Why has the Philippines arrested ex-President Duterte on ICC warrant?

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Aljazeera.com

Families of victims, human rights groups call for ‘expeditious surrender and transfer of custody’ of Duterte to the ICC.

Relatives of victims of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs cry during a mass for victims at a church in Manila on March 11, 2025. Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested on March 11 in Manila by police acting on an International Criminal Court warrant tied to his deadly war on drugs. (Photo by TED ALJIBE / AFP)
Relatives of victims of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs cry during a mass for victims at a church in Manila following his arrest on Tuesday [Ted Aljibe/AFP]

By Ted Regencia Published On 11 Mar 202511 Mar 2025

Manila, Philippines – Almost three years after leaving the presidency, former President Rodrigo Duterte has been arrested by Philippine authorities in Manila, upon the request of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, which is investigating allegations of “crimes against humanity” committed during his six years in power.

Duterte was immediately taken into police custody on Tuesday at the Manila international airport following his arrival from Hong Kong, in a move hailed by human rights groups as “a critical step for accountability in the Philippines”.

His trip to Hong Kong over the weekend had whipped up speculation that he would evade arrest.

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Mekong Dam Monitor Weekly Update

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

February 24 – March 2, 2025 Stimson Mekong Monitor

Spotlight

Significant releases from China’s large dams push river to higher-than-normal levels.

Sustained large releases from China’s Xiaowan and Nuozhadu Dams are causing the river to run at levels 1-2 meters higher than normal along the Thai-Lao border. The two graphs illustrate  the sudden spike in river level occurring during the last days of February, corresponding to about 900 million cubic meters of water releases from China’s dams. Under normal dry season conditions, the river level does not spike in a manner seen on the graphs. At this time of year, the river level should gradually decrease over the next six weeks. Sudden spikes in river level, particularly those which run for sustained periods at higher levels, can be devastating for the river’s ecological processes and for the communities who depend on the river.

What Happened Last Week?

    • Where’s the Water: Last week, dams throughout the basin released a significant cumulative total of 1.6 billion cubic meters of water. Significant releases came from Xiaowan (PRC, 749 million cubic meters), Nuozhadu (PRC, 164 million cubic meters), and Thuen Hinboun Expansion (LAO, 199 million cubic meters). Dry season water releases generate hydropower but also artificially raise the level of the river. Where is the water?
    • River Levels: River levels throughout the basin are now about one meter higher than normal. See how this looks.
    • Wetness and Weather: While the headwaters of the Mekong in China are excessively wet (blue), most of the lower Mekong region is experiencing intensifying drought (red). Dry season irrigation activities in the Mekong Delta are creating slightly above average wetness anomalies in Vietnam’s delta. Temperatures in the Mekong basin were about average overall, with slightly above-average temperatures in the northern portion of the basin and slightly below average temperatures in the lower basin. See the maps.

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Impact of Trump 2.0 on Southeast Asia’s Energy Geopolitics

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Fulcrum.sg Published 3 Mar 2025 Mirza Sadaqat Huda

Trump’s rent-seeking foreign policy pertaining to energy and critical minerals will force Southeast Asian countries to do what they least desire: making a choice between China and the US.

The Trump administration’s insular and rent-seeking foreign policy will significantly alter the geopolitics of energy transition in Southeast Asia. This will manifest in two ways. First, the potential cessation of US involvement in the region’s energy sector will heighten fears of China’s dominance in energy infrastructure projects — including the ASEAN Power Grid (APG). Second, Trump’s intentions of using critical minerals as a bargaining chip for providing military assistance, if applied to the ASEAN region, will impact the regional vision for sustainable mineral development.

The shutting down of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), an important player in the energy sector, will intensify existing fears of China’s dominance in electricity transmission and generation. As shown in Table 1, China provided approximately US$534 million in aid to the region’s energy sector in 2022, accounting for more than a quarter of the total share. Comparatively, the US provided only US$23.7 million, or 1 per cent of total energy-related aid to Southeast Asia. In addition, the China Southern Power Grid Company and State Grid Corporation of China own and operate significant portions of the national grids in Laos and the Philippines, respectively.

China Leads in Energy Aid

Table 1 Energy-related aid to Southeast Asia 2022 (excerpt) (USD, in %)

Donor Amount Contribution
China 534 million 26
ADB 368 million 18
Germany 274 million 13
Canada 231 million 11
South Korea 211 million 10
Japan 167 million 8
World Bank 90.0 million 4
EU Institutions 42.3 million 2
France 42.2 million 2
AIIB 34.8 million 2
United States 23.7 million 1

The table is modified from Lowy Institute’s (2024) Southeast Asia Aid Map.

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Fruits of spoil: Laos’ forests disappearing as fruit farms flourish (2 parts)

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Fruits of spoil: Laos’ forests disappearing as fruit farms flourish

Mekong eyes – 16 December 2024 at 9:27 (Updated on 16 December 2024 at 15:40)

The country’s improved railway connectivity facilitates fruit exports to China but has also sparked a boom in foreign-owned banana and durian farms, leading to forest clearance

A Chinese-owned banana plantation on land that was once forested, located in Attapeu province, southern Laos, in August 2024.

The report was produced with support from the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN) and Internews’ Earth Journalism Network as part of the “Ground Truths” collaborative reporting project on soils. 

ATTAPEU, LAOS — The new high-speed railway has enabled faster fruit exports from Laos to China, attracting more investment in large-scale plantations. However, this growth has come at the cost of deforestation.

Bananas and the “king of tropical fruit” – durians – are very popular in China, but they typically ripen within a few days of harvesting.

However, that problem was resolved with the launch of the Laos-China Railway in 2021, which has enabled landlocked Laos to deliver its fruit quickly to China’s 1.4 billion consumers.

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Why work-life balance is a struggle in Asia

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

South China Morning Post – 28-2-2025

The Tokyo government is set to introduce a four-day work week for its employees starting in April 2025, following a similar move made by Singapore in December. Governments and companies in Asia have generally been slower than their Western counterparts in taking steps to adopt a healthy work-life balance. For decades, Japan’s work culture has been synonymous with gruelling hours and self-sacrifice. Is Tokyo’s introduction of a four-day work week the start of a shift away from a culture of overwork in Japan and across the region, or is it just a pipe dream for Asia?

China’s youth face growing job crisis | 101 East Documentary

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Al Jazeera English – 27-2-2025
China is experiencing a prolonged economic slowdown, which has led to a youth unemployment crisis.

In 2023, the rate of 16 to 24-year-olds unable to find jobs reached a record high of 21.3 percent.

Following the release of those figures, the government suspended reporting before revising its methodology to exclude university students.

According to the latest figures, the rate is now 15.7 percent. Young people say they are having to settle for low-paying jobs, if they can find one at all.

101 East follows young jobseekers as they navigate China’s challenging labour market.

US – One nation, under God

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này
February 26, 2025, New York Times newsletter

Good morning. We’re covering a new report about religion in America.

A woman kneels in prayer on a red carpeted floor, inside a small chapel with wood paneling on the walls.
In Cumberland, Md. Maggie Shannon for The New York Times

One nation, under God

By Lauren Jackson – I’m working on a project about belief.

As religion in America declined, experts administered last rites.

Churches were approaching “their twilight hour” as attendance fell, The Brookings Institution wrote in 2011. In his 2023 book, “Losing Our Religion,” the evangelical preacher Russell Moore asked: “Can American Christianity survive?”

The answer appears to be yes. People have stopped leaving churches en masse, according to a new study released this morning by Pew Research. America’s secularization is on pause for now, likely because of the pandemic and the country’s stubborn spirituality. Most Americans — 92 percent of adults — say they hold one or more spiritual beliefs that Pew asked about:

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Heaven & Earth (1993)

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Wikipedia – Heaven & Earth is a 1993 American biographical war drama film written and directed by Oliver Stone, and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Haing S. Ngor, Joan Chen, and Hiep Thi Le. It is the third and final film in Stone’s Vietnam War trilogy, following Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989).

The film was based on the books When Heaven and Earth Changed Places and Child of War, Woman of Peace, both authored by Le Ly Hayslip about her experiences during and after the Vietnam War. It received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office. Tiếp tục đọc “Heaven & Earth (1993)” →

CDC Hà Nội lên tiếng về ca bệnh COVID-19 vừa ghi nhận

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

LĐ – Anh Tuấn  –  Thứ ba, 18/02/2025 15:44 (GMT+7)

Trong tuần vừa qua, tại quận Cầu Giấy (Hà Nội) ghi nhận 1 trường hợp mắc COVID-19. Tính cộng dồn năm 2025, Hà Nội đã ghi nhận 3 ca COVID-19.

CDC Hà Nội lên tiếng về ca bệnh COVID-19 vừa ghi nhận
Hà Nội ghi nhận một ca COVID-19 ở Cầu Giấy. Ảnh: Hà Phương

Theo báo cáo cập nhật dịch bệnh trong tuần gần đây nhất (từ ngày 7 – 14.2) của Trung tâm Kiểm soát bệnh tật thành phố Hà Nội (CDC Hà Nội), toàn thành phố ghi nhận 32 trường hợp mắc tay chân miệng, tăng 22 trường hợp so với tuần trước, không có tử vong.

CDC Hà Nội cũng cho biết, tuần qua ghi nhận 1 trường hợp mắc COIVD-19 tại quận Cầu Giấy. Từ đầu năm 2025 đến nay, thành phố ghi nhận 3 trường hợp mắc COVID-19, không có tử vong. Số mắc COIVD-19 hiện giảm mạnh so với cùng kỳ 2024 (318 ca).

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Chi tiết bộ máy các cơ quan Quốc hội và gương mặt mới của Ủy ban Thường vụ Quốc hội

~ Trần Đình Hoành ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Dưới đây là chi tiết các nhân sự Ủy ban Thường vụ Quốc hội, các cơ quan Quốc hội nhiệm kỳ khóa XV sau kiện toàn.

Chi tiết kiện toàn nhân sự Ủy ban Thường vụ Quốc hội, các cơ quan của Quốc hội - Ảnh 1.
Ảnh ghép: NGỌC THÀNH

Ngày 18-2, Quốc hội đã thông qua nghị quyết về việc tổ chức các cơ quan của Quốc hội và nghị quyết của Quốc hội về số thành viên của Ủy ban Thường vụ Quốc hội khóa XV (sửa đổi), kiện toàn nhân sự.

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Bộ trưởng, trưởng ngành các bộ mới hợp nhất được Quốc hội phê chuẩn

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

TT – 18/02/2025 16:48 GMT+7

Ngày 18-2, Quốc hội phê chuẩn, bổ nhiệm bốn bộ trưởng các bộ vừa được thành lập mới trên cơ sở hợp nhất các bộ ngành.

Bộ trưởng, trưởng ngành các bộ mới hợp nhất được Quốc hội phê chuẩn - Ảnh 1.
Bộ trưởng Đào Ngọc Dung đảm nhiệm Bộ trưởng Bộ Dân tộc và Tôn giáo – Ảnh: Q.H.

Trên cơ sở Quốc hội biểu quyết thông qua nghị quyết về cơ cấu tổ chức của Chính phủ nhiệm kỳ Quốc hội khóa XV; nghị quyết về cơ cấu số lượng thành viên Chính phủ nhiệm kỳ Quốc hội khóa XV, tờ trình của Thủ tướng Chính phủ về việc phê chuẩn bổ nhiệm các chức vụ, Quốc hội đã phê chuẩn bổ nhiệm bốn bộ trưởng.

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Trung tâm y tế ở Đắk Lắk ‘hoãn mổ’ vì thiếu trầm trọng bác sĩ

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

19/01/2025 | 15:51

TPO – Trong vòng 4 năm, trên 160 viên chức y tế Đắk Lắk xin thôi việc. Riêng 1 trung tâm y tế có tới 5 bác sĩ bỏ việc, xin chuyển công tác; đang đối mặt với nhiều khó khăn khi thiếu tới 15 bác sĩ.

Bác sĩ làm việc trong môi trường có nhiều áp lực

Bác sĩ Trần Anh Hùng – Phó Giám đốc phụ trách Trung tâm Y tế huyện Krông Búk (Đắk Lắk) cho biết, đang đối mặt với nhiều khó khăn khi nhiều bác sĩ lần lượt chuyển đi.

Từ năm 2022 đến nay, tại Trung tâm Y tế huyện Krông Búk có 2 bác sĩ bỏ việc và 3 người xin chuyển công tác.

Trung tâm đang thiếu tới 15 bác sĩ, chủ yếu là bác sĩ chuyên khoa như: Răng hàm mặt, tai mũi họng, mắt, da liễu. Đặc biệt, do thiếu bác sĩ ngoại, sản, gây mê, nên trung tâm chưa triển khai phương pháp phẫu thuật.

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Global Risks Report 2025: Conflict, Environment and Disinformation Top Threats

~ Đào Thu Hằng ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

Reliefweb.int

Full report https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2025/

World Economic Forum, public.affairs@weforum.org

  • State-based armed conflict emerges as the top immediate risk for 2025, identified by nearly a quarter of respondents, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and fragmentation globally.
  • Misinformation and disinformation lead the short-term risks and may fuel instability and undermine trust in governance, complicating the urgent need for cooperation to address shared crises.
  • Environmental risks dominate the 10-year horizon, led by extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse.
  • Read the Global Risks Report 2025 here and join the conversation using #Risks25. Follow the Annual Meeting here and on social media using #WEF25

Geneva, Switzerland, 15 January 2025 – The 20th edition of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, released today, reveals an increasingly fractured global landscape, where escalating geopolitical, environmental, societal and technological challenges threaten stability and progress. While economic risks have less immediate prominence in this year’s survey results, they remain a concern, interconnected with societal and geopolitical tensions.

State-based armed conflict is identified as the most pressing immediate global risk for 2025, with nearly one-quarter of respondents ranking it as the most severe concern for the year ahead.

Misinformation and disinformation remain top short-term risks for the second consecutive year, underlining their persistent threat to societal cohesion and governance by eroding trust and exacerbating divisions within and between nations. Other leading short-term risks include extreme weather events, societal polarization, cyber-espionage and warfare.

Environmental risks dominate the longer-term outlook, with extreme weather events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, critical change to Earth systems and natural resources shortages leading the 10-year risk rankings. The fifth environmental risk in the top 10 is pollution, which is also perceived as a leading risk in the short term. Its sixth-place ranking in the short term reflects a growing recognition of the serious health and ecosystem impacts of a wide range of pollutants across air, water and land. Overall, extreme weather events were identified prominently as immediate, short-term and long-term risks.

The long-term landscape is also clouded by technological risks related to misinformation, disinformation and adverse outcomes of AI technologies.

“Rising geopolitical tensions and a fracturing of trust are driving the global risk landscape” said Mirek Dušek, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “In this complex and dynamic context, leaders have a choice: to find ways to foster collaboration and resilience, or face compounding vulnerabilities.”

Fractured systems, fragile futures

The report, which draws on the views of over 900 global risks experts, policy-makers and industry leaders surveyed in September and October 2024, paints a stark picture of the decade ahead. Respondents are far less optimistic about the outlook for the world over the longer term than the short term. Nearly two-thirds of respondents anticipate a turbulent or stormy global landscape by 2035, driven in particular by intensifying environmental, technological and societal challenges.

Over half of respondents expect some instability within two years, reflecting the widespread fracturing of international cooperation. Long-term projections signal even greater challenges as mechanisms for collaboration are expected to face mounting pressure. Societal risks such as inequality and societal polarization feature prominently in both short- and long-term risk rankings. Rising concerns about illicit economic activity, mounting debt burdens and the concentration of strategic resources highlight vulnerabilities that could destabilize the global economy in the coming years. All these issues risk exacerbating domestic instability and eroding trust in governance, further complicating efforts to address global challenges.

All 33 risks in the ranking increase in severity score over the longer term, reflecting respondents’ concerns about the heightened frequency or intensity of these risks as the next decade unfolds.

“From conflicts to climate change, we are facing interconnected crises that demand coordinated, collective action,” says Mark Elsner, Head of the Global Risks Initiative, World Economic Forum. “Renewed efforts to rebuild trust and foster cooperation are urgently needed. The consequences of inaction could be felt for generations to come.”

A decisive decade: Collaboration as the key to stability

As divisions deepen and fragmentation reshapes geopolitical and economic landscapes, the need for effective global cooperation has never been more urgent. Yet, with 64% of experts anticipating a fragmented global order marked by competition among middle and great powers, multilateralism faces significant strain.

However, turning inward is not a viable solution. The decade ahead presents a pivotal moment for leaders to navigate complex, interconnected risks and address the limitations of existing governance structures. To prevent a downward spiral of instability – and instead rebuild trust, enhance resilience, and secure a sustainable and inclusive future for all – nations should prioritize dialogue, strengthen international ties and foster conditions for renewed collaboration.

Links to other visuals and graphics

– Current Risk Landscape – 2025

– Global risks ranked by severity- 2 years

– Global Risks ranked by severity – 10 years

– Short and long-term global outlook

– Global risks landscape an interconnections map

About the Global Risks Report
The Global Risks Report is the World Economic Forum’s flagship publication on global risks, now in its 20th edition. Produced by the Global Risks Initiative at the Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society, the report leverages insights from the Global Risks Perception Survey, which draws on the views of over 900 global leaders across business, government, academia and civil society. The report identifies and analyses the most pressing risks across immediate, short- and long-term horizons, aiming to equip leaders with foresight to address emerging challenges. It serves as a key resource for understanding the evolving global risk landscape and fostering collective action to build a more resilient future.

For more information, visit the Global Risks Initiative and read the full report here.

Hanoi becomes world’s most polluted city

~ Phạm Thu Hương ~ Bình luận về bài viết này

South China Morning Post – 13-2-2025

The Vietnamese capital Hanoi has taken the top spot for air pollution among global cities, according to the Air Quality Index (AQI) operated by leading air-quality technology company IQAir on February 12, 2025. Persistent smog has residents and tourists alike worried about whether the hazardous air may be causing long-term damage to human health.