible progress regarding the war and the Strait of Hormuz. When asked if Xi Jinping made any promises to put pressure on Iran, Trump replied:
- I'm not asking for any favors, because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return.
According to Trump, Xi offered diplomatic help to end the Iran war, but ruled out military help.
The Chinese president has not commented on the talks with Trump about Iran, but China's Foreign Ministry has made a terse statement about the war:
"This conflict, which should never have been started, has no reason to continue."
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