WASHINGTON DC, Oct 2 — US President Barack Obama has scrapped the Malaysia and Philippine portions of a scheduled four-country Asia trip because of the US government shutdown, and the rest of the trip remains up in the air, the White House said on today.

Obama is scheduled to set off on the trip on Saturday. He was to have visited Malaysia and the Philippines after attending international summits in Indonesia and Brunei.

The White House said it would continue to evaluate the Indonesia and Brunei portions of the president's trip based on how events develop throughout the course of the week. — Reuters