Impeach me, I'll jail you: Philippines' Duterte dares rivals

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened rivals with prison if they try to impeach him.

Duterte vented his anger late Thursday amid intense media scrutiny after the Philippines fell in line with Beijing’s explanation that a Chinese vessel didn’t intentionally hit a Filipino boat in the South China Sea on June 9.

Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday described the incident as "just an accident".

A top UN official and an Asian lawmakers' group this week called this an assault on free speech.

This comes as Duterte's popularity and mandate have been bolstered by a recent midterm election.

More from International News

  • Trump leaves Beijing with few wins, many warm words for Xi

    US President Donald Trump departed China on Friday touting business deals that gave markets little to cheer, while Beijing warned Washington about mishandling Taiwan and said its war with Iran should never have started.

  • Trump says he won't be much more patient with Iran

    US President Donald Trump has said he would not be much more patient with Iran as he urged Tehran to reach a deal with Washington while also suggesting that the quest to retrieve Iran's enriched uranium was more about perception than about security.

  • India raises retail fuel prices first time since Iran war started

    India's state-run fuel retailers have raised petrol and diesel prices for the first time in four years by 3 rupees ($0.03) per litre, or more than 3 per cent, according to dealers, to recoup some of the losses incurred due to higher global crude oil prices.

  • Ukrainian drone attack kills three in Russia's Ryazan

    A Ukrainian drone attack has killed three people in the central Russian city of Ryazan, damaged high-rise apartment buildings and hit an industrial enterprise, Regional Governor Pavel Malkov said early on Friday.

Blogs