MANILA — U.S. President Donald Trump has, at the last minute, skipped the plenary session of the 18-nation East Asia Summit with events running behind schedule. Trump instead headed to Air Force One to leave the Philippines. The plane lifted off from Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday afternoon, more than 30 minutes earlier than had […]
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Two became three as a scheduled Monday morning meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was expanded to include Japan’s Shinzo Abe. The change underscored the growing three-way relationship concerning regional security, especially regarding how to respond to North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, as well […]
WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump has developed a “warm rapport” with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte even though the Manila leader has verbally attacked the United States in profane terms. A senior Trump administration official, talking about details of Trump’s five-nation Asia visit that starts Friday and includes a stop in […]
Government security forces in the Philippines city of Marawi have been fighting for the past three months to rout militants suspected of ties to the Islamic State (IS) militant group in the region. Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte in May declared the country’s restive south under martial rule for 60 days – which, in July, was […]