The president of the Philippines has claimed that he once threw a man out of a helicopter and that he would do it again.
Rodrigo Duterte said he hurled a Chinese man suspected of rape and murder out mid-air.
He said: "If you are corrupt, I will fetch you using a helicopter to Manila and I will throw you out. I have done this before, why would I not do it again?"
Mr Duterte's spokesman described the alleged incident as an "urban legend".
The latest controversy comes just weeks after Mr Duterte admitted killing people during the 22 years he spent as mayor of Davao City, in the south of the country.
He claimed to have toured the city's streets on his motorcycle looking for drug dealers to shoot.
His comments sparked international condemnation and created tensions with the United States and United Nations.
Since his election in May, more than 6,100 people have been killed in Mr Duterte's war on drugs.
About a third of the victims have been killed by police but vigilantes are also responsible for many of the deaths.
Despite criticism of the killings, the Philippines president has pledged to continue his crackdown.
He said: "Until the last pusher is out of the street ... until the last drugs lord is killed, this drug campaign would continue to the last day of my term."
On Wednesday night two unknown gunmen on motorbikes shot dead seven people in a drugs den in the capital Manila.
Four of those killed were teenagers.
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Carrie Fisher's mother Debbie Reynolds has died aged 84
Film legend Debbie Reynolds has died aged 84 - a day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher, the beloved Star Wars actress.
Reynolds' passing was confirmed by her son Todd Fisher, who said: "She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken.
"She said, 'I want to be with Carrie.' And then she was gone."
He told the Associated Press that the stress of his sister's death "was too much" for their mother to cope with, and that she had suffered a stroke.
Reynolds was a renowned actress in her own right. She was thrust into the limelight when she starred alongside Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic Singin' In The Rain, which would become one of her best-known roles.
It was claimed that she had been discussing arrangements for her daughter's funeral when she suffered a medical emergency at about 9pm UK time on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the LA Fire Department had earlier said that a woman was escorted to hospital from an address in Beverly Hills in a "fair to serious condition", but could not confirm it was Reynolds owing to medical privacy laws.
Countless actors have paid tribute to Reynolds, with William Shatner describing her as "one of the last of Hollywood Royalty".
Last year, Reynolds received an honorary Oscar known as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award - but was too ill too attend the ceremony.
Her 60-year-old daughter Carrie, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, died on Tuesday - four days after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
After she died, Reynolds wrote in a Facebook post: "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter.
"I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."
In November, Fisher had spoken of how she admired her mother - and told NPR radio that Reynolds had recently suffered setbacks with her health.
Fisher said: "(My mother is) an immensely powerful woman ... There's very few women from her generation who worked like that, who just kept a career going all her life, and raised children, and had horrible relationships, and lost all her money, and got it back again.
"I mean, she's had an amazing life, and she's someone to admire."
Reynolds had been married three times - and her first marriage to Eddie Fisher, Carrie's father, ended in humiliation after he left her for fellow screen icon Elizabeth Taylor.
In another turn of misfortune, Reynolds' second husband gambled away most of her savings - and her third marriage to a real estate developer ended in divorce in 1996.
Reynolds once said in an interview that she had more luck selecting restaurants than men.
In an interview a few months after Elizabeth Taylor's death in 2011, Reynolds described how she had buried the hatchet with her one-time love rival when they were both passengers on the Queen Elizabeth.
She had told The Huffington Post: "I sent a note to her and she sent a note to me in passing, and then we had dinner together.
"(Elizabeth) was married to Richard Burton by then. I had been remarried at that point. And we just said, 'Let's call it a day.' And we got smashed. And we had a great evening, and stayed friends since then."
A documentary about her relationship with her daughter, titled Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and is due to be broadcast on HBO in March.
Reynolds' passing was confirmed by her son Todd Fisher, who said: "She's now with Carrie and we're all heartbroken.
"She said, 'I want to be with Carrie.' And then she was gone."
He told the Associated Press that the stress of his sister's death "was too much" for their mother to cope with, and that she had suffered a stroke.
Reynolds was a renowned actress in her own right. She was thrust into the limelight when she starred alongside Gene Kelly in the 1952 classic Singin' In The Rain, which would become one of her best-known roles.
It was claimed that she had been discussing arrangements for her daughter's funeral when she suffered a medical emergency at about 9pm UK time on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the LA Fire Department had earlier said that a woman was escorted to hospital from an address in Beverly Hills in a "fair to serious condition", but could not confirm it was Reynolds owing to medical privacy laws.
Countless actors have paid tribute to Reynolds, with William Shatner describing her as "one of the last of Hollywood Royalty".
Last year, Reynolds received an honorary Oscar known as the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award - but was too ill too attend the ceremony.
Her 60-year-old daughter Carrie, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, died on Tuesday - four days after she suffered a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles.
After she died, Reynolds wrote in a Facebook post: "Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter.
"I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop."
In November, Fisher had spoken of how she admired her mother - and told NPR radio that Reynolds had recently suffered setbacks with her health.
Fisher said: "(My mother is) an immensely powerful woman ... There's very few women from her generation who worked like that, who just kept a career going all her life, and raised children, and had horrible relationships, and lost all her money, and got it back again.
"I mean, she's had an amazing life, and she's someone to admire."
Reynolds had been married three times - and her first marriage to Eddie Fisher, Carrie's father, ended in humiliation after he left her for fellow screen icon Elizabeth Taylor.
In another turn of misfortune, Reynolds' second husband gambled away most of her savings - and her third marriage to a real estate developer ended in divorce in 1996.
Reynolds once said in an interview that she had more luck selecting restaurants than men.
In an interview a few months after Elizabeth Taylor's death in 2011, Reynolds described how she had buried the hatchet with her one-time love rival when they were both passengers on the Queen Elizabeth.
She had told The Huffington Post: "I sent a note to her and she sent a note to me in passing, and then we had dinner together.
"(Elizabeth) was married to Richard Burton by then. I had been remarried at that point. And we just said, 'Let's call it a day.' And we got smashed. And we had a great evening, and stayed friends since then."
A documentary about her relationship with her daughter, titled Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher And Debbie Reynolds, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and is due to be broadcast on HBO in March.
US Secretary of State John Kerry hits out at Israel on Middle East peace
The US Secretary of State has accused Israel of threatening peace in the Middle East in some of America's harshest-ever public criticisms of its key ally.
John Kerry said Israel was not interested in finding a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians and "believe in one state: greater Israel".
Mr Kerry said the US would have been guilty of a "dereliction of duty" if it had vetoed the UN vote to condemn Israeli settlements last week.
And he added that just because the US was Israel's ally it didn't mean it would stand by and not do anything when the future of Middle East peace was under threat.
In his final speech on the Middle East peace process, Mr Kerry said: "No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace.
"But the problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there."
He added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back in a short statement after the US Secretary of State's speech calling it "biased" and saying it "obsessively" focused on settlements and ignored the root of the conflict between to two sides.
Mr Kerry said in his speech that the only hope for the future was a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and that the UN was right to condemn the building of settler homes in the West Bank.
He urged Israel and the Palestinians to agree a two-state solution based on land occupied before the six-day war in 1967.
The US refusal to veto the UN vote was seen by some as a parting shot from outgoing US President Barack Obama to his successor Donald Trump, just weeks before the latter's inauguration on 20 January.
It has sparked a war of word with Mr Trump tweeting on Wednesday: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S but..."
He also tweeted: "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"
In the immediate wake of the vote last week, Mr Trump, who had wanted to US to veto the vote to condemn the building of settler homes, said things at the UN would "be different after Jan. 20th."
Mr Netanyahu he was looking forward to working with Mr Trump and effectively set out a wishlist for the President-elect that the US would not allow any further UN resolutions against Israel.
Mr Kerry said Mr Obama had been committed to Israel and to the peace process but said: "Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy.
"We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hopes of peace slipping away."
Mr Kerry said the US "did not draft or originate" the UN resolution on settlement and earlier it had been confirmed the UK had helped draft the resolution and played a key role in brokering it.
However, Mr Netanyahu said he had evidence the US was behind the resolution.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to resume peace efforts when settlement building was frozen.
John Kerry said Israel was not interested in finding a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians and "believe in one state: greater Israel".
Mr Kerry said the US would have been guilty of a "dereliction of duty" if it had vetoed the UN vote to condemn Israeli settlements last week.
And he added that just because the US was Israel's ally it didn't mean it would stand by and not do anything when the future of Middle East peace was under threat.
In his final speech on the Middle East peace process, Mr Kerry said: "No one thinking seriously about peace can ignore the reality of the threat settlements pose to peace.
"But the problem goes well beyond just settlements. Trends indicate a comprehensive effort to take West Bank land for Israel and prevent any Palestinian development there."
He added: "The settler agenda is defining the future in Israel. And their stated purpose is clear: They believe in one state: greater Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit back in a short statement after the US Secretary of State's speech calling it "biased" and saying it "obsessively" focused on settlements and ignored the root of the conflict between to two sides.
Mr Kerry said in his speech that the only hope for the future was a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians and that the UN was right to condemn the building of settler homes in the West Bank.
He urged Israel and the Palestinians to agree a two-state solution based on land occupied before the six-day war in 1967.
The US refusal to veto the UN vote was seen by some as a parting shot from outgoing US President Barack Obama to his successor Donald Trump, just weeks before the latter's inauguration on 20 January.
It has sparked a war of word with Mr Trump tweeting on Wednesday: "We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S but..."
He also tweeted: "Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks. Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!"
In the immediate wake of the vote last week, Mr Trump, who had wanted to US to veto the vote to condemn the building of settler homes, said things at the UN would "be different after Jan. 20th."
Mr Netanyahu he was looking forward to working with Mr Trump and effectively set out a wishlist for the President-elect that the US would not allow any further UN resolutions against Israel.
Mr Kerry said Mr Obama had been committed to Israel and to the peace process but said: "Despite our best efforts over the years, the two-state solution is now in serious jeopardy.
"We cannot, in good conscience, do nothing, and say nothing, when we see the hopes of peace slipping away."
Mr Kerry said the US "did not draft or originate" the UN resolution on settlement and earlier it had been confirmed the UK had helped draft the resolution and played a key role in brokering it.
However, Mr Netanyahu said he had evidence the US was behind the resolution.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to resume peace efforts when settlement building was frozen.
Rodrigo Duterte Claims to Have Thrown a Suspect Out of a Helicopter, Report Says
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to round up corrupt officials and toss them from his helicopter midflight — and it wouldn’t be the first time he’s done it, he says.
In a speech at Camarines Sur in the northern Philippines on Tuesday, Duterte reportedly recounted throwing an alleged kidnapper to his death — furnishing details about how high the pilot had to fly — while he was mayor of Davao City, according to local newspaper the Philippine Star.
“If you are corrupt, I will fetch you with a helicopter and I will throw you out on the way to Manila,” the newspaper quoted him as saying in Tagalog during the speech. “I have done that before, why should I not do it again?”
Duterte was in Camarines Sur after touring provinces ravaged by Typhoon Nock-Ten, which made landfall on Christmas Day. But after he announced financial assistance packages for disaster-stricken areas, talk swung to the anticorruption drive he stressed would be a main focus of his six-year term — alongside his antidrug campaign, which has seen over 6000 people killed in brutal, extrajudicial fashion.
Duterte is notorious for his outbursts. He once said he should have “been first” in the gang rape of an Australian missionary in a prison riot in 1989. He also said he would kill his own children if they used drugs. Earlier this month, Duterte admitted to personally killing three people.
Members of Duterte’s Cabinet habitually dial back on such utterances, claiming that they are jokes or hyperbole. However, the U.N. human-rights commission has urged the Philippines to launch a murder investigation into Duterte’s claims.
In a speech at Camarines Sur in the northern Philippines on Tuesday, Duterte reportedly recounted throwing an alleged kidnapper to his death — furnishing details about how high the pilot had to fly — while he was mayor of Davao City, according to local newspaper the Philippine Star.
“If you are corrupt, I will fetch you with a helicopter and I will throw you out on the way to Manila,” the newspaper quoted him as saying in Tagalog during the speech. “I have done that before, why should I not do it again?”
Duterte was in Camarines Sur after touring provinces ravaged by Typhoon Nock-Ten, which made landfall on Christmas Day. But after he announced financial assistance packages for disaster-stricken areas, talk swung to the anticorruption drive he stressed would be a main focus of his six-year term — alongside his antidrug campaign, which has seen over 6000 people killed in brutal, extrajudicial fashion.
Duterte is notorious for his outbursts. He once said he should have “been first” in the gang rape of an Australian missionary in a prison riot in 1989. He also said he would kill his own children if they used drugs. Earlier this month, Duterte admitted to personally killing three people.
Members of Duterte’s Cabinet habitually dial back on such utterances, claiming that they are jokes or hyperbole. However, the U.N. human-rights commission has urged the Philippines to launch a murder investigation into Duterte’s claims.
Nigeria's Sultan of Sokoto rejects gender equality bill
Nigeria's most senior Muslim cleric has rejected a new gender equality bill, which proposes that women and men inherit an equal share.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohamed Sa'ad Abubakar, said Muslims would not accept the violation of Islamic law guaranteeing men a greater share.
Nigeria's main Christian body has welcomed the bill, saying its religion permitted equal inheritance.
Activists have pushed for the bill to end discrimination against women.
Nigeria's war of the religious robes
Women 'belong everywhere, Mr president'
Mugabe the feminist?
Nigeria is a deeply religious society with roughly the same number of Christians and Muslims.
Speaking at a Koranic recitation ceremony in northern Zamfara state, the sultan said: "Our religion is our total way of life. Therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do."
He added: "Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively."
In October, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said it did not find anything wrong with the bill because in "Christianity inheritance is shared equally between male and female".
Lawmakers say they will consider public opinion before a decision is taken on which aspects of the bill to approve and which aspects to reject.
In March, Nigeria's senate rejected an earlier version of the bill, saying it was incompatible with Nigerian culture and religious beliefs.
Human rights activist Bukky Shonibare called the rejection of the bill in March a sad day for Nigerian women and said it showed "how backward we are".
The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohamed Sa'ad Abubakar, said Muslims would not accept the violation of Islamic law guaranteeing men a greater share.
Nigeria's main Christian body has welcomed the bill, saying its religion permitted equal inheritance.
Activists have pushed for the bill to end discrimination against women.
Nigeria's war of the religious robes
Women 'belong everywhere, Mr president'
Mugabe the feminist?
Nigeria is a deeply religious society with roughly the same number of Christians and Muslims.
Speaking at a Koranic recitation ceremony in northern Zamfara state, the sultan said: "Our religion is our total way of life. Therefore, we will not accept any move to change what Allah permitted us to do."
He added: "Islam is a peaceful religion; we have been living peacefully with Christians and followers of other religions in this country. Therefore, we should be allowed to perform our religion effectively."
In October, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said it did not find anything wrong with the bill because in "Christianity inheritance is shared equally between male and female".
Lawmakers say they will consider public opinion before a decision is taken on which aspects of the bill to approve and which aspects to reject.
In March, Nigeria's senate rejected an earlier version of the bill, saying it was incompatible with Nigerian culture and religious beliefs.
Human rights activist Bukky Shonibare called the rejection of the bill in March a sad day for Nigerian women and said it showed "how backward we are".
Who was the busiest member of the Royal Family in 2016?
Princess Anne was the busiest member of the Royal Family in 2016, with 179 days of engagements.
The 66-year-old's work ethic is said to be based on the belief that members of the monarchy should earn their keep.
Prince Charles, 68, who has a core group of 12 charities and bodies, was second on 139.
Prince Edward carried out 118 days of public engagements and Prince Andrew 112.
The list shows the Queen's children have carried out far more public engagements than her grandchildren in 2016.
:: Queen misses Christmas church service for first time since 1988 because of cold
Prince Harry spent 86 days on official duties.
His brother, the Duke of Cambridge, was six behind on 80, with Kate bottom of the list on 63.
William and Harry's 95-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, was well ahead of them, on 110 days.
The Queen, who is 90, matched Prince William, with 80 days of official engagements.
The figures were compiled from the Court Circular by the Press Association.
There has been criticism of the number of engagements William has been undertaking.
But in a TV interview screened a few days after William and Kate returned from a skiing holiday earlier this year, the Duke said that accusations of being "workshy" were "part of the job".
The 66-year-old's work ethic is said to be based on the belief that members of the monarchy should earn their keep.
Prince Charles, 68, who has a core group of 12 charities and bodies, was second on 139.
Prince Edward carried out 118 days of public engagements and Prince Andrew 112.
The list shows the Queen's children have carried out far more public engagements than her grandchildren in 2016.
:: Queen misses Christmas church service for first time since 1988 because of cold
Prince Harry spent 86 days on official duties.
His brother, the Duke of Cambridge, was six behind on 80, with Kate bottom of the list on 63.
William and Harry's 95-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, was well ahead of them, on 110 days.
The Queen, who is 90, matched Prince William, with 80 days of official engagements.
The figures were compiled from the Court Circular by the Press Association.
There has been criticism of the number of engagements William has been undertaking.
But in a TV interview screened a few days after William and Kate returned from a skiing holiday earlier this year, the Duke said that accusations of being "workshy" were "part of the job".
One dead as 20-car pile-up causes A40 'carnage' in Oxfordshire
A woman has died after a 20-car pile-up on the A40 in Oxfordshire.
South Central Ambulance Service said another woman was in a serious or life threatening condition and had been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A man with serious injuries was taken to the same hospital.
Another 10 to 15 people with minor injuries were treated at the scene.
The ambulance service said it had been called at 8.22am, while the incident stretched more than 1km between Witney and Carterton.
A woman who saw what happened said: "I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but crashing into them.
"I saw one car try (to) swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and (flying) up in the air.
"I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in the middle of the road ... it was carnage."
The pregnant mother-of-two said: "A man on his own had skidded and crashed into middle barrier.
"My partner was driving - we had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him.
"His door was open and air bags were released."
Fog had made conditions "really dangerous", she added, making it difficult to spot another vehicle until you were "on top of it".
South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said: "There was a collision towards the front of the queue and the more serious one about half-way down."
An air ambulance attended the scene, along with three ambulances and three rapid response vehicles, Mr Gallagher added.
Six vehicles were seriously damaged, with minor damage to another 10 to 15.
The A40 has been closed both ways.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "Road closures are currently in place, and drivers are advised to avoid the area."
South Central Ambulance Service said another woman was in a serious or life threatening condition and had been taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
A man with serious injuries was taken to the same hospital.
Another 10 to 15 people with minor injuries were treated at the scene.
The ambulance service said it had been called at 8.22am, while the incident stretched more than 1km between Witney and Carterton.
A woman who saw what happened said: "I saw cars going zooming past me and trying to swerve out the way of the stationary cars but crashing into them.
"I saw one car try (to) swerve in between a Mini and another car, ending up crashing into the Mini and (flying) up in the air.
"I saw two cars swerve as they braked so hard and go flying into the barrier in the middle of the road ... it was carnage."
The pregnant mother-of-two said: "A man on his own had skidded and crashed into middle barrier.
"My partner was driving - we had to swerve out of the right lane to avoid hitting him.
"His door was open and air bags were released."
Fog had made conditions "really dangerous", she added, making it difficult to spot another vehicle until you were "on top of it".
South Central Ambulance Service spokesman David Gallagher said: "There was a collision towards the front of the queue and the more serious one about half-way down."
An air ambulance attended the scene, along with three ambulances and three rapid response vehicles, Mr Gallagher added.
Six vehicles were seriously damaged, with minor damage to another 10 to 15.
The A40 has been closed both ways.
A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: "Road closures are currently in place, and drivers are advised to avoid the area."
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