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Pakistan Taliban Say They Have Swiss Hostages

Pakistan Taliban militants on Friday said they were holding a Swiss couple kidnapped a month ago while on holiday in the remote province of Baluchistan.

Wali-ur Rehman, deputy head of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), did not provide proof that the group had the pair but said they were in good health and demanded they be exchanged for a Pakistani scientist jailed in the U.S.

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U.S., N. Korea Hold 2nd Day of Nuclear Talks

U.S. and North Korean negotiators on Friday held a second day of talks on the North's nuclear weapons program, officials said.

The U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, and the North's first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan held about 4.5 hours of talks at the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

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S. Korea Lodges Protest with Japan in Islands Row

South Korea summoned the Japanese ambassador on Friday to protest over a planned visit by four Tokyo lawmakers to a location near islands claimed by both countries, an official said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jae-Shin told envoy Masatoshi Muto that authorities would turn the four legislators back when they arrive at Seoul's Gimpo airport, Yonhap news agency quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.

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South Korean Soldiers Search Debris for Mines as Landslides Kill Dozens

South Korean troops searched Friday for land mines that may have been dislodged by landslides and flooding that have killed dozens of people.

Torrential downfalls since Tuesday have severely disrupted life in Seoul and its surrounding areas, submerging streets filled with idled cars, flooding subway stations and forcing businesses to shut. At least 50 people have been killed.

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Chavez Turns 57 Vowing to Stay in Power until 2031

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavezsang, danced and said he intends to stay in power for two more decades as he celebrated his 57th birthday looking ahead to months of cancer treatment.

Chavez rallied a crowd of cheering supporters from the balcony of the presidential palace on Thursday, waving a large Venezuelan flag and briefly wrapping himself in it. He said he expects to lose his hair soon as a result of chemotherapy and that a long process of treatment lies ahead.

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Roadside Bomb Kills 18 in Southern Afghanistan

A minibus ran over a roadside bomb Friday in southern Afghanistan, killing all 18 passengers, police said.

"The mine was very powerful and destroyed the vehicle," said Kamaluddin Sherzai, deputy police chief in the southern Helmand province. "They were all civilians. Some were children."

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17 Killed in 2 Mine Accidents in Ukraine

A blast at one coal mine in eastern Ukraine and an elevator collapse at another killed at least 17 people and injured 11 on Friday, officials said. Nine miners are still missing following the blast.

The twin accidents in eastern mining regions shocked the country and highlighted the persistent dangers of the local mining industry, believed to be one of the world's most dangerous because of outdated equipment and widespread disregard for safety regulations.

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Mumbai Attacks Gunman Appeals Death Sentence

The lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead has approached the Indian Supreme Court asking for his death sentence to be overturned, a court source told Agence France Presse Friday.

The source said the request by Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab had been filed via jail authorities in Mumbai, where he has been held since the attacks, and lodged with the secretary general of the court.

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N. Korea Calls Nuclear Talks with U.S. 'Constructive'

The United States tested North Korea's willingness to negotiate giving up its nuclear arsenal on Thursday in talks that a top North Korean official said had been "constructive".

"The atmosphere was good, the meeting was constructive and interesting. We exchanged views on general issues," North Korea's first vice foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan said during a break on the first day of the talks in New York.

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Cyprus Cabinet Resigns in Wake of Deadly Blast

The entire cabinet of Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, under fire after a munitions blast killed 13 people and wrecked the island's main power plant, resigned on Thursday, an official said.

The 11-member cabinet was asked by Christofias to submit their resignations so a reshuffle could take place, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou told reporters.

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