Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte claims U.S. and Australian officials have significantly toned down their human-rights criticisms during their latest meetings with him. Duterte said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Australian lawmaker Julie Bishop only mentioned the thousands of extrajudicial drug-war deaths “in passing” in their meetings at the presidential palace. The firebrand has in the past said he is “happy to slaughter” addicts and has called the deaths of children caught up in the fighting “collateral damage.”
Read it at The Guardian