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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...

1 by Becoming No. 2 MANILA — Rodrigo Duterte has dominated politics in the Philippines since becoming president five years ago, with an antidrug crusade blamed for thousands of extrajudicial killings and a pressure campaign against opposition leaders and the news media. Now, with mere months left in his six-year term, his opponents fear he is laying the groundwork to stay in power for years to come. Mr. Duterte announced this week that he intended to run for the vice presidency in the elections next May. Critics say it is a blatant attempt by Mr. Duterte, 76, to save himself from his “political sins” as he confronts possible prosecution by the International Criminal Court. An I.C.C. report last year said there was sufficient evidence to show that crimes against humanity had been committed in Mr. Duterte’s bloody drug war, which has left thousands dead. But Mr. Duterte says he still has unfinished business, chiefly the drug war and his fight against the country’s Communist insu...

Nato leaders meeting for a summit in Brussels has warned of the military threat posed by China, saying its behavior is a "systemic challenge". China, they said, was rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, was "opaque" about its military modernization, and was co-operating militarily with Russia. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg warned China was "coming closer" to Nato in military and technological terms. But he stressed the alliance did not want a new Cold War with China. Nato is a powerful political and military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. It was established after World War Two in response to the threat of communist expansion. #cold #behavior #meeting #modernization #leader #nato #coldwar #leaders #arsenal #pose #challenge #war #china

The days most anticipated moment was the election of a new president. In Nashville, tempers were running high. Irate messengers confronted at least two high-profile leaders in the halls of the convention center, accusing them of fomenting liberalism. Some leaders were provided with extra security.“We are at a defining moment for our convention,” J.D. Greear, the departing president, told the assembly in a fiery speech hours before they would elect his successor. He excoriated the “Pharisees” within the denomination who placed ideological purity over its evangelistic mission, alienating Black and Latino pastors, sexual abuse survivors, and others in their zeal.“Are we primarily a cultural and political affinity group, or do we see our primary calling as being a gospel witness?” Mr. Greear asked. “What’s the more important part of our name: Southern or Baptist?” Mr. Greear praised an earlier generation of conservatives who had kept the denomination true to its theological principles....

(CNN)Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney accused former President Donald Trump of having committed the worst violation of a president's oath of office by inciting the January 6 Capitol insurrection -- and taking a jab at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy over his subsequent visit to Trump at Mar-a-Lago. "I was stunned. I could not imagine any justification for doing that," Cheney said of McCarthy's visit to Trump during an episode of David Axelrod's "The Axe Files" podcast, which was taped Saturday afternoon as part of a University of Chicago alumni weekend event. "And I asked him why he had done it, and he said, well, he had just been in the neighborhood, essentially." House Republicans ousted Cheney from her leadership position last month over her public rejection of Trump's lie that he won the election -- an ouster that McCarthy supported. Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has repeatedly clashed with McCarth...

s But his decision to install Ms. Harris as the leader of an effort to beat back bills in states nationwide that are trying to tighten voting rules a truly unprecedented assault on our democracy. #biden #votingrights #harris #bills #effort #leader #rights #protect #democracy #states