Global Pulse

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  • Russia and Ukraine trade blame for continued fighting as US-brokered ceasefire nears its end

    Russia and Ukraine trade blame for continued fighting as US-brokered ceasefire nears its end

    The 72-hour ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine negotiated by the United States expired on Monday amid mutual accusations of breaches, leaving Western powers scrambling to map out a path toward new diplomatic negotiations to end the more than four-year-old conflict. This truce, announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump late last week, was framed as a gesture to mark Russia’s Victory Day holiday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, and was also paired with a proposed prisoner swap of 1,000 detainees from each side. Trump had even hailed the temporary pause in fighting as the potential “beginning of the end” of the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.

    Even before the truce reached its expiration deadline, both warring parties had already levied widespread claims of violations against one another. Ukrainian officials confirmed on Monday that Russian strikes using drones, aerial bombs and heavy artillery hit populated civilian areas in northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson, leaving at least two civilians dead and seven more injured. For its part, Russia’s Defense Ministry released a claim Sunday that Kyiv had violated the truce more than 1,000 times, according to Russian state media reports.

    Independent analysis from the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which draws on NASA satellite observation data, found that while large-scale military activity dropped slightly after the ceasefire took effect, fighting never fully halted across the front line. In an assessment published late Sunday, the think tank cautioned that ceasefires lack durability without three core components: clear enforcement rules, independent credible monitoring systems, and formal structured processes to resolve disputes. This collapse follows a pattern of similar temporary truces that have failed to end sustained fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion, as well as a year of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts that have yielded no tangible progress toward a lasting peace.

    Despite the tentative prisoner swap plans announced alongside the ceasefire, neither side has shown any willingness to compromise on their core negotiating demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to insist on full Russian control of Ukraine’s Donbas region, the country’s major industrial heartland that Russian forces have yet to fully capture, a non-negotiable demand that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected outright. While Zelenskyy has offered to hold direct face-to-face peace talks with Putin, the Russian leader has refused to meet until a final negotiated settlement is nearly complete, creating a stalemate that has persisted for months.

    Over the weekend, Putin floated the idea of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder—who has long-standing close business ties to Russia—serving as an independent mediator, but the proposal was immediately dismissed by German and European officials. The move comes as European Union officials acknowledge that their own peace efforts have been largely sidelined by U.S. leadership over the past year, but the bloc is now moving to take a more prominent role in diplomatic processes. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized that the bloc must first align on its core objectives before entering any formal discussions with the Kremlin, telling reporters in Brussels that “Before we discuss with Russia, we should discuss amongst ourselves what we want to talk to them about.”

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha joined EU foreign ministers for their Brussels meeting, and backed a continued dual-track approach to diplomacy. “We have mainstream peace talks under the leadership of the U.S., and we need this track and we need U.S. leadership. But Europe could play also its role,” he said. Sybiha also highlighted shifting battlefield dynamics, noting that Ukraine has strengthened its position in recent months, slowing Russia’s gradual advance into Ukrainian territory to a costly, slow-moving campaign across the 1,250-kilometer front line. Ukraine has also leveraged domestically produced long-range drones and missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russian territory, he added, saying “We have a new reality on the battlefield … Ukraine became stronger after the most difficult winter.”

    On the sidelines of diplomatic talks, a separate incident linked to the war has sparked political upheaval in the Baltic state of Latvia. Investigations into recent stray drone incidents on Latvian territory concluded that Russian electronic warfare systems deliberately diverted Ukrainian drones that had been targeting sites inside Russia, pulling them off course into Latvian airspace. On Sunday, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina ordered Defense Minister Andris Sprūds to resign over the incident, saying he had lost her trust after the incident “clearly demonstrated that the political leadership of the defense sector has failed to fulfill its promise of safe skies over our country.” Sprūds complied with the order, framing the ouster as an internal domestic political dispute.

    Sybiha confirmed he had spoken with Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže about the incident, and reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to collaborating with Baltic states and Finland to prevent similar stray drone incursions in the future. He offered to deploy Ukrainian technical specialists directly to assist with prevention efforts. Latvia is not the only European country to report such incidents in recent weeks; Estonia, Poland and Romania have all also documented stray drones landing on their territory in recent months.

    German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius became the latest senior European official to visit Kyiv on Monday, arriving for an unannounced trip focused on expanding bilateral defense cooperation between Germany and Ukraine. Western leaders have continued to reiterate their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s military capabilities amid the ongoing stalemate on the front lines.

  • Portrait looted by Nazis found in home of Dutch SS leader’s descendants

    Portrait looted by Nazis found in home of Dutch SS leader’s descendants

    Eighty years after it was stolen from a prominent Jewish art collector by Nazi occupiers, a long-missing looted painting has been recovered in the Netherlands, after a descendant of the family that held it for generations chose to come forward in an act of accountability. Renowned Dutch art detective Arthur Brand, who has built his career tracking down stolen Nazi-era art, has revealed the details of this extraordinary case: *Portrait of a Young Girl*, a work by early 20th century Dutch artist Toon Kelder, was discovered in the residence of descendants of Hendrik Seyffardt, a notorious Dutch Nazi collaborator.

    The painting was originally part of the vast, celebrated collection of Jacques Goudstikker, a leading Jewish art dealer based in the Netherlands. When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Goudstikker fled the country for his life, but died mid-escape, leaving behind more than 1,000 works of art that were quickly seized by Nazi plunderers. Most of Goudstikker’s collection was dispersed, sold off at auction after being looted.

    The case came to Brand’s attention when a man, who discovered he was a direct descendant of Seyffardt, reached out through an intermediary. Seyffardt was a high-ranking Dutch military officer who commanded a volunteer Waffen-SS unit fighting for Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front, before being assassinated by Dutch resistance fighters in 1943. The descendant told Brand he was disgusted upon learning his family had held the looted artwork for decades, and decided to act to return it to its rightful owners. When he confronted his grandmother about the painting, she acknowledged its provenance openly: she told him it had been acquired during the war, that it was looted Jewish property stolen from Goudstikker, and that it was unsellable, instructing him to keep the secret, Brand confirmed.

    In statements to Dutch media, the family, who changed their surname after World War Two ended, has confirmed they held the painting for generations, but maintain they had no knowledge of its true origins until recently. The descendant told De Telegraaf, a major Dutch newspaper, that he feels deep shame and believes the work belongs with Goudstikker’s surviving heirs. His grandmother echoed that position in her own statement, saying she inherited the painting from her mother and now understands why Goudstikker’s family wants it returned.

    After being contacted, Brand launched a thorough investigation to verify the painting’s provenance. He found an old label on the back of the canvas and the number 92 etched into the work’s frame. Cross-referencing this mark with archival records from a 1940 auction where hundreds of pieces from Goudstikker’s looted collection were sold, Brand found a matching entry: lot number 92 was listed as *Portrait of a Young Girl* by Toon Kelder. Brand’s investigation suggests the painting was originally seized by Hermann Goering, one of the most powerful Nazi leaders and an avid art plunderer, after Goudstikker fled the Netherlands. It was then sold at the 1940 auction to Seyffardt, and passed down through the family ever since.

    Brand confirmed he reached out to legal representatives for Goudstikker’s heirs, who verified that Goudstikker once owned six works by Toon Kelder, all of which were included in that 1940 auction of looted art. For Brand, a seasoned investigator who has recovered dozens of Nazi-looted works from major institutions including the Louvre and the Dutch Royal Collection, this case stands out as one of the most remarkable of his career. “This is stunning, the most bizarre case of my entire career,” he told the BBC. “But discovering a painting from the famous Goudstikker collection, in the possession of the heirs of a notorious and famous Dutch Waffen-SS general, truly tops everything.” He noted that while the current generation of the family bears no personal responsibility for Seyffardt’s wartime crimes, they kept the painting for decades when they could have done the right thing and returned it voluntarily.

    This recovery draws parallels to another high-profile case involving Goudstikker’s looted collection, when an Italian Renaissance masterpiece by Giuseppe Ghislandi, also stolen by the Nazis from Goudstikker, was spotted on an Argentine real estate website, hanging in a home once owned by a senior Nazi official who fled to South America after the war. Authorities launched a raid to recover the work, but it had been removed before police arrived, and remains missing to this day.

    This new recovery marks another small step toward correcting the widespread art theft carried out by the Nazi regime during World War Two, and highlights how even 80 years later, looted works are still being traced and returned to the families of their original owners.

  • No end to deadlock as Iran, US reject talks terms

    No end to deadlock as Iran, US reject talks terms

    A months-long diplomatic standoff between the United States and Iran has reached a new boiling point, with a sharp exchange of negotiating terms dashing hopes for a quick de-escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf and raising the prospect of a full resumption of open conflict. The deadlock has already sent shockwaves through global energy markets, pushed oil prices sharply higher, and been compounded by fresh drone strikes across the region that have fractured a fragile existing ceasefire.

    The breakdown in talks came after Iranian officials responded to a latest US peace proposal with a formal counteroffer that former US President Donald Trump rejected outright as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE” in a terse social media statement over the weekend. While Trump did not specify which provisions of Iran’s counteroffer sparked his fury, Tehran has publicly outlined its non-negotiable core demands: an immediate end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, the full release of billions of dollars in Iranian sovereign assets frozen in international financial institutions for years, and a cessation of all regional hostilities – a condition that implicitly requires an end to Israeli military strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

    Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, emphasized to reporters on Monday that Tehran is not seeking excessive concessions, only the enforcement of its long-recognized legitimate rights. “We did not demand any concessions. The only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights,” Baqaei said. Analysts note that meeting Iran’s core demands would not only roll back the military and economic pressure imposed by the US and Israel ahead of the outbreak of the current conflict in late February, but also represent a major policy victory for the Islamic Republic’s years-long campaign to break global economic isolation. It would also significantly reduce Washington’s diplomatic leverage over Tehran regarding its nuclear program, a key longstanding priority for US policymakers.

    The US, Israel and their Western allies have for decades accused Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, a charge Tehran has consistently and categorically denied. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his hardline stance over the weekend in an interview with CBS’s *60 Minutes*, insisting that the conflict will not end until all of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is permanently destroyed. “It’s not over, because there’s still nuclear material — enriched uranium — that has to be taken out of Iran,” Netanyahu said. “There’s still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled.”

    Despite the public breakdown, reporting from *The Wall Street Journal* citing anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations indicates Iran’s counteroffer included tentative concessions on nuclear enrichment. According to the outlet, Tehran proposed diluting a portion of its existing highly enriched uranium and transferring the remainder to a neutral third country for storage, with a guarantee that the material would be returned if the final agreement collapses or Washington withdraws from the deal, a key Iranian protection against future US policy shifts.

    With talks stalled, the focus of global concern has shifted back to the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic international waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s total oil exports. Iran has already begun restricting commercial maritime traffic through the strait and moving forward with plans to implement a new toll system for transiting vessels, a step US officials have repeatedly called unacceptable. Meanwhile, the US Navy maintains its ongoing blockade of Iranian ports, regularly intercepting and diverting commercial vessels traveling to and from Iranian territorial waters.

    Compounding the already tense situation, fresh drone attacks across the Gulf on Sunday shattered the fragile ceasefire that had held for weeks. The United Arab Emirates announced its air defense systems successfully intercepted a drone launched from Iranian territory, while Kuwait reported detecting hostile unauthorized drones in its national airspace. Qatar’s defense ministry also confirmed a cargo freighter sailing into Qatari waters from Abu Dhabi was struck by a drone in the incident.

    Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission, issued a stark public warning to Washington over the weekend that marked the end of Tehran’s period of voluntary restraint. “Our restraint is over as of today,” Rezaei said in a social media post. “Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases.”

    Looking ahead, the Trump administration has signaled it will raise the Iran issue during the president’s upcoming visit to Beijing this Thursday, where he is expected to press Chinese President Xi Jinping – leader of the world’s largest importer of Iranian crude oil – to back tougher pressure on Tehran to compromise on the peace terms.

  • Police find body believed to be of fugitive Australian shooter

    Police find body believed to be of fugitive Australian shooter

    Four months after a horrific triple shooting that left three people dead — including a seven-month pregnant woman — in the small Australian outback town of Lake Cargelligo, authorities have confirmed the discovery of a body believed to be that of the prime suspect, Julian Ingram.

    The tragedy dates back to January 22, when Ingram, a local council worker who had been granted bail on prior domestic violence offences, allegedly opened fire on his ex-partner Sophie Quinn, who was expecting a child due in March, Quinn’s close friend, and Quinn’s aunt. All three died at the scene. A 19-year-old man who was also attacked in the shooting survived with serious injuries and has since been discharged from hospital, police confirmed.

    In the immediate aftermath of the killings, law enforcement launched a massive manhunt, deploying roughly 100 officers to scour the remote region surrounding Lake Cargelligo, a community of just 1,500 residents located around 450 kilometres west of Sydney. Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland noted at the time that Ingram’s long-term work in the area had given him intimate local knowledge, allowing him to stay off the grid for an extended period. He was not spotted after the day of the shootings.

    The breakthrough came when wildlife officers conducting routine feral pest eradication operations stumbled across the remains 50 kilometres northwest of the murder site, next to an abandoned utility vehicle. On Monday, Holland told reporters that forensic and on-site checks have already linked the vehicle to Ingram. “Based on the identification evidence from the scene and the clothing the deceased was wearing, we are confident this is Julian Ingram,” Holland told reporters, according to Australian public broadcaster ABC.

    Investigators added that the body appeared to have been left at the remote location for a significant amount of time, consistent with Ingram having disappeared shortly after the January attacks. For the tight-knit community of Lake Cargelligo that has lived under the shadow of the unsolved case for months, the discovery marks a pivotal turning point. Holland said the finding brings a formal close to the active investigation, and can offer some measure of comfort to a shaken town, allowing residents to finally move forward after the tragedy.

  • Trump-Xi summit comes with high stakes for Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own

    Trump-Xi summit comes with high stakes for Taiwan, the island democracy that China claims as its own

    As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for his high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, growing ambiguity around his approach to Taiwan has sparked intense speculation across global capitals about the future of long-standing U.S. policy toward the self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own.

    Trump’s actions and public comments have painted a contradictory picture in recent months. In December last year, he approved a historic $11 billion arms package for Taiwan – the largest single weapons deal the U.S. has ever concluded with the island. To date, however, no delivery timeline has been finalized, and Trump has publicly confirmed he has already discussed the proposed sale with Xi. Beyond the arms deal debate, the U.S. leader has publicly complained that Taiwan “stole” American semiconductor industry business, and has repeatedly pressured Taipei to compensate Washington for its security commitments. Using the threat of steep new tariffs as leverage, Trump has also pushed Taiwan to commit to large-scale investments in U.S.-based advanced semiconductor manufacturing, and to purchase billions of dollars in American crude oil and liquefied natural gas.

    This inconsistent approach has left policymakers and analysts in Beijing, Taipei, and Washington questioning the durability of the U.S.’s long-held commitment to Taiwan’s self-defense. Critics, particularly among Washington’s foreign policy circles that back strong U.S. support for Taipei, warn that Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy could leave Taiwan vulnerable to concessions during the summit. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, noted that supporters of Taiwan are growing increasingly concerned that the island could become a bargaining chip in talks between the two global leaders.

    For its part, Beijing has made clear that the Taiwan issue will be a central topic of discussion during this week’s meetings. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi raised the island’s status during a pre-summit call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging Washington to “make the right choices” on Taiwan policy to preserve bilateral stability, according to an official statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. While Rubio reaffirmed in a press briefing in Rome that long-standing U.S. policy has not shifted – stating Washington opposes any forced changes to the cross-strait status quo that would threaten global stability – he did acknowledge that Taiwan would feature on the summit’s agenda, even if it is not a formal centerpiece.

    White House officials have pushed back against concerns over shifting policy, pointing out that Trump has already approved more military sales to Taiwan in the first year of his second term than former Democratic President Joe Biden approved across his full four-year term. In addition to the $11 billion arms package, Trump greenlit a $330 million deal for military aircraft parts for Taiwan in November. The Trump administration has also long pressured Taipei to increase its own defense spending, a goal that saw partial progress Friday when Taiwanese lawmakers ended months of legislative gridlock to approve a $25 billion arms purchase budget. That figure fell far short of the $40 billion proposal put forward by Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, a gap that a senior anonymous Trump administration official called disappointing.

    Taiwanese officials have publicly acknowledged concern over Beijing’s intensified rhetoric ahead of the summit, though they have drawn some reassurance from Rubio’s recent comments. National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen told reporters that while Beijing may attempt diplomatic maneuvering during the talks, Washington has repeatedly confirmed through both public and private channels that its Taiwan policy remains unchanged.

    China analysts note that Xi’s core goal will be to pressure Trump to roll back elements of U.S. support for Taipei, aligned with Beijing’s long-standing position that Taiwan is a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Since 1979, the U.S. has maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity”: it acknowledges Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China, but does not explicitly endorse that position, opposes Taiwanese independence, rejects unilateral changes to the status quo, and provides informal security support and arms to Taipei.

    Analysts say Xi will likely push Trump to curb U.S. arms sales and impose informal restrictions on high-level U.S. official visits to the island, taking advantage of Trump’s already demonstrated willingness to deviate from traditional diplomatic norms. In February, Trump made headlines by confirming he consults Xi on U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, breaking with decades of established policy. Patricia Kim, a China expert with the Brookings Institution’s Assessing China Project, warned that even if no formal policy shift is announced, Trump’s well-documented tendency to make off-the-cuff remarks could create unintended shifts that upend cross-strait stability.

    Uncertainty over the U.S. commitment has also been amplified by Trump’s muted response to a recent diplomatic rift between U.S. ally Japan and China over Taiwan. In November, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a regional security threat that could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, justifying a military response. Trump spoke with both Takaichi and Xi that same month, but has largely avoided taking a public stance on the dispute, noting in March talks with Takaichi that he would “be speaking Japan’s praises when I’m in China with President Xi.” Additional scrutiny came after the 2026 U.S. National Defense Strategy omitted any direct mention of Taiwan.

    Still, many analysts point to one key factor that may protect Taiwan from major policy shifts: its dominant position in the global semiconductor industry, a sector critical to U.S. technological competitiveness in its race with China. Lev Nachman, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, noted that Trump is well aware of Taiwan’s central role to U.S. economic and technological growth, creating a baseline that makes drastic policy shifts unlikely.

    Edgard Kagan, a former senior State Department official who worked on East Asia policy for both the Trump and Biden administrations and now holds the China Studies chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, added that while Trump approaches diplomacy from a transactional perspective, his administration has never treated core U.S. interests in the region as negotiable trade-offs. “The president understands leverage. My experience of being in meetings with him, he has a very, very acute sense of how to use it,” Kagan said. “And so I think that the idea that there’s going to be a trade where the president sort of sacrifices U.S. interests in Taiwan in order to get other things — I think it’s unlikely based on my own experience of how he operates.”

    In the end, the outcome of the summit for Taiwan will likely be measured by the public statements the two leaders release. After Trump’s last in-person meeting with Xi in October, he claimed the Chinese leader had not raised the Taiwan issue, and that Chinese officials “know the consequences” of any military action against the island. For Taipei, Nachman noted, the best possible outcome is that the issue is not discussed publicly, or addressed only in passing.

  • Philippine VP Sara Duterte impeached for a second time

    Philippine VP Sara Duterte impeached for a second time

    In a major development reshaping Philippine politics, the House of Representatives has approved a second impeachment vote against Vice President Sara Duterte, clearing the way for a Senate trial that could permanently end her presidential ambitions for the 2028 election.

    Monday’s vote crossed the required one-third threshold easily, with 255 out of 290 attending lawmakers backing the impeachment move. The case centers on two core allegations: unauthorized misuse of public funds during Duterte’s tenure as vice president, and public threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

    This is not the first time impeachment proceedings have been brought against Duterte on identical grounds. The first attempt in 2025 was derailed by the Philippine Supreme Court, which blocked the process on a technicality before it could reach the Senate for trial. The case was revived earlier this year, and last week a House investigative committee concluded there was enough credible evidence to support moving forward with impeachment.

    Duterte has repeatedly dismissed the proceedings as a politically motivated sham. In a formal written statement responding to the committee’s ruling, she called the case “nothing more than a scrap of paper,” and refused to participate in the committee hearings, citing what she claims is a biased, partisan process.

    The lopsided House vote is widely seen as a clear demonstration of Marcos’ retained influence over the lower chamber of Congress. Unlike House members, who are elected by individual legislative districts and typically align with the sitting president to secure patronage and resources for their constituencies, the 24-member Senate is elected nationally and has long served as a launching pad for future presidential and vice presidential candidates.

    The path to a conviction remains far from certain, however. Half of the Senate seats were up for grabs in the 2025 midterm elections, and candidates aligned with Duterte outperformed those running under Marcos’ ruling coalition. In a political system defined by shifting dynastic alliances and flexible multi-party loyalties, forecasting the outcome of an impeachment trial is exceptionally difficult.

    For Duterte, a conviction would result in immediate permanent disqualification from holding any public office, scrapping her well-publicized plan to run for president in 2028. The 47-year-old politician, daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, currently holds a commanding lead in early presidential polling. A March 2026 survey by Manila-based pollster WR Numero placed her 17 percentage points ahead of her closest competitor.

    The current rift between Duterte and Marcos marks a dramatic reversal of fortune for the once-powerful political alliance that swept both into office in the 2022 national election. Duterte was originally the frontrunner to succeed her father as president in 2022, but agreed to run for vice president alongside Marcos to unify their support bases and block a rising reformist opposition. The ticket won election by a landslide, but the partnership quickly fractured as the two leaders pursued conflicting political agendas.

    Tensions boiled over after Marcos allies led by Romualdez launched an investigation into allegations of misappropriated funds in Duterte’s vice presidential office. During a fiery late-night online address at the height of the probe, Duterte openly stated she had instructed an associate that if she were killed, the associates should target Marcos, the first lady, and Romualdez.

    The relationship deteriorated further last March, when Marcos granted authority to the International Criminal Court to arrest former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently detained at The Hague awaiting trial on crimes against humanity charges linked to thousands of deaths during his controversial war on drugs.

  • Philippine House votes to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte

    Philippine House votes to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte

    In a major political shakeup that has sent shockwaves through the Philippines, the country’s House of Representatives delivered a historic vote on Monday, approving the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte by an overwhelming margin over a trio of serious allegations. The accusations leveled against Duterte include undeclared unexplained assets, the improper use of public government funds, and even threats to arrange the assassination of sitting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

    Dominance of Marcos Jr.’s political allies in the lower chamber shaped the final outcome, which landed at 255 votes in favor of impeachment to just 26 votes against, with nine lawmakers choosing to abstain from the historic ballot. Two separate impeachment complaints brought against the vice president will now advance to the Philippine Senate, where the upper legislative chamber will be convened as a formal impeachment tribunal to conduct Duterte’s trial.

    Duterte, who is the daughter of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, one of the country’s most polarizing and influential modern political figures, has issued a general denial of all wrongdoing connected to the allegations. She has not, however, addressed the specific criminal claims brought against her in any public detailed response.

    This is not the first time the vice president has faced an impeachment vote: in 2023, the House similarly advanced impeachment proceedings against her, but Duterte avoided a Senate trial after the Supreme Court ordered the attempt halted on a constitutional technicality. It remains unclear whether the new impeachment attempt will face similar legal challenges, or if the Senate tribunal will move forward to weigh the merits of the accusations against the country’s second-highest elected official.

  • France woos Anglophone Africa at a summit in Kenya

    France woos Anglophone Africa at a summit in Kenya

    As France finalizes its full military withdrawal from West African nations, a move widely interpreted as a signal of its waning traditional influence across the African continent, Paris is launching a revised model of engagement with African nations at the two-day Africa Forward Summit kicking off Monday in Nairobi, Kenya. Co-hosted by France and Kenya, this gathering marks the first time France has held such a major Africa-focused summit in an English-speaking African nation, representing a deliberate strategic shift toward expanding ties with non-Francophone countries under a new framework billed as a ‘partnership of equals’.

    For decades, France maintained a system of economic, political, and military dominance over its former African colonies, a network of influence widely known as Françafrique that included stationing thousands of French troops across the region. Growing criticism from African leaders and opposition movements, who decried the approach as condescending and overly interventionist, eventually forced Paris to pull back the bulk of its deployed forces from West Africa and the Sahel. Today, Paris is seeking to reframe its role on the continent through this new policy direction, with the recently ratified Kenya-France Defense Cooperation Agreement laying out the roadmap for its future engagement.

    More than 30 heads of state and government from across Africa, including delegations from longstanding Francophone nations, are in attendance for the summit. Arriving in Kenya a day ahead of the summit’s official opening Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to soften tensions with West African leaders who pushed for France’s military exit, noting that while Paris may hold policy disagreements with some West African governments, ‘never disagrees with the people.’

    The new bilateral defense pact with Kenya, signed in October 2024 by Kenyan Defense Minister Soipan Tuya and French Ambassador to Kenya Arnaud Suquet, was ratified by Kenya’s national parliament on April 8 this year. That same month, Kenya also moved to ratify similar defense cooperation agreements with the Czech Republic, China, and Italy, part of the East African nation’s broader strategy of expanding multilateral security ties at a moment when many Sahel nations are expelling foreign military presences to reclaim full national sovereignty.

    The defense agreement has not been without controversy, however. Kenyan civil society organizations have raised sharp criticism of provisions that grant French troops broad immunity from domestic Kenyan law for on-duty offenses, a provision that echoes controversial terms in a decades-long defense pact with the United Kingdom that has left multiple serious crimes committed by British personnel against Kenyan civilians difficult to prosecute. Most notably, the 2012 murder of 21-year-old Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru, who was last seen in the company of a British soldier near a UK training base in central Kenya’s Nanyuki, and the 2021 deadly Lolldaiga ranch fire linked to British military training activities, have become high-profile examples of the harms caused by these broad immunity clauses. It took more than a decade for Kenyan courts to order the extradition of the British soldier charged in Wanjiru’s killing, a process delayed for years by the legal protections in the UK-Kenya defense pact.

    Defending the new agreement and Kenya’s broader strategy of security partnerships, Nelson Koech, chair of Kenya’s parliamentary defense committee, emphasized that the pacts with advanced militaries deliver tangible benefits: access to specialized military training and critical intelligence-sharing opportunities that will strengthen Kenya’s own national defense capabilities. Koech rejected claims that the agreements amount to a ‘surrender of sovereignty’, noting that updated provisions in the new pacts require foreign personnel to face Kenyan prosecution for serious violent offenses including murder. Even so, the immunity provision for most on-duty offenses remains unchanged, mirroring the controversial structure of the UK agreement. Roughly 800 French military personnel arrived in Kenya aboard a French navy ship one month ahead of the summit, the first deployment under the new defense cooperation framework.

  • Thailand’s ex-PM Thaksin released from prison

    Thailand’s ex-PM Thaksin released from prison

    Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s divisive and long-dominant political figure Thaksin Shinawatra walked free from Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison on Monday, eight months into a one-year sentence, opening a new chapter of uncertainty for the country’s already turbulent political landscape.

    The 76-year-old former telecommunications tycoon and two-time prime minute was granted parole as part of a national early release program for elderly inmates, a decision announced by Thailand’s Department of Corrections last month. Following his release, Thaksin was fitted with a court-mandated electronic monitoring device at a local probation office, and will remain on probation until September. Under the terms of his release, he is barred from leaving Bangkok without official government approval.

    Outside the prison walls, hundreds of Thaksin’s most loyal supporters gathered in the signature red shirts that have become a symbol of his populist political movement, waiting to catch a glimpse of the leader they have backed for more than two decades. As he exited the facility, Thaksin embraced his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra – herself a former Thai prime minister – and other family members, with supporters breaking into chants of “we love Thaksin” to welcome his release. Speaking to reporters from the back window of his car after arriving at his Bangkok residence, Thaksin said he felt “relief” after what he described as an eight-month “hibernation” behind bars.

    Thaksin’s political influence has shaped Thai politics for 20 years, positioning his populist political bloc – which evolved into the current Pheu Thai party – as the most consistent electoral force in 21st-century Thailand. Members of the Shinawatra political dynasty have held the office of prime minister four times, drawing unwavering support from working-class and rural voters across the country. For the entirety of his political career, however, Thaksin has been locked in a bitter power struggle with Thailand’s pro-military, pro-royalty conservative elite, who have long viewed his populist appeal as a direct threat to the country’s traditional social and political order.

    This long-running rivalry remains a defining factor of Thaksin’s post-prison future. Analysts note that the former prime minister still faces multiple outstanding criminal cases, a reality that may deter him from jumping back into high-profile political activism that could trigger new legal prosecution. Despite this, his release has already reshaped the dynamics of Thailand’s current ruling government, which includes Pheu Thai as a key coalition partner alongside conservative Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

    The road to Thaksin’s early release has been marked by controversy and public suspicion. He first returned to Thailand from 15 years of self-imposed exile in August 2023, shortly after Pheu Thai concluded negotiations to form a new ruling coalition. Upon his return, he was convicted on corruption and abuse of power charges and sentenced to eight years in prison, but was immediately transferred to a private hospital suite on purported medical grounds rather than being held in a standard prison cell. A royal pardon later reduced his sentence to one year, but the Supreme Court ruled in September 2024 that Thaksin had not suffered from a life-threatening health condition, meaning his time in the hospital could not count toward his sentence, ordering him to serve the remainder of his term behind bars.

    That unusual path to prison stoked widespread allegations of backroom deals and special treatment for Thaksin, accusations that have continued to shadow Thai politics as he re-enters public life. In February 2025, Pheu Thai turned in its worst electoral performance in the party’s modern history, sliding to third place in national voting and casting doubt on the long-term viability of the Shinawatra political dynasty. But the party’s role in Anutin’s ruling coalition has kept open the door for a potential Thaksin comeback.

    Political observers are split on what Thaksin’s release means for Thai politics moving forward. Wanwichit Boonprong, a political science lecturer, noted that for die-hard Thaksin supporters, the former prime minister’s freedom will likely give a short-term boost to Pheu Thai, as supporters see the party’s de facto leader back in public life. At the same time, he argued, Thaksin’s long-time conservative rivals will rally around Prime Minister Anutin, who holds the trust of the traditional elite that Thaksin has long challenged. Those conservatives, Wanwichit said, will push aggressively to ensure Thaksin stays on the political sidelines.

    Anutin struck a conciliatory tone with the former prime minister following his release, telling reporters he was happy for Thaksin and his family. “He returns home with a smile,” Anutin said, adding that he would not rule out a future meeting between the two leaders, noting “Bangkok is not that big. Meeting with people we know and respect is not strange.”

    Members of Thaksin’s family have pushed back against speculation that he will immediately re-enter political competition. Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters earlier this week that the family had not discussed political matters during their recent prison visits. Thaksin’s nephew Yodchanan Wongsawat, who led Pheu Thai’s electoral ticket in February’s vote, currently holds a cabinet position as minister of higher education in Anutin’s administration.

    Thaksin is one of more than 850 Thai inmates approved for early release under the government’s program for elderly and low-sentence prisoners, but his release is by far the most politically consequential, leaving political analysts and voters across Thailand waiting to see what the polarizing former leader will do next.

  • US national on repatriation flight tests positive for hantavirus

    US national on repatriation flight tests positive for hantavirus

    A deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius has triggered a coordinated global repatriation operation, with multiple nations arranging emergency evacuations after three passengers died and new positive cases were detected among returnees. The vessel, which completed a voyage through South America, is currently anchored off the coast of Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where authorities have overseen the gradual disembarkation of more than 90 international passengers since Sunday.

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Monday that one American national returning on a government-chartered repatriation flight tested positive for hantavirus, while a second passenger is experiencing mild symptoms consistent with the infection. Out of an abundance of caution, both patients were transported in specialized biocontainment units during the flight. All 17 U.S. citizens on the charter, plus one British national residing in the U.S. who joined the evacuation, are now undergoing comprehensive clinical assessment and further screening at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Seven additional U.S. passengers returned to the country earlier and are currently under active monitoring by public health officials in their home states. Officials from the U.S. have emphasized that the risk of a large-scale community outbreak remains extremely low.

    Three passengers have already died from complications linked to the outbreak: a Dutch couple and a German woman, two of whom have been officially confirmed to have contracted hantavirus. The Andes strain of hantavirus, which the World Health Organization (WHO) suspects infected passengers during a stop in South America, is most commonly carried by rodents, but limited human-to-human transmission is possible. Typical symptoms of infection include high fever, extreme muscle fatigue, body aches, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea and progressive shortness of breath.

    The outbreak has sparked public disagreement between global health leaders and U.S. public health officials over safety protocols. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the U.S. decision to deviate from WHO-recommended guidelines carries potential public health risks. The global health body has mandated a 42-day isolation period for all passengers disembarking the MV Hondius. However, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pushed back against the strict measures, saying he sought to avoid unnecessary public panic. He noted that human-to-human transmission of the virus is rare, and it should not be managed using the same strict protocols implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Photographs captured Sunday showed disembarking passengers donning full personal protective equipment, including blue medical gowns, bouffant caps and surgical face masks, as they entered the port of Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife. Multiple countries have launched their own repatriation and quarantine operations for their citizens:
    – French health authorities confirmed a French passenger who returned to Paris tested positive for hantavirus, and is currently in isolation as her health condition deteriorates. She was one of five French nationals on board the ship, and contact tracers have already identified 22 close contacts who are being monitored.
    – A charter flight carrying 20 British nationals landed at Manchester Airport on Sunday, with all passengers transported to Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside for a 72-hour precautionary isolation period. No passengers have reported symptoms so far, though two other British citizens with confirmed hantavirus are receiving treatment in the Netherlands and South Africa respectively.
    – Fourteen Spanish nationals repatriated to Madrid are currently undergoing mandatory quarantine at a military hospital, with two additional evacuation flights scheduled for Monday afternoon.
    – A separate flight carrying 26 passengers and crew, including eight Dutch nationals, landed in the Netherlands on Sunday. Six passengers are scheduled to travel to Australia, while another 18 will be repatriated to the Netherlands on additional flights. Both of these final flights will also carry passengers from other nations that did not arrange their own independent repatriation missions.