Obama cancels meeting with Filipino leader

US President Barack Obama has cancelled a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who had earlier called him a “son of a whore”.

Mr Duterte was responding to the US President’s promise to raise the issue of drug-related extra-judicial killings in the Philippines at their meeting.

The Filipino leader who is known for his colourful language, has now said he regrets the remark.

Both presidents are among leaders gathering for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.

This is not the first time President Duterte has employed vitriolic language against such prominent figures.

He has called Pope Francis the “son of a whore”, Secretary of State John Kerry “crazy” and referred to the US Ambassador to the Philippines a “gay son of a whore.

In August, two UN human rights experts said Mr Duterte’s directive for police and the public to kill suspected drug traffickers amounted to “incitement to violence and killing.

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