Philippines: Justice Commission rejects impeachment request for Marcos

Today's news: mixed Hindu-Muslim couple found murdered in Uttar Pradesh village. Erdogan in Cairo for a partnership that includes arms production. In Pakistan, running a business costs 34% more than in neighbouring countries. Korean missionary arrested in Russia. Twelve-year-old Chinese girl finds fossil of first amphibian footprint in Asia.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine House Justice Committee voted today to dismiss the two impeachment cases against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for corruption scandals, ruling that the charges were insufficient. Unless the plenary assembly overturns the committee's decision with a vote of one-third of its members, the dismissal of the complaints will grant the president immunity from impeachment for one year, as the Manila Constitution stipulates that an official can only be subject to one impeachment procedure per year.

INDIA

The murder of an interfaith couple and the arrest by police of the woman's brothers for the alleged crime have shocked the small village of Umri in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The bodies of Kajal, 19, a Hindu, and Mohammad Arman, 27, a Muslim, were found buried near a riverbank on 21 January. Police said the two had been beaten to death with a spade two days earlier, allegedly by Kajal's three brothers, who have been arrested.

TURKEY-EGYPT

Egypt and Turkey intend to strengthen their relations by transforming them into a “strategic partnership”, with full cooperation in arms production and intelligence sharing. The plan will be discussed today during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Cairo, where he will meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

Among the main projects is the construction of a military-industrial complex on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast, with the support of Turkish expertise in drone technology and warship production.

PAKISTAN

Running a business in the country costs 34% more than in neighbouring South Asian countries, a gap that seems to discourage entrepreneurship. This is according to a report released by Nikkei's Pakistan Business Forum (PBF), a national organisation representing trade and industry. Coordinator Ahmed Jawad explained that the analysis is based on industry data available up to December 2025 and that a combination of structural factors is driving up costs. ‘Fuel taxes remain high, with an additional oil development tax of about 80 rupees (£0.28) per litre, while interest rates hover around 12.5%, almost double the 6-7% recorded in the region.’

SOUTH KOREA-RUSSIA

A South Korean evangelical missionary was arrested and detained in Khabarovsk, Russia, while carrying out religious activities; the facility she ran was closed. South Korean authorities are checking on her condition, have requested humane treatment, a fair investigation and consular access, and are assisting her family. This case is in addition to that of another South Korean missionary arrested in 2024 in Vladivostok on charges of espionage, who is still being detained without trial.

RUSSIA-AFGHANISTAN

Following the influx of workers from India, Russia is negotiating with Afghanistan for additional quotas of migrant workers, according to Kabul's ambassador to Moscow, Gul Hasan, who said that “young and highly skilled” workers could arrive in Russia and that direct flights from the capital's airport to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport are being organised by the airline Kam Air, which should start “as soon as possible”.

CHINA

A 12-year-old boy has discovered a fossil in Beijing that fills an important gap in studies of the Middle Jurassic period in Asia: the first confirmed footprint of an amphibian. Until now, fossils consisted mainly of dinosaur and turtle footprints.

The discovery, made in the Mentougou district, was studied by a team led by a university researcher and published in the journal Ichnos, proving that small terrestrial amphibians lived in the region around 160 million years ago.

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