MANILA, May 5 — The Philippines’ telecoms body today ordered the country’s leading broadcaster ABS-CBN Corp to cease operations immediately, saying its license had expired.

President Rodrigo Duterte has regularly criticised ABS-CBN, in what opposition lawmakers and activists have described as an attack on independent media.

The National Telecommunications Commission said ABS-CBN’s 25-year congressional license expired on May 4. The company has 10 days to respond and say why frequencies assigned to it should not be recalled, it added.

There was no immediate comment from ABS-CBN. — Reuters