Syrian rebels holding dozens of Fijian UN peacekeepers hostage have attacked Filipino troops in the Golan Heights, Philippine officials said.

The death toll from storm-triggered flash floods that devastated a wide swathe of the southern Philippines has risen to 521, the Philippine Red Cross said today.

The US and Australia today warned of possible terrorist attacks in Manila and the southern Philippines, sparking a security alarm in the bustling capital with additional deployments of police patrols and intelligence agents.