Presidential photo

Duterte led the destruction of some 29 seized luxury vehicles worth about $1.2 million, including high-end models such as the Lexus ES300, BMW Alpina, BMW Z4 and Audi A6 Quattro. The cars were bulldozed at three of the country’s ports: in Manila, Davao and Cebu. READ MORE: Duterte Mocks Daesh Martyrs: ‘I’d Rather Have Virgins Here, Not in Heaven’ The Philippine president witnessed the majority of vehicles being smashed at the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Manila as part of the ceremonial condemnation. Last week, Duterte announced a new policy on smuggled luxury vehicles while delivering a speech before indigenous people in Davao City. LOOK: Smuggled luxury cars worth P61 million destroyed at the Port of Manila @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/xYLSvMfXdb — Dharel Placido (@dgplacido) 6 февраля 2018 г. “The President has already decided to send a message to smugglers that their happy days are over, we will bulldoze those cars,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque … [Read more...] about Duterte Sends Demolishing Message to Car Smugglers (VIDEO, PHOTO)

SEOUL: South Korea said on Thursday (Aug 22) it will terminate its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, sparking protest from both Tokyo and Washington amid an intensifying trade and diplomatic dispute between the Asian neighbours. The decision comes with the countries at loggerheads following a run of South Korean court rulings against Japanese firms, requiring them to pay for forced labour during World War II. "Maintaining this agreement, which was signed to facilitate the exchange of sensitive military information, does not serve our national interest," said Kim You-geun, a national security official at Seoul's presidential Blue House. In a series of tit-for-tat measures, Japan had earlier this month removed South Korea from a so-called "white list" of countries that receive preferential export treatment. Tokyo had done so citing security concerns and a loss of trust with South Korea, but did not provide "concrete evidence to support those allegations", said Kim. … [Read more...] about South Korea to scrap military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan

He made America’s representative institutions greatly biased in favor of Republicans. Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer Photo: REUTERS/Yuri Gripas In the United States, every season is campaign season. Four months after America last went to the polls, Democrats are still refining their autopsies of the 2020 race and already governing with an eye toward the 2022 midterms. Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, Republicans are trying to figure out just how firm Donald Trump’s grip on their party really is — and debating whether that grip should be stronger or weaker. To gain some insight into these matters, Intelligencer turned to our favorite socialist proponent of ruthlessly poll-driven campaigning, David Shor. A veteran of the 2012 Obama campaign, Shor is currently head of data science at OpenLabs, a progressive nonprofit. We spoke with him last week about how his analysis of the 2020 election has changed since November, what Democrats need to do to keep Congress … [Read more...] about David Shor on Why Trump Was Good for the GOP and How Dems Can Win in 2022

SHANGHAI: US and Chinese negotiators agreed to meet again in the United States in September after holding "frank" and "constructive" talks in Shanghai on Wednesday (Jul 31), state media said following meetings overshadowed by a Twitter tirade from President Donald Trump. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with Vice Premier Liu He in the Chinese financial hub for the first face-to-face negotiations since a trade war truce was declared last month. READ: US-China trade talks resume after Trump tweetstorm "The two sides conducted frank, highly efficient and constructive in-depth exchanges on major issues of common interest in the economic and trade field," according to the official Xinhua news agency, adding that the purchase of US agricultural goods by China was discussed. Washington and Beijing have so far hit each other with punitive tariffs covering more than US$360 billion in two-way trade in a row centred on demands for China … [Read more...] about US, China to hold more trade talks after ‘constructive’ meeting

Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts has apologized after a survey included a vignette calling the Black Lives Matter movement "a wild beast preying on your local community." Over the weekend, Jenna Higgins, a student at the university, shared a photo of the survey in a tweet that has so far amassed more than 700 retweets and more than 1,000 likes. "The Black Lives Matter is a wild beast preying on your local community. Just one year ago, the city was in good shape, with no obvious vulnerabilities. Now, protest-related incidents fluctuate unpredictably and for many, it seems not enough is being done," the survey said. "The city's defense systems have weakened, and normal life has succumbed to BLM disputes. The protests have strained your community and have threatened the town's health and human services. It seems danger lurks around every corner and there is a worry that if the city does not regain its strength soon, even more serious problems may start to develop." … [Read more...] about University Apologizes After Survey Calls BLM ‘Wild Beast Preying’ on Community