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Philippines Marcos’ says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated

Philippines Marcos’ says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as he speaks during a congressional hearing investigating his administration’s war on drugs on Nov. 13, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 14 November 2024
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Philippines Marcos’ says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated

Philippines Marcos’ says will not block ICC if ex-president Duterte wants to be investigated
  • Ferdinand Marcos Jr.: ‘The Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC but it has obligations with Interpol’
  • ’If that’s the wish of (Duterte), we will not block ICC. We will not just cooperate’
Updated 14 November 2024
Reuters
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MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Thursday his government would not block the International Criminal Court (ICC) if former leader Rodrigo Duterte wants to be investigated for alleged crimes against humanity in his anti-drugs crackdown.
The Philippines will not cooperate with the ICC but it has obligations with Interpol, Marcos told reporters.
“If that’s the wish of (Duterte), we will not block ICC. We will not just cooperate,” Marcos said. “But if he agrees to be investigated, it is up to him.”
The remarks follow a marathon congressional hearing on Wednesday during which Duterte, president from 2016-2022, refused to apologize for his role in the bloodshed and urged the ICC to start its investigation
All testimony provided by Duterte will be assessed to see their legal consequences, Marcos said.
Duterte unilaterally withdrew the Philippine as a member of the ICC in 2019 after it announced it had started a preliminary examination into thousands of killings in his anti-narcotics campaign. He questioned its authority to conduct an investigation.
Under Duterte, police said they killed 6,200 suspected dealers who had resisted arrest during their anti-drug operations.
But human rights groups believe the real toll to be far greater, with thousands more users and peddlers gunned down in mysterious circumstances by unknown assailants.
Authorities at the time said those were vigilante killings and drugs gangs eliminating rivals. Rights groups and some victims accuse police of systematic cover-ups and executions, which they deny.

Topics: Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Rodrigo Duterte

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Russian court jails US citizen Spector for 15 years in espionage case, RIA says

Updated 11 sec ago
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Russian court jails US citizen Spector for 15 years in espionage case, RIA says

Russian court jails US citizen Spector for 15 years in espionage case, RIA says
  • Spector in his first court case had pleaded guilty to helping bribe an assistant to an ex-Russian deputy prime minister
Updated 11 sec ago
Reuters
MOSCOW: A Russian court has sentenced US citizen Eugene Spector to 15 years in jail for espionage, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday.
Currently serving a 3-1/2-year sentence in Russia for bribery, Spector, who was born in Russia and then moved to the US, was charged last August with espionage.
Before his 2021 arrest, he served as chairman of the board of Medpolymerprom Group, a company specializing in cancer-curing drugs, state media has said.
Spector in his first court case had pleaded guilty to helping bribe an assistant to an ex-Russian deputy prime minister.

US, UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan

US, UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan
Updated 3 min 15 sec ago
AP
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US, UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan

US, UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan
  • The convictions had previously also been criticized by the European Union and domestic human rights activists
Updated 3 min 15 sec ago
AP

ISLAMABAD: The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed deep concern over the recent handing down of convictions by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over their alleged involvement in riots last year.
The convictions had previously also been criticized by the European Union and domestic human rights activists.
“The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees,” according to a statement released by State Department on Monday.
It asked Pakistan to respect the right to a fair trial and due process.
In London, the Foreign Office said that “while the U.K. respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its own legal proceedings, trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial. We call on the Government of Pakistan to uphold its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
The statements were referring to the violence that erupted after Khan’s arrest in Islamabad in May 2023. The former premier was ousted through a no-confidence vote in the parliament in 2022, and he was convicted of corruption and sentenced in August 2023. Since then, Khan has been behind bars. Khan’s popular opposition party is in talks with the government to secure his release.
The 25 supporters on Monday received prison terms ranging from two years to 10 years, which the army in a statement warned acted as a “stark reminder” for people to never take the law into their own hands.
Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, has rejected the convictions of civilians, demanding they should be tried in the normal courts if they were involved in the riots.
There was no response from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government to the criticism from the U.S. and the U.K., but state-run Pakistan Television on Tuesday showed people welcoming the convictions, saying the punishments were given to people who attacked military installations.
Earlier this month, Khan and dozens of others were indicted by a civilian court on charges of inciting people on May 9, 2023, when demonstrators attacked the military’s headquarters in Rawalpindi, stormed an air base in Mianwali in the eastern Punjab province and torched a building housing state-run Radio Pakistan in the northwest.

Topics: Pakistan

India’s legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90

India’s legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters
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India’s legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90

India’s legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal dies at age 90
  • Benegal, a mentor to several veteran Bollywood actors, died due to chronic kidney disease 
  • Benegal came into limelight in 1970s, with a series of films that challenged mainstream Bollywood
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters

NEW DELHI: Shyam Benegal, a renowned Indian filmmaker known for pioneering a new wave cinema movement that tackled social issues in the 1970s, has died after suffering from chronic kidney disease. He was 90.

His contribution to cinema was recognized as a director, editor and screenwriter. He was also credited with a new genre of filmmaking.

Benegal passed away on Monday at Mumbai’s Wockhardt Hospital, and his cremation will take place on Tuesday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, citing his daughter Piya.

“Benegal had been suffering from chronic kidney disease for several years but it had gotten very bad. That’s the reason for his death,” Piya said.

Many paid tribute to the legendary filmmaker on social media platform X.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt wrote that Benegal told stories without pretense. “They were raw and real, about the struggles of ordinary people. His films had craft and conviction.”

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Shyam Benegal, whose storytelling had a profound impact on Indian cinema. His works will continue to be admired by people from different walks of life,” India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted.

He was a mentor to top Indian actors, including Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil, Naseeruddin Shah, and Om Puri who made their mark in Bollywood’s popular cinema as well.

“I have lost my foster father, a man to whom I owe more than I can say,” posted Naseeruddin Shah.

“Shyam Benegal was not just a legend; he was a visionary who redefined storytelling and inspired generations,” said actor Manoj Bajpayee.

Benegal came into the limelight in the 1970s, with a series of films that challenged mainstream Bollywood. His films Ankur (1974), Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), and Bhumika (1977) represented a parallel cinema dealing with the social realities of a poor nation.

“Ankur” explored the feudal divide in India, while ”Manthan” was based on the story of the country’s cooperative dairy milk movement.

Benegal was widely known for his series “Bharat Ek Khoj,” a landmark 53-episode television series based on the book Discovery of India, written by India’s first prime minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, and chronicled the country’s troubled passages, from ancient times to modernity.

He also directed a 2023 biopic on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh’s freedom struggle against Pakistan in the 1970s. Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August following a student movement, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Benegal was born in December 1934, in Hyderabad in southern India, and had an early launch in the world of cinema. He earned an Economics degree from Hyderabad’s Osmania University and established the Hyderabad Film Society. He also ventured into advertising, where he directed over 900 sponsored documentaries and advertising films.

Benegal is survived by his wife Nira Benegal and daughter Piya.

Topics: India Shyam Benegal

Russian cargo ship sank in Mediterranean Sea with two crew missing, Russian Foreign Ministry says

Russian cargo ship sank in Mediterranean Sea with two crew missing, Russian Foreign Ministry says
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters
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Russian cargo ship sank in Mediterranean Sea with two crew missing, Russian Foreign Ministry says

Russian cargo ship sank in Mediterranean Sea with two crew missing, Russian Foreign Ministry says
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters

MOSCOW: A Russian cargo ship called ‘Ursa Major’ sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ship went down after an explosion in its engine room and 14 of its 16 crew members have been rescued and brought to Spain, the ministry said in a statement.
LSEG ship tracking data shows the vessel departed from the Russian port of Saint Petersburg on Dec. 11 and was last seen sending a signal at 2204 GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.
On leaving Saint Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, not the Syrian port of Tartous which it has called at previously.
The operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistics, according to LSEG data. Oboronlogistics and SK-Yug declined to comment on the ship’s sinking.
Oboronlogistics said in a statement on Dec. 20 that the ship was carrying specialized port cranes due to be installed at the port of Vladivostok as well as parts for new ice-breakers.

Topics: Russia Mediterranean

South Korean opposition plans to impeach acting president Han, floor leader says

South Korean opposition plans to impeach acting president Han, floor leader says
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters
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South Korean opposition plans to impeach acting president Han, floor leader says

South Korean opposition plans to impeach acting president Han, floor leader says
  • Prime Minister Han has taken over from the suspended Yoon, who was impeached on Dec. 14 and faces a Constitutional Court review on whether to oust him or restore his powers
Updated 24 December 2024
Reuters

SEOUL: South Korea’s main opposition party intends to pursue the impeachment of acting president Han Duck-soo, the party’s floor leader said on Tuesday.
The Democratic Party’s (DP) floor leader Park Chan-dae announced this after Han postponed approving legislation to launch a special counsel investigation into President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed bid to impose martial law.
Prime Minister Han has taken over from the suspended Yoon, who was impeached on Dec. 14 and faces a Constitutional Court review on whether to oust him or restore his powers.
Han has called for the ruling and opposition parties to discuss the matter of a special counsel investigation and other issues.
“Acting president Han made it clear at today’s cabinet meeting that he would not greenlight the special prosecution law,” Park said.
“There is no way to interpret it other than that he is delaying time.”
The timing of submitting a bill to impeach Han could be decided as soon as Tuesday afternoon, local media reported.
With a majority in parliament, DP passed bills this month to appoint a special counsel to pursue charges of insurrection, among others, against the conservative Yoon — and to investigate his wife over a luxury bag scandal and other allegations.
Han did not put the bills on the cabinet’s agenda on Tuesday.
Han’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.
Yoon’s ruling People Power Party has accused the DP of threatening Han for not complying with their demands, at a time when South Korea’s key ally the United States has just restarted planned communications with Asia’s fourth-largest economy under Han’s stewardship.
Meanwhile, Yoon has yet to announce his legal team or appear publicly since a televised statement on Dec. 14, the day parliament impeached him.
Seok Dong-hyeon, a lawyer helping form Yoon’s defense team, told reporters on Tuesday that Yoon is unlikely to appear for questioning on Wednesday, Christmas Day, in answer to a summons by authorities investigating his move to impose martial law.
Yoon is prioritising the Constitutional Court’s trial on whether to remove him from office or to reinstate his presidential powers, Seok said.

Topics: South Korea

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