PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT DECLARES MARTIAL LAW ON SOUTHERN ISLAND

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday after a fierce bout of fighting between the army and militants linked to Islamic State in the city of Marawi. Three members of the security forces were killed and 12 wounded, defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference, as clashes erupted in the wake of what the military said was a raid on a flat where about 15 rebels were hiding. Lorenzana was speaking in Moscow, where he was accompanying Duterte on an official visit. Duterte cancelled a meeting set for Wednesday with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and brought forward a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.