Obama to meet Duterte in Laos

washington — US President Barack Obama will meet controversial Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte next week, the White House said, despite concerns over a war on crime that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

Since taking office two months ago, Duterte has begun making good on an election pledge to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals, prompting criticism from rights groups who accuse him of inciting vigilante murders.

He has also lashed out at the United Nations and described the US ambassador to Manila as a “son of a whore.”

However, the White House said Obama would meet the firebrand leader on the sidelines of a summit in Laos, which begins on September 6. —