Philippines

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has claimed that China would go to war with his country if he continued to contest disputed island territories in the South China Sea with Beijing.
Duterte, who has engaged in what for the Philippines is an  historical rapprochement with China, retold a conversation he had with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He said,
“I really said, ‘It’s ours. I’d like you to listen for a while.’ I said, ‘Mr. Xi Jinping, I would insist that that is ours and I will drill oil there”.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has survived an opposition attempt to impeach him.
The right-wing Magdalo Party had moved to impeach the Philippines President, accusing him of betraying the public trust and abusing the Constitution in respect of his war on drugs.
However, the more important, though less headline grabbing reason for the attempted impeachment is Duterte’s historic rapprochement with China over disputed territories in the South China Sea.

World leaders, including Russia’s President Putin have been attending meetings in Beijing as part of the ‘One Belt–One Road’ initiatives launched by China in 2013.
The ambitious project aims to set up transport and trade corridors that will help connect East-Asia, Eurasia and Europe, using both rail and maritime links.
China’s goals represent the most ambitious project to re-define the logistical and financial nature of world-trade since the creation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995.

Flaring tempers, massive busts and dead wax + this day in history w/the assassination of a British Prime Minister and our song of the day by Shakey Graves on your Morning Monarchy for May 11, 2017.

Agnes Callamard, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has paid a surprise visit to Philippines in order to investigate President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.
Callamard is well known for taking an unfavourable view of President Duterte’s anti-drug policies and consequently, Duterte has frowned upon the visit as well as the unexpected and therefore undiplomatic nature of the visit.
Far from toning down his remarks about the drug war, Duterte issued a message to drug dealers that typically pulled no punches.

Troop movements, strategic assets & a friendly phone call + this day in history w/U-2 shot down and our song of the day by Matthew Sweet on your Morning Monarchy for May 1, 2017.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wears a pilot’s jacket which was presented to him during his “Talk with the Airmen” on the anniversary of the 250th Presidential Airlift Wing, Sept. 13, 2016 at the Philippine Air Force headquarters in Manila.

Presidents Trump and Duterte seem to be well on the road to becoming good friends. With Chinese President Xi’s ‘fondness’ for Trump apparently grossly exaggerated, Putin remaining as distant from Trump as ever and European leaders still looking at the White House hoping to see Barack Obama watering the daisies, it seems that Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte may end up being one of Trump’s best friends in the wider political world.
The two leaders had a phone conversation which both sides claimed was very positive.

Dr. Gus Abu-Sitta
Dr. Gus Abu-Sitta is the head of the Plastic Surgery Department at the AUB Medical Center in Lebanon. He specializes in: reconstructive surgery. What it means in this part of the world is clear: they bring you people from the war zones, torn to pieces, missing faces, burned beyond recognition, and you have to try to give them their life back.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has responded to a recent upsurge in a ISIS inspired insurgency in his country by once again threatening to hunt down and cannibalise terrorists.
Duterte promised to personally hunt down terrorists and after the hunt is complete, he would prepare to eat the organs of a captured terrorist. Duterte described his rather humble preparations for cannibalism by saying,

“…just give me vinegar and salt, I’ll eat his liver”.