Philippine troops defused a powerful bomb found in a packed bus after the US Embassy warned that terrorists might carry out attacks.

A bomb explosion at a basketball game in the southern Philippines today killed up to 10 people and wounded at least 40 others, including the town mayor, who authorities said was the likely target of the attack.

The death toll from a Christmas Eve bomb attack outside the home of the Mayor of a town in the southern Philippines rose to 16 today, as authorities searched for clues in the blast.

At least four people were killed and 15 injured as a strong earthquake rocked the southern Philippines early today, destroying buildings and cutting off electricity, officials said.