International law 'matters more than ever' in chaotic world: UN head

(The Center Square) – Republican efforts to impeach lead Democrats in Minnesota ran aground this week following a partisan deadlock in committee.

The House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee split along party lines, preventing the resolutions from advancing and effectively halting a push to investigate Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison over alleged failures to address the state’s alleged widespread fraud.

House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, who co-chairs the committee, said the push for impeachment was driven by reports that there have been billions of taxpayers dollars lost to fraud in state-administered programs during Walz’s time in office.

“What most Minnesotans are demanding, especially today on tax day, is accountability for the multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal that’s embarrassing our state,” Niska said. “In any well-functioning business, a multi-billion-dollar fraud scandal would result in the CEO either resigning in disgrace or being fired.”

Niska argued impeachment is the legislature’s primary tool to hold top officials accountable.

Rep. Ben Davis, R-Merrifield, who sponsored the resolution targeting Ellison, said the scale of alleged fraud warrants an extraordinary response.

“We have an historic amount of fraud taking place in our state; historic actions are warranted,” Davis said.

The resolutions called for the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee to conduct impeachment investigations into “state officers” and report back by May 1 with potential articles of impeachment or other recommendations.

Walz’s impeachment resolution centered around allegations that Walz failed to act on warnings about fraud in state programs, allowed misuse of taxpayer funds to continue, and placed political considerations above enforcement of the law.

A separate resolution against Ellison accused the attorney general of “corrupt conduct in office and for crimes and misdemeanors,” including failing to impartially enforce the law, undermining protections for religious liberty, and suggesting political or financial support could influence official actions.

Democrats sharply criticized the impeachment efforts, calling them unserious and politically motivated.

Rep. Sydney Jordan, DFL-Minneapolis, described the resolutions as a “simple, stupid distraction,” “garbage,” and a “political circus,” arguing lawmakers should instead focus on preventing fraud going forward.

“Have there been crimes, charges and convictions for our executives? No,” Jordan said. “Do we impeach Minnesota’s elected officials just because we don’t like them? No.”

Jordan added that while fraud has occurred, the legislature should prioritize policy solutions rather than impeachment.

“We could be working on those instead of doing this and listening to people just air grievances against Keith Ellison and Tim Walz,” she said.

Other Democrats echoed that sentiment.

Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, said it is “tough to take this seriously,” while Rep. Nathan Coulter, DFL-Bloomington, called the resolution “the most harebrained thing I think I have ever seen.”

Republicans pushed back on that characterization.

“Holding people accountable for $9 billion of fraud I don’t see as harebrained and I don’t think the people of Minnesota do either,” said Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover. “The people of this state want accountability.”

Despite Republican control of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, the resolutions had to first clear the Rules Committee—where Democrats had the votes to block them. With the tie vote on Wednesday, the impeachment push is effectively stalled.

In an exclusive interview with state Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove and chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee in the Minnesota legislature, she explained that the full scope of potential government knowledge of the fraud at the state level remains unclear.

“The real answer is, I don’t know,” she said when asked how deep potential wrongdoing might go.

Robbins said an ongoing lack of responsiveness from state agencies has only deepened those concerns.

“We have put out dozens of data requests that we have not gotten answers to,” she said. “I definitely think it’s beyond just mistakes . . . there is willful neglect and malfeasance.”

President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Iran's announcement that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping, but said a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed.

"THANK YOU!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, saying that Iran had announced the narrow waterway was "FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE."

In a second message a few minutes later, Trump posted that "The naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete."

"This process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated," Trump said, using his trademark style of all-capital letters.

Trump had said to reporters on Thursday that a peace deal with Iran was "very close" despite the fact that talks led by Vice President JD Vance in Pakistan at the weekend did not reach any breakthrough.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had announced earlier Friday that the strait, vital for the global trade in oil and other commodities, will remain "completely open" as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East lasts. 

It wasn't immediately clear if he was referring to a 10-day truce agreed by Lebanon and Israel that went into effect at midnight or an earlier two-week truce between Iran and the United States that began on April 8. 

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(The Center Square) - The U.S. Supreme Court, in an 8-0 decision Friday, sent back a state court ruling in favor of oil companies Chevron and ExxonMobil seeking millions of dollars for decades of oil production in Louisiana. 

The case, Chevron v. Plaquemines Parish, questions to what extent a state court can litigate against an oil company for its production of oil even if it is for federal purposes. 

The litigation challenges activities of the oil company dating back to World War II in some cases. Lawyers for Chevron argued that the company was adhering to federal oil production requirements during wartime and the lawsuit belonged in federal court. 

Justices on the court agreed with Chevron. 

"Chevron “act[ed] under federal officers when it performed its refining duties," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the court's majority opinion.  

The court's justices said state courts cannot pursue litigation against federal entities or companies that contracted under those entities. 

"Chevron’s federal contracts can be a but-for cause of the challenged crude-oil production without specifically directing that production," Thomas wrote. 

All justices on the court agreed that the state court was not the proper venue for the litigation of the case, allowing Chevron to move the case to federal court, a potentially friendlier venue. 

“The case arises from a broader campaign of woke lawfare in which activists and municipal governments seek to use courtrooms to determine what companies are allowed to produce and what consumers can buy,” O.H Skinner, executive director of Alliance for Consumers, said. 

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson concurred in the judgment but disagreed that federal provisions separate conduct in a lawsuit from an indirect relationship with a federal contractor or entity.

Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case. 

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Trump says blockade on -

President Donald Trump said the US naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a peace deal with Tehran. 

"The naval blockade will remain in full force and effect as it pertains to Iran, only, until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete," Trump said on his Truth Social network, adding that "this process should go very quickly."

- Oil prices drop -

Oil prices plunged after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the vital Strait of Hormuz was "completely open" for commercial tankers and cargo ships during the US-Iran ceasefire. 

International benchmark Brent North Sea crude plunged 10 percent to $89.11 a barrel, after earlier falling five percent on US-Iran peace deal hopes. The main US contract, West Texas Intermediate, shed 11 percent to $84.11 a barrel.

- Hormuz 'completely open' -

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi the Strait of Hormuz will remain "completely open" as long as a ceasefire in the Middle East lasts.

"The passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire," Araghchi said on X.

Trump welcomed Iran's announcement, saying "THANK YOU!" and adding that Tehran said the narrow waterway was "FULLY OPEN AND READY FOR FULL PASSAGE."

- Iranian tankers exit Gulf -

Three Iranian oil tankers carrying a total of five million barrels of crude have become the first such loaded vessels to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force, the tracking firm Kpler told AFP.

The Deep Sea, Sonia I and Diona, all under US sanctions, passed the strait on Wednesday after leaving Iran's Kharg Island, having loaded on April 2, 8 and 9 respectively, according to the maritime data company.

- France, UK rally allies -

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer chaired a meeting of allies in Paris to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends.

- Russia hails ceasefire -

Moscow backed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and said it hoped the pause in fighting could pave the way for a longer-term agreement.

"We certainly welcome the decision on a truce and hope that in these few days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will prevent a repeat of the military clashes," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, in response to a question by AFP.

- 'Direct talks crucial' -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said direct negotiations with Israel were "crucial...  and a ceasefire is the gateway to proceeding with negotiations".

- Lebanese return -

AFP images showed packed cars heading southwards along Lebanon's coastal highway before dawn, and crossing at sunrise what was left of a bridge bombed by Israel during the wae agreed between neighbouring states Israel and Lebanon took effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT Thursday). Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since the militant group launched rocket attacks in support of Iran last month. 

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(The Center Square) – The Strait of Hormuz is fully opened, the Iranian officials and President Donald Trump announced Friday morning, sending oil prices plummeting.

The strait, which has been one of the major sticking points since Operation Epic Fury began Feb. 28, has led to the halt of commercial shipping traffic, including oil shipments.

The Islamic Republic of Iran announced the reopening of the strait, crediting the ceasefire in Lebanon with Israel.

“In line with the ceasefire in Lebanon, the passage for all commercial vessels through Strait of Hormuz is declared completely open for the remaining period of ceasefire, on the coordinated route already announced by Ports and Maritime Organization of the Islamic Rep. of Iran,” according to a statement from Iran.

President Donald Trump confirmed the reopening of the waterway connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

“Iran has just announced that the Strait of Iran is fully open and ready for full passage,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

After the announcement of the reopening Friday morning, crude oil has dropped over 10%, to just over $81 a barrel, reaching its highest on April 6 at $112 per barrel.

The announcement comes as the clock is ticking down for the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, and as Trump maintains the two countries are close to a deal, underscoring that Iran must commit to not producing nuclear weapons.

The president indicated that talks with in Pakistan may resume over the weekend after Vice President JD Vance failed to produce a deal last weekend. The White House has yet to announce a second round of talks; however, Trump has said he has been in direct contact with Iranian officials.

On Monday, Trump announced a total blockade of Iranian ports in an effort to squeeze the regime economically.

In a second Truth Social post Friday morning, the president confirmed the naval blockade on Iran remains in effect "until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete."

Trump added, "the process should go very quickly in that most of the points are already negotiated" in relation to reaching a final deal with the Islamic Republic.

(The Center Square ) – A new policy coalition launched this week, calling on federal officials to investigate what it says is discriminatory treatment of American companies in Asia.

The US-Asia Fair Market Alliance said that it will advocate for predictable, rules-based markets in the Indo-Pacific. It will focus on transparency, equal regulatory treatment, and supply chain resilience for American companies abroad.

“Rules-based trade only works when the rules are clear and the referees are consistent,” Executive Director Matt Mowers said in a press release. “When enforcement turns unpredictable and foreign investors lose confidence supply chains shift in ways that hurt long-term security.”

The coalition said U.S. companies are facing increased pressure in Asian markets. Examples the group cited included regulatory uncertainty in China, data rules in India and Japan, and competition enforcement practices in South Korea.

The group said such policies act as non-tariff barriers, limiting American firms’ ability to compete globally.

The alliance also joined other organizations in signing a letter to U.S. trade representative Jamieson Greer and other policymakers. The letter urged them to prioritize digital trade practices in Asia in the upcoming Section 301 investigations.

“The undersigned organizations write to commend the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for launching Section 301 investigations into the acts, policies, and practices of foreign economies that burden U.S. commerce,” the letter says.

The organizations warned that Asian governments have adopted policies that disproportionately hurt American technology companies.

“A growing number of Asian governments are adopting regulatory frameworks –often modeled on the EU’s Digital Markets Act – that disproportionately burden American technology companies while shielding domestic and Chinese competitors,” the letter says.

The letter cites Japan’s Mobile Software Competition Act, India’s data protection law, China’s data transfer restrictions, and enforcement actions taken in South Korea.

The coalition also called for action.

“We respectfully urge USTR to prioritize discriminatory digital trade practices in Asia in forthcoming Section 301 investigations, with particular attention to South Korea, Japan, India, and China,” the letter says.

The alliance said it will work to educate policymakers and promote policies that help American firms compete on a level playing field.

Organizations that signed the letter include Americans for Tax Reform, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the National Taxpayers Union, and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, among others.

International law is more important than ever at a time when even core countries in the global system are calling it into question, the United Nations secretary general said on Friday.

Marking the 80th anniversary of the International Court of Justice, the UN's top court, Antonio Guterres said: "Today, violations of international law are unfolding before our eyes."

"It is precisely because the international system is under such strain that adherence to international law matters more than ever -– especially in this era of changing power relations," he said.

"The force of law must always prevail over the law of force."

Guterres was speaking at a special sitting of the world court at the sumptuous Peace Palace in the Hague also attended by Dutch King Willem-Alexander.

He noted that as the court -- which settles disputes between states -- turned 80, it was busier than ever.

The ICJ has been in the headlines, notably for a case brought by South Africa against Israel, alleging that its campaign in Gaza is in breach of the UN Genocide Convention.

It also last year issued a landmark environment ruling, obliging states to tackle climate change and paving the way for reparations if they failed to do so.

But institutions such as the ICJ that uphold international law are increasingly "questioned and challenged," said the UN leader.

"And this erosion is not happening at the margins of the international system." he noted.

"It is happening at its core -- including by States entrusted with unique responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security."

The United States has criticised ICJ decisions and taken aim at the other major international court in The Hague, the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes individuals for the world's worst crimes.

Furious at arrest warrants issued for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US has slapped sanctions on top ICC officials, hampering its work.

Guterres also recalled that the decisions of the ICJ are binding, even though it has no power to enforce them -- which critics say is a sign of weakness.

For example, the ICJ ordered Russia to halt its invasion of Ukraine just weeks after tanks rolled over the border -- to no avail.

"Respect for those decisions is not optional. It is a (UN) Charter obligation," said Guterres.

With the world in chaos, the UN secretary-general said humanity faced a stark choice: "A future governed by the rule of law, or a future driven by raw power."

ICJ president Yuji Iwasawa noted "troubling signs" of countries calling into question the value of multilateralism.

"In some cases, the role of law itself has been openly questioned," he said.

"These trends place great pressure on the system we serve and remind us that the international rule of law cannot be taken for granted."

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Turkey on Friday hosts a high‑stakes diplomatic forum bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad steps up efforts to help end the Middle East war.

"I believe the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire should be used in the most effective way to establish lasting peace," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the opening of the three‑day Antalya Diplomacy Forum at the Mediterranean resort.

"No matter how deep the disagreements may be, we must not allow words to be replaced again by weapons," he said, adding that "the shortest cut to peace is constructive dialogue and diplomacy". 

The foreign ministers of Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt were due to meet later on Friday on the sidelines of the forum, with the war and the blockade of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz expected to dominate discussions.

A Pakistani diplomatic source told AFP the talks were scheduled to take place late Friday evening.

Pakistan has sought to position itself as a key regional mediator, having hosted rare talks between Iran and the United States last weekend that ended without a breakthrough.

The White House said further talks with Iran would "very likely" take place in Islamabad, where Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation during the previous round of negotiations.

-'We must be vigilant'-

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who met Qatar's ruler in Doha on Thursday as part of a regional tour, attended the opening of the Antalya forum and was due to meet Erdogan on its margins on Friday.

"We will continue to provide all the support we can to ensure that the ongoing temporary ceasefire turns into a permanent one," a Turkish defence ministry source said on Thursday.

The source added that Ankara hoped the war "whose effects are being felt increasingly not only regionally but also globally" would end swiftly, with all parties engaging constructively in negotiations.

Turkey, a vocal critic of Israel, has joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to help secure a ceasefire in the conflict, while maintaining that the truce should also apply to Lebanon.

Erdogan did not comment directly on the latest ceasefire reached between Israel and Lebanon but warned against attempts to derail talks.

"We must be prepared and vigilant against Israel's attempts to dynamite the negotiation process," he said.

Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Erdogan said access to the waterway must not be restricted.

"One side of Hormuz is Iran, while the other side is Oman. The right of Gulf countries to access open seas must not be restricted," he told the forum, calling for freedom of navigation "based on established rules" and for the strait to remain open to commercial vessels.

More than 150 countries are taking part in the gathering, including more than 20 heads of state and government.

Among those attending are Syrian President Ahmed al‑Sharaa and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Speaking earlier on Friday, Sharaa said he could consider "long‑term negotiations" with Israel over the disputed Golan Heights if Israel agreed to withdraw from recently occupied Syrian territories.

Since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024, Israel has deployed troops into a UN‑patrolled buffer zone that for decades separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

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A Frenchwoman who moved to the United States to marry a Vietnam war veteran she first met six decades ago returned to France Friday after she was detained by US immigration authorities, the foreign minister said.

The 85-year-old woman, who was not being named at the family's request, "returned to France this morning, and we are pleased about that," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters on a visit to the southern city of Montpellier.

She had moved to Anniston, Alabama in 2025 to marry the former Air Force colonel, and was seeking a green card, which allows people to live and work permanently in the United States.

The couple first met some 60 years earlier when she was working as a bilingual secretary and he was a soldier stationed at a NATO base reportedly in Saint-Nazaire, western France, but according to US media both married other people.

Decades later, after they were both widowed, they reconnected.

According to the New York Times, the woman gave up her life in the French city of Nantes and moved to Alabama, where the couple married in April 2025.

But the American died suddenly in January at the age of 85, throwing her immigration status into uncertainty and leading to her detention by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

US media reports said his death also ignited an inheritance dispute between the woman and his son.  

The US Department of Homeland Security told AFP on Tuesday that the woman had been detained on April 1. 

- 'Handcuffed and shackled - 

She had entered the United States in June 2025 on a tourist visa that allowed her to stay for 90 days. However, she was still in the United States "seven months later," according to US authorities.

Citing accounts from US neighbours, her son told AFP that his mother was arrested, "handcuffed and shackled".

Regarded as the strong arm of US President Donald Trump's fierce anti-immigration campaign, the ICE agency has faced nationwide criticism of its aggressive tactics against undocumented immigrants and for the shooting deaths of two US citizens this year.

As soon as news of the French woman's arrest broke, a diplomatic source had told AFP that the French Consulate General in Atlanta was "closely monitoring the situation" and providing her with "consular protection".

When asked about ICE's approach on Thursday, Barrot criticised those methods without referring specifically to the Frenchwoman.

"There have been instances of violence that have raised our concern. But the main thing is that she is back in France, and that fully satisfies us," he said.

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(The Center Square) – Fve fugitives have been arrested in New England sanctuary jurisdictions within the past few weeks who are wanted for murder or homicide in their home countries.

They all had foreign arrest warrants charging murder or homicide with some facing additional charges. To evade capture and prosecution in their home countries of Brazil, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, they fled to the United States, where they illegally entered the country during the Biden administration.

Once in the country illegally, they made their way to the sanctuary jurisdictions of Connecticut and Massachusetts. Sanctuary jurisdictions are those whose leaders defy or obstruct federal immigration enforcement. 

At least 35 states have been identified by the Trump administration as sanctuary jurisdictions, including Connecticut and Massachusetts, The Center Square reported. Six cities in Connecticut; and 13 counties and 12 cities in Massachusetts are on a federal sanctuary list published last year. The list is missing Natick, whose officials voted for sanctuary status after an Iranian national was arrested there for his alleged ties to a terrorist attack that killed three U.S. service members, The Center Square reported.

In Waterbury, Connecticut, ICE Boston agents arrested Salvadoran national Danny Granados-Garcia, wanted for aggravated homicide and a member of U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, MS-13.

MS-13 and other FTO members are increasingly being prosecuted by the Trump administration, charged with using machetes, baseball bats and strangulation to kill their victims, and mutilating or dismembering their victims, The Center Square reported.

In Worcester, Massachusetts, ICE Boston agents arrested Brazilian Magno Jose Dos Santos and Dominican Bryan Rafael Gomez. Dos Santos was wanted for homicide and an attempted crime allegedly committed in 2021. Gomez was wanted for homicide, with a warrant from 2023.

In Everett, Mass., Brazilian Kele Cristian Alves-Pereira was arrested, wanted for a 2021 murder. In Falmouth, Mass., Brazilian Altieris Chaves Paiva was arrested, wanted for a 2024 homicide.

ICE Boston agents have been arresting multiple Brazilians who are illegally in the country, including one convicted of 11 murders and sentenced to more than 200 years in prison for his role in a 2015 “Curio Massacre,” The Center Square reported. After he was sentenced, he fled Brazil and made it to Massachusetts where he was eventually found and arrested by law enforcement, ICE said. Other Brazilians ICE Boston agents have arrested have had criminal charges of child rape, drug trafficking and murder, among other charges, The Center Square reported.

Nearly 70% of arrests made by ICE during the Trump administration have U.S. criminal histories, ICE says, The Center Square has reported. 

“Even though some of these foreign fugitives had no criminal charges in the United States, all endangered our New England communities,” ICE-ERO Boston acting Field Office Director David Wesling said. “We will continue to pursue these dangerous criminal aliens that sanctuary politicians fight to protect.”