05/03/2026

THURSDAY | MAR 5, 2026

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Sara Duterte to face impeachment vote

Duterte and Marcos have been engaged in a high-stakes political brawl that erupted within weeks of their 2022 win in the presidential election, when the vice-president was denied her favoured Cabinet portfolios and instead named education secretary. The justice committee last month tossed out a pair of impeachment complaints against Marcos, ruling that allegations of corruption over a scandal involving bogus flood control projects lacked substance. In the Philippines, only one-third of the House of Representatives must vote in favour of impeachment for the case to move to the Senate. – AFP/Reuters and Malaysia, which serve as regional processing hubs for Middle Eastern crude. The disruptions have already caused shortages, though secondary supplies are available via Russia and Thailand. Residents in Yangon expressed concern that the rationing plan would drive up the cost of living and further complicate daily life in a city already plagued by power outages. “Operating vehicles on alternating even and odd days based on licence plate numbers is an incredibly frustrating system for people in a city like Yangon, where we depend so heavily on cars,” said one resident. Skyrocketing prices have already made it difficult to meet demand, raising questions about the extent of the country’s strategic reserves, he added. Fuel supplies in the border town of Myawaddy ran out on Tuesday. – Reuters

briefing in which she claimed to have hired an assassin to kill the president and members of his family should he have her cut down first. While she later said the comments were misinterpreted, lawmaker Gerville Luistro said that the alleged threats could destabilise institutions. “They carry weight. They create fear,” Luistro said. “This is a very good development that the process of accountability is now moving,” Representative Leila de Lima told Reuters. De Lima endorsed one of the complaints against Duterte. yesterday, blaming disruptions to the global energy supply chain caused by escalating hostilities in the Middle East. The country’s National Defence and Security Council (NDSC) said the new regulations, effective Saturday, were a response to “global political situations” and armed conflicts in the Middle East, which have obstructed oil shipments. Under a new“even-odd”licensing scheme, even-numbered plates will only be allowed to drive on even dates, and odd-numbered plates on odd dates, the announcement said. Electric vehicles and electric motorcycles are exempt. The NDSC warned businesses and individuals not to hoard fuel for resale at inflated prices, saying that violators would be prosecuted. Myanmar is heavily reliant on refined fuel imports from Singapore Myanmar to ration fuel YANGON: Myanmar announced the launch of a sweeping fuel rationing system for private vehicles

were initially lodged against Duterte, but one complaint was dismissed over a rule that prohibits such

Under the Philippine constitution, an impeachment by the House of Representatives triggers a Senate trial, where a guilty verdict would ban Duterte from elected office for life. The new complaints, ruled “sufficient in substance” by a vote of 54-1, accuse her of graft and corruption while in office and of making a death threat against former ally President Ferdinand Marcos. “Our vote today is not a verdict of guilt nor an act of condemnation. It’s simply a decision on whether the constitutional process should move forward,” Representative Ferdinand Hernandez said minutes before the vote. Four impeachment complaints

MANILA: A Philippine congressional committee agreed overwhelmingly yesterday to send articles of impeachment against Vice-President Sara Duterte (pic) to lawmakers for a vote that could decide her political future. The daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who last month announced a 2028 presidential bid, was impeached last year, only for the Supreme Court to toss the case out over procedural issues. o Guilty verdict to result in life ban from office

complaints from being filed within a year after previously being submitted. Another complaint was withdrawn to fast-track the proceedings and because it was similar to another complaint. Analysts have warned that Duterte’s announcement will weigh heavily on lawmakers forced to gauge the repercussions of a vote against someone who may yet hold the country’s highest office. The alleged death threat against Marcos stems from a late-night press

Taiwan has auctioned off luxury cars linked to the Prince Group. – REUTERSPIC

Taiwan indicts 62 linked to scam group TAIPEI: Prosecutors here yesterday indicted 62 people linked to the Prince Group, a multinational network accused of running a vast network of scam centres, including the illicit funds via shell companies, buying luxury goods, sports cars and real estate. statement issued via a US law firm. On Monday, Taiwan put 33 luxury cars, including Ferraris, up for auction after they were seized as part of the investigation.

“This was done to conceal and disguise the source and flow of the criminal proceeds,” it said. The funds remitted into Taiwan from overseas by members of the group for alleged money-laundering purposes totalled around T$10.8 billion (RM1.3 billion), where they bought 24 properties, 35 vehicles and held T$55.53 million in other assets such as cash, designer bags and shoes, the statement said. More than T$5.5 billion in assets have been seized in Taiwan, the prosecutors’ office said. In November, the Prince Group denied any wrongdoing in a reflecting Prabowo’s initiative to engage senior statesmen in exchanging views on international challenges and their potential implications for Indonesia. The Presidential Secretariat’s Media, Press and Information Bureau in a statement issued yesterday said the gathering served as a platform for dialogue and reflection on the

“To conceal and disguise criminal proceeds, they exploited Taiwanese nationals to carry out money laundering activities in Taiwan through online gambling and underground remittances,” the prosecutors’ office said. “This not only seriously disrupted Taiwan’s financial order and social stability, but also damaged Taiwan’s image.” Singapore and Hong Kong, have also seized assets or detained individuals linked to the Prince Group. – Reuters evolving global situation. Former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda said the president briefed participants on the latest international developments, including the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. “President provided an update and briefed us on developments. The implications for us and the world

company’s chairman who was arrested and deported to China from Cambodia earlier this year. Chen Zhi, who founded the conglomerate the US alleges is a front for a multibillion-dollar online fraud and money laundering operation, was pictured by Chinese state media hooded and handcuffed as he was led off a plane at a Beijing airport in January. Taipei prosecutors said in a statement that Taiwan was one of the locations where Chen had funnelled

Motorists queuing for petrol in Tachileik, Shan state. – AFPPIC

Prabowo hosts former presidents, national leaders to discuss geopolitical developments JAKARTA: President Prabowo national leaders,

touched on broader implications for global peace and security as well as possible economic repercussions, especially those related to oil and gas. “We calculated all the possible effects on us from that aspect, but also from the calculation of how long this war might last,” he said. – Bernama

were discussed,” he was quoted as saying in the statement. Also present at the meeting were former vice-presidents Ma’ruf Amin, Jusuf Kalla and Boediono, along with several former foreign ministers, leaders of coalition political parties and representatives from business and industry. Hassan said the discussion also

Subianto convened a strategic dialogue with former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace to discuss global geopolitical developments. The meeting, held on Tuesday evening, also brought together several former vice-presidents and