PHILIPPINES

Filipino military says 5-year-long martial law will be 'too long' and insists final decision rests with President Duterte.

Rights group calls for outright rejection of Muslim-only ID cards system, deeming it 'a collective punishment'.

Justices dismissed the petitions by opposition lawmakers, activist groups and four women from Marawi.

Duterte has admitted to personally killing criminals and launched tirades at Barack Obama and Pope Francis.

China has new missile shelters, runways and radar and communications facilities on the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea.

Duterte once revealed that he once threw a suspected kidnapper out of a moving helicopter when he was mayor of Davao City.

Over the past year, Duterte's brutal war on drugs has resulted in thousands of deaths, yet the street price of crystal meth in Manila has fallen.

The military has warned the number of residents killed by rebel "atrocities" could rise sharply as troops capture more ground.

But Trump's largest base of support comes from The Philippines.

The military has regularly overstated its position, claiming fighting would be over "within days". It is now in its fifth week.

The recent assault by IS-aligned fighters on the Philippine city of Marawi has left more than 300 people dead.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who has expended huge amounts of political and military capital on his war on drugs, has been forced to change tack and tackle Isis-affiliated Muslim extremists in their own 'back yard' of Mindanao.

Fighting continues in Philippines city where trapped civilians face death due to bombings and starvation.

How much progress is the Philippines military making in its fight to reclaim Marawi from Isis-linked Maute jihadists? The answer depends on who you choose to believe.

The Philippines coast guard said three men have confessed to the crime.

At least 37 people died, mostly from smoke inhalation, while the gunman fled and later killed himself.

Police say the gunman is dead and was acting alone.

Brigadier General Restituto said 960 civilians had been rescued and an estimated 1,000 residents remained trapped in the city.

The incident comes a week after President Duterte imposed martial law to fight Isis militants in the island of Mindanao.

129 individuals have died in fighting so far.

Tens of thousands of people have fled Marawi since 23 May, when militants seized part of the city, taking Christians hostage.