General

Manila: Human rights lawyer Dino de Leon on Tuesday described the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a “long overdue” step in holding him accountable for his war on illegal drugs. In an interview at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon program, De Leon, an alumnus of The Hague Academy of International Law and Georgetown University Law Center, said Duterte’s arrest will give him a chance to defend himself. According to Philippines News Agency, De Leon emphasized that the ICC provides the proper venue for Duterte to justify his actions. He mentioned that if Duterte’s

Seoul: The number of young South Koreans who were jobless or opted to remain economically inactive surpassed 1.2 million last month amid tough job market conditions, data showed Sunday. A total of 1.21 million individuals aged 15 to 29 either remained unemployed or economically inactive to prepare for a job or without specific reasons as of the end of February, according to the data compiled by Statistics Korea. According to Philippines News Agency, the figure marked an increase of 70,000 from last year’s 1.13 million. Of the total, those who opted to stay out of work without specific reasons reached

Metro Manila: The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has arrested two foreign fugitives wanted in their home countries for various crimes. According to Philippines News Agency, Jordanian national Hussam Aldeen Mohd Kamiel Ghanem, 56, was apprehended on March 11 at the BI office in Manila while attempting to extend his tourist visa. Authorities later confirmed he was wanted in Jordan for issuing a bouncing check. The following day, Chinese national Peng Quanbin, 28, was arrested at his Makati residence. He is accused of theft and cybercrimes in China and linked to hacking schemes that caused losses exceeding USD414,000. Both fugitives are

San Jose: Ruelle Canino of Cagayan de Oro delivered a commanding performance in the National Age Group Chess Championships, sweeping the male-dominated Under-18 Open Standard division at FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas over the weekend. According to Philippines News Agency, the 16-year-old UAAP juniors Most Valuable Player secured the title after drawing with Karlycris Clarito, Jr. in the eighth and final round, finishing with seven points-one full point ahead of a competitive field that included top seed FIDE Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca. Other division winners were April Joy Claros (Girls’ U18), Kaye Lalaine Regidor (Girls’ U16), Mark Gabriel

Manila: The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday said it is ramping up its internal investigation following the re-arrest of South Korean fugitive Na Ikhyeon, who escaped under suspicious circumstances. BI Commissioner Joel Viado, at the same time, warned that more employees are facing suspension for possible involvement or negligence. According to Philippines News Agency, Na, wanted in South Korea for fraud and other charges, was initially arrested in the Philippines but managed to escape while in BI custody on March 4. He was recaptured on March 9. “This incident exposed deep-rooted problems within the system. This is not a