Thirty-four European states plus Australia, Costa Rica and the EU said on Friday they would join a future special tribunal for Ukraine to prosecute Russia over its invasion of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an accord with the Council of Europe last year to create a legal body to prosecute the “crime of aggression” in the invasion Russia launched in February 2022.
The Council of Ministers, comprising foreign ministers from the organisation’s 46-member states, in a…
Western powers ramp up support for Philippines’ Luzon economic hub
A widely touted economic hub in the Philippines will involve eight more countries, signalling greater international confidence in the long-term viability of the ambitious project to boost connectivity and trade in a key region.
The Luzon Economic Corridor (LEC), a trilateral infrastructure initiative led by the US, Japan, and the Philippines, is set to receive additional support from Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Initially envisioned as a…
King’s Speech: UK government pursues ‘energy independence’
The UK government’s plans to secure “energy independence” in Britain offer opportunities for developers and financiers behind renewable energy projects while placing further constraints on the offshore oil and gas industry, experts have said.
Philippine senator wanted by ICC flees from Senate
A Philippine senator wanted by the International Criminal Court for an alleged crime against humanity has fled from the Senate, where he sought refuge to evade arrest, officials said on Thursday.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa’s exit from the heavily guarded Senate came after volleys of gunshots were fired on Wednesday night by the building’s security personnel during an argument with a government agent, sparking chaos that apparently helped the senator to slip out.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr made…
King’s Speech: sandboxes central to ‘regulating for growth’ plans
Businesses will be able to live-test their use of new technologies under a controlled, but relaxed, regulatory environment in the UK, with the potential for some regulatory requirements to be permanently removed if the trials are successful, according to proposals outlined on Wednesday.
Why US is backing Philippine airport at former Sangley Point naval base
A proposed airport on a former US naval base in the Philippines near the entrance to Manila Bay is drawing fresh strategic attention after Washington agreed to fund a feasibility study, a move analysts say fits into US efforts to strengthen logistics, access and interoperability with the country in the South China Sea.
Experts said the proposed Sangley Point International Airport in Cavite could become more than a commercial aviation project because of its access to the South China Sea and the…
Crypto firms must prepare for UK regulation change as FCA consults on new guidance
Guidance proposed by the UK’s financial watchdog will mean crypto businesses must ensure they are aware of their regulatory requirements ahead of changes to the law which will bring into regulation certain cryptoasset activities, according to experts.
South Asia must make water a top priority
Summer hit South Asia early this year. April saw above average temperatures and the mercury is expected to reach unbearable highs this month. We are also bracing for a “super El Nino”, where a combination of increased heatwaves and highly variable weather patterns are expected to push urban zones, agricultural systems and public health to their limits.
South Asia, especially parts of Pakistan, India and Nepal, is likely to receive below average monsoon rainfall during the summer months of…
Gunshots fired in stand-off at Philippine Senate over ICC suspect
Gunshots broke out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday and people ran for cover after a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court said his arrest was imminent and security forces entered the building.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, however, Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told reporters following the chaos at the legislature in the capital Manila.
Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of former Philippine president…
Dela Rosa’s flight turns Philippine Senate into battleground for ICC accountability
A clip of Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa running through the Senate halls to evade an International Criminal Court arrest warrant has become one of the most startling images in recent Philippine politics.
By Tuesday, the former national police chief was still inside the Senate under protective custody, turning the chamber into the centre of a legal and political stand-off over whether one of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s closest allies could be handed over to The Hague.
But Monday’s chase…