Cotabato City, Philippines - Fire razed a Philippine military ammunition depot in the troubled southern region of Mindanao on Friday, triggering a series of explosions that caused panic among nearby residents.

Major Randolph Cabangbang, a regional military spokesman, said the cause of the fire was still being determined, but assured the public that sabotage was not involved in the incident.

He said the depot inside Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Shariff Kabunsuan town, 930 kilometres south of Manila, was completely destroyed by the fire.

"No need to be alarmed," he said. "Nobody was hurt, and the ammunition stored in the warehouse are old, defective and were scheduled for disposal."

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks lost some of their recent gains Friday as investors tried to lock in profits.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average, which gained nearly 10 per cent the previous day, lost 245.64 points, or 2.72 per cent, to 8,784.12.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 15.49 points, or 1.72 per cent, at 883.88.

On currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 98.77-82 yen, up from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 98.74-76 yen.

Augsburg, Germany - November is Germany's mournful month: every year on November 1, Christians observe All Saints' Day, a general commemoration of the dead.

Introduced in 835 AD as a feast for all martyrs and saints by Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious, it has become the main day on which Christians visit the graves of their loved ones.

The faithful departed were originally commemorated on All Souls' Day, on November 2, a holiday established by St Odilo, abbot of Cluny (994-1048) in present-day France.

Paris - When French historian Pap Ndiaye was asked recently what Barack Obama's election as US president would mean to him personally, his voice grew soft: "I will be very moved. The most powerful man in the world will be a black man. This is incredible."

But Ndiaye - the author most recently of The Black Condition: An Essay on a French Minority - was quick to add that he also expected Obama's election to bring about certain changes in French society.

New Delhi, Oct 31 : UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here today.

He is expected to hold talks on the current global financial crisis and climate change with Indian leaders.

Issues like the situation in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal will also be considered during the meeting between the two sides.

The Secretary General is also scheduled to meet President Pratibha Patil, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition LK Advani.

New Delhi, Oct 31 : The Home Secretary-level talks between India and Nepal will be held here today.

The Indian delegation will be led by Union Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and Nepalese delegation by their Home Secretary Govinda Prasad Kusum.

The two sides will discuss a broad range of issues relating, inter-alia, to security, border management, and training and capacity-building of officials or police in Nepal.

Effective cooperation for combating terrorist activities and trans-border crimes will be high on the agenda.

The two sides will also review the progress in implementing the decisions arrived at the last Secretary-level talks held on September 25 in Kathmandu.