The US should not co-operate with the “illegitimate” International Criminal Court, former national security John Bolton has said in a stinging rebuke of the body as prosecutors began to gather in London.
Mr Bolton, 74, made the comments during a visit to London on Monday as justice ministers from around the world gathered in the city to how they can support the ICC in holding war criminals to account for atrocities in Ukraine.
Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, warned the court would not hesitate to take action against possible war crimes in Ukraine as he issued a call for more funding for investigations.
Mr Bolton, who served as US ambassador to the UN in George W Bush’s administration and national security adviser to Donald Trump, said the multilateral institution had no jurisdiction.
“I believe, as I have for many years, [that] the International Criminal Court is fundamentally illegitimate,” he told Sky News. “It’s not something the United States should co-operate with.”
While Mr Putin’s actions against the Ukrainian people cannot be excused, it is not the ICC’s place to prosecute him for alleged crimes that had happened during the conflict, he said.
Ukraine or “a free Russia” would be better placed to try the Russian leader on war crimes charges, Mr Bolton said.
“The International Criminal Court is illegitimate because it is an exercise of governmental power in a vacuum, without any constitutional framework or restraint. And it’s a very dangerous institution,” Mr Bolton said.
“I think the conduct of the International Criminal Court is potentially threatening at this point to a diplomatic solution in Ukraine.”
ICC judges issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russian commissioner for children's rights, on war crimes charges of illegally deporting Ukrainian children following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Mr Bolton dismissed the warrant for Mr Putin's arrest and said “nothing will happen”.
Justice ministers from more than 40 countries gathered at Lancaster House, on the edge of St James’s Park, on Monday morning to discuss building support for the ICC as it probes possible war crimes in Ukraine.
Britain pledged £1 million ($1.2m) this year for the court, based in The Hague in the Netherlands.
An additional package of about £400,000 was put forward by London to pay for witnesses and victims of crimes to receive psychological support, and also equip the ICC with British expertise.
Other countries are tipped to commit to render financial and practical assistance.
UK Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Dominic Raab is hosting the high-level talks.
“We are gathering in London today, united by one cause, to hold war criminals to account for the atrocities committed in Ukraine during this unjust, unprovoked and unlawful invasion,” he said.
“The UK, alongside the international community, will continue to provide the International Criminal Court with the funding, people and expertise to ensure justice is served.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska and the country’s top prosecutor Andriy Kostin would be attending.
Mr Khan, who is also on the guest list, last December called on the international community to double down on its support for the court, which requires vast amounts of financial and technical resources to conduct its investigations.
Speaking before the conference opened, Mr Khan said the ICC had a standard that it had to meet in terms of criminal prosecutions.
“We can't do everything at once,” he told BBC radio. “We don't have unlimited resources.”
However, if reliable evidence has been gathered and “there's no exonerating evidence that mitigates or reduces the criminal responsibility, we won't hesitate to act”, he said.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
