A member of a powerful political clan in the Philippines accused of leading the massacre of 57 journalists and members of a rival's family pleaded not guilty on the first day of his trial.

Troops in the Philippines went house to house today, threatening to use force to move hundreds of residents from the steaming slopes of a lava-spilling volcano.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the lifting today of a week-long period of martial law in a southern Philippine province where 57 people were massacred last month in the country’s worst political violence.

Philippine prosecutors charged the heir of a powerful clan with murder today in the massacre of 57 people, more than half of them journalists or their staff who were accompanying the family and supporters of an election candidate.

A member of a powerful clan and the prime suspect in the massacre of 57 people in an election caravan has turned himself in.

Five more bodies were found today in a third mass grave for victims of the Philippines election massacre taking the death toll to 57.

Emergency rule was imposed on two Philippine provinces today as security forces found more bodies from one of the worst incidents of election violence in the nation’s history, taking the death toll to 46.

An elderly Irish priest released after 32 days in captivity in the Philippines today told how he hiked through jungles, survived raging seas and slept in a swamp under a tarpaulin before his release.

The Philippine government rejected a US$2m (€1.3m) ransom demanded by the kidnappers of an Irish priest Michael Sinnott in the country's volatile south and said today that efforts would continue to safely secure his freedom.

Kidnappers of an Irish missionary seized in the southern Philippines are demanding a €1.4m ransom in exchange for his freedom.

US MILITARY helicopters yesterday ferried tons of aid to a northern Philippine mountain region facing shortages of food, gasoline and coffins after back-to-back typhoons killed more than 600.

TENS of thousands of villagers fled the likely path of a powerful typhoon bearing down yesterday on the Philippines, as the government braced for the possibility of a second disaster just days after a storm killed more than 420 in four southeast Asian countries.

Thousands of villagers have fled the likely path of a powerful typhoon bearing down on the Philippines, as the government braces for the possibility of a second storm disaster within days of one that killed hundreds.

The flood-devastated Philippines was braced for a new tropical storm today, as the death toll from waters that submerged the homes of more than two million rose to 246.

The Philippines appealed for international help today as the death toll from widespread flooding reached 150 with fears for many more victims.

Nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in six hours today as Tropical Storm Ketsana slammed ashore in the Philippines, killing five people and stranding thousands on rooftops in the capital’s worst flooding in more than 42 years.

The son of the late former Philippine leader Corazon “Cory” Aquino said he will run for president in next year’s elections to continue the legacy of his mother, the country’s democracy figurehead.

Military honour guards carried former President Corazon Aquino’s flag-draped casket to a school gym today for public viewing, as Filipinos mourned the democracy icon who swept away a dictator and fought off seven coup attempts.

Former Philippines President Corazon Aquino, who swept away a dictator with a “people power” revolt and sustained democracy by fighting off seven coup attempts in six years, died today, her son said. She was 76.

Thousands of Filipinos led by left-wing and church groups turned out for a rally in Manila today to protest against moves to rewrite the constitution, which they say is a ploy to prolong the president’s stay in power.

FIREWORKS exploded over Sydney’s shimmering harbour yesterday as the world’s first major city to ring in 2009 celebrated the end of a rocky year with cheers, beers and a sense of relief.

Fireworks exploded over Sydney’s shimmering harbour today as the world’s first major city to ring in 2009 celebrated the end of a rocky year with cheers, beers and a sense of relief.

The Philippines will not grant political asylum to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra after his British visa was revoked, preventing him from returning to London where he has been living in exile, an official said today.

Fishermen found body parts, combat boots and other debris today that were believed to be from a C-130 military transport plane that crashed after taking off in the southern Philippines with nine crew members on board.

Typhoon Fengshen lashed the Philippines for a second day today, leaving at least 80 people dead as it submerged entire communities and capsized a passenger ferry carrying more than 740 passengers and crew.

Asian countries today proposed forming an OPEC-style group to gain control over spiralling rice prices.

Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino has colon cancer, her daughter said today.

An alleged plot by al-Qaida-linked militants to assassinate President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has sparked cancellation of her planned visit to the Philippines’ premier military academy this weekend.

Around 1,000 troops guarded a Philippine court hearing today for 14 soldiers accused of a 2003 rebellion, the same officers who stormed out of proceedings last month and commandeered a hotel, calling for an anti-government uprising.

Philippine police went on full alert today after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo proceeded with a European trip – which includes a visit to Britain - despite a failed attempt by a group of soldiers and civilian backers to trigger a “people power” revolt against her.

Troops stormed a five-star hotel in Manila today to remove dissident military officers who had walked out of their coup trial and demanded that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resign.

Military officers defied a deadline to surrender after storming out of their coup trial in the Philippines capital today, taking over a luxury hotel and demanding that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo resign.

A luggage bomb exploded in a crowded Philippines shopping centre killing one person and injuring seven others.

A congressman killed in a bomb blast outside the Philippine legislature was a former member of an al-Qaida-linked militant group who switched sides to support a US-backed offensive against them, police said today.

Shamed Philippines President Joseph Estrada was free today for the first time in more than six years after his successor pardoned him from a life sentence for corruption.

Deposed president Joseph Estrada, who once pulled off the Philippines’ biggest election victory, was sentenced to life in prison today after a landmark six-year trial on charges that he took bribes and kickbacks in office.

Security forces tried to disrupt plots by al Qaida-linked militants to stage attacks but failed to track them, setting off an alarm that influenced a decision to postpone a pair of Asian summits, officials said today.

THE typhoon that ravaged the Philippines with landslides and torrential rain slammed into Vietnam’s southern coast yesterday as a tropical storm, killing at least 50 people and destroying thousands of homes.

Rescuers today gave up hope of finding survivors in villages swamped by mudslides on the slopes of the Mayon volcano, five days after a typhoon killed an estimated 1,000 people.

Rescuers, some using their bare hands, combed mud-stricken villages on the slopes of the Philippines’ Mayon volcano today, five days after a typhoon left a trail of destruction estimated to have killed more than 1,000 people.

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of national calamity today as the top Red Cross official estimated more than 1,000 people have been killed after a massive typhoon unleashed walls of black mud on entire villages.

Hopes virtually vanished today for finding survivors of typhoon-triggered mudslides that engulfed entire villages in the eastern Philippines, with the Red Cross fearing the death toll could reach 700.

Typhoon Durian smashed into the Philippines with heavy rains and winds gusting up to 165 mph, spawning flash floods and sending walls of muddy volcanic ash and red-hot boulders crashing down on several villages, officials said today.

The fourth devastating super typhoon in as many months has battered the Philippines, setting off a volcanic mudslide and widespread flooding that killed at least 109 people and left dozens more missing, officials said today.