Three members of the security forces were killed and 12 wounded, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference, as clashes erupted in the wake of what the military said was a raid on a flat where about 15 rebels were hiding. Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ano, the armed forces chief of staff, said nearly 50 gunmen entered Marawi City, which has a population of about 200,000, and burned houses and other... 

Barack Obama has cancelled a meeting with the president of the Philippines after Rodrigo Duterte appeared to call him a “son of a wh*re”. The move followed a warning from Duterte to the US president to keep off the subject of extrajudicial killings in his country’s brutal drug war when they were due to meet on Tuesday at a regional summit in Laos. Duterte told a press conference that Obama “must... 

China has caused irreparable harm to the ecosystem of the Spratly Islands and breached the Philippines’ sovereign rights, the Hague Tribunal has ruled. Beijing has ignored the ruling, saying its islands come with exclusive economic zones, where Chinese people have had activities for 2,000 years. The court said in the 497-page ruling that “There was no legal basis for China to claim historic... 

Why is the crust of the Earth shaking so violently all of a sudden? Over the past 48 hours, there have been five major earthquakes globally, and one prominent seismologist has declared that “catastrophic mega earthquakes” could be on the way. In fact, seismologist Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado has made headlines all over the world by warning that “current conditions might trigger... 

The Pentagon expressed concerns in connection with naval drills of the People’s Republic of China, in which a Chinese submarine “destroys” a US aircraft carrier. The drills took place in ​​the South China Sea – a disputed territory for China, Vietnam, the Philippines, as well as for the United States. Earlier, spokespeople for the Foreign Ministry of China stated that any... 

Hua Chunying, spokeswoman of China’s Foreign Ministry. China has expressed concern over a plan by the United States to bolster its military presence in the disputed waters of the South China Sea in a move the Pentagon has described as ‘demonstrating freedom of navigation.’ “We are severely concerned by relevant remarks made by the American side,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman,... 

Tens of people have been killed in clashes between police forces and a the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the troubled southern Philippines. Security sources said at least six members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and 37 police officers were killed during a gun battle in the town of Mamasapano on the southern island of Mindanao, on Sunday. Several police forces and MILF members were... 

Pope Francis (L) flanked by Padre Federico Lombardi speak to journalist sitting onboard a plane during his trip back to Rome, on January 19, 2015 from the Philippines. Pope Francis defended the Catholic Church’s ban on contraceptives, stating that followers of the faith don’t have to breed “like rabbits” and there are other ways, including natural family planning, that could be used to regulate... 

  A stampede during Shanghai’s New Year’s Eve celebrations has killed more than 36 people. For many people around the world, New Year was a time of celebration and joy, but for some it was quite the opposite. Stabbings, mortar shelling, massive fires and a fatal stampede all hit seasonal revels, causing havoc and heartbreak. Stampede ‘over fake money’ kills dozens At least... 

Heavy rains in southwest China have left at least 19 people dead and 20 others missing, forcing thousands of residents to leave their homes, state media report. The China News Service said on Monday that 12 people have reportedly died in the southwestern major city of Chongqing, three in neighboring Sichuan Province, and four others in Shaanxi Province. The flooding forced some 160,000 people to flee... 

Typhoon Haiyan is pictured in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite handout image taken on November 6, 2013. Thousands of people living in coastal areas of the Philippines are getting ready to evacuate as the first major storm of the rainy season is approaching the country. According to civil defense authorities, tropical Storm Rammasun is expected to strike eastern Philippines... 

The United Nations has nearly doubled the death toll from the devastating typhoon that struck the Philippines to over 4,400 people – a substantial rise from an earlier estimate of 2,357. However, the Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has raised the number of deaths to 3,621, still below the UN count, which has caused friction between the world body and... 

The Philippine President Benigno Aquino has declared a state of national calamity to enable the government to respond more effectively to the devastation and chaos caused by monster Typhoon Haiyan. “We declare a state of national calamity to hasten the action of the government to rescue, provide help and rehabilitate the provinces affected by [Haiyan],” the president said in a televised... 

As super-typhoon Haiyan has left some 10,000 dead in the Philippines, over 600,000 people have been evacuated as it approaches Vietnam. “Those who do not move voluntarily will be forced” to move, Vietnam’s flood and storm control department said. Vietnam is preparing its defenses after the storm annihilated the Philippines over the weekend, leaving thousands dead and a trail of devastation through... 

An estimated 10,000 people might have been killed in the central Philippine province of Leyte alone, which was almost completely destroyed by the powerful typhoon Haiyan, local authorities said. The typhoon has devastated up to 80 percent of the Leyte province area as it ripped through the Philippines, Chief Superintendent Elmer Soria told Reuters. “We had a meeting last night with the governor...