Former Philippine President Duterte confirms existence of ‘death squad’

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Updated 28 October 2024
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Former Philippine President Duterte confirms existence of ‘death squad’

Former Philippine President Duterte confirms existence of ‘death squad’
  • Rodrigo Duterte: ‘I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters’
  • Human rights groups documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao during the 22 years Duterte was mayor

MANILA: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed a “death squad” existed under his watch to control crime when he was Davao City mayor, but gave conflicting accounts of its makeup, first saying it was run by police officers, then by gangsters.
When Duterte was president, two men including a former policeman had testified before the Senate they were part of an alleged hit squad in Davao they said killed at Duterte’s behest, but legislators at the time found no proof and Duterte’s aides dismissed the claims as fabrication.
Appearing on Monday before a Senate inquiry into his campaign against illegal drugs, Duterte identified “commanders” of the death squad which he said included former national police chief-turned senator Ronaldo dela Rosa, who was also present at the hearing.
“That is the job of the police,” said Duterte, who admitted to senators thousands of criminals died when he was Davao mayor.
He said he had never ordered the death squad to kill defenseless suspects, but did tell the group “to encourage criminals to fight back, and when they fought back, kill them so my problems in the city will be solved.”
But the 79 year-old Duterte later said gangsters — not police — made up his death squad, adding to the ambiguity surrounding the squad’s operations.
“I can make the confession now if you want,” Duterte said. “I had a death squad of seven, but they were not police, they were gangsters.”
Human rights groups documented about 1,400 suspicious killings in Davao during the 22 years Duterte was mayor and critics say the war on drugs he unleashed as president bore the same hallmarks.
More than 6,200 people were killed in police operations in the drugs campaign, which is also the subject of an International Criminal Court investigation.
Police reject allegations the killings were executions, saying the drug suspects violently resisted arrest and that authorities acted in self-defense.
Senator dela Rosa, who oversaw Duterte’s bloody crackdown when he was national police chief, previously said the death squads were “fiction.” In the hearing on Monday, he downplayed Duterte’s remarks, saying they should be taken as a joke.


France’s Macron opposes stripping Sarkozy of top honor

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France’s Macron opposes stripping Sarkozy of top honor

France’s Macron opposes stripping Sarkozy of top honor
“I think it is very important that former presidents are respected,” Macron said
“The fact that he was elected president by the sovereign people means he deserves respect”

ANTANANRIVO: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said he opposed stripping former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy of France’s top honor despite the definitive conviction of the right-winger last year on charges of influence-peddling and corruption.
Sarkozy, in an unprecedented punishment for a former head of state, is now wearing an electronic ankle tag after France’s Court of Cassation in December upheld a verdict for him to serve a one-year term outside of prison with the GPS device.
The combative ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 but failed to win a second mandate in a devastating election defeat to Socialist Francois Hollande and then became embroiled in a string of legal problems.
There had been speculation Sarkozy could lose his Legion of Honour award but Macron, who as head of state is the grand master of the decoration and would have a final say, said he respected Sarkozy and would oppose such a move.
“I think it is very important that former presidents are respected,” he said on the sidelines of a trip to Madagascar, adding he believed “it would not be a good decision” to strip Sarkozy of the award.
“The fact that he was elected president by the sovereign people means he deserves respect. He has my respect. I think he has the respect of the French people,” said Macron.
General Francois Lecointre, France’s former military chief of staff who now serves as the grand chancellor of the Legion of Honour, said last month that such a removal of the award was foreseen under the rules of the order, which was established early in the 19th century by Napoleon Bonaparte.
According to the code of the Legion of Honour, any person definitively sentenced to a prison sentence equal to or greater than one year in prison is “excluded by right” from the order, Lecointre noted.
If Sarkozy is stripped of the award, he would no longer be able to wear it on pain of prosecution.
But while acknowledging that the order has its “rules,” Macron said: “If I have the freedom of maneuver I prefer that a former president retains his place in the order that he belongs to. It’s something to have been president of France.”
Macron himself must step down in 2027 after serving the maximum two terms.
Sarkozy is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction.
He is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
The court is to give a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges.
Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly meet with Macron.

Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir visits Yale after Mar-a-Lago fundraiser

Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir visits Yale after Mar-a-Lago fundraiser
Updated 24 April 2025
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Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir visits Yale after Mar-a-Lago fundraiser

Far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir visits Yale after Mar-a-Lago fundraiser
  • Israeli minister did not meet Trump, who was not in attendance at the event
  • Addressed room of Republican figures and business leaders, where he outlined harsh new measures against Palestinian prisoners

LONDON: Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, made an appearance at Yale University on Wednesday just a day after attending a fundraiser at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Ben-Gvir, who has past convictions for racist incitement and supporting a terrorist group, was previously considered persona non grata by the Joe Biden administration.

At Tuesday’s event in Palm Beach, he addressed a room of Republican figures and business leaders, where he outlined harsh new measures against Palestinian prisoners, according to a report in The Guardian.

“I love the American people very much,” Ben-Gvir told attendees through a translator. “We have a joint war against the jihad.”

While the Israeli minister did not meet Trump, who was not in attendance at the event, he did hold talks with “dozens of senior businessmen from Miami” and Republican House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, according to The Times of Israel.

Ben-Gvir later posted on X that he “had the honor and privilege” of meeting senior Republican officials at Mar-a-Lago, though he did not name them, and in the post he further claimed they endorsed his call to bomb Gaza’s food and aid depots to ramp up pressure for the release of Israeli hostages.

The minister has repeatedly sparked controversy both within Israel and abroad. Since entering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government in 2022, he has threatened to quit if the Gaza war ends and has advocated for the mass deportation of Arab citizens.

His US visit has prompted condemnation from Jewish organizations and human rights groups alike.

At Yale, protests were held ahead of his scheduled appearance at a meeting hosted by Shabtai, a Jewish society at the university. Demonstrators from Yale’s Students for Justice in Palestine led campus opposition.

Yale did not respond to a request for comment.

Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, said Ben-Gvir’s warm reception in the US was “deeply disturbing.”

He added: “That the GOP is aligned with the most fanatical elements in Israeli politics, while perhaps not surprising, is extremely alarming and does not bode well for the stability of the region.”

Ben-Gvir’s history has long drawn scrutiny.

In 2007, he was convicted of inciting racism and supporting a terrorist organization. He once displayed in his home a photo of Baruch Goldstein, who killed 29 Muslim worshipers in the 1994 Hebron massacre. In 2022, the US State Department condemned his visit to the memorial of extremist rabbi Meir Kahane, whose violent ideology Ben-Gvir has expressed admiration for in the past.

“Celebrating the legacy of a terrorist organization is abhorrent. There is no other word for it,” US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at the time.

“We urge all parties to maintain calm, exercise restraint and to refrain from actions that only serve to exacerbate tensions, and that includes in Jerusalem,” he added.

Despite international rebukes, Ben-Gvir has continued to court controversy. His provocative visits to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound, most recently earlier this month, have drawn fierce criticism across the region, including a rare public reprimand from Netanyahu last year.

The White House did not comment on Ben-Gvir’s US visit.

Following his Yale appearance, the minister was scheduled to speak at another event in New York City, billed as a discussion on “securing Israel post-Oct. 7.”


Macron urges Putin to ‘stop lying’ over Ukraine ceasefire

Macron urges Putin to ‘stop lying’ over Ukraine ceasefire
Updated 24 April 2025
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Macron urges Putin to ‘stop lying’ over Ukraine ceasefire

Macron urges Putin to ‘stop lying’ over Ukraine ceasefire
  • “The only thing to do is for President Putin to finally stop lying,” Macron said
  • He accused the Russian leader of telling US negotiators “he wants peace” but then continuing “to bombard Ukraine“

ANTANANRIVO: France’s President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin needed to “stop lying” over wanting peace in Ukraine while continuing to strike the country.
“The only thing to do is for President Putin to finally stop lying,” Macron said during a visit to Madagascar.
He accused the Russian leader of telling US negotiators “he wants peace” but then continuing “to bombard Ukraine.”
A Russian missile attack on Kyiv earlier Thursday killed at least nine people, one of the deadliest strikes on the Ukrainian capital since Moscow launched its invasion more than three years ago.
The attacks throw yet more doubt on already fraught US efforts to push Russia and Ukraine to agree to a halt in fighting.
“In Ukraine, they only want a single answer: Does President Putin agree to an unconditional ceasefire?” Macron said.
Macron said Putin was the only person holding up the US-proposed and European-backed proposal.
“If President Putin says yes, the weapons will fall silent tomorrow, lives will be saved.”
“US anger should be directed at only one person, President Putin,” he added.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been floating the idea of recognizing Russian control of Crimea as part of a peace settlement.
Trump on Wednesday said Crimea — a lush Black Sea peninsula with longtime Soviet and Russian naval facilities — was “not even a point of discussion” and was “lost years ago,” a position welcomed by the Kremlin.
Macron however said he thought the priority should be first agreeing to a ceasefire, and that the status of Crimea was not something to be discussed “for now.”


Israel president says ‘moral imperative’ to bring home Gaza hostages

Israel president says ‘moral imperative’ to bring home Gaza hostages
Updated 24 April 2025
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Israel president says ‘moral imperative’ to bring home Gaza hostages

Israel president says ‘moral imperative’ to bring home Gaza hostages
  • “With a broken heart, I remind us all that even though after the Holocaust we swore ‘never again’,” Herzog said
  • Nearly 60 “of our brothers and sisters remain held by terrorist murderers in Gaza, in a horrific crime against humanity“

OSWIECIM, Poland: Israel’s president said in Poland on Thursday the return of hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza was a “universal moral imperative” and called on the international community to help end “this horrific humanitarian crime.”
Isaac Herzog spoke from the southern city of Oswiecim, the site of the former Nazi German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, on the occasion of the annual March of the Living to commemorate its victims.
Auschwitz was the largest of the extermination camps built by Nazi Germany and has become a symbol of the Holocaust of six million European Jews. One million Jews and more than 100,000 non-Jews died at the site between 1940 and 1945.
“With a broken heart, I remind us all that even though after the Holocaust we swore ‘never again’, today — here and now — the souls of dozens of Jews are once again yearning within a cage, longing for water and freedom,” Herzog said at a ceremony.
Nearly 60 “of our brothers and sisters remain held by terrorist murderers in Gaza, in a horrific crime against humanity,” he added.
“The return of the hostages is a universal moral imperative, and I call from here — from this sacred place — for the entire international community to mobilize and end this horrific humanitarian crime.”
Some 251 people, including women and children, were seized during Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, which left 1,218 Israelis dead according to an AFP tally based on official data, and sparked a deadly war in Gaza.
Fifty-eight hostages are still being held there, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s military response in Gaza has unleashed a humanitarian crisis and killed at least 51,355 people, mainly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Herzog did not mention Israel’s military operations in Gaza at the ceremony in Auschwitz.
Qatar, with the United States and Egypt, brokered a truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas which began on January 19 and enabled a surge in aid, alongside the exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Israel resumed its intense air strikes and ground offensive across Gaza on March 18 amid disagreement over the next phase in the ceasefire that for two months had largely halted the fighting.
Last month, Herzog said he was shocked that the hostage issue was no longer a top priority in the country and criticized the war policy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Thousands of Israelis have been holding daily protests in Jerusalem, angry over the government’s policies including a return to war, which many see as forsaking the hostages still being held in Gaza.


A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3

A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3
Updated 24 April 2025
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A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3

A French high school student is arrested after fatally stabbing another student and wounding 3
  • The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear
  • A national police official said the attack occurred at the private Catholic Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Nantes

PARIS: A student at a French high school stabbed four other students at his school Thursday, killing at least one and injuring three others before being arrested, police said.
The circumstances of the attack were not immediately clear. Fatal attacks are quite rare in French schools.
A national police official said the attack occurred at the private Catholic Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Nantes on France’s Atlantic coast.
The student stabbed four people with a knife during a lunch break before teachers subdued him, and he was later taken in by police, the official said. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to national police policy.
Students at the school told French media at the scene that they had received an email from the assailant earlier in the day with unspecified grievances.
Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said on X that she is heading to the school with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to show “solidarity with victims and the school community.” The regional prosecutor announced a news conference for later Thursday.
Images from the scene showed police and armed military forces surrounding the school as the investigation got underway.
An official at the school, which is part of a complex housing a primary and middle school, would not comment on what happened, saying the school is concentrating on caring for the students who were on campus at the time. The school website was down.