US apologises for flying Philippine flag upside down

The United States government apologised for displaying the Philippine flag upside down at an event in New York attended by President Barack Obama on Friday, calling it an "honest mistake."

The red-white-and-blue Philippine flag adorned with yellow stars was hanging upside down, with red on top instead of blue, when Obama met his counterpart Philippine President Benigno Aquino during a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

An inverted Philippine flag would wrongfully signify that the Southeast Asian nation was in a state of war.