Marcos: no to International Criminal Court investigations into 'war on drugs'

Today's news: Police clashes lead to land redistribution in Cambodia; In Hong Kong, testimony in the trial of Jimmy Lai may have been collected under torture; In Pakistan, access to X continues to be blocked; 85% of Indians are in favour of a military government; In Russia 10,000 migrants from Kenya will arrive.

PHILIPPINES

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that the Hague-based International Criminal Court does not have the authority to investigate the "war on drugs" launched by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte. Marcos went on to say that domestic courts are handling the matter: "It is very difficult for the Philippines to accept that an external court, so to speak, dictates to our policemen who they will investigate and who they will arrest."

CAMBODIA

The governor of Preah Vihear province has promised to allocate 1,000 hectares of land among 100 families after clashes with police last week over a decades-old land dispute. In 2011, 9 thousand hectares of land were assigned to the Seila Damex company for the development of a rubber plantation.

HONG KONG

Andy Li, a key prosecution witness in the Jimmy Lai trial, took the witness stand yesterday, but according to the United Nations special rapporteur, Alice Jill Edwards, his statements may have been collected under torture. Li admitted to having played a role in the Stand With Hong Kong fundraising campaign, in support of the 2019 pro-democracy protests. According to Chinese prosecutors, Lai, 76, was the mastermind and financier of the campaign.

PAKSITAN

The X (Twitter) platform continues to be inaccessible to users in Pakistan, the Internet organisation Netblocks noted, even several weeks after the 8 February elections, which supporters of former premier Imran Khan claim were rigged. The Election Commission denies any manipulation, but experts believe that the crackdown on X is designed to curb public anger, and even if access to the social networking site is unblocked, the episode highlights the shrinking space for free expression in Pakistan.

INDIA

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 85% of Indians favor a military or authoritarian government. According to the report, India's share is the highest among all 24 countries surveyed. The analysis also highlighted that the number of Indians who believe that representative democracy is a good way of governing has decreased by 8% compared to 2017, while the segment of the population that supports an autocracy without interference has increased by 12%.

RUSSIA

The lack of workforce is bringing working migrants to Russia from all over, especially from Asia and Africa, with consequent epidemiological risks, as some specialists report, due to the lack of effective procedures for monitoring their health status. 10 thousand migrants from Kenya are expected following agreements, who will live in special sites.

TURKMENISTAN

The shepherds of Turkmenistan have spread their complaints about Khroniki Turkmenistana for the serious situation created due to the shortage of feed, which combined with severe weather conditions has led to the death of 40% of the lambs, considering that the distribution of dry feed is in the hands to the state monopoly, and there is also no water.

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