A Philippine mayor accused by President Rodrigo Duterte of having links with the illegal drugs trade has been shot dead in a police raid.

MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine security forces killed as many as 42 Muslim rebels claiming links with Islamic State and captured their stronghold during five days of fighting in the mountains of a southern island, an army spokesman said on Friday.

Almost 2,000 schoolchildren have been struck down with stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting after being poisoned by a batch of contaminated candy sold outside schools in the Philippines.Authorities say they are now investigating all possible causes of the emergency, including whether it was 'intentional ' or 'mishandling'.

Pope Francis has arrived in the Philippines, Asia's most populous Catholic nation, where ecstatic crowds awaited the first papal visit in 20 years.