Barack Obama cancels Rodrigo Duterte talks after insult
Barack Obama cancels meeting with new Philippine President Duterte US President Barack Obama has cancelled what would have been his first meeting with Rodrigo Duterte, according to a White House spokesman, hours after the Philippine leader described his American counterpart in vulgar terms. Duterte called Obama a "son of a whore", saying that he would not be lectured by the US leader on human rights, according to AFP news agency. Inside Story - Can Rodrigo Duterte win the war on illegal drugs? Duterte's tirade came as he bristled at warnings he would face questioning by the US president at their scheduled meeting over his war against drugs in the Philippines, which has claimed more than 2,400 lives in just over two months. "You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum," Duterte told a news conference shortly before flying to Laos to attend a summit on Monday. "We ...