The Philippine Supreme Court yesterday rejected Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent his arrest and transfer to the International Criminal Court (ICC). On May 11, the ICC unsealed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, charging him with crimes against humanity for his role in leading former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs” campaign. Dela Rosa then fled to his office in the Senate, before leaving the building before dawn on May 14. The senator, whose current whereabouts are unknown, also filed three petitions with the Supreme Court, asking it to prevent authorities…
Author: Frank M. Everett
Satellite images have revealed that North Korea and Russia are working to complete a new high-capacity highway bridge crossing their border over the Tumen River, and experts told Radio Free Asia that the fervor to quickly complete the project is a sign of increased cooperation and warm relations between Pyongyang and Moscow.Until now, the only bridge connecting the two countries was the Friendship Bridge, a much smaller railway bridge that was built in 1959 and was intended to be a temporary measure until a permanent bridge could be built. This has never happened until now.NK-Russia-tumen-river-bridge-2 According to satellite images, North…
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has announced a plan to allow the government to take control of the country’s main commodity exports, in a bid to boost government revenue at a time of global economic disruption. In what Reuters described as “a fiery 95-minute speech” to parliament, Prabowo said Indonesia had lost up to $908 billion due to the undervaluation of its raw materials at the time of export. He said exports had been understated through “fraud or deception” in order to reduce taxes, and that increased state control would lead to higher revenues in the national accounts. “The main objective…
A red and white trail of fighter jets over Astana marked the start of a two-day diplomatic debate over Turkish relations. The exhibition accompanied the state visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 14. The next day, Erdogan and Tokayev traveled separately to the southern Turkistan city. Together with the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Northern Cyprus, they gathered for an informal meeting. summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS). Held consecutively, Erdogan’s state visit and the OTS summit focused on overlapping themes, including humanitarian aid, trade and cultural cooperation. Yet a key difference emerged: Discussions…
Headlines proclaimed that Trump had taken revenge on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) for demanding justice for Epstein survivors. The same media outlets that supported Trump’s return to the White House pushed the narrative about the president’s power and control over the Republican Party.PoliticusUSA provides straight news and opinions, without billionaires or corporate media. Support us by becoming a subscriber.The same media outlets haven’t asked whether Trump ousting Republicans who aren’t totally loyal to him is a good thing. Is Trump harming himself and the Republican Party by trying to get revenge on Republicans who tried to hold him accountable years…
Amid ongoing crisis in West Asia, Indian economy likely to take a hit: World Bank says latest screenings suggest that the country’s GDP growth could fall to 6.6 percent this financial year. The government’s own projections, published earlier this year, are more optimistic, however: GDP growth of 7.6 percent in the current financial year, following recent updates to how India measures economic growth. The update itself is the result of a revision of the base year for GDP calculation from 2011-12 to 2022-23, carried out by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation. A review like this is usually done…
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the Netherlands on May 16, he shook hands with two CEOs: Christophe Fouquet from ASML and Randhir Thakur from Tata Electronics. The symbolism was clear: India joins the most exclusive club of the global chip industry. However, geopolitics has more substance than ceremonial photographs show. The celebratory occasion overseen by Modi was the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Tata Electronics And ASML. The Dutch technology company has agreed to help Tata establish and expand its manufacturing facility in Dholera, Gujarat, providing a comprehensive portfolio of lithography tools and solutions and enabling…
Acquiring a new submarine fleet has been a persistent problem for Australia’s defense strategy for almost two decades. In 2009, the government of Kevin Rudd commissioned a white paper on defense which recognized the need for Australia to replace its aging Collins-class submarines and expand its fleet from six to 12 boats. What followed was a chaos of indecision, changes of plans and wasted opportunities. All of this has left the maritime nation, heavily dependent on Indo-Pacific sea lines of communication, without adequate equipment to defend its own interests. From initial negotiations with Japan to build a new fleet, to…
Chinese President Xi Jinping used his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week to reiterate that Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue in U.S.-China relations, and analysts told Radio Free Asia that the Taiwan issue would be at the forefront under Beijing’s latest five-year plan.During discussions in Beijing, Xi warned Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes or even conflicts” and urged Washington to “exercise greater caution” regarding arms sales to Taiwan, according to Chinese state media and media following the summit.Xi’s statements, combined with concepts laid out in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, released in March,…
There are two things you need to know about Donald Trump’s support of Ken Paxton in the Texas Senate Republican primary runoff before we talk about how the move helps Democrats. Senate Republicans didn’t want Trump to support Paxton because they think the Texas attorney general would put the seat in danger. Senate Republicans have been pressuring Trump for months to support incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who is doing much better with Texas moderate voters and would have been a tough match for Democratic candidate James Talarico. Trump has likely thrown his support in now, as internal polling shows Paxton…