Philippines Leader Duterte Threatens To Quit UN Over Drugs Censure

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has lambasted the United Nations and threatened to pull out of the organisation after its criticism of his anti-drugs policies.

Police chiefs have admitted they are responsible for the deaths of some 600 drugs suspects since July, with local media suggesting the true number could easily be more than 1,000 when vigilante killings are taken into account.

Last week, two UN human rights experts urged Manila to stop the killings, saying they amounted to a crime under international law.

President Duterte has denied the government is responsible.

"I will prove to the world that you are a very stupid expert," he declared during a late-night news conference on Sunday.

He urged the UN to also consider the number of innocent lives lost to drugs, before laying into the organisation in a typically expletive-laden tirade.

Mr Duterte said the UN should not worry "about the bones of criminals piling up", but instead do more on issues such as hunger, terrorism and conflict in Syria and Iraq.

"Maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations. If you are that disrespectful, son of a whore, then I will just leave you," the president added.

The riled up leader suggested he could create a new global organisation.

"I would invite everybody. I would invite maybe China, the African (nations)," said President Duterte.

When asked about the possible repercussions of his comments, he said: "What is ... repercussions? I don't give a s*** to them."

Protests against the killings have been held outside the country's Department of Justice 

Mr Duterte came to power in May and had a similarly ruthless approach to crime in his home city of Davao, where he was mayor for over two decades.

During his election campaign, he promised to kill 100,000 people and dump so many bodies in Manila Bay that fish would get fat from feeding on them.

On the day he was sworn in, he encouraged people in slums to kill neighbours they believed were drug addicts.

The president insists police have only acted in self defence, with other killings down to fighting between drugs gangs.

But calls for restraint are growing - not just from the international community, but also from within the Philippines.

Former justice secretary Senator Leila De Lima is planning to launch an inquiry into the killings - an act that has already drawn scorn from President Duterte, who labelled her an "immoral woman".

But he seems determined to continue - pledging to double police salaries by the end of the year, and put methamphetamine addicts, who he described as being "no longer viable as human beings", in "rehab camps" on military bases.

Fire Rages At Selsey School Amid Reports Of Explosions

Firefighters are battling a major blaze at a secondary school, amid reports of loud explosions.

People living close to The Academy in Selsey, near Chichester, West Sussex, have been advised to stay indoors and keep their windows closed because of the thick, acrid smoke billowing from the building.

Some 14 fire engines attended the scene along with two aerial ladder platforms after the blaze broke out at shortly before 8am on Sunday.

Crews from neighbouring Hampshire were helping tackle the fire.

The Academy is a mixed school for pupils aged 11 to 16.

West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said: "People in vicinity of smoke from Selsey school fire advised to stay clear of smoke, stay indoors and keep windows closed."

The school said it would be making arrangements for students due to collect their GCSE results on Thursday.

South East Coast Ambulance Service said it was supporting the fire service and restated advice for residents to stay indoors.

Omran Daqneesh's brother Ali 'has died in Aleppo'

The elder brother of Omran Daqneesh, the Syrian boy whose dazed and bloodied image shocked the world, has died of wounds sustained when the family home in Aleppo was bombed, activists say.

The Syria Solidarity Campaign said 10-year-old Ali "passed away today due to his injuries from the bombing of his house by Russia/Assad".

Russian and Syrian jets have carried out heavy raids on rebel-held areas.

Omran, five, was filmed caked in dust and blood after his home was hit.

The pictures - symbolising the suffering of Aleppo's trapped civilians - caused worldwide outrage.

An unidentified witness in Aleppo quoted by Reuters news agency said Ali Daqneesh had suffered internal bleeding and organ damage after the 17 August bombing.

And a tweet from Kareem Shaheen, a Middle East reporter, said: "Have confirmed with Omar Daqneesh's doctor, his older brother died from wounds sustained during strike that wounded Omran".

Aleppo, once Syria's commercial and industrial centre, has been divided roughly in two since 2012, with the government controlling the west and rebels the east.

Taliban Captures Strategic Afghan District Near Kunduz

Afghan forces battle the Taliban near Kunduz

The Taliban has captured a district close to the strategic Afghan city of Kunduz, nearly 15 years after they were defeated there by a US-led coalition.

The move against Khan Abad comes as the militant group continues to wage an increasingly violent insurgency in a bid to topple the government.

The district, which contains the town of Khan Abad, is about 30km (18 miles) from Kunduz, a centre of Taliban power before the US invasion in 2001.

The group retook Kunduz last summer but then withdrew, claiming it did not want civilians to be caught up in air attacks.

Khan Abad's governor Hayatullah Amiri said: "After several hours of fighting the militants overran the district." 

Provincial spokesman Sayed Mahmood Danish said security forces were "trying to get back control of the district from the Taliban".

Resident Abdul Satar told AFP: "The residents of (Khan Abad) are worried about their lives and safety. People are fleeing their homes and they have left their shops."

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group's fighters had taken control of the district and police headquarters.

Between January and June this year, 1,601 civilians have been killed and 3,565 wounded - an increase on the same period last year.

Deaths from the conflict are at their highest level since the UN began issuing reports in 2009.

Afghan troops are currently battling the Taliban in at least 15 of the country's 34 provinces, 

Earlier this month, the group launched a major offensive in Helmand province, managing to surround the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.

Afghan troops, supported by US airstrikes, stopped the Taliban assault on Lashkar Gah but government security forces are stretched on multiple fronts across the country. 

Lashkar Gah was the headquarters for British forces while they were taking part in coalition action in the country with UK troops taking part in several deadly missions to tackle militants.

Actor and Mental Health Campaigner Lord Rix Dies Aged 92

The actor and mental health campaigner Lord Brian Rix has died aged 92, the charity Mencap has said. 

He had been ill for some time.

Recently, he wrote to the Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness D'Souza, appealing for a change in the law to legalise assisted dying.

He said such a change would allow him to "slip away peacefully". 

Lord Rix was born in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, in 1924 and was the youngest of four children.

He became a professional actor at the age of 18 and appeared on the West End stage - notably in Whitehall farces - in films and in numerous productions for the BBC.  

Brian Rix during rehearsals for the Whitehall farce One For The Pot in the early 1960s 

His dedication to people with learning disabilities began after his eldest child, Shelley, was born with Down's Syndrome in December 1951. 

He became chairman of Mencap in 1988 and its president in 1998, a post he held until his death.

He was made a life peer in 1992 and spoke regularly in the Lords, talking of his frustration at not being able to do more for his daughter, who died in 2005.

Mencap chair Derek Lewis said: "Through his tireless campaigning he brought about vastly improved life opportunities for those with learning disabilities compared with the situation when his daughter was born with Down's Syndrome.

"He will be greatly missed but his extraordinary achievements leave us all with the inspiration to continue his vital work." 

Brian Rix and his wife Elspet Gray at a ball in London in 1962

Lord Rix had been an opponent of assisted dying, because of concerns that people with learning difficulties might have become the unwilling victims of euthanasia.

But he told the Press Association earlier this month that his own experience of terminal illness had changed his mind.

He said: "I have wrapped up my affairs and I am ready to go and I can't do anything but lie here thinking, 'Oh Christ, why am I still here?'    

"They won't let me die and that's all I want to do.

"I have no fears of dying because it will put an end to this misery, this pain and discomfort.

"I am constantly woozy and hazy but I can't sleep. 

"I think it's wrong that people like me are stranded like this. I'm not looking for something that helps me only, I'm thinking of all the other people who must be in the same dreadful position." 

Lord Rix's wife, Elspet Gray, died in February 2013 aged 83. 

He is survived by his sons Jamie and Jonathan, daughter Louisa and grandchildren. 

Actor and Mental Health Campaigner Lord Rix Dies Aged 92

The actor and mental health campaigner Lord Brian Rix has died aged 92, the charity Mencap has said. 

He had been ill for some time.

Recently, he wrote to the Speaker of the House of Lords, Baroness D'Souza, appealing for a change in the law to legalise assisted dying.

He said such a change would allow him to "slip away peacefully". 

Lord Rix was born in Cottingham, East Yorkshire, in 1924 and was the youngest of four children.

He became a professional actor at the age of 18 and appeared on the West End stage - notably in Whitehall farces - in films and in numerous productions for the BBC.  

Brian Rix during rehearsals for the Whitehall farce One For The Pot in the early 1960s 

His dedication to people with learning disabilities began after his eldest child, Shelley, was born with Down's Syndrome in December 1951. 

He became chairman of Mencap in 1988 and its president in 1998, a post he held until his death.

He was made a life peer in 1992 and spoke regularly in the Lords, talking of his frustration at not being able to do more for his daughter, who died in 2005.

Mencap chair Derek Lewis said: "Through his tireless campaigning he brought about vastly improved life opportunities for those with learning disabilities compared with the situation when his daughter was born with Down's Syndrome.

"He will be greatly missed but his extraordinary achievements leave us all with the inspiration to continue his vital work." 

Brian Rix and his wife Elspet Gray at a ball in London in 1962

Lord Rix had been an opponent of assisted dying, because of concerns that people with learning difficulties might have become the unwilling victims of euthanasia.

But he told the Press Association earlier this month that his own experience of terminal illness had changed his mind.

He said: "I have wrapped up my affairs and I am ready to go and I can't do anything but lie here thinking, 'Oh Christ, why am I still here?'    

"They won't let me die and that's all I want to do.

"I have no fears of dying because it will put an end to this misery, this pain and discomfort.

"I am constantly woozy and hazy but I can't sleep. 

"I think it's wrong that people like me are stranded like this. I'm not looking for something that helps me only, I'm thinking of all the other people who must be in the same dreadful position." 

Lord Rix's wife, Elspet Gray, died in February 2013 aged 83. 

He is survived by his sons Jamie and Jonathan, daughter Louisa and grandchildren. 

Kermiche Finally Buried After Muslim Leaders Shunned Priest Killer

One of the jihadists who killed a priest inside a church near the French city of Rouen has finally been buried.

But Adel Kermiche was buried more than 60 miles away in an area on the outskirts of Paris after local Muslim leaders refused to get involved.

Kermiche, 19, and his accomplice, Abdelmalik Petitjean, were shot dead by police after storming a service in July in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and holding four hostages.

Adel Kermiche and Abdelmalik Petitjean pledged allegiance to IS

During the siege, they slit the throat of 84-year-old priest Jacques Hamel and seriously injured another hostage.

They had both pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

Kermiche was buried on Friday evening in a multi-faith cemetery in the Puiseux-Pontoise suburb, northwest of Paris, after Muslim leaders near Rouen had refused to grant Kermiche a Muslim burial.

A photo displayed at the funeral of Fr Jacques Hamel

An official said: "All we did was strictly apply the law. The family owns a crypt in the cemetery and the law guarantees the right to be buried regardless of the circumstances surrounding the person's death."

Muslim community leaders said they did not want to "taint" Islam by being associated with Kermiche.

The burial of the other attacker, Petitjean, remains the subject of a dispute.

The mayors of the two areas where he was born and where he lived are refusing to allow his funeral to take place on their turf.

Kermiche took four hostages during the attack on the church

France has faced a conundrum on where to bury jihadists responsible for a string of attacks in recent months.

There are fears that the graves of jihadists could become sites of pilgrimage for other extremists.