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Demonstrators hold placards as Filipino students and activists demand the conviction and imprisonment of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte during a protest in Quezon City, the Philippines, last month. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Majority of Filipinos want Duterte held to account in ICC drug war case: survey

Support for Duterte’s drug war once exceeded 80 per cent, but a new poll indicates 62 per cent now want him to stand trial for it.

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Malaysia

Iran’s meth cartels target Australia via Malaysia’s Port Klang

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Hong Kong police

Hong Kong police arrest 3 teenagers with ‘space oil’ products worth HK$1 million

Japan

Japan’s biggest yakuza gang ends internal feud as membership hits historic low

Japan’s largest yakuza gang, declared an end to a decade-long feud amid dwindling membership and tougher policing.

A retired Japanese yakuza crime boss, who does not want to be identified, smokes a cigarette at his residence in Tokyo. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

US cites China and Mexico for financial networks enabling fentanyl trafficking

Treasury Department says the two nations are leaders in sophisticated global system supporting the illegal opioid trade.

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The Philippines

Whistle-blower says Hong Kong dinner cooked plot to undercut Marcos government

A scheme to discredit the Philippine president through a doctored video of him using drugs was reportedly planned at Yung Kee Restaurant in Hong Kong.

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Donald Trump

Canada hits US autos with 25% tariffs, mirroring Trump’s move

Canada was spared Trump’s ‘reciprocal tariffs’, but new 25 per cent US tariffs on foreign-produced vehicles still took effect on Thursday.

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Stellantis’ Chrysler Windsor assembly facility in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Photo: Reuters
Sexual harassment and assault

More women in UK and China come forward over ‘prolific’ rapist Zou Zhenhao

The Chinese PhD student was convicted in London last month after drugging and raping 10 women, sometimes filming the attacks.

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Icons and Influencers

Meet Sara Carter, the journalist hired by Donald Trump to be his ‘drug tsar’

The ex-Fox News contributor is married to an army veteran blinded during the war in Afghanistan – she also has a background in investigative reporting and wants to ‘make America safe’.

The Philippines

Duterte’s lawyer says ICC case ‘a kidnapping’, has grounds to throw out case

Duterte’s lawyer called for the ICC case to be dismissed, citing the Philippines’ withdrawal, and labelled Duterte’s detention a “political hit job”.

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gesturing as he delivers his state of the nation address at Congress in Manila. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

What Duterte’s downfall means for Sara, Marcos and the Philippines

Ex-president Duterte is behind bars in The Hague and his daughter is fighting for political survival. But don’t discount a comeback in 2028.

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Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in 2019 while still president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia’s sewage reveals hidden drug labs with fentanyl traces detected

Police use new test kit and waste water analysis to speed up drug detection and boost enforcement efforts.

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The Philippines

Brewing justice: Philippines cafe offers healing and hope after Duterte’s ICC arrest

The coffee shop, dedicated to victims of the former president’s drug war, described his arrest as ‘the first step’ towards justice.

The Philippines

Opinion | In handing Duterte to ICC, Marcos stirs up Philippine hornets’ nest

Too many questions surround the abrupt U-turn on cooperation with the International Criminal Court, from sovereignty to political persecution.

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Police block protesters as they try to march towards Malacanang palace in Manila, Philippines, on March 17 to call on the government to rejoin the ICC after the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Supporters of Philippine’s Duterte call on God, Trump to bring him home

Experts say there is little chance of the 80-year-old gaining early release due to a lack of legal avenues to challenge his ICC detention.

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A supporter of Rodrigo Duterte holds a placard during a demonstration in support of the Philippines ex-president in The Hague on Sunday. Photo: dpa
Hong Kong

Opinion | The gravity of ‘space oil’: understanding Hong Kong teens’ new drug of choice

We need to think beyond bans and crackdowns. With creativity, empathy and urgency, young people can be guided towards a healthier future.

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs arrests 1, seizes HK$33 million of suspected cocaine

Man held in connection with drug trafficking, as officers find suspected narcotic in commercial building in bustling Tsim Sha Tsui.

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United States

Outside In | Like the Cheshire Cat, US reciprocal tariffs are hard to pin down

The countdown to April 2 begins. Amid the gargantuan complexity of tariff calculations, US clarifications only serve to obfuscate.

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President Donald Trump smiles after signing three executive actions in the Oval Office on January 28, 2017, during his first term in office. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Duterte’s arrest sparks Philippine disinformation frenzy targeting ICC judges

Duterte’s ICC arrest sparked a wave of disinformation, with fake news and fabricated quotes flooding Philippine social media, potentially affecting his interim release.

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Indonesia

Indonesia denies marijuana farm cover-up after video of cannabis crops emerges

Indonesia denied claims that officials grew cannabis near Mount Semeru following the release of drone footage, asserting the marijuana farm was raided in 2024.

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The Philippines

Filipinos’ anger over cuts, Duterte’s arrest threaten Marcos’ Senate slate

Addressing Filipinos’ concerns about bread-and-butter issues will be key to winning their votes in the midterms, analysts say.

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Police block protesters during a rally in Manila on Monday calling for the Philippines to rejoin the International Criminal Court. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Duterte’s ICC arrest justified under obscure Philippine law, legal experts say

Supporters of the former president have slammed the move by Manila to allow Duterte’s transfer to The Hague, calling it a ‘kidnapping’.

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Protesters rally in support of the detention of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte outside of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Photo: AFP
Icons and Influencers

Meet the Notorious B.I.G.’s entrepreneur children, T’yanna and C.J.

T’yanna and C.J. were at their grandmother Voletta Wallace’s recent funeral, which was also attended by Lil’ Kim, Faith Evans, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ son Christian Combs and Jay-Z’s mother Gloria Carter.

Science

Can the US ban them all? China detects a quadrillion possible fentanyl compounds

As the US struggles to keep ahead of the deadly fentanyl trade, Chinese scientists create a simple way to identify new variants.

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The Philippines

Asian Angle | What Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest means for Philippines’ politics, global standing

The ex-president’s transfer to ICC risks custody transforming him and his family into political martyrs and stoking civil unrest.

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Rodrigo Duterte pictured at an Asean summit in Bangkok in 2019 when he was president of the Philippines. Photo: Reuters
The Philippines

Philippines’ Duterte attends ICC hearing via video link

The 79-year-old was tired after flying to the Netherlands from the Philippines and was permitted to attend the session via video link.

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Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte is seen on a screen in the courtroom of the International Criminal Court in The Hague on March 14, 2025. Photo: pool via Reuters
Mexico

Mexican cartel mystery: hundreds of shoes, charred bones at possible killing site

Gruesome images from a ranch apparently used as a drug cartel training camp show hundreds of discarded items and skeletal remains.

International Cricket Council

Australian ex-cricketer MacGill found guilty of being part of cocaine-supply deal

A jury found the retired leg-spinner guilty of knowingly taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug.

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