Manila - The World Bank committed 10 billion dollars in a standby fund to help member countries of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) weather the global economic crisis, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said Wednesday.

Arroyo said the bank issued the commitment after the 10-country ASEAN and its partners Japan, China and South Korea agreed at the weekend to set up a mechanism that would help cash-strapped ASEAN members.

Manila - A Filipino overseas worker convicted of killing a Saudi Arabian national was executed Tuesday, a senior Philippine official said.

Foreign Undersecretary Esteban Conejos said Jenifer Bidoya was beheaded after his death sentence was affirmed by the Saudi Arabia Supreme Court.

Conejos said Bidoya was sentenced to death by the Jeddah Sharia Grand Court in April 2007 for killing a Saudi national guardsman.

Bidoya's execution was carried out despite the appeal for clemency of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

Conejos said the family of the victim refused to forgive Bidoya and insisted on the imposition of the death penalty.

Manila- The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared as unconstitutional a territorial deal between the government and Muslim secessionist rebels.

The high tribunal in early August stopped the signing of the agreement that would have expanded the existing autonomous Muslim region in the strife-torn southern island of Mindanao because of questions over its constitutionality.

The deal reached between government peace negotiators and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was eventually scrapped by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Manila - Philippine shares soared by 7.31 per cent Tuesday as the leaders of developed countries made efforts to address the global financial turmoil.

The Philippine Stock Exchange's 30-share composite index gained 154.9 points to finish at 2,273.65.

A total of 1.87 billion shares valued at 3.61 billion pesos (76.80 million dollars) were traded.

Gainers outpaced losers 101 to 16 with 26 issues unchanged.

Manila - Five people including three children drowned when a boat capsized in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said Monday.

Manila - Activists filed on Monday a new impeachment complaint against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the fourth in the past four years.

The complaint was filed before the House of Representatives secretary-general's office by the anti-corruption group Black and White Movement and leftist labour group May First Movement.

The complaint sought the ouster of Arroyo for betrayal of public trust for allegedly allowing the government to enter into a corruption-tainted 330-million dollar national broadband project with Chinese firm ZTE