Philippines' Duterte tells US he is scrapping troop agreement

President openly disapproves of military alliance and made decision after an ally's visa was rescinded

Rodrigo Duterte, the president of the Philippines, has given formal notice to the US of his decision to scrap a bilateral agreement covering visiting American troops, following through on repeated threats to downgrade the defence alliance.

The visiting forces agreement (VFA), signed in 1998, accords legal status to thousands of US troops rotated in the country for humanitarian assistance and military exercises, dozens of which take place annually.