Philippine ex-president Duterte on plane to The Hague after ICC warrant arrest

Philippine ex-president Duterte on plane to The Hague after ICC warrant arrest

Duterte is accused of presiding over thousands of extrajudicial killings during his war on drugs. He was arrested in Manila and “forcibly” taken to The Hague, his daughter said.

Pic: Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech during a rally for his political party in Manila on Feb. 13. (Eloisa Lopez/Reuters)

March 11, 2025  By Kelly Kasulis Cho, Victoria Craw and Sammy Westfall

Rodrigo Duterte, the former Philippine president who has been accused of crimes against humanity and the extrajudicial killings of thousands of people during his “war on drugs,” was arrested Tuesday in Manila under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, the government reported.

Duterte is on the way to The Hague, where the ICC is headquartered, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in a late-night news briefing.

Duterte, 79, was detained by Philippine police shortly after flying into the country from Hong Kong at about 9:20 a.m. Video showed him walking with a cane and accompanied by officials inside Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

“What is the law and what is the crime that I committed?” he said in a separate video posted to Instagram by his daughter Veronica Duterte. “Show to me now the legal basis for my being here.”

Duterte’s other daughter, Sara Duterte, who is vice president of the Philippines, said in a statement Tuesday night that her father was being “forcibly taken to The Hague.” Unverified footage from a retired Philippine general that was published Tuesday night and shared widely by local media showed the elder Duterte boarding a chartered jet.

Hours before he arrived, Interpol Manila received an official copy of the ICC warrant, prompting the Justice Department to serve it, Marcos Jr. said. “Interpol asked for help and we obliged, because we have commitments,” he said.

ICC spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah confirmed that the court’s pretrial chamber issued an arrest warrant for “the crime of murder as a crime against humanity allegedly committed in the Philippines” between November 2011 and March 2019. Abdalla said that once a suspect is in ICC custody, the court schedules an initial appearance hearing.

While in Hong Kong this week, Duterte said he would accept his arrest and portrayed his actions as a way to bring peace to the Philippines, according to Reuters.

But his allies and family condemned his arrest Tuesday. “Today, our own government has surrendered a Filipino citizen — even a former President at that — to foreign powers,” Sara Duterte said. She called the arrest a “blatant affront to our sovereignty,” as well as “oppression and persecution.”

Salvador Panelo, Duterte’s former chief legal counsel and presidential spokesman, called the arrest “unlawful.” The ICC has “no jurisdiction in the Philippines,” he said in a statement on social media.

Duterte, a former lawyer turned populist leader, was president between 2016 and 2022, a period in which he advocated for executing alleged criminals and is alleged to have overseen the killings of thousands of people in what authorities portrayed as drug-related cases.

On the campaign trail and in office, Duterte styled himself as a strongman who would prevent the Philippines from further cascading into a purported narco state. In 2016, he said he would be “happy to slaughter” drug addicts for the sake of his country, drawing a comparison to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

It’s unclear how many people were killed during Duterte’s war on drugs, but Human Rights Watch estimated in 2018 that about 12,000 Filipinos had died since he took office less than two years before. The group attributed at least 2,555 killings directly to the Philippine National Police. Some estimates put the number at as many as 20,000 to 30,000 victims during the six-year war on drugs.

In June 2022, the country’s government reported that at least 6,252 people had died “during antidrug operations” since July 2016.

Duterte’s war on drugs drew fierce condemnation from human rights groups, world leaders and several U.N. agencies. A case against Duterte was filed in the International Criminal Court in 2018, alleging mass murder and crimes against humanity. He repeatedly denied the charges and responded by vowing to withdraw the Philippines from the ICC, a promise he carried out in 2019. The ICC formally authorized an investigation in 2021 into his drug crackdown.

The ICC is responsible for investigating and trying those charged with some of the most serious crimes, including genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

It has issued arrest warrants in recent years for high-ranking officials accused of crimes during the Ukraine and Gaza wars, including Russian President Vladimir Putin; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Israel’s former defense minister Yoav Gallant; and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, whom Israel’s military said was killed in a strike in July. Those warrants were largely symbolic, as the ICC does not try people in absentia, and neither Russia, Israel nor the United States is a member of the court. So far, the court has issued 60 arrest warrants. Twenty-one people have been detained in the ICC’s detention center and have appeared before the court.

The ICC does not have a police force and depends on its 125 member states to carry out arrest warrants, although there have been instances of members ignoring the warrants.

The Philippine government previously indicated it would comply with requests from Interpol — through which the ICC can issue arrest warrants — including those related to the ICC investigation.

However, last year, Marcos Jr. — Duterte’s successor and the son of a disgraced Philippine dictator — said the government “will not lift a finger to help any investigation that the ICC conducts,” claiming it has no jurisdiction over the country.

Although Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the court’s statute in 2019, the ICC argues that the court “retains jurisdiction” for alleged crimes that took place while the country was still a member.

The arrest comes amid a schism between the Marcos and Duterte political dynasties. Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte ran on a joint ticket, dubbing themselves the “UniTeam” in the 2022 elections, and their association was thought to be a strong source of political cover for the former president.

But the alliance has come apart: After political disagreements, hostilities between the president and vice president reached a tipping point in November, when Sara Duterte claimed in an online news conference that she had contracted someone to kill president Marcos Jr. if she were ever assassinated. In early February, Sara Duterte was impeached by the country’s House of Representatives over that threat and corruption allegations. She faces a Senate trial.

In his news briefing after Duterte’s Tuesday arrest, Marcos Jr. said he was confident that the arrest was “proper and correct.”

Only seven countries met WHO air quality standards in 2024

Only seven countries met WHO air quality standards in 2024, data shows

By David Stanway March 11, 2025

People move through a dusty road, as air quality reduces ahead of the winter in Dhaka, Bangladesh, November 4, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain 

Summary

Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Congo and India suffer most smog

Only 17% of global cities meet WHO air quality standard

End of U.S. programme will make future monitoring harder

SINGAPORE, March 11 (Reuters) - Only seven countries met World Health Organization (WHO) air quality standards last year, data showed on Tuesday, as researchers warned that the war on smog would only get harder after the United States shut down its global monitoring efforts.

Chad and Bangladesh were the world's most polluted countries in 2024, with average smog levels more than 15 times higher than WHO guidelines, according to figures compiled by Swiss air quality monitoring firm IQAir.

Only Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Estonia and Iceland made the grade, IQAir said.

Significant data gaps, especially in Asia and Africa, cloud the worldwide picture, and many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on U.S. embassy and consulate buildings to track their smog levels.

However, the State Department has recently ended the scheme, citing budget constraints, with more than 17 years of data removed last week from the U.S. government's official air quality monitoring site, airnow.gov, opens new tab, including readings collected in Chad.

"Most countries have a few other data sources, but it's going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data," said Christi Chester-Schroeder, IQAir's air quality science manager.

Data concerns meant Chad was excluded from IQAir's 2023 list, but it was also ranked the most polluted country in 2022, plagued by Sahara dust as well as uncontrolled crop burning.

Average concentrations of small, hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 hit 91.8 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/cu m) last year in the country, slightly higher than 2022.

The WHO recommends levels of no more than 5 mg/cu m, a standard met by only 17% of cities last year.

India, fifth in the smog rankings behind Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, saw average PM2.5 fall 7% on the year to 50.6 mg/cu m.

But it accounted for 12 of the top 20 most polluted cities, with Byrnihat, in a heavily industrialised part of the country's northeast, in first place, registering an average PM2.5 level of 128 mg/cu m.

Climate change is playing an increasing role in driving up pollution, Chester-Schroeder warned, with higher temperatures causing fiercer and lengthier forest fires that swept through parts of South East Asia and South America.

Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air Program at the University of Chicago's Energy Policy Institute (EPIC), said at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the U.S. programme was closed.

The State Department scheme improved air quality in the cities where the monitors were placed, boosting life expectancy and even reducing hazard allowances for U.S. diplomats, meaning that it paid for itself, Hasenkopf said.

"(It) is a giant blow to air quality efforts worldwide," she said.

Keep up with the latest medical breakthroughs and healthcare trends with the Reuters Health Rounds newsletter. Sign up here.🔺

Greenlanders vote in election dominated by Trump's control pledge

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

Greenlanders vote in election dominated by Trump's control pledge

By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Tom Little March 11, 2025

Summary

Greenland voting in parliamentary elections

Independence the key campaign theme after Trump interest

Trump says Greenland vital to US security, wants control

Naleraq party gains momentum, aims for secession deal with Denmark

NUUK, Greenland, March 11 (Reuters) - Greenland residents voted on Tuesday in an election brought into the international spotlight by U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to take control of the mineral-rich island, firing up a debate over its independence.

Since taking office in January, Trump has vowed to make Greenland - a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark - part of the United States, saying it is vital to U.S. security interests.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

The vast island, with a population of just 57,000, has been caught up in a geopolitical race for dominance in the Arctic, where melting ice caps are making its resources more accessible and opening new shipping routes. Both Russia and China have intensified military activity in the region.

Greenland is a former Danish colony and a territory since 1953. It gained some autonomy in 1979 when its first parliament was formed, but Copenhagen still controls foreign affairs, defence and monetary policy and provides just under $1 billion a year to the economy.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

In 2009, it won the right to declare full independence through a referendum, though has not done so out of concern living standards would drop without Denmark's economic support.

Voting began at 1100 GMT at 72 polling stations across the Arctic island, where 40,500 people are eligible to vote. Polling will close at 2200 GMT and the final result is expected on Wednesday between 0100 GMT and 0300 GMT.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

"I'm feeling very excited. I hope that people will vote with their common sense and without greed," Liv Aurora, a candidate with the ruling Inuit Ataqatigiit party, said at a polling station in the capital Nuuk.

"I hope to make a difference and to make Greenland strong and independent."

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

NUIT PRIDE

Trump's vocal interest has shaken up the status quo, and coupled with the growing pride of the indigenous people in their Inuit culture, put independence front and centre in the election.

"The question of independence was put on steroids by Trump," said Masaana Egede, editor of local newspaper Sermitsiaq. "It has put a lid on everyday issues."

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

In the final debate on Greenland's state broadcaster KNR late on Monday, leaders of the five parties currently in parliament unanimously said they did not trust Trump.

"He is trying to influence us. I can understand if citizens feel insecure," said Erik Jensen, leader of government coalition partner Siumut.

No polls or exit polls are expected. A January poll suggested a majority of Greenland's inhabitants support independence, but are divided on timing.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

Early on, the election campaign focused on the anger and frustration aimed at historical wrongdoings by former colonial ruler Denmark, according to Julie Rademacher, a consultant and former adviser to Greenland's government.

"But I think the fear of the U.S. imperialist approach has lately become bigger than the anger towards Denmark," said Rademacher.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

Reuters spoke to more than a dozen Greenlanders in Nuuk, all of whom said they favoured independence, although many expressed concern that a swift transition could damage the economy and eliminate Nordic welfare services like universal healthcare and free schooling.

"We don't want to be part of the U.S. for obvious reasons; healthcare and Trump," said Tuuta Lynge-Larsen, a bank employee and Nuuk resident, adding that this election was especially important. "We don't like the attention, to put it short."

The island holds substantial natural resources, including critical minerals such as rare earths used in high-tech industries, ranging from electric vehicles to missile systems.

However, Greenland has been slow to extract them due to environmental concerns, severe weather, and China's near-total control of the sector, which has made it difficult for companies elsewhere to make a profit or secure buyers.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

INVESTMENT PLEDGES

Trump initially declined to rule out military force, alarming many Greenlanders, although he later softened his stance, stating he would respect the will of the local people and was "ready to invest billions of dollars" if they joined the U.S.

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede has stressed the island is not for sale and advocated for a broad coalition government to resist external pressure. In an interview aired on Monday by Danish broadcaster DR, he dismissed Trump's offer as disrespectful, expressing willingness to cooperate with other countries instead.

Denmark's prime minister has said Greenland is not for sale, but made it clear that it is up to the local people to decide their future.

All six main political parties support independence but differ on how and when it could be achieved.

March 11 general election in Nuuk, Greenland, March 10, 2025. REUTERS

The pro-independence Naleraq party, the leading opposition force, has gained momentum ahead of the election, bolstered by U.S. interest and fresh accusations of Denmark's historic exploitation of Greenland's mineral wealth.

"This is our independence election," said Qunanuk Olsen, a Naleraq candidate.

The party believes the U.S. attention strengthens Greenland's position in secession talks with Denmark and aims to bring a deal with Copenhagen to a vote before the next election in four years.

According to Egede, the editor, the party could increase its current five seats, but is unlikely to secure a majority in parliament.🔺

Businesses sound alarm as Trump tariffs prompt consumers to cut spending

Businesses sound alarm as Trump tariffs prompt consumers to cut spending

By Reuters March 11, 2025

Summary

• Delta Air warns corporate, consumer travel weakening
• Kohl's forecasts weaker-than-expected profits
• 'Reluctance' in US consumer, industrial demand - Henkel
• Trump due to meet CEOs of America's biggest companies on Tuesday
• U.S. downturn worries trigger Wall Street sell-off

LONDON/NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) - Uncertainty brought by U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of tariffs and his shape-shifting trade policies are starting to have a chilling effect across many industries, businesses warn, as consumers pull back on everything from basic goods to travel.

Trump's back-and-forth tariff moves against major trading partners have kept businesses, consumers and companies on edge, prompting companies to warn they may have to raise prices, which could boost inflation and dent economic growth.

While Trump has said his policies could cause short-term pain, concerns about their economic fall-out intensified over the weekend after he declined to predict whether his economic policies would cause a recession.

On Monday, such fears fuelled a stock market sell-off that wiped nearly $5 trillion from the S&P 500’s peak last month, when Wall Street was cheering much of Trump's agenda.

Speaking after the market close on Monday, Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), opens new tab CEO warned that economic worries among consumers and businesses were already hurting domestic travel.

"We saw companies start to pull back. Corporate spending started to stall," CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC on Monday. "Consumers in a discretionary business do not like uncertainty."

Cuts by Americans to discretionary spending knocked airline stocks on Tuesday and with each day, evidence is mounting across the corporate world that the chaotic implementation of Trump's tariffs is translating into caution on Main Street.

Trump is expected to speak with around 100 CEOs at a regular meeting of the Business Roundtable in Washington, an influential group that includes bosses of major U.S. companies from Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab to JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), opens new tab and Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab. The Republican president met with technology company executives at the White House on Monday.

LATEST TARIFFS

The latest round of Trump tariffs - 25% levies on imported steel and aluminium - kick in on Wednesday.

The tariffs will apply to millions of tons of steel and aluminium imports from Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and other countries that had been entering the U.S. duty free under the carve-outs.

Trump has vowed the tariffs will be applied "without exceptions or exemptions" in a move he hopes will aid the struggling U.S. industries.

On Tuesday, he said he was doubling the planned tariff on all steel and aluminium imports from Canada, bringing the total to 50%, in response to the province of Ontario imposing a 25% surcharge on electricity it exports to the United States.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump also threatened to "substantially increase" tariffs on cars coming into the United States on April 2 "if other egregious, long time Tariffs are not likewise dropped by Canada."

Ahead of these measures, a range of recent surveys of U.S. businesses and consumers have shown deteriorating sentiment, which, if sustained, could hamper investment and household spending.

The National Federation of Independent Business - a Washington lobby group whose members staunchly supported Trump in the 2024 election - reported small business sentiment weakened for a third straight month, erasing the bump from Trump's election victory.

"Uncertainty is high and rising on Main Street, and for many reasons," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg, without elaborating.

That followed Monday's monthly New York Fed survey of consumer expectations showing households were growing more pessimistic about their financial prospects in the year ahead and a higher share of respondents expecting a rise in unemployment.

U.S. businesses broadly had greeted Trump's election with optimism, fuelled by pledges of deregulation and tax cuts.

But Republicans in Congress have yet to agree on a plan that would allow them to cut taxes and instead are focused this week on averting a government shutdown when funding expires at midnight on Friday.

RELUCTANCE

Companies sensitive to shifts in consumer and business sentiment are sounding the alarm about slowing demand for household and industrial goods.

Germany's Henkel (HNKG.DE), opens new tab, which makes Sellotape and Schwarzkopf hair products, said on Tuesday that Washington's policies were hurting the U.S. market disproportionately.

The company which also makes adhesives, currently sees a "reluctance" in terms of demand in the U.S. for both consumer and industrial segments, CEO Carsten Knobel told reporters.

It was too early to quantify a possible impact on its business as the situation remains volatile, he said.

Kohl's Corp (KSS.N), opens new tab forecast profits below Wall Street estimates, as the U.S. department store chain grapples with uneven demand.

Larger rivals Macy's (M.N), opens new tab and big-box retailers Walmart (WMT.N), opens new tab and Target (TGT.N), opens new tab have also tempered expectations as U.S. inflation risks rise and recession fears mount.

Telecom firm Verizon Communications' (VZ.N), opens new tab shares fell after it said first-quarter growth will probably be "soft".

Christian Schulz, deputy chief European economist at Citi, said growing fears about a U.S. recession will make life even harder for companies.

"Companies will have a tougher time in the short term to make investment decisions for the long term," he said.

US interest puts Greenland in focus

 Graphics

US interest puts Greenland in focus

By Prasanta Kumar Dutta, Sam Hart, Jon McClure and Mariano Zafra

Published March 11, 2025  07:17 AM GMT

Greenland is due to vote on March 11 in an election where independence has become the main topic, following recent statements by U.S. President Donald Trump that Denmark should cede control of the Arctic island to the U.S. due to its strategic importance for American security.

September  | 

Ice and snow

GREENLAND

Northern

sea route

Northwest

Passage

A map of Arctic sea ice extent in September 2024, which is significantly smaller than in September 2015.

The retreat of sea ice in the Arctic — which scientists warn will have severe consequences for Earth’s climate and could disrupt ocean currents — has made transport routes through the Arctic simpler and opened up new possibilities for oil and gas extraction.

According to data from Arctic Ship Traffic Data, the number of ships operating in the Arctic has increased 37% between 2013 and 2023.

Increase in ships in the Arctic

2,000

1,782

1,740

1,677

1,628

1,546

1,494

1,477

1,446

1,500

1,398

1,370

1,298

1,000

500

0

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

A chart showing the number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area has increased 37% between 2013 and 2023.

Note: Data indicates the number of unique ships entering the Arctic Polar Code area.

Source: Arctic Council

Much of the Arctic is split between exclusive economic zones which extend no more than 200 nautical miles from countries’ territorial waters and where they have jurisdiction over natural resources.

Arctic transport routes

Russia

USA

Canada

Norway

Denmark

Iceland

Exclusive economic zone

A map of exclusive economic zones in the Arctic circle.

Strategic importance for American security

Greenland's strategic location along the shortest route from Europe to North America is vital for the U.S. ballistic missile warning system.

A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark established a U.S. right to construct military bases in Greenland under the NATO framework as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified.

Historically, Denmark has accommodated the U.S. because Copenhagen does not have the capability to defend Greenland, and because of U.S. security guarantees to Denmark through NATO, according to Kristian Soeby Kristensen, senior researcher at Copenhagen University's Centre for Military Studies.

The U.S. military maintains a permanent presence at the Pituffik Space Base in Greenland’s northwest, under command of the U.S. Space Force. The base hosts early warning radar systems that are part of the Space Delta 4 missile defence mission and is strategically situated ahead of NORAD’s North Warning System, a line of radar installations designed to detect missile launches against North America crossing the Arctic.

Following the Trump administration’s comments, Danish lawmakers agreed to allocate around $2 billion to enhance Denmark’s own military presence in Greenland, admitting it has long neglected Greenland's defence.

NORAD

North Warning

System

Pituffik

Space Base

Moscow

Washington D.C.

A map of the NORAD North Warning System along Canada’s northern coast and Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.

Untapped resources

A 2023 survey showed that 25 of 34 minerals deemed “critical raw materials” by the European Commission were found in Greenland.

Greenland’s vast untapped resources include rare earths, graphite, copper, nickel, zinc, uranium, titanium, gold and diamonds, and 60% of the island’s non-ice territory has not yet been surveyed. The extraction of oil and natural gas is banned in Greenland for environmental reasons, and development of its mining sector has been snarled in red tape and opposition from Indigenous people.

The scale of Greenland

Greenland is more than three times the size of Texas, the largest state in the contiguous United States …

… and has a population less than a tenth that of Detroit, Michigan.

Detroit, Michigan

Population 633,000

Greenland

Pop. 56,000

Most of the population lives on just the 20% of the island that is not permanently covered in snow and ice, all along the coast.

Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, when it officially became part of Denmark. It gained more autonomy in 1979 with the establishment of its parliament, and received broader autonomy in 2009.

The Trump administration’s interest has shaken the status quo and, combined with growing Inuit pride, has led some locals to view the March 11 vote as a historic chance to free Greenland from Danish influence.

Relations between Greenland and Denmark have been strained after revelations of historical mistreatment of Greenlanders under colonial rule. However, Trump's interest in making the island part of the United States has prompted Denmark to accelerate work to improve its ties with Greenland.

Opinion polls show that a majority of Greenland's inhabitants support independence, but they are divided over the timing and potential impact on living standards.

A poll in January indicated that 85% of Greenlanders do not wish to become a part of the United States, with nearly half saying they see interest by Trump as a threat.

Snow covers houses in Old Nuuk, located in front of Sermitsiaq Island in Greenland,
February 5, 2025.

Sources

NASA (shaded relief, bathymetry and land cover data), Natural Earth (Tom Patterson), U.S. National Ice Center (Ice and snow data), Artic Council, Marine Regions (exclusive economic zones)

Edited by

Jon McClure, Sandra Maler