Manila - A member of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's cabinet was in hot water on Monday after a businessman accused him and his two sons of beating him and his teenage son in a brawl at a golf course.

Arroyo ordered the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the accusations of businessman Delfin Dela Paz against Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said Arroyo also directed the DOJ to file appropriate charges "against those responsible for any violation of law."

Washington - The number of murders committed in the US by black teenagers increased 34 per cent between 2000 and 2007, while those committed by whites had barely changed, a report to be released Monday by Northeastern University in Boston said.

In 2000, 539 white and 851 black youths between age 14 to 17 committed murder, according to a story about the report in the New York Times. By 2007, the number of murders by blacks had risen to 1,142 while those committed by whites had fallen slightly, to 537.

Manila - Two boys were killed while playing with a hand grenade in their house in a northern Philippine province, a police report said Monday.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police have detained a Singaporean man and his wife, a Thai national, after his young stepson was found dead in his home with bruises on the body, hands, legs and head, a news report said Monday.

The victim, an 8-year old boy, was believed to have been abused before he died, said deputy district police chief Mohamad Akhir Ishak.

Neighbours called police Saturday afternoon after they heard a commotion in the boy's home in the southern Johor state, the Star daily reported.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police have detained a Singaporean man and his wife, a Thai national, after his young stepson was found dead in his home with bruises on the body, hands, legs and head, a news report said Monday.

The victim, an 8-year old boy, was believed to have been abused before he died, said deputy district police chief Mohamad Akhir Ishak.

Neighbours called police Saturday afternoon after they heard a commotion in the boy's home in the southern Johor state, the Star daily reported.

"We discovered the body in the back room of the apartment," said Mohamad Akhir, adding that the post mortem result showed that the boy died from multiple injuries especially from those inflicted on the head.

Los Angeles - Police revealed new details late Friday about the gruesome attack by a man dressed as Santa Claus who went on a maniacal killing spree during a Christmas party hosted by his former wife's parents.

Police said the killer, Jeffrey Pardo, had planned to escape to Canada after the attack. But instead he killed himself after he suffered third-degree burns when he set the house on fire.

Police also said they detonated a homemade bomb found in his rental car and that Pardo, 45, had 10,000 dollars in cash and an airline ticket for Canada.