分类： world

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court is poised to deliver a pivotal ruling on Friday regarding the potential release of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte from detention. Appeals judges will determine whether the octogenarian leader should be granted freedom while ongoing proceedings continue regarding charges of crimes against humanity.

This legal development follows an October decision that maintained Duterte’s custody after judges determined he posed a flight risk and potential witness intimidation threat. ICC prosecutors allege Duterte’s direct involvement in dozens of extrajudicial killings during his controversial war on drugs campaign, first as mayor of Davao City and subsequently as president. Court documents indicate he allegedly instructed and authorized “violent acts including murder” against suspected criminals.

The human toll of Duterte’s anti-drug campaign remains contested. Official national police statistics report over 6,000 fatalities, while human rights organizations estimate casualties could reach 30,000. Victims’ families celebrated Duterte’s initial arrest in March as a landmark moment for accountability.

Duterte’s defense team contends their client suffers from significant physical and cognitive decline, describing his continued detention as “cruel” given his alleged inability to assist with his own legal defense. The court previously postponed pretrial proceedings in September pending comprehensive medical evaluation.

Should appeals judges rule in Duterte’s favor, he would not return to the Philippines but instead be transferred to another ICC member state’s custody during continuing legal proceedings. This case represents a critical test for international justice mechanisms confronting allegations of state-sanctioned violence.

The legal pathway to this moment began in February 2018 when ICC prosecutors initiated a preliminary investigation into Duterte-era violence. The former president subsequently withdrew the Philippines from the Rome Statute, a move critics characterized as an attempt to evade accountability. ICC judges have consistently maintained jurisdiction, ruling that nations cannot abuse withdrawal procedures to shield individuals from justice for crimes already under consideration.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan authorities have shuttered all government institutions and educational facilities nationwide following catastrophic monsoon conditions that have claimed 56 lives and damaged over 600 residences. The Indian Ocean nation continues to battle the most severe weather system to hit its territory this season, with conditions dramatically intensifying Thursday amid torrential rainfall that submerged entire communities, agricultural lands, and transportation networks while triggering multiple fatal landslides.

The most devastating incidents occurred in the central highland regions of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya, renowned for their tea plantations, where collapsing mountainsides buried communities under tons of earth and debris. Official reports from the Disaster Management Center confirm at least 25 fatalities in these districts alone, with 21 individuals remaining unaccounted for and 14 hospitalized with injuries.

Transport infrastructure has suffered critical damage nationwide as overflowing reservoirs and river systems inundated roadways and railway tracks. Transportation authorities have suspended all passenger rail services and implemented widespread road closures after mudslides, rockfalls, and fallen trees rendered key transit routes impassable.

Rescue operations have intensified with all branches of the military deploying emergency response teams. Aerial footage captured by local media showed Air Force helicopters executing precision rescues of civilians stranded on rooftops amidst raging floodwaters. Naval and police personnel have deployed amphibious vehicles and boats to evacuate residents from submerged neighborhoods. In one tragic incident near Ampara, surveillance cameras recorded a vehicle being swept away by violent currents, resulting in three fatalities.

The meteorological department has issued continued alerts for additional precipitation, with emergency response teams remaining on highest alert across all affected provinces.

Sri Lanka is grappling with one of its most severe weather-related catastrophes in recent years, as torrential rains have unleashed devastating floods and lethal landslides across the island nation. Official reports from the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) confirm a death toll of at least 40 individuals, with an additional 21 people reported missing.

The central tea-growing district of Badulla suffered the most significant single incident, where a catastrophic overnight landslide buried multiple homes, claiming 21 lives. Disturbing footage circulating on social media platforms depicts the sheer force of the disaster, showing residential structures being swept away by powerful floodwaters. In response, authorities have established temporary shelters to provide refuge for displaced families.

Compounding the crisis, meteorological officials warn that conditions are poised to deteriorate further with the approach of Cyclone Ditwah along Sri Lanka’s eastern coastline. Originally forming as a deep depression, the system has intensified into a cyclone that is forecasted to make landfall in India while significantly impacting Sri Lanka’s weather patterns.

With river levels continuing to rise dangerously, the DMC has issued urgent evacuation advisories for residents in low-lying regions. The Irrigation Department has escalated warnings to red alert status for the Kelani River valley, including areas within the capital Colombo, anticipating critical flooding within the next 48 hours. Forecasters predict excessive rainfall exceeding 200mm in central and northern territories on Friday.

The widespread disruption has severely impacted transportation networks, with key inter-provincial roads closed and railway services experiencing major interruptions. The educational sector has also been affected, prompting authorities to postpone Advanced Level Examinations for thousands of students.

While Sri Lanka routinely experiences monsoon conditions, the current scale of devastation is exceptionally rare. The event evokes memories of the country’s worst flooding this century in June 2003, which resulted in 254 fatalities and displaced hundreds of thousands of residents.

Amnesty International has issued a stark warning that Israel continues to perpetrate genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, despite a ceasefire entering its second month and the release of all living Israeli captives. The human rights organization emphasized that the temporary calm creates a “dangerous illusion” of normalcy while systematic destruction continues.

Secretary General Agnes Callamard stated that while Israel has reduced attack scales and permitted limited humanitarian access, the fundamental genocidal conditions persist. This assessment aligns with the United Nations’ top investigative body which ruled Israel guilty of genocide in September, a position supported by numerous world leaders, historians, and human rights experts.

The US-brokered ceasefire initiated on October 10th has been violated nearly 500 times, resulting in at least 339 Palestinian fatalities from continued Israeli airstrikes. Israel maintains severe restrictions on humanitarian aid, allowing only 200 trucks daily instead of the agreed 600, while keeping Gaza’s Rafah border crossing closed and enforcing a comprehensive naval blockade.

Amnesty’s report details how Palestinians face “slow death” from starvation, disease, and exposure due to destroyed infrastructure. The organization notes Israel’s systematic destruction of housing units and farmland, with the World Food Programme reporting most households unable to afford basic food items. Gaza’s economy has contracted by 87% from 2023-2024, creating what the UN describes as a “human-made abyss” requiring $70 billion for reconstruction.

Meanwhile, US and Israeli officials are developing controversial plans to build temporary housing on Palestinian-owned land in Israeli-occupied Rafah, a move criticized by European, UN and Arab officials as effectively partitioning Gaza through reconstruction policies. The Trump administration and Israeli government are simultaneously working to prevent rebuilding in central Gaza areas from which troops were mandated to withdraw.

The United Arab Emirates has formally refuted circulating reports suggesting a visa ban on Pakistani citizens, with embassy officials clarifying that no such restrictions exist. This clarification comes directly from a senior official at the UAE Embassy in Pakistan who spoke anonymously to Dawn newspaper on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

The diplomatic reassurance follows earlier statements from Pakistan’s Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry, who had informed a Senate committee that visa issuance appeared limited to diplomatic and official passport holders. The UAE official specifically countered this perception, emphasizing that regular visa processing for Pakistani nationals continues uninterrupted.

This development occurs within the context of robust bilateral relations between the two nations. Pakistan represents the second-largest expatriate community in the UAE, with approximately 1.7 million citizens residing primarily in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. Historical ties have strengthened through continuous diplomatic engagement and substantial labor migration, with over 230,000 Pakistanis relocating to the UAE during the 2023-24 financial year alone.

Significant visa facilitation reforms were simultaneously unveiled by newly-appointed UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Salem Mohammed Al Zaabi during a meeting with Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb. These enhancements include streamlined online visa processing, electronic visas without physical passport stamping, and improved system interoperability between governments. A newly established UAE visa center in Pakistan is currently processing approximately 500 applications daily, demonstrating operational normalization.

In a parallel development, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry announced in May 2025 stringent measures for deportees, including passport cancellation and travel restrictions for those returning from the UAE and other countries. However, the recent diplomatic exchanges highlight continued cooperation across trade, investment, and technological sectors, reaffirming both nations’ commitment to strengthening their strategic economic partnership.

In a remarkable development intertwining historical violence with contemporary diplomacy, Mehmet Ali Agca—the Turkish national who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981—has arrived in Iznik to welcome Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff is visiting Turkey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea this Friday.

Agca, who nearly succeeded in killing John Paul II during the 1981 shooting in Vatican City, was subsequently pardoned by the very pontiff he attempted to murder. His criminal history extends beyond this infamous act, having murdered Milliyet newspaper’s editor-in-chief Abdi Ipekci in 1979, for which he initially evaded capture.

Through statements to the Turkish news agency DHA, Agca expressed his intention to personally greet the new pope during his inaugural foreign visit. “I say ‘welcome’ to the pope. I hope today or tomorrow in Iznik or Istanbul we can sit and talk for two or three minutes,” Agca told local media, adding, “We are happy to receive him as a guest, and we greatly value the Vatican’s contributions to world peace.”

In a series of controversial claims, Agca described his assassination attempt as part of a “divine plan” that the world misunderstood. He vehemently rejected being labeled a terrorist, instead directing that accusation toward Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he called a “satanic, Zionist monster.” Agca astonishingly claimed, “The Vatican agrees with me on this,” though no evidence supports this assertion.

Further complicating historical narratives, Agca alleged that NATO attempted to exploit his actions by falsely linking him to the Soviets, suggesting his role contributed to the downfall of the Soviet empire.

Following his capture after the assassination attempt, Agca received a life sentence in Italy before being extradited to Turkey in 2000, where he served additional time for Ipekci’s murder and armed robberies. His release in 2010 concluded nearly three decades of imprisonment.

Turkish intelligence agencies are reportedly monitoring Agca’s movements in Iznik as Pope Leo conducts his official visit, which began Thursday in Ankara with meetings President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The pontiff’s itinerary includes touring the submerged remains of an ancient basilica in Lake Iznik, believed to be the site where the Council of Nicaea convened in 325 CE—a seminal event that brought together Christian bishops to resolve foundational theological disputes. Pope Leo and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church are expected to jointly commemorate this historic anniversary.

The ancient site of Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus has become the epicenter of intensified Israeli military and settler activities since October 2023, with recent developments seeing unprecedented international political participation. Last week’s incursion marked a significant escalation when twenty US lawmakers from the National Association of Christian Lawmakers joined settlers and Israeli forces in a heavily guarded visit to the contested religious site.

Arkansas Senator Jason Rapert, founder of NACL, explicitly endorsed Israeli sovereignty claims during the military-escorted tour, stating: ‘Israel and the Jewish people are the rightful heirs and sovereigns of all these areas.’ The delegation publicly praised the Israeli Defense Forces for their protection during the visit.

Palestinian analysts interpret these developments as part of a systematic strategy to reassert Israeli control. Veteran journalist Nawaf al-Amer, who has extensively documented the tomb’s contentious history, told Middle East Eye: ‘Since 7 October, the situation has completely shifted. Israel has been carrying out large, scheduled incursions involving significant numbers of settlers, religious figures, political leaders and influential parliamentarians.’

The site embodies the competing historical narratives that fuel the conflict. Palestinians identify it as the burial place of Sheikh Youssef Dweikat, a local cleric from the early 20th century, while Israelis venerate it as the tomb of the Prophet Joseph, a figure sacred to both Islamic and Jewish traditions.

This religious significance has been weaponized for political objectives, according to al-Amer: ‘The occupation has attempted to construct a fabricated historical narrative to claim ancient roots in the land, using religious symbolism to serve political aims. Joseph’s Tomb is one example.’

The current escalation occurs within the broader context of surging settler violence across the West Bank. United Nations data indicates that 2,200 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to settler activities and access restrictions over the past two years, with an additional 40,000 displaced from northern West Bank refugee camps during military operations. Tragically, settlers have killed 21 Palestinians during this period, contributing to the over 1,000 fatalities caused by Israeli forces in the West Bank.

Historical context reveals that Israel established a yeshiva at the site in the 1980s, maintaining heavy military protection until abandoning its permanent post in 2000. However, monthly settler visits continued under military escort, frequently sparking confrontations with Palestinian residents who view these incursions as pretexts for extending Israeli control.

The current push to reintroduce the yeshiva, coupled with increased settler activism and international political support, signals a potentially permanent transformation of the status quo at one of the region’s most symbolically charged locations.