Japan faces ‘nightmare scenario’ as it struggles to defend ICC judge

Japan has spent years casting the International Criminal Court as a pillar of the rules-based order. This week, its closest ally sanctioned the Japanese judge who leads it. The move has left Tokyo in an uncomfortable bind: defend Tomoko Akane, the Japanese president of The Hague-based court, and risk antagonising US leader Donald Trump, or temper its criticism and appear weak in the face of an attack on an institution central to Japan’s rule-of-law diplomacy. Washington’s sanctions, announced...

By Julian Ryall

Chance of Iran war expansion dropped after Trump declared economic warfare, officials say

According to the officials, US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose another harsh package of economic sanctions is intended to “buy time” until after the US midterm elections.