Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes around Taal, one of the world's smallest active volcanoes, which spewed ash for a second day from its crater in the middle of a lake about 70 km south of central Manila.
An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 sent people scrambling as it shook buildings and disrupted power supply in the central area of the Philippines' southern island of Mindanao, killing at least two and injuring dozens, authorities said.
US DNA tests have confirmed the death of a pro-Daesh commander who was a key leader of the terrorist group that laid siege to Marawi City in the southern Philippines in 2017.
Authorities recovere another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in Cotabato city.
The homemade explosive device went off at a street festival in a crowded town in southern Philippines, the latest unrest in a region prone to militancy. The army suspects a Daesh-linked group of being behind the attack.
Pope Francis uses his Christmas message to call for "peaceful coexistence" of Palestine and Israel as future states "within mutually agreed and internationally recognised borders."
A tropical storm in the Philippines his the southern part of the island, killing 240 people, while landslides and mudslides bury many in remote areas.
The Philippine army says hostages in the southern city are being forced to fight and ferry wounded militants as the battle with a pro-Daesh group holed up in Marawi enters its sixth week.
The Philippines has a long history of conflict. Over the past few decades, homegrown militants, particularly in the south of the country, have stepped up their campaigns against the government.
At least 11 bags of methamphetamine worth between $2M to $5M recovered during an operation to rid besieged Marawi City of Daesh and linked militants, officials say. Around 600 kg of the drug were seized by authorities in May.
Around 10,000 orphans seek refuge in a Turkish-run orphanage on the troubled southern Philippine island of Mindanao.
Indonesia has been on increased alert as the focus of the country's battle against terrorism shifts to Daesh sympathisers.
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