Manila- The Philippines police chief ordered criminal charges filed Monday against a former police general and three senior police officials in connection with the unauthorized release of millions of pesos of intelligence funds.

Director General Jesus Verzosa identified the officials as former police comptroller Eliseo De La Paz, Chief Superintendent Orlando Pestano, Senior Superintendent Tomas Rentoy and Superintendent Samuel Rodriguez.

Manila - One soldier and 14 Muslim rebels were killed Monday in a clash in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said.

Major Randolph Cabangbang said the fighting erupted when soldiers encountered Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

Cabangbang said four soldiers and four MILF rebels were also wounded in the fighting the lasted for more than two hours.

Eight of the rebel fatalities have been identified, according to Cabangbang.

Manila - Hundreds of Filipino leftist activists marched in the Philippine capital on Monday to protest an international conference on migration.

Policemen stopped the protesters from going near a convention centre in Manila where the five-day 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development began Monday.

The protesters carried placards saying "Stop Labour Exports" and "Workers are not Commodities."

Manila - The Philippine Stock Exchange halted trading near the end of the trading day Monday after share prices fell more than 10 per cent.

Trading was stopped when the 30-share composite index fell 10.03 per cent, triggering an automatic break that was instituted last month amid volatility in the market.

The suspension was called 37 minutes before the end of Monday's session at noon (0400 GMT). Trading resumed 10 minutes later with the main index continuing to fall, closing 239.66 points, or 12.27 per cent, lower at 1,713.83.

Manila - Fighting between government troops and Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines is not likely to escalate into a full-scale war, an international security think tank said Friday.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) said several factors, including lack of resources, "militate against the widening of the conflict" between security forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the strife-torn southern region of Mindanao.

"The likelihood of full-scale war engulfing Mindanao seems low," the ICG said. "Neither side has the resources to engage in sustained combat.

Cotabato City, Philippines- One soldier was killed Tuesday in a clash with Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said.

Major Randolph Cabangbang said the firefight between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels erupted in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province, 960 kilometres south of Manila.

"The fighting is ongoing," he said. "We have one killed in action, but we withheld his identity pending notification of his relatives."