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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 ...

Chinese fury continues against South China Sea judgement China   continues to resolutely oppose the Permanent   Court   of Arbitration's (PCA) landmark decision handed down on July 12 against its maritime claims in the South China Sea. Indeed,   Beijing   has redoubled its months-long campaign to invalidate the 2013 case that The Philippines   brought against it. The PCA gave a comprehensive verdict in Manila's favour. In its 501-page report the tribunal found Beijing violated no fewer than 14 United Nations Convention on the   Law   of the Sea (UNCLOS) provisions, six international regulations preventing collisions at sea and one general rule of international law. China's recalcitrance was highly visible during the Public International Law Colloquium on Maritime Disputes Settlement held in   Hong Kong   on July 15 and 16, jointly organised by the Chinese Society of International Law (CSIL).   Read More

Philippines wins South China Sea case against China The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Tuesday rejected China's controversial claims in the disputed South China Sea, the Guardian reported. "The   Philippines   welcomes the issuance today... On the arbitration proceedings initiated by the Philippines with regard to the South China Sea," Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay told reporters minutes after the court in The Hague released its verdict. The case at the international tribunal was brought by the Philippines, which argues that Chinese activity in the region was against international law. Besides accusing China of taking control of the area around 140 miles from its coast, the Philippines' petition asked the international tribunal to reject China's claim to sovereignty over waters within a 'nine-dash line' that appears on official Chinese maps. The U-shaped line represents China's claims to as much as 90% of the   South Ch...

China pulls up chief negotiator for limited global support for anti-India position at NSG The Chinese leadership has pulled up Wang Qun, its lead negotiator and Director General of the Arms Control Division at the Foreign Ministry, for failing to drum up significant global support for China's position in Seoul which blocked India's entry into the   NSG . Highly placed Western and Chinese sources said that Wang Qun had told   Beijing   that at least one third of the NSG nations would endorse China's position. However, the position was totally in the reverse, with as many as 44 nations backing   India   and   China   only having the support of four nations. Beijing now fears that the fallout of the NSG outcome could have an impact on a crucial verdict expected soon from the Permanent Court   of Arbitration in The Hague in a case brought by the   Philippines   concerning China's territorial reclamation activities in the South Chin...

Seven dead in Philippine election day ambush Seven people were shot dead and another was wounded when a convoy of vehicles was ambushed in the  Philippines  on Monday just hours before polls opened for national elections, police said. Unknown gunmen opened fire on the jeep and two motorcycles before dawn in the town of Rosario, just south of the capital Manila, said Chief Inspector Jonathan del Rosario. The motive for the attack was not yet known. However the incident took place in the province of Cavite which has been identified by election officials as an "area of concern", due to heated political rivalries, said del Rosario, spokesman of a special election violence monitoring task force. The task force previously said 15 people had been killed in election-related incidents since the start of the year. But there are many other cases of violence that have yet to be fully linked to the elections . Millions of Filipinos are exp...