Manila - A 72-year-old woman was killed Wednesday as a powerful typhoon slammed into the northern Philippines, triggering landslides and flashfloods.

The woman was buried in a landslide in Benguet province, 225 kilometres south of Manila, the provincial disaster-coordinating council said.

Classes have been suspended at schools in Manila and northern provinces because of heavy rains and strong winds brought by Typhoon Nuri, which was packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 170 kph.

Cotabato City, Philippines - A Philippine Army officer was wounded Wednesday in fresh clashes with Muslim secessionist rebels in the country's south, where 102 people have been killed and nearly 150,000 displaced since last week, a military report said.

The fighting erupted when patrolling soldiers encountered about 30 heavily armed Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, 930 kilometres south of Manila.

Fighting was ongoing and soldiers were using mortars and howitzers to flush out the rebels, the military report said.

Manila - The Philippines on Tuesday braced for a typhoon that was expected to make landfall over the country's northernmost provinces, the weather bureau said.

Typhoon Nuri was packing maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometres per hour and gusts of up to 160 kilometres per hour as it bore down on the northern Philippines.

The weather bureau said Nuri was moving at 22 kilometres per hour. It is forecast to reach Cagayan province, 360 kilometres north of Manila, by Wednesday.

Authorities raised storm signal warnings over more than 20 northern provinces.

Very first community milk bank of the world has started its operations the Makati city of Philippines. It is one of the first milk Bank in the entire world where about 200 mothers donated their milk in small quantity. The launch of this milk Bank is a fruit of the efforts of Mr. Sen. Pia S. Cayetano who is a strong promoter of breastfeeding. The idea of this milk Bank is suggested by the Compañero Rene Cayetano Foundation. Makati City Health Department has also supported this new idea and offered all type of help for its establishment.

Manila - The Philippine military on Tuesday vowed to take "aggressive actions" against Muslim separatist rebels who killed 49 people in a deadly rampage that also displaced more than 36,000 residents in southern provinces.

General Alexander Yano, armed forces chief of staff, said government forces were hunting down Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels after a string of attacks in the southern region of Mindanao since the weekend.

Manila - Muslim separatist rebels attacked several towns in the southern Philippines Monday, killing at least two people, burning homes and looting businesses, military and police officials said.

The attacks triggered fresh fighting between government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the southern provinces of Sarangani and Lanao del Norte on the island of Mindanao, the military said.