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s Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says he is retiring from politics and will not stand in elections next year. The 76-year-old leader said last month that he would run for the vice-presidency in 2022. The country's constitution only permits presidents to serve a single six-year term. But he now says he will withdraw, as "the overwhelming sentiment of the Filipinos is that I am not qualified". The move comes amid speculation that his daughter could run for president. Mr Duterte, a controversial "strongman" figure, came to power in 2016 promising to reduce crime and fix the country's drug crisis. But critics say that during his five years in power, Mr Duterte has encouraged police to carry out thousands of extrajudicial killings of suspects in what he has called his "war on drugs". Mr Duterte's daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio, who is currently mayor of the southern city of Davao, has given mixed messages about running for high of...

Diplomat to Haiti Resigns, Protesting Biden Administration Policy By Lara Jakes and Eileen Sullivan The senior American envoy for Haiti policy has resigned, two U.S. officials said Thursday, in a letter that excoriated the Biden administration’s “inhumane, counterproductive decision” to send Haitian migrants back to a country that has been racked this summer by a deadly earthquake and political turmoil. The diplomat, Daniel Foote, was appointed special envoy to Haiti in July, just weeks after President Jovenel Moïse was killed in his bedroom during a nighttime raid on his residence. Thousands of Haitians have since flocked to the Texas border, particularly in the past week, where they have crossed the Rio Grande into the United States and confronted Border Patrol agents on horseback before being deported. Images of some of the horse-mounted agents chasing Haitians have prompted outrage over the treatment of the migrants. On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said th...

President Biden -French government spokesman French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a statement during the 8th MED7 Mediterranean countries summit, in Athens, Greece, September 17, 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron will have a call with U.S. President Joe Biden in the next few days, the French government spokesman said on Sunday, amid a diplomatic crisis triggered by Australia's cancellation of submarine contract with Paris. #president #emmanuel #summit #joebiden #country #greece #emmanuelmacron #biden #countries #september17 #mediterranean #macron #europe #worldlynewsonline

US President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan - a move which led to Taliban militants returning to power. Staying longer was not an option, Mr Biden said in an address to the nation, a day after the end of a 20-year US presence in Afghanistan. He praised troops for organising an airlift of more than 120,000 people wishing to flee the Taliban regime. The Islamist militants have been celebrating what they call a victory. US-led troops went into Afghanistan in 2001, ousting the Taliban in the wake of the devastating 9/11 attacks, blamed on al-Qaeda - a militant jihadist group then based in the Asian country. Mr Biden has been widely criticised - at home and by his allies - over the abrupt manner of the US withdrawal, which led to the unexpected collapse of the Afghan security forces US troops had trained and funded for years. President Biden deployed nearly 6,000 troops to seize control of the airport to co-ordinate the evacuation of...

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. — Brenda and Leo Ortiz had paid enough attention to the news from Afghanistan that it was hardly a surprise when their 11-year-old son asked them a question: How could so many Americans be killed last week? Ms. Ortiz, 41, tried her best to explain, giving their son a brief history lesson on Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and ISIS. But by Saturday, Ms. Ortiz was focused on more personally pressing matters. Her three children were completing their first month of in-person schooling since the start of the pandemic. She said she was saddened by the deaths of Americans. But she wondered aloud how she could possibly focus on a crisis on the other side of the world when there was more than enough to worry about in the United States, in her own backyard. “I don’t think it was ever going to be easy to leave,” Ms. Ortiz said while watching her children play soccer in their recently resumed league at a park in the Los Angeles County community of Hacienda Heights. “A...

By Peter Baker As the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan capping an ill-fated 20-year war turned uglier and deadlier in recent days, President Biden has stood by his decision but at the same time repeatedly singled out one person in particular to blame: his predecessor. Because President Donald J. Trump struck an agreement with the Taliban last year to pull out, Mr. Biden has insisted that he had no choice but to abide by the deal he inherited or send tens of thousands of American troops back to Afghanistan to risk their lives in a “forever war.” It was, in other words, all in or all out. But that reductionist formula has prompted a profound debate over whether the mayhem in Kabul, the capital, was in fact inevitable or the result of a failure to consider other options that might have ended in a different outcome. The unusual confluence of two presidents of rival parties sharing the same goal and same approach has led to second-guessing and finger-pointing that may p...

ANI 22nd August 2021, New Delhi [India], August 21 (ANI): President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Nadu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla greeted citizens of the country on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. The President of India, in his message on the eve of Raksha Bandhan said, "On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan, I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to all the fellow citizens living in India and abroad. The festival of Raksha Bandhan is a symbol of love, affection and trust between brothers and sisters. The festival strengthens the spirit of harmony and fraternity in our society. On this special occasion, we should dedicate ourselves towards ensuring safety of women by increasing their participation in nation-building.""On this occasion, let us resolve to contribute in building such a harmonious society where the safety and dignity of women is given utmost importance and they may fulfill their aspirations unhindered", said the President. ...

People have been sleeping in makeshift camps after fleeing their homes US President Joe Biden has said he does not regret his move to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, as Taliban militants continue to make rapid advances. Mr Biden urged Afghanistan's leaders to unite and "fight for their nation". A US-led military campaign began in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks on American soil - but now most of the foreign troops have pulled out. The Taliban group has now seized nine of the country's 34 provincial capitals, and are threatening more. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Mr Biden said the US was keeping the commitments it had made to Afghanistan, such as providing close air support, paying military salaries and supplying Afghan forces with food and equipment. But he said: "They've got to fight for themselves." #joebiden #troops #president #taliban #war #home #afghanistan #country #homes #biden #asia #camp #sleeping #world...

A geologist in Canada may have just discovered traces of the earliest known animal life on Earth in the northwestern region of the country, giving a glimpse of the humble dawn of life that occurred hundreds of millions of years ago, a report published Wednesday in the journal Nature said. Around a billion years ago, a region of northwest Canada now defined by steep mountains was a prehistoric marine environment where the remains of ancient sponges may be preserved in mineral sediment, the paper says. Geologist Elizabeth Turner discovered the rocks in a remote region of the Northwest Territories accessible only by helicopter, where she has been excavating since the 1980s. Thin sections of rock contain three-dimensional structures that resemble modern sponge skeletons. "I believe these are ancient sponges – only this type of organism has this type of network of organic filaments," said Joachim Reitner, a geobiologist and expert in sponges at Germany's University of G...

The security forces have been unable to stop the looting At least 30 people have died in the violence which has been engulfing parts of South Africa since the country's former President… The death toll in South Africa has risen to 72 as violence continues across the country following the jailing of former President Jacob Zuma. Crowds looting and setting alight shopping centers clashed with police in several cities on Tuesday. The BBC filmed a baby being thrown from a building in Durban that was on fire after ground-floor shops were looted. A day earlier, 10 people were killed in a stampede during looting at a shopping center in Soweto. The military has been deployed to help police overstretched since the unrest began last week. South African police said in a statement they had identified 12 people suspected of provoking the riots, and that a total of 1,234 people had been arrested. President Cyril Ramaphosa has called it some of the worst violence witnessed in South ...

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of delivery services giant FedEx, is investing $100 million in Indian startup Delhivery as the global firm looks to expand its presence in the South Asian country. Friday’s investment comes less than two months after the Gurgaon-headquartered startup, which is valued at $3 billion, secured $277 million ahead of an initial public offering in the coming quarters. As part of the deal, the companies will enter into a long-term commercial agreement. FedEx Express will focus on international export and import services to and from India, and Delhivery will, in addition to FedEx, sell FedEx Express international products and services in the India market and provide pickup and delivery services across India. FedEx will transfer certain assets pertaining to its domestic business in India to Delhivery. “Our aim is to bring new products and opportunities to Indian and global businesses and consumers through unique access to our networks, and our technology and en...

As President Biden’s September deadline for ending the long war in Afghanistan approaches, a bipartisan coalition in Congress is stepping up efforts to ensure that Afghans who face retribution there for working alongside American troops and personnel are able to immigrate to the United States. The group of Republicans and Democrats, many of them military members or veterans who have worked with translators, drivers and fixers in Afghanistan and other combat zones, is racing to put in place legislation to help the “Afghan allies,” as they are often called, before American troops go home, leaving those allies unprotected against revenge attacks by the Taliban. The lawmakers want to make it easier for the Afghans to qualify for special visas, to expedite the process of obtaining one, and to get them out of Afghanistan as soon as possible while they await authorization to live legally in the United States. #congress #worldlynewsonline #president #effort #afghanistan #helping #asia #vi...

image copyrightGetty Images Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president and a key figure in its independence struggle, has died at the age of 97, his family has confirmed. Kaunda was admitted to a hos… #country #kennethkaunda #kaunda #firstpresident #independence #image #president #zambia #confirmed #family #families #age

s Colombian President Iván Duque has been criticized for refusing to condemn police brutality against protesters Colombian President Iván Duque has vowed to modernize the country's police… #president #colombia #policebrutality #policereform #protests #reform #police #duque #country #protesters #activism #standtogether #pledge