Davao City, Philippines - Four soldiers were wounded in a clash with communist rebels in the southern Philippines, a regional military spokesman said Tuesday.

Major Randolph Cabangbang said the victims were pursuing fleeing communist rebels when a landmine planted by the guerrillas exploded late Monday in Banganga town in Davao Oriental province, 990 kilometres south of Manila.

Cabangbang said one of the soldiers was seriously wounded in the explosion, while three suffered minor injuries and were already in stable condition.

On Monday, communist rebels released a videotape of a junior army officer they have been holding captive for almost one month in the adjacent province of Compostela Valley.

Manila - Philippine shares plunged 4.65 per cent on Tuesday tracking the decline in Wall Street and other international markets.

The Philippine Stock Exchange's 30-share composite index lost 91.70 points to close at 1,879.87, from Monday's finish of 1,971.57.

A total of 488.76 million shares valued at 1.03 billion pesos (21.02 million dollars) were traded.

Losers swamped gainers 86 to 17, while 21 issues were unchanged.

Manila - Communist rebels released on Monday a video of an army officer captured during a clash in the southern Philippines last month, a guerrilla statement said.

The video showed First Lieutenant Vicente Cammayo telling his wife not to worry because he was being treated well by his captors.

Cammayo was captured in combat on November 7 in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley province, 930 kilometres south of Manila. Two soldiers were killed in the clash.

Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the rebels, said the guerrillas were also holding a police officer taken prisoner after a separate attack in nearby Davao Oriental province.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 30  -- One of the last independent bookstores in Philadelphia, and likely the city's oldest bookstore, is closing its doors, its owner says.

Robin's Bookstore, founded in 1936 by the current owner's grandfather, will be shuttered Jan. 31, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday. Larry Robin, who lives over the shop, plans to rent out the ground floor while holding poetry readings and other literary events -- with some used books for sale -- on the second floor.

Robin said the combination of competition from chains such as Barnes and Noble and the economic slump have taken the business from "bad bearable to bad unbearable." His income from the store has dropped to less than $30,000.

Manila  - Three communist rebels were killed and three soldiers wounded in combat in the northern Philippines, police said Sunday.

The clash erupted in the village of Anupol in Bamban town in Tarlac province, 75 kilometres north of Manila, on Friday.

Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo Dela Cruz, a regional police director, said the soldiers were on patrol when they encountered about 40 guerrillas.

He said checkpoints were established in Bamban and nearby towns in a bid to hunt down the guerrillas.

Manila  - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Sunday ordered the foreign affairs department to repatriate hundreds of Filipinos stranded in Thailand after two airports in Bangkok were shut down by political protestors last week.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Arroyo ordered the release of 15,000 dollars for assistance to the Filipinos unable to return home after the Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports in Bangkok were blockaded.