Human Rights Watch has denounced a call by Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte for police to shoot rights activists who get in the way of his bloody drug war.

Duterte should immediately withdraw his statement or be investigated for possibly instigating or inciting violence against Philippine rights advocates, the New York-based advocacy group said. The body’s deputy Asia director, Phelim Kine, said the threat “is like painting a target on the backs of courageous people working to protect the rights and upholding the dignity of all Filipinos”.

Duterte “should retract his reprehensible remarks immediately before there is more blood on his hands”, he added. Speaking following the bloodiest night of his one-year tenure in high office, Duterte said he would investigate human rights defenders criticising him, or order officers to kill them. “One of these days, you human rights groups, I will also investigate you. That’s the truth. For conspiracy,” Duterte said. “If they are obstructing justice, you shoot them,” he said. “So they can really see the kind of human rights.”(theguardian)…[+]

Brigitte Macron has said she will have a clear role at the Élysée Palace despite public opposition to her taking the official title of France’s first lady. In her first interview since her husband Emmanuel was elected president in May, she also said she could not understand the fuss over their relationship and the 25-year age gap.

Her comments came after the president, whose popularity has plummeted, abandoned plans to create an official title for his wife after public disapproval. During his campaign, Emmanuel Macron had pledged to create an “official first lady status”. But after his arrival at the Élysée, a petition opposing such a move received 314,000 signatures. Presidential advisers have said a “communication” regarding her status will be released soon. In an interview with French Elle magazine, Brigitte Macron said her role would be “determined not by a law but by a transparency charter” informing the French public of the number of staff assigned to her and the cost.(Theguardian)…[+]

Spain lacks the resources and capacity to protect the rising number of refugees and migrants reaching it by sea, the UN refugee agency has said. The warning from UNHCR comes as the Spanish coastguard said it rescued 593 people in a day from 15 small paddle boats, including 35 children and a baby, after they attempted to cross the seven-mile Strait of Gibraltar.

The number of refugees and migrants risking the sea journey between Morocco and Spain has been rising sharply, with the one-day figure the largest since August 2014, when about 1,300 people landed on the Spanish coast in a 24-hour period.

About 9,300 migrants have arrived in Spain by sea so far this year, while a further 3,500 have made it to two Spanish enclaves in north Africa, Ceuta and Melilla, the EU’s only land borders with Africa.

María Jesús Vega, a spokeswoman for UNHCR Spain, said police were badly under-resourced and there was a lack of interpreters and a shortage of accommodation for the new arrivals. “The state isn’t prepared and there aren’t even the resources and the means to deal with the usual flow of people arriving by sea,” she said.(theguardian)…[+]