World Today: ICC Judge Rejects Former Philippine President Duterte's Lawsuit
World Today returns with reports from various parts of the world over the last 24 hours. Thursday’s edition, 23 April 2026, presents news from the Philippines.
ICC rejects Duterte’s lawsuit, trial proceeds
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte can still be tried for events in the war on drugs after a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejected Duterte’s lawsuit.
The 81-year-old man faces three charges of crimes against humanity at the international court based in The Hague.
He is accused of murders allegedly carried out as part of his crackdown on drug users and dealers.
The charges refer to his time as mayor of Davao between 2013 and 2016, and then as president until March 2019, when the Philippines withdrew from the ICC.
Duterte argued that the court has no jurisdiction over alleged crimes in the Philippines because the country is no longer subject to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding text.
Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz ‘impossible’
Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said a full ceasefire with the United States would only occur if the US ends its blockade of Iranian ports.
In a post on X, he said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible in the current situation.
“A full ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated through naval blockades… reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible amid blatant ceasefire violations,” he wrote.
Crypto entrepreneur sues Trump company
Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun has sued World Liberty Financial, the digital currency company co-founded by US President Donald Trump and his sons.
In the lawsuit, Sun accuses World Liberty of secretly installing tools to prevent the sale of his tokens after they became tradable in September 2025.
The lawsuit filed in a federal court in California also accuses World Liberty of threatening to “burn”, or permanently delete, his assets, even while they were still in Sun’s digital wallet.
The founder of the Hong Kong-based crypto currency Tron bought $45 million worth of WLFI tokens, amounting to three billion tokens.
He was then given an additional one billion tokens after being appointed as an advisor to World Liberty, according to the lawsuit.
Australian residents oppose McDonald’s development
More than 4,100 people have signed a petition opposing the proposal to build a McDonald’s just 200 metres from a primary school on Phillip Island.
The fast-food giant has applied for planning permission to the Bass Coast City Council to build a new restaurant in the tourist hub of Cowes, which has a population of 6,593.
The proposal has sparked outrage among thousands of residents concerned about traffic and the restaurant’s impact on local biodiversity.
The proposed site is currently occupied by a petrol station and an empty plot of land.
Secretary of the Phillip Island Progress Association, Peter McMahon, said they are also concerned about the presence of McDonald’s 200 metres from Cowes Primary School.