Law

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has stated that he did not personally see survivors before a follow-up strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean on 2 September, which left two survivors dead. The incident has raised serious questions about whether US forces may have violated laws governing armed conflict. During a White House cabinet meeting, Hegseth...

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Indonesia and the Netherlands have reached an agreement to repatriate two elderly Dutch nationals serving prison sentences in Indonesia for drug offences—one on death row and the other serving a life sentence. The repatriation, requested by the Dutch government on humanitarian grounds, was approved in October by Indonesian authorities, citing health concerns for both men. Siegfried Mets, 74,...

Published: 03 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A New Zealand man has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing a diamond-studded locket in an unusual manner—by swallowing it. The Fabergé egg pendant, valued at NZ$33,585 ($19,300; £14,600), has not yet been recovered, according to local police reports. Authorities were called to Partridge Jewellers in central Auckland last Friday afternoon, where the 32-year-old suspect was arrested...

Published: 02 December 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Justice Secretary David Lammy has revealed that 12 prisoners have been accidentally released over the past three weeks, with two still at large. This follows a previous wave of 91 accidental releases between April and October. Speaking to the BBC, Lammy acknowledged that while prisons continue to operate on a paper-based system, “human error” is inevitable. He...

Published: 02 December 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday as efforts intensify to reach a deal aimed at ending the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has acted as an outside adviser in previous diplomatic discussions, is also expected to attend. The summit follows two...

Published: 02 December 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has ordered the establishment of an independent committee to investigate the catastrophic fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which claimed at least 151 lives. The blaze, which erupted last Wednesday, engulfed seven of the eight tower blocks that were undergoing extensive renovations. Preliminary investigations indicate that protective netting around...

Published: 02 December 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online In the East China Sea, tensions flared again as Chinese and Japanese coast guards reported conflicting accounts of a maritime confrontation near a cluster of geopolitically sensitive islands. China’s Coast Guard (CCG) stated that a Japanese fishing vessel had entered waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands — which Tokyo administers as the Senkaku Islands — without authorization. Beijing...

Published: 01 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online. Virgin Media has been fined £23.8m after Ofcom concluded the company put thousands of vulnerable customers at risk during its transition from analogue to digital landline services. The regulator said the failures directly endangered people dependent on telecare alarms, which allow elderly and disabled individuals to call for help during emergencies. The penalty marks one of the most...

Published: 28 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online A Japanese court has upheld the country's ban on same-sex marriage, ruling it constitutional, in a verdict that defies a series of other high court decisions across Japan that had suggested a trend toward marriage equality. The decision disappointed plaintiffs and their legal team, who gathered outside the Tokyo courthouse holding signs that read "unjust verdict." Judge...

Published: 28 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will "permanently pause migration" from all so-called "third-world countries" to allow the US immigration system to "fully recover" from policies that he claims have eroded the "gains and living conditions" of Americans. He did not provide specific details on the plan or which countries might be affected....