Philippines recalls top diplomats from Canada over trash row

Thursday, 16 May 2019 09:29

The Philippines has ordered the withdrawal of top diplomats from Canada over Ottawa's failure to comply with a deadline to take back 69 containers of trash.

In a Tweet, Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippines "shall maintain a diminished diplomatic presence in Canada until its garbage is ship bound there."

Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo highlighted that the recall showed that "we are very serious in asking them to get back their garbage otherwise we're gonna sever relations with them".

Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte threatened he would personally escort the waste containers back to Canada.

More from International News

Race to reach trapped survivors offers hope in Colombia quake zone

Rescuers raced in Colombia on Friday to free four people from a collapsed hotel, a rare sign of hope nearly four days after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the Andean nation in decades left hundreds dead or missing.
France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s

France's top court on Friday blocked a bill banning social media access for under-15s, saying it infringed upon freedom of expression and delivering a setback for President Emmanuel Macron, who asked his government to rewrite the legislation.
Japan's record rains strand thousands at Narita airport; kill eight

Record rainfall in Japan stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita airport on Friday, bringing floods to the surrounding area that disrupted transport, knocked out power to 20,000 homes and killed eight.
Wildfires in Britain hit record levels after homes burn in intense heat

Wildfires in England and Wales have hit a record level, fire chiefs said on Friday, warning that rescue services were battling to keep up with rising risks a day after fires raced from tinder-dry fields to engulf houses on the hottest day of the year.