Islamic militant escapes from prison

THE Philippines ordered a nationwide manhunt on Monday after one of the region’s top Islamic militants escaped from a high-security prison in Manila, apparently with the connivance of his guards.

Ports and airports have also been put on the alert for Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, an Indonesian who is a self-confessed member of Jemaah Islamiah, a regional network of radicals which has been linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

He escaped with two Filipino prisoners, who are believed to be members of another radical Islamic group, the Abu Sayyaf.