Philippines, U.S. launch war games after Duterte tirades October 4, 2016 - 15:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Philippines and the United States launched war games on Tuesday, October 4 against the backdrop of the unusual threat of American forces being ejected from the Southeast Asian nation, as its firebrand leader pivots to China, AFP reports. President Rodrigo Duterte has sustained a verbal assault on the United States, the Philippines' former colonial ruler and mutual defence partner, since he took office on June 30 in response to criticism of his deadly war on crime. Duterte has in recent days warned the war games will be the last of his six-year term, and threatened to scrap a defence pact implemented by his predecessor that was meant to see more US troops in the Philippines to counter Chinese expansion in the South China Sea. "Better think twice now because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether," Duterte said on Sunday in his latest outburst against the Americans, full of typical invective. "The Americans, I don't like them... they are reprimanding me in public. So I say: 'Screw you, fuck you'," he said, while signalling again that he wanted to forge closer alliances with China and Russia. Last week Duterte, 71, also claimed the CIA was plotting to assassinate him. This came after he branded Barack Obama a "son of a whore" in response to being told the US president planned to raise human rights concerns over his drug war. Duterte has vowed to eradicate illegal drugs in the Philippines, warning the nation is in danger of becoming a narco-state. His crime war has seen more than 3,000 people killed, with the United Nations, the European Union and rights groups raising concerns about alleged extrajudicial killings and a breakdown in the rule of law. Duterte has insisted he is not doing anything illegal, yet at the same time said he would be "happy to slaughter" three million drug users. He also likened his crime war to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler's effort to exterminate Jews, but following an outcry apologised for referring to the Holocaust.  Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims  Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide.Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed.Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham).Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |
