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(UPDATE 11) ‘Our military operation has started’--Barias MANILA, Philippines -- Operations to flush out the group of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV from the Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati City have begun, Police Director Geary Barias of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said. “Our military operation has started; it’s ongoing,” Barias told reporters from his position outside the hotel. He said Marines and Navy troops, as well as police commandos, have entered the hotel from the fountain area at the rear, along Ayala Avenue. A Marines tank is headed for the fountain area of the hotel from the...

AN explosion apparently caused by a fuel tank ripped through an upmarket shopping mall in the main Philippine financial district of Makati in the capital Manila today. Panicked shoppers ran out of the Glorietta mall as smoke billowed out of the building and police rushed in to investigate, witnesses said. "Our initial report is that it was an accidental explosion of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). We are still trying to determine if there are any casualties,''.

U.S. Marine Convicted in Philippines MANILA, Philippines — A U.S. Marine was convicted Monday of raping a Filipino woman and sentenced to 40 years in prison, ending an emotional trial that has strained U.S.-Philippine ties and tested a joint military pact.

Sun Dec 22, 8:23 AM ET A Philippine police mascot attempts to cheer a baby in a shopping mall in Makati's financial district in Manila December 22, 2002. The Philippine police has enhanced security in shopping malls and other public places to counter the threats of terrorist attacks or bombings this holiday season. Selected police officers were tasked to wear mascot costumes as they patrol the shopping malls in the capital to make their presence less obtrusive and more friendly. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco