
Duterte wants US troops to leave
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has reiterated his threat to cut ties with major ally the US. Speaking in Japan, Mr Duterte insisted his country was not "a dog on a leash” and again threatened to revise or cancel US defence pacts. "I have declared that I will pursue an independent foreign policy. I want, maybe in the next two years, my country free of the presence of foreign military troops. I want them out,” he said. Mr Duterte has launched a series of verbal attacks on the US over the past two months while making overtures to China.