International Criminal Court indicts former Philippine President Duterte

Today's headlines: Hong Kong on alert for Ragasa, the worst typhoon of the year worldwide; torrential rains also cause deaths in Calcutta. Presbyterian pastor escapes ambush in Islamabad. Egypt grants pardon to Alaa Abd El-Fattah, activist and opposition blogger imprisoned for 12 years. Indonesian NGOs call for an end to Prabowo's free meals after food poisoning incidents.

PHILIPPINES

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been formally charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The 80-year-old former head of state is held criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place during his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang said Duterte was an “indirect co-perpetrator” of the killings, which the Court said were carried out by others, including the police. Rodrigo Duterte is the first former Asian head of state to be indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) – and the first defendant to be transferred to The Hague, where the Court is based: he has been in custody there since March.

HONG KONG-CHINA-INDIA

The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has raised the alert level for Typhoon Ragasa, which is heading towards the city, to 8 on a scale of 10. It is expected to be the most violent cyclone in the world recorded so far this year, and tens of millions of people could be affected in the coming days as it crosses southern China. As it passed over the northern Philippines, it generated winds of over 267 km/h. Meanwhile, torrential rains have also caused serious damage in Kolkata, India: at least three people (according to other sources, seven) have died from electrocution. With the annual Durga Puja celebrations less than a week away, the flooded city poses even greater risks than usual: pandal decorations, PVC billboards and bamboo poles are causing blockages on submerged roads in several areas of the city.

PAKISTAN

Presbyterian pastor Kamran Naz, who was shot and wounded on Sunday 21 September in the Iqbal Town neighbourhood of Islamabad, Pakistan, is safe by miracle. Two young men on a motorbike approached him, opened fire and wounded the pastor in the right leg; a second shot at chest height did not hit him. Transported to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for emergency medical treatment, the pastor filed a complaint against persons unknown. An active member of the Presbyterian Christian community in Pakistan, Kamran Naz had already received threats, including accusations of ‘proselytising among Afghan refugees’.

EGYPT

Well-known Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been released after spending almost 12 years in prison, after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi granted him a pardon along with five other prisoners. Considered one of Egypt's most prominent political prisoners, Abd El-Fattah's long detention and repeated hunger strikes had prompted the international community to call for his release. A former blogger, he had been arrested even before the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011. But it was his open criticism of the political repression of the Muslim Brotherhood and other opposition movements by General al-Sisi, who came to power in 2014, that led to his longest period of imprisonment.

INDONESIA

Some Indonesian health NGOs have urged the government to temporarily suspend President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free school meals programme. The £10 billion programme has reached over 20 million beneficiaries since its launch in January and is rapidly expanding with the aim of reaching 83 million women and children by the end of the year. However, it has faced several problems related to the supply and preparation of meals. According to Ubaid Matraji, director of the Network for Education Watch (JPPI), food poisoning caused by free meals has affected 6,452 children across the country, representing ‘a systemic failure’.

RUSSIA

The Russian Ministry of Justice has even included a well-known war propagandist, Z-blogger Roman Alekhin, former adviser to the former governor of the Kursk region, Aleksey Smirnov, on its list of “foreign agents”. Alekhin was arrested last April for laundering “humanitarian” money for participants in the “special military operation”, in which Alekhin himself is said to have participated.

CENTRAL ASIA

The World Boxing Championships held in Liverpool saw the triumph of Central Asian boxers, who were welcomed home as heroes, with Kazakhstan in first place (7 gold medals, including 3 women's, 1 silver and 2 bronze) and Uzbekistan in second place (6 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze). Particular attention was paid to the Kazakh brothers Makhmud (24) and Torekhan (19) Sabyrkhan, competing in their first world championships, both of whom won gold.