U.S. Apologizes to Philippines

Oops! The U.S. Embassy issued an apology to the Philippines on Sunday for a diplomatic snafu in which the Philippine flag was hung upside down at a New York meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The inverted flag is a symbol that the country is at war. “This was an honest mistake,” an embassy spokesman said, adding that “the U.S. treasures its close relationship and close partnership with the Philippines.” A photograph of President Obama meeting with President Benigno Aquino III of Philippines was featured on a government website on Sunday without note of the error.