Philippine president apologizes for Obama insult

VIENTIANE. KAZINFORM The Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte issued an apology on Tuesday, after launching an expletive-laden attack on U.S. President Barack Obama and the United States, which then prompted the American leader to cancel a meeting the two leaders had planned, Kyodo reported.

Speaking with reporters on Monday ahead of his departure for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Laos, Duterte was asked how he would respond if the American leader raised the issue of the use of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' anti-drugs campaign.

Duterte responded with "son of a whore, I will swear at you in that forum."