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ICC issues arrest warrants for top Russian commanders
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for top Russian commanders over alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov, an army lieutenant general and a navy admiral, are the two men named by the ICC.
This is the second round of warrants for Russian officials related to the war in Ukraine. The first were for President Vladimir Putin and his children’s rights envoy.
Russia does not recognise the ICC, making it highly unlikely they will ever be deported to face the charges.
The ICC said the latest warrants were due to there being reasonable grounds to believe that the two suspects were responsible for “missile strikes carried out by the forces under their command against the Ukrainian electric infrastructure”. The alleged crimes took place between October 2022 and March 2023, the ICC said.
The court said that the attacks caused civilian harm and damage that would have been clearly excessive. The two men “are each allegedly responsible for the war crime of directing attacks at civilian objects” and are also accused of the “crime against humanity of inhumane acts”, the court said.
Kobylash, 58, was the commander of long-range aviation for the Russian air force at the time of the alleged crimes while Sokolov, 61, was an admiral in the Russian navy who commanded the Black Sea Fleet during the period to which the charges relate, according to the ICC.
Moscow has in the past denied targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the new warrants. “Every Russian commander who orders strikes against Ukrainian civilians and critical infrastructure must know that justice will be served,” he posted on social media. “Every perpetrator of such crimes must know that they will be held accountable.”
Created by a UN treaty in 2002, the ICC investigates and brings to justice those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, intervening when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute. The treaty has been ratified by 123 countries, but Russia – along with China, India and the US – has refused to join.
In March last year, the ICC issued arrest warrants for President Putin and Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova.
The court focused those claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.
Moscow denied the allegations and labelled the warrants as “outrageous”
(BBC)
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Trump threatens to bomb a power plant for each ship strike
Predent Trump warns the US will bomb and destroy critical Iranian infrastructure every time Tehran shoots at ships in the Strait of Hormuz
The United States attacks Iran for an 11th consecutive night as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war has reached $37.5bn.
The Revolutionary Guard launches more retaliatory attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, with multiple drones and missiles intercepted.
Iran says it will “confront any hostility” after Trump threatens to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon and very heavily”.
[Aljazeera]
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Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa retires after 22-year career
Guillermo Ochoa, widely considered among the greatest Mexican goalkeepers in history, has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a distinguished 22-year professional career.
Ochoa, who turned 41 last week, had previously stated that the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be his last tournament although speculation had swirled about whether he might sign with a new club to extend his playing days.
He put those rumours to rest on Tuesday.
“I gave it my all; I left everything on the field for my clubs and the national team, and today I hang up my gloves,” Ochoa posted on social media. “Being a goalkeeper means knowing you might wait 90 minutes for a single moment when everything depends on you. And when that moment arrives, you cannot hesitate.”
Ochoa was on Mexico’s roster for six World Cups – a number shared only by icons Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He served as Mexico’s starting goalkeeper in three of them: Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022.
Ochoa made his top-flight debut with Mexico City’s Club America in February 2004. He spent his first seven seasons there before transferring to French club Ajaccio in 2011, becoming the first Mexico-born goalkeeper to play in Europe. His European career also included stints with Malaga, Granada, Standard Liege, Salernitana, AVS Futebol and AEL Limassol, punctuated by a three-year return to Club America from 2019 to 2022.
“I never imagined how far a dream could take me. Today, I can only look back with pride and say: Thank you,” Ochoa wrote. “I take with me the affection of millions and the peace of mind that comes with knowing I gave everything for Mexico.”
Although he served primarily as a backup to Raul Rangel in the recent World Cup in North America, manager Javier Aguirre brought Ochoa on for the final 13 minutes against Czechia in Mexico’s last group-stage match. After the final whistle, an emotional Ochoa kissed the goalposts at Azteca Stadium – the venue where his career began – before kneeling to accept an embrace from his teammates. Long after the stands had cleared, Ochoa walked out to the centre circle one last time to take in his final farewell.
At the club level, Ochoa captured a league title with Club America during the 2005 Clausura tournament and won the Belgian Cup with Standard Liege. On the international stage, he led Mexico to six CONCACAF Gold Cup titles and earned a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

(ALJAZEERA)
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Thushara four-for, Udara fifty hand Kandy Royals first points
A 34 ball 51 from Lahiru Udara and a four wicket haul by Nuwan Thushara helped Kandy Royals defeat Kandy Royals defeat Dambulla Sixers by 34 runs in the sixth match of the Lanka Premier League 2026 played at Dambulla on Tuesday [21st]
Scores:
Kandy Royals 194/6 in 20 overs [Kusal Perera 25, Lahiru Udara 51, Moeen Ali 24, Wanidu Hasaranga 29, Angelo Mathews 29, Vijay Shankar 13*; Fazalhaq Farooki 2-20, Mohammad Wasim 1-42, Dushmantha Chameera 1-37, Maheesh Theekshana 1-39, Vishwa Lahiru 1-40]
Dambulla Sixers 151/8 in 20 overs [Shahibzada Farhan 74, Dinesh Chandimal 12, Niroshan Dikwella 26, Reeza Hendricks 27; Shaheen Shah Afridi 1-32. Nuwan Thushara 4-29, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-19, Duushan Hemantha 2-23]
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