The federal government's plan to sell crude priced in the local currency is faltering, with refiners, including the giant Dangote Oil Refinery, saying they are still unable to secure adequate supplies.

To address challenges in accessing foreign currency, the government in July said it would sell crude priced in naira to local refineries for an initial six months starting in October.

"We need 650,000 barrels per day, (state oil firm NNPC Ltd) agreed to give a minimum of 385,000 bpd but they are not even delivering that," said Edwin Devakumar, head of the Dangote refinery.

The refinery built by Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote in Lagos aims to compete with European refiners when operating at full capacity but it has struggled to secure sufficient crude supplies to run optimally.

While Devakumar declined to give specific figures, he described deliveries from NNPC under the scheme as "peanuts".

Still, Dangote is the only one of 8 operational refineries in Nigeria to have benefited from the naira-denominated crude sale arrangement, said Mathins Obaze, an acting executive director of the Crude Oil Refinery-owners Association of Nigeria (CORAN), a trade group of refiners.

"Members are still unable to access crude in naira and are currently engaging the government for a resolution," Obaze said.

The reason for the shortfall was not immediately clear. NNPC did not respond to a request for comment.

The Dangote refinery in August urged the oil regulator, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to enforce a rule that compels oil producers to supply local refineries.

NUPRC did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.

Dangote, with a current capacity of 425,000 bpd and a year-end target of 85% operational capacity, has turned to international markets for supplies.

It purchased two million barrels of U.S. WTI Midland crude on Wednesday, its first U.S. crude purchase since August, according to trade sources and shipping data.

Meanwhile NNPC is pursuing new markets for its crude oil. The company was in London on Wednesday seeking term customers for its new Utapate crude oil grade.

Reuters

Israeli airstrike hits central Beirut, security sources say

A powerful Israeli airstrike targeted central Beirut early on Saturday, security sources said, shaking the Lebanese capital as Israel pressed its offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Several powerful blasts shook Beirut at around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), Reuters witnesses said. At least four rockets were fired in the attack, two security sources said.

Sirens could be heard as ambulances raced to the scene of the blast in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood.

Footage broadcast by Lebanon's Al Jadeed showed at least one destroyed building and several others badly damaged around it.

It marked the fourth Israeli airstrike this week targeting a central area of Beirut. On Sunday an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah media official in the Ras al-Nabaa district.

Israel launched a major offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in September, following nearly a year of cross-border hostilities ignited by the Gaza war, pounding wide areas of Lebanon with airstrikes and sending troops into the south.

The conflict began when Hezbollah opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas after it launched the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin announces mass production of Oreshnik missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Friday the decision to begin serial production of the new Oreshnik ballistic missile system.

The announcement came after the system was used in combat for the first time earlier this week in Ukraine.

Speaking during a meeting at the Kremlin with the leadership of the Defense Ministry and defense industry representatives, Putin outlined that the Oreshnik missile system, one of Russia’s latest military advancements, is not a modernization of an old Soviet weapon. 

Instead, it is a new development based on cutting-edge hypersonic technology and modern materials. “It is the result of work done in the conditions of New Russia,” Putin said, highlighting that the system was created to meet contemporary defense needs.

Putin confirmed that several Oreshnik systems are currently undergoing testing in Russia, and that the decision to embark on mass production had already been articulated. “You can assume that the decision on production has been made. In fact, it is organized,” he added. More of the missile systems are expected to be delivered to Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces in the coming months.

The first combat use of the Oreshnik missile took place on Thursday, when it was used to strike a Ukrainian defense facility in Dnepropetrovsk. The target was Yuzhmash, one of Ukraine’s largest defense-industrial facilities inherited from the USSR that produces missile equipment and other weapons.

Putin said the use of the missile was in response to Kiev’s attacks inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range weapons such as American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

The Oreshnik is described as a medium-range, hypersonic weapon designed for high precision strikes. According to the Defense Ministry, “all warheads” of the missile “reached the target”during this week's deployment. 

The president praised the missile’s successful test and combat deployment, expressing admiration for the speed at which the system had been developed.

Putin also emphasized the importance of continuing testing and increasing production rates. “I congratulate the military on the successful tests and support the adoption of the system,” he said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia says hypersonic missile strike on Ukraine was a warning to 'reckless' West

The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was a message to the West that Moscow will respond harshly to any "reckless" Western actions in support of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility in response to Kyiv striking Russia with U.S.-made and British-made missiles this week for the first time after the U.S. granted its approval.

"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Moscow has said it regards Ukraine's firing of ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles into Russia as proof of direct U.S. and British involvement in the war. It says satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missiles' flight paths must be done by NATO military personnel because Kyiv does not have the capabilities itself.

Putin said Moscow had struck a missile and defence enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, where missile and space rocket company Pivdenmash, known as Yuzhmash by Russians, is based.

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that all of the missile's warheads had hit their targets and hailed what it said was its first successful use of an intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile with conventional warheads in combat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia's use of the new missile amounts to "a clear and severe escalation" and has called for strong worldwide condemnation.

Peskov said Russia had not been technically obliged to warn the United States about the strike because the missile used had been intermediate-range rather than intercontinental, but he said Moscow had informed the U.S. 30 minutes before the launch anyway.

He said Putin remained open to dialogue, but that the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden "prefers to continue down the path of escalation" and urged it to heed a warning Putin issued in September.

Putin said at the time that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict and force Moscow to take "appropriate decisions" based on the new threats.

In his televised remarks on Thursday, Putin said that Russia had fired its new missile after Ukraine, with approval from the Biden administration, had struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS missiles on Tuesday and with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Thursday.

Peskov said he hoped that the U.S. had received and understood Moscow's message.

"As for openness to dialogue, even in yesterday's statement the president stressed his readiness for any contacts - both with a view to de-escalation, to avoiding further escalation, and to reaching a peaceful trajectory," said Peskov.

"Yesterday's statement (from Putin) was very comprehensive, clear, and logical. We have no doubt that the current administration in Washington had the opportunity to familiarise itself with this statement and understand it."

The UK Conservative Party was created in the mid 1800s during Queen Victoria's reign 'to Conserve the White sociocultural, economic and political sphere', following the 1830s abolition of African slavery. This  Conservative mantra, to institutionally restrict freed Blacks from competing with Whites, spread across Western Europe as Christian Democratic Parties and to the US Republican Party. Therefore it is oxymoronic for an African to be a Conservative of the Western or any other civilization. A Black White Supremacist. This was why Kemi Badenoch has to publicly deride Nigeria, the world's most populous Black nation, the origin of humanity and source of the indigneous African civilization.

Nee Kemi Adegoke belongs to the Yoruba ethnicity, the oldest full sized humans genetically dated to 89,000 years, and the most populous Indigenous African group. Unfortunately, the Yoruba were the most enslaved African group in the Americas, and the British were the largest slave traders. By virtue of being the source of indigenous African civilization, Yorubas should lead the Black Race to global economic and sociocultural racial parity. As fate would have it, Yorubas are currently being employed by White Supremacists to act as counterrevolutionaries, both home and abroad. In Nigeria as president and in UK as White Conservative leader.

Some simpletons might argue that slavery and colonization are long gone, as Kemi would like to portray, but as Yorubas say, 'a lie never goes amiss, if the liar doesn't know, the person lied to knows. It is true that Africans are traditionally Social Conservatives that reject LGTBQ, therefore recently shunning left wing parties to join US Republican and UK Conservative Parties. However, the racial conservative roots of Conservative Party remain very much alive, due to the fear of genetic annihilation of unfretted miscegenation. Some claim Kemi is just being used to Whitewash their racist foundations to fool Black voters, and will be dropped before the next election, knowing their supporters who are majority racists will not vote for her.

A similar political game and optics were played with Rishi Sunak, the Indian made a party leader and prime minister by Conservative Party handlers. It has been alleged that Rishi was never intended to go for elections, but before he was replaced with Boris Johnson, he rushed to elections and sunk the party with its greatest election defeat since its creation.

Kemi might not only be used for racial optics but racial capture in what is termed Empire 2.0. The Conservatives pushed for Britain's exit of the European Union, the Common Market created in the 1950s to augment the loss of African markets due to decolonization. Like Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mantra, the UK Conservatives that had spearheaded the 1800s African colonization believed they can make Britannia Great Again by recolonizing the Black Race of Africa and Caribbean islands.

Frighteningly, Kemi is Bad Enough to accomplish Empire 2.0, like Helen of Troy bearing gifts to Nigeria and other Black nations. Unlike the initial British Empire built with war, Empire 2.0 was to be accomplished with soft power by offering to strike economic partnerships with their neocolonies. After social engineering neocolonial guards to destroy African economies with IMF and World Bank Neo-Conservative economic policies, the British will offer to site their factories here, like sweatshops, to exploit Africa’s natural and human resources, while shipping away the profits. Elevated neocolonies like India and Japan.

Like the iron axe with a wooden handle kept cutting trees, Kemi Greek gifts will be hard to resist as Yorubas will relate to her father, family and church. Kemi is everything that Coloniality of Being has conditioned the average Nigerian to want to be, Whiter than White. Racial inferiority complex that breeds self hatred as Kemi continues to portray to integrate herself into the White civilization. Her comments on slavery and colonization are based on ignorance inspired by coloniality of knowledge that denigrates her indigenous African civilizational knowledge for Western civilizational values.

Some will argue that she is doing what is necessary for her personal advancement. The same logic that inspired Yoruba Baloguns and Iyalodes at the center of indigenous political system, to engage in slave trade to get European guns, to prevent European inspired and armed bandit coast kingdoms with European guns from overrunning them. With the evolution of slavery to colonization came coloniality of the economy whereby to make it professionally and financially, you had to submit to the European racist economic caste system. Those who could not gain access to sellout their human and natural resources migrated to the Western countries as economic migrants.

The worst scenario is that if the civilizationally conscious and protective Northern Nigeria Afroasiatic civilization resists the British civilizational imperialism, Yoruba and Igbo separatists might be armed to break up Nigeria, and the resultant smaller uneconomic tribal nations will have no choice but to sign as neocolonial satellites of the British Empire 2.0

 ** Justice Faloye,

President ASHE Foundation

Prioritizing your joy can feel like an abstract assignment that, frankly, many of us don't have time for. When work and family obligations are crowding an already stressed schedule, adding one more to-do to your list can feel overwhelming — even if that to-do is supposed to increase your own happiness.

But what about something that takes no more than 10 minutes? There are plenty of quick, therapist-approved tasks that even the busiest person could execute.

Here are three science-backed ways you can boost your mood today. And, they all take less than 10 minutes.

1. Text or call a friend

Texting or calling a friend to let them know you're thinking about them is an easy way to nurture the positive relationships in your life, says Vienna Pharaon, a therapist and author of "The Origins of You."

"It makes us feel really good to do for others, and the bonus is that it also creates much needed connection," she says

It can feel awkward sending an out-of-the-blue message, but, according to a 2022 study, people consistently underestimate how much their friends want to hear from them. An unexpected phone call or text is actually very appreciated. And the research shows that the more surprising call, the better it's received.

2. Do something hard that you've been avoiding

We tend to remember undone or interrupted tasks better than completed ones, a psychological phenomenon known as the Zeigarnik effect. This creates cognitive dissonance which can actually distract us from tackling other projects.

Crossing even the smallest to-do off your list can relieve some of this tension and cause your brain to release dopamine.

"Addressing something you've been ignoring lightens the load and allows you to accomplish something that's been weighing you down," Pharaon says.

There are so many tasks we dread that only take a few minutes. Scheduling a dentist appointment or vacuuming your rug might not seem like it will bring you joy, but science shows it probably will.

3. Give someone a compliment

We can make ourselves feel better by complimenting another person, says Laurie Santo a psychology professor at Yale Univeristy and host of The Happiness Lab podcast.

Even if the prospect of complimenting someone gives you anxiety, you're likely to feel better after the act, according to a 2020 study

"Tell a stranger that you like their shoes or their bag," Santos says. "Reveal to a colleague that you thought they did a nice job at a work meeting, remind a friend how much you appreciate them, or compliment a colleague on something you've long admired."

The effects, Santos says, will last well beyond the interaction: "That quick compliment may boost your mood for longer than you think."

CNBC

Nigeria has become less stable in the past year and can now be categorised as ‘vulnerable’ based on an instability risk index, according to a new report.

SBM Intelligence, a pan-African think tank, ranked Nigeria as a ‘vulnerable’ country and one of the “biggest losers” in sub-Saharan Africa on its instability risk index. This was disclosed in its recent Africa Country Instability Risk Index (ACIRI) which assesses the political, economic and social factors frustrating stability in African countries.

The report spotlighted 48 West, Central, East and Southern African countries. These countries, according to the report, “were grouped by region as delineated by the African Development Bank.”

However, the think tank explained that North Africa was “exempted because of the sub-Saharan focus of this study.”

Although Mauritania and Western Sahara are mapped to West Africa, they were exempted from the study due to what the SBM Intelligence described as “a paucity of data, geopolitical considerations and a cultural and economic affinity with North Africa.”

The report sheds light on three key factors — history, economy, and geopolitics, as well as leadership and governance — and how they contribute to political instability in these countries.

It also evaluates the stability of the 48 African countries by considering indices like ethnic tensions, coup history, dominant ethnic groups, food security, poverty rate, debt sustainability, conflict and vulnerability, and economic diversity.

Countries are therefore categorised into six levels of stability — Red Watch, Critical, Warning, Vulnerable, Stable, and Safe.

The firm explained that a higher score indicates a higher level of political risk to business. According to it, a country that scores 70 and above is categorised under Red Watch.

Countries that scored between 60 and 69 are categorised as critical while those that score between 50 and 59 are placed under warning. Countries like Nigeria that scored between 40 and 45 are marked as vulnerable. Those that scored between 30 and 39 are marked stable while those that scored below 30 are marked safe.

“A lower score shows how stable a country is, while a higher one tells the opposite,” the firm noted.

‘Biggest losers, biggest gainers’

Countries like Botswana, Seychelles, Namibia and Zimbabwe joined Nigeria to earn the title of biggest losers.

Analysis by SBM Intelligence showed that Nigeria’s instability worsened as it ranked 45th this year, unlike the previous year when it ranked 39th and was marked “stable.”

This deterioration could be blamed on unfavourable government policies that weakened the country’s currency and eventually forced some big investors out of Nigeria.

It would be recalled that some multinational companies, including Kimberley-Clark, Procter & Gamble (P&G), GlaxoSmithKline Consumer (GSK) Nigeria, Equinor, Sanofi and Bolt Food, recently withdrew from the Nigerian market.

The exit was attributed to various challenges, such as foreign exchange shortages, rising energy costs, and declining consumer purchasing power amid high inflation.

“Botswana experienced a GDP decline of nearly 2% in the first quarter of 2024, and Zimbabwe experienced economic challenges such as debt and currency crises,” SBM Intelligence says, adding: “Nigeria, Africa’s fourth largest economy, ended the year with a score change of -6, following the exit of foreign businesses over weaker currency, rising inflation and other economic challenges.”

Meanwhile, five countries were crowned the “biggest gainers.” They include Angola, Burundi, Chad, Togo, and Madagascar.

“A cutback on governance costs drove Angola’s performance, while Madagascar’s GDP growth improved to 4.4 per cent in 2023 from 4.3 per cent in 2022,” the think-tank noted.

Regional perspective

The report indicates that Central African countries had the most representation in the top ten, with four countries present: Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, and Gabon.

West Africa followed closely in the top ten with three countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

“The regions with the lowest representations are East Africa, with 20% represented by Burundi and Madagascar, and Southern Africa, at 10%, with Eswatini as its sole representative. The worst-performing entities are shared by Eastern and Southern Africa, at 40% each–represented by countries such as Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius, and Comoros on the East side and Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia on the South,” the report noted.

However, Southern Africa retained its spot as the most stable region for the second year with a score change of -1.3, the report disclosed, noting that “Central Africa was the least stable, ending the year with a score change of 6.78, performing worse than East (1.07) and West (2.47). This performance can be explained by an improvement in South Africa’s economy, which grew by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2024 from 0.1% in the first quarter.”

While the raging conflict between the Rwanda-backed M-23 militia and Congo “contributed to the relatively poor performance in Central and East Africa”, attempted coups and Islamist insurgencies “contributed to West Africa’s poor outing.”

PT

Two-thirds of Nigerian households cannot afford nutritious food, according to a new National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) survey comparing data from 2018/19 to 2023/24.

The study reveals a sharp decline in food security, with 62.4% of households worried about having enough food to eat—a significant jump from 36.9% five years ago. Nearly 64% of families reported limiting their diet variety due to financial constraints, while 60.5% reduced their portions.

The survey also highlighted infrastructure challenges. While 82.2% of urban households have electricity access, only 40.4% of rural homes are connected to the power grid. Those with electricity face an average of 6.7 blackouts weekly.

Traditional cooking methods dominate, with 65% of households using three-stone stoves and 70.2% relying on wood fuel, though LPG usage is increasing. Basic amenities remain scarce, with many homes lacking proper toilets and depending on boreholes for water. Nearly half of households dispose of waste in bushes or streets.

While overall asset ownership has decreased since 2018/19, mobile phone penetration remains high at two-thirds of households, with 21.3% having internet access. Home ownership stands at 70.4% nationally, showing a notable urban-rural divide (49.1% urban vs. 80.1% rural).​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized the President Bola Tinubu-led administration for the increasing pressure that loans are placing on Nigeria’s economy, describing the situation as “insufferable.” Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, accused both the president and the National Assembly of pushing Nigeria deeper into debt.

In a statement reacting to the government’s recent borrowing proposal, Atiku expressed concern over the World Bank’s report that named Nigeria as the third most indebted country to the International Development Association (IDA). He pointed to the government’s latest move to borrow an additional N1.7 trillion through Euro bonds to cover a shortfall in the 2024 budget, questioning the economic strategy behind the move.

“At a time when the country is already reeling under significant debt, this new borrowing proposal, which is based on an exchange rate of N800 to the dollar, is alarming—especially considering the Central Bank’s rate of over N1,600 to the dollar,” Atiku said. He further criticized the National Assembly for approving such loans, calling it an “accomplice” in driving the country deeper into financial crisis.

Atiku also questioned the rationale behind the government’s borrowing, despite claims by President Bola Tinubu’s administration that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigeria Customs Service had achieved record revenue collections to finance the 2024 budget. “If the revenue is at an all-time high, why continue borrowing?” Atiku asked. He suggested that the government’s handling of the country’s finances was not transparent, and warned that Nigerians were being burdened by “failed policies and loan rackets.”

The PDP leader went on to criticize the government’s “voracious appetite” for loans, suggesting that the funds were not being used for vital infrastructure or development but were instead fueling corruption. He referenced a report by budget watchdog Budgit, which raised concerns over the excessive perks included in the 2024 budget, calling it a “mess.”

Reflecting on Nigeria’s past, Atiku lamented that just a few years after the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo had successfully exited foreign debt burden, the country was once again facing a serious debt crisis. He called for a more cautious and strategic approach to borrowing, urging the government to apply “arithmetic” to its loan policies to prevent further economic strain.

Simon Ekpa, the controversial leader of the pro-Biafra faction Autopilot, was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday, marking a significant development in international efforts to curb separatist violence linked to his activities. Ekpa, a Finnish citizen of Nigerian descent, is accused of inciting terrorist acts from Finland that have contributed to violence and instability in southeastern Nigeria, particularly through his influential social media presence.

The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that Ekpa, alongside four other men, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities, including public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent. The charges stem from alleged acts carried out between 2021 and 2024, during which Ekpa is said to have used his position to promote violence in the region, including issuing illegal sit-at-home orders that have led to widespread chaos in Nigeria’s southeast. The suspects are also accused of financing these activities in violation of Finnish law.

The arrest has drawn attention both in Finland and Nigeria. The Nigerian government, which has long called for Ekpa’s extradition, welcomed the arrest as a step toward holding him accountable for his role in exacerbating terrorism and unrest. Tukur Gusau, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence’s Director of Defence Information, expressed hope that the arrest would pave the way for Ekpa’s eventual extradition to Nigeria, where he faces charges related to his leadership role in the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a group seeking an independent Biafran state.

Ekpa, who has been linked to a series of violent incidents in Nigeria, including attacks on civilians and security forces, has also been criticized for spreading false information and soliciting funds for his separatist cause. He was previously arrested by Finnish authorities in February 2023 on suspicion of fraud related to fundraising for terrorism but was released shortly after questioning.

Following his most recent arrest, Ekpa was remanded in custody by the Päijät-Häme District Court on November 21, 2024. His trial is expected to proceed, with the Finnish authorities conducting an ongoing investigation into his activities.

The arrest highlights the ongoing international dimension of the Biafra separatist movement and underscores the role of social media in fuelling global security concerns. Authorities in Nigeria are closely monitoring the situation, hoping that the arrest will lead to broader international cooperation in curbing separatist violence.

ICC issues arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leader

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

In their decision, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant were criminally responsible for acts including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war as part of a "widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of Gaza".

Judges said there were also reasonable grounds to believe the blockade on Gaza and lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and medical supplies "created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children, due to malnutrition and dehydration".

The decision was met with outrage in Israel, which called it shameful and absurd. Gaza residents expressed hope it would help end the violence and bring those responsible for war crimes to justice. Hamas welcomed the warrants against the Israelis, and a senior official told Reuters it was a first step towards justice.

The warrant for Masri lists charges of mass killings during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and also charges of rape and the taking of hostages.

Israel has said it killed Masri, also known as Mohammed Deif, in an airstrike in July but Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied this. The prosecution indicated it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.

Israel has rejected the jurisdiction of the Hague-based court and denies war crimes in Gaza.

The United States, Israel's main diplomatic supporter, is also not a member of the ICC. It said it "fundamentally rejects" the move.

"We remain deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision," a White House National Security Council spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. is discussing next steps with its partners.

Global powers Russia, China and India have also not signed onto the ICC, the world's permanent war crimes court, which is backed by all of the European Union, Australia, Canada, Britain, Brazil, Japan and dozens of African and Latin American countries.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan had announced on May 20 that he was seeking arrest warrants for alleged crimes connected to the Hamas-led attacks on Israel and the Israeli military response in Gaza. Israeli and Hamas leaders have dismissed allegations that they committed war crimes.

The court does not have its own police force to carry out arrests and relies on its 124 member states for that, with only limited diplomatic means to force them if they do not want to.

Khan called on signatories of the court's founding treaty "to live up to their commitment to the Rome Statute by respecting and complying with these judicial orders."

In a statement he said "we count on their cooperation in this situation, as with all other situations... We also welcome collaboration with non-states parties in working towards accountability and upholding international law."

GLOBAL REACTION

"Netanyahu and Gallant now are war criminals and sooner or later some country will bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes," said Shaban Abed, 47, a technical engineer and a resident of Gaza City, now displaced in the Khan Younis area. He said the court's move was "late, but never too late".

Rabeeha, a mother of five and a resident of Gaza City who only gave her first name, said she hoped it would help bring an end to the war.

"I hope we can soon see Netanyahu and the criminal Gallant in jail," she said. "Now they can't travel, now they are being hunted."

Netanyahu's office said the ICC decision was "antisemitic" and he will "not yield to pressure, will not be deterred" until Israel's war objectives are met.

The ICC has "lost all legitimacy" after issuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said.

"A dark moment for the International Criminal Court," Saar said on X, adding that it had issued "absurd orders without authority".

There was no immediate comment from Gallant.

In a statement, Hamas welcomed the warrants against Gallant and Netanyahu and urged the court to expand accountability to all Israeli leaders.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters the warrants against the Israelis were an important step towards bringing justice for the victims and that all countries should back them.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the decision was not political but made by a court and thus should be respected and implemented.

"The tragedy in Gaza has to stop," he said.

Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi also said the ICC's decision must be implemented, adding that Palestinians deserved justice after what he termed Israel's "war crimes" in Gaza.

The Netherlands' foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said his country acts on arrest warrants for people on its territory and will not engage in "non-essential" contacts.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, said: "The court is a dangerous joke. It is now time for the U.S. Senate to act and sanction this irresponsible body."

Israel's 13-month campaign in Gaza has killed about 44,000 Palestinians and displaced nearly all the enclave's population while creating a humanitarian crisis, Gaza officials say.

It launched the campaign in response to the October 2023, Hamas-led attack which killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, with more than 250 others taken hostage, Israel has said.

Reuters