Briefly

CROATIA

Ukrainian arrested over Nord Stream sabotage

A Ukrainian man was arrested on Wednesday in Croatia in connection with the 2022 undersea explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, German prosecutors said. Ukrainian national Vladimir Z., whose last name was not given in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Pula, Croatia, by local police acting on a European arrest warrant. The trained scuba diver "is strongly suspected of jointly causing explosions", prosecutors said. The man was part of a group that sabotaged the pipelines near the Danish island of Bornholm, they alleged.

INTL CRIMINAL COURT

Washington criticized for sanctions on court

The International Criminal Court on Wednesday slammed the latest United States sanctions targeting senior ICC staff, including its president, calling them a "flagrant attack" on the court's independence. The US imposed sanctions on ICC President Tomoko Akane of Japan and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday, as part of Washington's campaign against what it calls a "corrupt and fatally politicized" body. "These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution," the court, based in The Hague, said. Japan's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday described the US move as "very unfortunate". In twin statements on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said they "stand firmly" with the ICC's president and top officials, which "must be able to act independently and without external pressure".

AGENCIES-XINHUA