A thread to document interesting World News that doesn’t easily fall under one of the categories.
From the Philippines;
THE PHILIPPINES LOOKS set to elect Rodrigo Duterte as President today, after he surged into the lead in early votes. Rodrigo Duterte, the longtime mayor of the southern city of Davao, has attracted millions with his vows of brutal but quick solutions to the nation’s twin plagues of crime and poverty, which many believed had worsened despite strong economic growth in recent years. Duterte had 1.31 million votes, nearly double his nearest rival, with about 8% of the total counted, according to CNN Philippines. Duterte has pledged to kill tens of thousands of criminals, establish one-man rule and embrace communist rebels if elected. Already in Davao, a semi-official “death squad” is suspected of the death or disappearance of over 1,000 people between 1998 and 2008. Duterte himself says he has killed “around three” people. Philippines Elections Source: Bullit Marquez He also boasted repeatedly about his Viagra-fuelled affairs, while promising voters his mistresses would not cost a lot because he kept them in cheap boarding houses and took them to short-stay hotels for sex. Last month, he caused controversy when speaking about an Australia missionary who had been gang-raped and killed in Davao. “She was so beautiful,” he said “I thought, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.” When asked about this joke, he said that he had been speaking “plain sense”. In his final rally on Saturday, Duterte repeated to tens of thousands of cheering fans his plans to end crime within six months of starting his presidency. “Forget the laws on human rights,” said Duterte, who has been accused of running vigilante death squads in Davao. “If I make it to the presidential palace, I will do just what I did as mayor. You drug pushers, hold-up men and do-nothings, you better go out. Because as the mayor, I’d kill you.”
Duterte has pledged to kill tens of thousands of criminals, establish one-man rule and embrace communist rebels if elected.
What a fucking manifesto
Has anyone ever run for election before seeking a mandate to be a dictator I wonder?
Rodrigo Duterte ‘happy to slaughter’ addicts as Hitler did Jews
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has compared his anti-drug campaign to the Holocaust, saying he would kill as many addicts as Hitler did Jews.
“Hitler massacred three million Jews… there’s three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” he said.
At least six million Jews as well as other minorities are known to have been killed by the Nazis.
Mr Duterte has overseen a bloody crackdown on drug users and dealers since taking office in June.
Official figures say more than 3,000 people have been killed in police operations or by vigilantes.
The bodies of those killed are often left out in public, with signs listing the crimes they were accused of.
The president has openly said he would “kill 100,000 criminals” to reduce crime in the Philippines.
Mr Duterte was speaking in Davao, the city where as mayor he implemented a tough anti-crime policy and was accused of sanctioning death squads to kill criminals.
Many of the victims of the extra-judicial killings have been low-level criminals or drug peddlers
He told reporters he had been “portrayed to be some cousin of Hitler” by his critics.
“Hitler massacred three million Jews, now, there is three million drug addicts. I’d be happy to slaughter them,” he said.
“At least Germany had Hitler. The Philippines wouldn’t.”
He said he would like to “finish the problem of my country and save the next generation”.
His comments were criticised as “outrageous” by Jewish groups, Reuters reports.
“Duterte owes the [Holocaust] victims an apology for his disgusting rhetoric,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center.
The US-based Jewish group the Anti-Defamation League said the comments were “inappropriate and deeply offensive”.
“It is baffling why any leader would want to model himself after such a monster,” said communications director Todd Gutnick.
romped to victory. I wouldn’t like to be a criminal in the Philippines tonight.