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Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine Ex-President, Is Arrested on I.C.C. Warrant

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Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine Ex-President, Is Arrested on I.C.C. Warrant

Rodrigo Duterte, the former president of the Philippines, was arrested on Tuesday in Manila, after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant accusing him of crimes against humanity in his war on drugs in which, human rights groups say, tens of thousands of Filipinos were summarily executed.

He was taken into custody at the airport in Manila after returning from a trip to Hong Kong, according to the Philippine government. Mr. Duterte’s lawyer, Salvador Panelo, said the arrest was unlawful, partly because the Philippines withdrew from the court while Mr. Duterte was in office.

Mr. Duterte, 79, who left office in 2022, is a populist firebrand who remains one of the Philippines’ most influential politicians, and he has enjoyed relative immunity despite several accusations against him in connection with his antidrug campaign.

But Mr. Duterte’s arrest could be a major step toward accountability for thousands of Filipinos who have long sought justice for their loved ones, many of whom were gunned down by police officers, hit men and vigilantes. Activists say the vast majority of victims were poor, urban Filipinos, some of whom were minors and people who had nothing to do with the drug trade.

Only a handful of people have been convicted in connection with the killings, which rights groups say totaled roughly 30,000.

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“I am very happy that Duterte has been arrested so we can finally have justice,” said Cristina Jumola, whose three sons were killed during the drug war. “We waited so long for this.”

It was unclear whether Mr. Duterte would be forced to surrender to the I.C.C., which is based in The Hague. The case will be a high-profile test of the court, which in recent months has sought the arrest of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the head of the military junta in Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing, accusing both men of crimes against humanity.

Minutes before he was arrested, Mr. Duterte was characteristically defiant.

“You would have to kill me first, if you are going to ally with white foreigners,” Mr. Duterte said as he was getting off the plane from Hong Kong, according to a video posted by GMA News, a Philippine broadcaster.

For years, Mr. Duterte seemed untouchable. As mayor of Davao, the second-largest city in the Philippines, for more than two decades, he ran a deadly antidrug crackdown with impunity. In 2016, he parlayed his law-and-order credentials into a victory in the presidential election, even though experts said the country did not have an outsized problem with drugs.

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At his final campaign rally that year, Mr. Duterte told the crowd to “forget the laws on human rights.”

“You drug pushers, holdup men and do-nothings, you better go out,” he said. “Because I’ll kill you.” He said he would give himself and his security forces immunity from prosecution and pardon himself “for the crime of multiple murder.”

While in office, Mr. Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the I.C.C., which had begun looking into the extrajudicial killings.

Mr. Panelo, Mr. Duterte’s lawyer, said the arrest was unlawful in part because the Philippine police had not allowed the former president’s attorneys to meet him at the airport. He said he planned to bring criminal complaints against the police and the officials who ordered the arrest.

He added that the arrest was illegal because the arrest warrant “comes from a spurious source, the I.C.C., which has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.”

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But the Philippines is still a member of Interpol, which can seek the arrest of Mr. Duterte on behalf of the I.C.C. A representative of the international organization was present when Mr. Duterte was arrested.

This is a developing story.

Marlise Simons contributed reporting from Paris.

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

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Anyma Says He’s ‘Truly Devastated and Deeply Sorry’ Following Canceled Coachella Set: ‘I’m Working on a Solution’

Electronic musician Anyma is speaking out after his Coachella set was canceled due to severe weather condititions early Saturday morning. 

“I’m heartbroken,” the DJ, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, wrote in a statement shared to his X account Saturday evening. “I don’t have many words other than to say I’m truly devastated and deeply sorry to everyone who showed up to the main stage, and to those watching the livestream at home. Having the opportunity to perform the new ÆDEN show and share all the new music and art means more to me than I can express. It’s incredibly painful, especially after working day and night for the past year, not just me, but my team and the @coachella crew, who poured everything into this.”

The statement continued: “Safety was and always will be our biggest concern. The dangerous winds not only prevented us and Coachella from building our stage, but also made it impossible for my entire live setup and performance to operate safely.”

While he noted there are no other slots available for him to perform during Coachella weekend 1, Milleri wrote that he is “working on a solution to bring you some music at least,” but doesn’t want to “impose on the other artists’ slots.” “Updates soon,” he concluded. 

Anyma was set to perform following Sabrina Carpenter’s headlining set on Day 1 of the festival, but the weather made it unfeasible. Attendees were notified at 12:17 a.m. of this “schedule update” with a statement posted online and sent as a push notification via the Coachella app. 

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“Due to strong wind conditions affecting Anyma’s stage build, he is unable to perform,” the statement read. “Coachella & Anyma have made this decision together with your safety as the priority. Further updates to come.”

Winds had gusted as high as 35-40 mph in Indio during the day Friday, and there were reports of tents being toppled in the campground area at Coachella. Weather reports for the area on Sunday, the closing day of the festival, show winds predicted at 10-20 mph, although the possibility for gusts again exists.

Even if Anyma is shut out of appearing at Coachella this weekend, he is still on the agenda for the same slot during weekend 2, this coming Friday night.

Anyma first gained popularity as one-half of the EDM duo Tale of Us.

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo calls out ‘delusion of omnipotence’ fueling Iran war in vigil for peace at St. Peter’s Basilica

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Pope Leo in a Saturday vigil for peace, called out the “delusion of omnipotence” he claimed is fueling war.

“In prayer, our limited human possibilities are joined to the infinite possibilities of God. Thoughts, words and deeds then break the demonic cycle of evil and are placed at the service of the Kingdom of God,” he said in a prayer service at St. Peter’s Basilica.

He continued, “A Kingdom in which there is no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialization of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness. It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive.”

In posts on X and during the prayer vigil, the pontiff also warned that war “divides” while hope and faith unite humanity.

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TRUMP’S LAST-MINUTE DELAY: WHY HE WAS NEVER GOING TO OBLITERATE IRAN IN THE FIRST PLACE

Pope Leo XIV leads a vigil for peace inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday. (Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money. Enough of the display of power. Enough of war,” he wrote. “True strength is shown in serving life.”

The archbishop of Tehran, Belgian Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, was among those in the pews.

Leo’s words came on the same day Vice President JD Vance and a U.S. delegation began face-to-face talks with Iran amid an uneasy ceasefire.

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MIKE PENCE WARNS JD VANCE TO AVOID OBAMA-STYLE IRAN DEAL AS NUCLEAR TALKS SET TO BEGIN IN PAKISTAN

They were some of the first American pontiff’s strongest words yet after he called President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday “truly unacceptable.”  

“Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said earlier this week. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.”

Pope Leo XIV speaks to the media on the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, as he leaves the papal residence to head back to the Vatican, April 7, in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

Trump had written on Truth Social “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

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Hours later, the president announced a two-week ceasefire subject to Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in another post.

As the high-stakes talks began on Saturday in Islamabad, Trump told reporters outside the White House: “We win regardless of what happens. Maybe they make a deal, maybe they don’t.”

Islamabad hosted peace talks between Iran and the U.S. on Saturday. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)

For more than a month, the pope limited his remarks to muted appeals for peace, but in his Easter blessing last Sunday, he urged “those with weapons lay them down. Let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace.”

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Leo also invoked what he said were the final words that Pope Francis issued to the world from the same balcony one year ago, during which the late pontiff warned of a “globalization of indifference.”

“What a great thirst for death, for killing we witness each day in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” Leo said, quoting Francis.

Fox News’ Jasmine Baehr and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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‘Enough of war!’ says Pope Leo XIV who grows increasingly frustrated

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‘Enough of war!’ says Pope Leo XIV who grows increasingly frustrated
By&nbspLucy Davalou&nbspwith&nbspAP

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Pope Leo XIV did not hold back on Saturday as he denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is powering the US-Israel war on Iran and urges political leaders to stop and engage in peace processes. All while, the US and Iran entered peace negotiations in Pakistan.

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During an evening prayer in St. Peter’s Basilica Pope Leo XIV did not mention the US nor did he mention US President Donald Trump, however, his tone and message appeared directed at US officials and Trump, who have bragged of their military superiority and justified the war using religion.

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“Enough of the idolatry of self and money!” Leo said. “Enough of the display of power! Enough of war!”

The US Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) announced on 3 March 2026 that it had received more than 200 complaints from military personnel from various branches of the armed forces – including the Marines, Air Force and Space Force – accusing their commanders of using extremist Christian rhetoric to justify war against Iran.

Among those in the basilica was the archbishop of Tehran, Dominique Joseph Mathieu. The United States was represented by Laura Hochla, the deputy chief of mission, the US Embassy said.

US-born Pope Leo XIV had initially been reluctant about openly criticising the war, however, he stepped up his criticism starting on Palm Sunday. Earlier this week, he condemned Trump’s threats to annihilate Iranian civilisation calling them “truly unacceptable” and pushed for dialogue to be prioritised.

On Saturday, the pontiff called for all people of good will to pray for peace and demand an end to war from their political leaders.

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Praying for peace, Pope Leo XIV said, was a way to “break the demonic cycle of evil” to build instead the Kingdom of God where there are no swords, drones or “unjust profit.”

“It is here that we find a bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive,” he said. “Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is being dragged into discourses of death.”

Leaders have used religion to defend their actions in the war. US officials, especially Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, have spoken about their Christian faith and described the United States as a Christian nation fighting its enemies.

Leo has said that God does not support any war, especially wars where bombs are dropped.

The Vatican is especially worried about Israel’s war with Hezbollah which is spreading into Lebanon, where Christian communities in the south are already suffering.

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