Top European rights court finds Russia committed abuses in Ukraine, MH17 downing
STRASBOURG, France — A top European court on Wednesday ruled Russia committed human rights violations in backing anti-Kyiv separatists in eastern Ukraine from 2014, the downing of the MH17 flight that year and invading Ukraine in 2022.
The European Court of Human Rights, part of the Council of Europe rights body, is tasked with implementing the European human rights convention in the 46 signatory countries. — Agence France-Presse
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GMA Network
5 hours ago
- GMA Network
US aware of report American killed in West Bank settler attack
A view shows a part of the fence, which was set by the Israeli authorities, in Sinjil, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Torokman/File Photo WASHINGTON - The US State Department said on Friday it was aware of the reported death of a US citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after reports emerged of Israeli settlers fatally beating a Palestinian American. Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the local health ministry, said Saif al-Din Kamel Abdul Karim Musallat, in his 20s, died after he was beaten by Israeli settlers on Friday evening in an attack that injured 10 others in a town north of Ramallah. A second person was also found dead in the area, a Palestinian medical source said. There was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Health Ministry. Relatives of Musallat, who was from Tampa, Florida, were quoted by the Washington Post as saying he was beaten to death by Israeli settlers. "We are aware of reports of the death of a US citizen in the West Bank," a State Department spokesperson said, adding the department had no further comment "out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones" of the reported victim. The Israeli military said Israel was probing the incident in the town of Sinjil. It said confrontations between Palestinians and settlers broke out after Palestinians threw rocks at Israelis, lightly injuring them. The military said forces were dispatched to the scene and used non-lethal weapons to disperse the crowds. Settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023, according to rights groups. Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank. Israeli killings of US citizens in the West Bank in recent years include those of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, Palestinian American teenager Omar Mohammad Rabea and Turkish American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi. The United Nations' highest court said last year Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and settlements there were illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for an independent state. —Reuters


GMA Network
6 hours ago
- GMA Network
DepEd vows to cooperate with Ombudsman amid order to file graft charges vs. Briones, Lao
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday said it is fully committed to cooperating with the Office of the Ombudsman after its order to file graft and falsification charges against former Education Secretary Leonor Briones, former Budget Undersecretary Christopher Lao, and several former education officials regarding the 'pricey' P2.4 billion laptops purchased in 2020. 'DepEd reiterates its full commitment to cooperate with the Office of the Ombudsman in the expeditious and fair resolution of this case. The Department is ready to provide all necessary documents, information, and other forms of assistance to ensure accountability and to protect the interest of the public,' DepEd said in a statement. DepEd said it was already informed of the filing of an Information for Violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Falsification by Public Officers under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), and Perjury under Article 183 of the RPC against several of its former officials. 'Officials subject of the charges no longer hold any position in or maintain any connection with the Department,' DepEd said. The laptops, priced at P58,300 each with an outdated Celeron processor, were purchased by the Department of Education for the implementation of distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It was deemed 'pricey' by the Commission on Audit. 'The new bidding parameters, i.e. lower quantity and higher unit price, were reflected in the bidding documents and was used in the bidding process... These parameters facilitated the overprice and the consequent undue injury and gross disadvantage to the government,' the Ombudsman said. The Ombudsman said that the approved series of requests for extensions to deliver the laptops, requests to change payment terms, and other adjustments to the contract terms and conditions which, taken together, 'betray an unusually deferential treatment and favor towards the Joint Venture consortium.' The Ombudsman added that the DepEd supply officers often received feedback stating that the computers they had purchased were: overpriced vis-à-vis the outdated or inferior technical specifications; unable to handle multiple applications at the same time; defective or fast-draining battery; quite slow to boot-up; and immediately returned by the recipients, who opted to wait for better laptop models. —Jamil Santos/ VAL, GMA Integrated News

GMA Network
7 hours ago
- GMA Network
US, China have 'positive' meeting at ASEAN foreign minister talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11, 2025. MANDEL NGAN/Pool via REUTERS KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a "positive" meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers. Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan—and both countries vie for greater influence in the region. "I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting," Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in capital Kuala Lumpur, but he stressed: "It was not a negotiation." "I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work together on." Rubio was also optimistic that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen. "There's a strong desire on both sides to do it," Rubio said, adding no date was set. Beijing said in a statement "both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive." Both countries agreed to "enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels... and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing differences," China's foreign ministry said. The sit-down between Wang and Rubio, a long-time China hawk, came as Asian foreign ministers wrapped up three days of talks at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathering in Kuala Lumpur. Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Australia, Britain and Canada also attended. 'Not sustainable' US officials said ahead of Rubio's first trip to the region as secretary of state that Washington was "prioritising" its commitment to East and Southeast Asia. While US tariffs overshadowed the gathering, Rubio said he was "warmly received" by Asian partners as he sought to placate concerns over the duties. "If you look at some of these trade deficits, they're massive. That has to be addressed," Rubio said at the end of his whirlwind trip. "Everybody here is a mature leader who understands that that's not sustainable." Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50% against more than 20 countries, many in Asia, if they do not strike deals with Washington by August 1. ASEAN described the tariffs as "counterproductive" and a threat to regional growth, according to a joint statement released Friday. Long-time US ally Japan faces a 25% across-the-board levy, separate from similar charges already imposed on cars, steel and aluminum. South Korea faces a similar tariff. Rubio met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on Friday, with his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce calling it an "indispensable relationship." Wang told Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier Friday that Washington's "unilateral imposition of high tariffs is irresponsible and unpopular," according to a foreign ministry statement. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a closing news conference the ASEAN meeting mentioned "each country's concerns respectively" regarding tariffs. Tensions between the United States and China have ratcheted up since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that briefly sent duties on each other's exports sky-high. Deep mistrust Washington hit China with additional levies of 145% on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation, while China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125%. Beijing and Washington agreed in May to temporarily slash the staggering tariffs—an outcome Trump dubbed a "total reset." However, deep mistrust remains between the two countries, with each suspecting the other of trying to weaken its influence. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China in late May of "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power" in the Asia-Pacific region. He also claimed that Beijing "trains every day" to invade self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. In response, Chinese diplomats accused the United States of using the Taiwan issue to "contain China" and called on Washington to stop "playing with fire." — Agence France-Presse