Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said he was joking when he threatened to pull his country out of the United Nations. A UN human rights expert said Duterte's government was violating international law by encouraging police to kill drug suspects.

According to official government data, nearly 2,000 people have been killed in the country's war on drugs since July 1st, a day after Duterte took office. The US State Department earlier said it was deeply concerned about reports of extrajudicial killings.