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Iraqi militants demand \$5m to free French reporters LONDON - The Iraqi Islamic militant group holding two French journalists hostage has demanded a \$5m (2.8m) ransom for their release, to be paid within 48 hours, as well as a set of hard-to-meet demands. | 0World
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Falluja Rebels Fight On; Clashes Across Iraq FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. warplanes, artillery and mortars attacked areas of Falluja on Monday as diehard insurgents held out to the last in the week-long battle and heavy clashes broke out in the Iraqi cities of Mosul and Baquba. | 0World
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China Mulls Measures After Textile Quotas Scrapped China will consider adopting measures to protect its interests and those of its trading partners once global textile quotas are scrapped at the end of this month, a government spokesman said on Friday. | 0World
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Palestinian gunmen abduct CNN producer GAZA, SEPTEMBER 27: Armed Palestinians kidnapped an Israeli Arab producer for CNN TV network from a car in Gaza City on Monday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. | 0World
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Nova Scotia Court Allows Gay Marriages (AP) AP - Nova Scotia became the sixth Canadian province or territory to allow gay marriages when the provincial Supreme Court ruled Friday that banning such unions was unconstitutional. | 0World
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Carnival clings to its soul despite the doubters The doom-mongers may complain that commercial pressures and a growing reluctance to annoy the posh neighbours are stealing the soul of the Notting Hill Carnival. | 0World
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Miami, capital of Cuban exiles, abuzz with news of Castro #39;s fall MIAMI, Oct 21 (AFP) - Known as the capital of Cuban exiles, Miami was abuzz Thursday with news of President Fidel Castro #39;s accident, with many Cuban-Americans bemoaning that the communist leader only fell on his face, and not from power. | 0World
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Australian Foreign Minister Upbeat on North Korea Nuclear Talks Australia #39;s foreign minister says North Korea shows few signs of compromise but insists a negotiated settlement can still resolve the dispute over Pyongyang #39;s nuclear weapons. | 0World
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Earthquake Strikes Japan; Eight Injured TOKYO Nov 7, 2004 - A magnitude 5.9 earthquake rocked northern Japan on Monday, injuring at least eight people, near the area where the country #39;s deadliest earthquake in years struck last month. | 0World
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HK heat 'risks bacteria growth' \Hong Kong scientists warn rising global temperatures may transform the city into a breeding ground for viruses. | 0World
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Harmony Issues Charge Against Gold Fields (AP) AP - Harmony Gold Mining Co. Ltd. said Monday that Gold Fields Ltd. had attempted to hire one of its senior employees to leak information about Harmony's hostile takeover bid. | 0World
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N. Koreans Seek Asylum in Beijing School Chinese parents pick up their children at the gate of the Korean School in Beijing Friday Oct. 22, 2004. As many as 29 North Korean asylum seekers entered the school earlier Friday, and told school authorities | 0World
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Russia Blames Terrorism for Downed Jet MOSCOW - Russian officials accused terrorists Friday after the wreckage of one of two crashed jetliners revealed traces of an explosive used in earlier attacks blamed on Chechen rebels, while an Islamic group claimed its suicide attackers brought down both planes. At least one crash was "the result of a terrorist act," a spokesman for the Federal Security Service, Sergei Ignatchenko, told the ITAR-Tass news agency... | 0World
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Rwanda singled out as Great Lakes peace threatened (AFP) AFP - The EU added its voice to a chorus of international concern over the presence of Rwandan troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that threaten to undermine the fragile peace in the region. | 0World
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Green campaigner wins peace prize A Kenyan environmentalist and human rights campaigner has been awarded the Nobel peace prize, becoming the first African woman to win the prestigious award since it was created in 1901. | 0World
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Balancing the risks in holy Najaf Ayad Allawi #39;s ultimatum yesterday to the rebel Shia cleric Moqtada al Sadr - who is holed up with his fighters in the holy city of Najaf - was notable for one thing: the lack of a deadline. | 0World
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Renewed battles erupt in Najaf Explosions and gunfire shook Najaf #39;s Old City on Sunday in a fierce battle between US forces and Shiite militants, as negotiations dragged on for the handover | 0World
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State of Iraqi Oil Exports Unclear (AP) AP - The status of Iraq's crucial oil exports was mired in confusion Tuesday, with government and industry officials giving contradictory statements about whether oil was flowing or whether there were even oil tankers at the port here. | 0World
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Al Qaeda Suspect Breaks Legs Fleeing in Pakistan PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suspected Arab member of al Qaeda was arrested by Pakistani security forces on Thursday after breaking his legs trying to escape a raid on his house near the northwestern city of Peshawar. | 0World
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Ivory Coast snapshot Rebels have been in control of the northern regions since a failed coup in 2002. Recent unrest has unraveled a 2003 cease-fire between the government and rebels. | 0World
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German trial stirs torture debate An ex-police officer goes on trial in Germany charged with threatening a suspect with torture. | 0World
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Suicide bomb blasts Green Zone A SUICIDE car bomb has ripped through a line of vehicles at a checkpoint outside the Green Zone today, killing 13 people as Iraq marked the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture. | 0World
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Russia's Putin Rules Out Talking to Chechen Rebels ASTANA (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ruled out any negotiations with Chechen rebel leaders following the Beslan school hostage-seizure in which more than 320 people were killed, half of them children. | 0World
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Jerusalem Suicide Bomber Kills Two, Injures 14 (Update1) At least two bystanders were killed and 14 injured in an explosion set off by a female suicide bomber at an intersection in northern Jerusalem, police said. | 0World
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Family appeals for release of UK hostage The family of Kenneth Bigley, the British hostage being held in Iraq, has made a direct appeal for his release to the militants who abducted the 62-year old-engineer. | 0World
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Australia holds security meeting as warns of second suicide bomb team (AFP) AFP - Australian security chiefs prepared for a key security meeting to take stock of Thursday's bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta, as a top police official warned of a second suicide bomb team operating in Indonesia. | 0World
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Australia PM Gets Down to Work on Fourth Term (Reuters) Reuters - Australia's conservative Prime Minister\John Howard, handed the most powerful mandate in a generation,\got down to work on Monday with reform of telecommunications,\labor and media laws high on his agenda. | 0World
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Japan to deport ex-champ Fischer has been in custody since he was detained by Japanese airport authorities on July 13 with an invalid American passport. He is wanted in the US for violating international sanctions against the former Yugoslavia in 1992. | 0World
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Military Specialist Pleads Guilty to Abuse and Is Jailed The first American military intelligence specialist to stand trial in connection with the abuse of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison pleaded guilty here on Saturday to abusing prisoners. | 0World
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29 Die in Mine Accident in China 29 people have been found dead after a methane gas explosion in a coal mine in Henan, central China. According to the New Chinese News Agency, the explosion occurred in the city of Lushan at Xingsheng Coal mine on Wednesday (November 10). | 0World
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Wildlife conference starts as battle lines drawn A major wildlife conference started yesterday in Bangkok bringing together 166 nations to scrutinise trade in some of the world #39;s rarest species amid promises of greater action to fight smuggling. | 0World
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Israeli Army: al-Qaida Behind Egypt Blasts (AP) AP - The Israeli army believes that al-Qaida carried out three car bombings in Egypt last week that killed at least 34 people, Israel's military chief said Tuesday. | 0World
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Interest rates may rise in November The Bank of England #39;s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to keep interest rates steady at 4.75 percent earlier this month, but analysts say another | 0World
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Iraqi Teens Abused at Abu Ghraib, Report Finds The investigation also acknowledges that military intelligence soldiers kept multiple detainees off the record books and hid them from international humanitarian organizations, officials said. | 0World
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"Of Course It Was Poisoning" Viktor Yushchenko talks to TIME's Yuri Zarakhovich about the attack on his life, who he believes did it, what he'll do if elected President of Ukraine, and what he thinks of Vladimir Putin's Russia | 0World
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Japanese reject legal basis of whaling case A SENIOR Japanese official has dismissed Australia #39;s Southern Ocean whale sanctuary as legally baseless and insisted that his country will continue taking minke whales in the area. | 0World
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A top Taliban commander reportedly killed in raid KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A former inmate at the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who returned to Afghanistan to rejoin the Taliban as a key commander, was killed with two other militiamen in a raid by Afghan security forces, two senior officials said yesterday. | 0World
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Angry mob burns aid compounds Angry mobs loyal to ousted Gov. Ismail Khan burned half a dozen international aid compounds, looted their contents and stoned national army troops sent to keep order | 0World
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Palestinian dreams of #39;Superstar #39;-dom fall short There was deep disappointment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Monday after Palestinian singer Amar Hassan lost in a contest for the Arab world #39;s best amateur singer. | 0World
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Bush to Tout Anti-Drug Efforts in Colombia President Bush aims to highlight American drug-fighting aid in Colombia and boost a conservative Latin American leader with a stop in the Andean nation where thousands of security forces are deployed to safeguard his brief stay. | 0World
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Call for more Darfur peacekeepers More peacekeepers are needed in Sudan's Darfur region to protect refugees, a top UN envoy says. | 0World
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Haiti Flood Death Toll Rising, Hundreds Missing GONAIVES, Haiti (Reuters) - Survivors of devastating flooding in Haiti wandered mud-clogged streets in search of food on Tuesday as officials said 662 people had been killed and more than 1,000 were missing. | 0World
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Djamshid says farewell and thank you to Canada on eve of long trip home (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - A 10-year-old Afghan boy whose struggle for life captured the hearts of Canadians bade a fond farewell to the country that rescued him Thursday as he prepared for a long journey home to a life of abject poverty. | 0World
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Maoist rebels bomb Nepalese capital KATHMANDU - Suspected Maoist rebels exploded two bombs in Kathmandu on Friday, the third day of their blockade of Nepal #39;s capital city. | 0World
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Bush says Iran nuke claims must be verified CARTAGENA, Colombia - President Bush said Monday that he hopes Irans claim that it has suspended uranium enrichment and has no nuclear weapons ambitions is true, but there must be verification. | 0World
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Opec states to press for oil cuts The oil producers' group is set to meet, with some members pressing for a reduction oil output. | 0World
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Dar Al Hayat The United States and Russia have met over one common thing: their war on terrorism, despite the fact that Washington and Moscow will definitely argue that the terrorism each one is fighting is different from the other. | 0World
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Lady Thatcher #39;paid son #39;s bail money #39; Sir Mark Thatcher bought the freedom to leave his Cape Town mansion yesterday when he paid South Africa #39;s authorities bail money of 165,000. | 0World
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Italy deports island immigrants Italy begins deporting immigrants directly from the island of Lampedusa, the first port of call for boats from North Africa. | 0World
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Former OAS Chief Under House Arrest in Bribe Probe SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (Reuters) - A Costa Rican judge on Saturday put the former head of the Organization of American States under house arrest for six months while he is investigated for bribery claims, judicial officials said. | 0World
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US State Department: Iranian Intelligence is Strong While US President George W. Bush repeated his concerns over the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran, the US Department of State backed Secretary of State Colin Powell #39;s remarks that quot;Iran has been developing rocket systems capable of carrying | 0World
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Hungary PM Set for Victory Over Citizenship Vote BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's new prime minister looked to have scored a major victory on Sunday when the opposition failed to garner enough votes to pass a referendum giving citizenship to millions of Hungarians abroad. | 0World
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Labor warns marginals on Telstra sale THE Howard government would sell the rest of Telstra within months of a return to power, Labor warned. With a Newspoll showing the government in a winning position in 12 key marginal seats, Labor seized on | 0World
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Moscow faithful hail return of cherished icon The religious faithful in Moscow are flocking to a Kremlin cathedral for a homecoming of sorts -- the return of a beloved icon, or holy picture. | 0World
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EU must stoke growth, report says The European Union needs to take action if it is to meet its goal of outpacing the US economy by 2010, a report says. The document leaked to the Reuters news agency and due out later on Wednesday says that | 0World
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Bush sharpens jabs against Kerry ahead of debates (AFP) AFP - President George W. Bush sharpened his jabs against Democratic challenger John Kerry, who has called for an end to the nasty advertising war that he said was scaring off voters only days before the rivals' first televised debate. | 0World
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Bali bomber #39;out of jail for a coffee #39; THE Howard Government has been assured by Indonesia that one of the main Bali bombers will not be released after reports he was seen having a coffee with a senior policeman in a central Jakarta shopping mall. | 0World
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No Longer Just Nordic MALMO, Sweden -- In one of his most popular songs, Swedish hip-hop artist Timbuktu sings of two strangers warily eying each other on a Stockholm subway, one a white Swede, the other an immigrant, each with his own thoughts and prejudices. | 0World
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India, Pakistan Agree to Widen Peace Talks NEW DELHI Sept. 4, 2004 - Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan agreed Saturday to widen their peace dialogue in talks that focused on eight festering issues, including the decades-old dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. | 0World
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Tamil minister asks Tigers not to go back to war : Colombo, Nov 28 : The Sri Lankan government today asked the Tamil Tigers to work for a negotiated political settlement to the decades-old ethnic strife, a day after LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran threatened to go back to war. | 0World
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PM visits to help bring positive changes in region: PML ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League has said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ongoing visit to three SAARC member states is highly important as it will play a significant role in bringing positive changes in the region. | 0World
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Nigeria General Strike May Be Extended - Union ABUJA (Reuters) - A general strike in oil exporter Nigeria may be extended beyond Thursday if the government continues to crack down on protesters violently, union chief Adams Oshiomhole said on Tuesday. | 0World
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EU proposes narrowing Buttiglione duties The incoming European Commission president has proposed redefining the duties of controversial conservative justice commissioner Rocco Buttiglione. | 0World
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Pakistan's PM Says Peace with India Hinges on Kashmir NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Wednesday he remained hopeful that peace could be achieved with India, but progress on the bitter dispute over Kashmir represented the key to better ties. | 0World
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UN DR Congo sex abuses 'on film' The UN has photos and video footage of sexual abuses committed by UN staff in DR Congo, says an official. | 0World
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Sensitive talks begin to free UN hostages KABULFace-to-face talks began on Saturday between Afghan militants holding Angelito Nayan and two other UN workers hostage and representatives of the Afghan government and the United Nations, a member of the militant group told Reuters. | 0World
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Hamas Activist Survives Damascus Blast (AP) AP - A Hamas activist survived a bombing Monday that destroyed his vehicle on a Damascus street shortly after he and his family stepped out, the Palestinian militant group said. | 0World
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EU nations slam Tiger rebels as fresh killings dim Sri Lanka peace hopes (AFP) AFP - European Union nations criticised Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels for killing rivals and recruiting child soldiers, appealing to the guerrillas not to undermine the Island's Norwegian-led peace bid. | 0World
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Putin says international terror at work in Russia (AFP) AFP - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that the hostage-taking at a school in southern Russia showed that international terrorism was at work in the country. | 0World
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Najaf Standoff Continues Shi #39;ite militiamen continue to occupy the Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, despite religious authorities #39; efforts to end the 17-day standoff. | 0World
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NIGERIA-SUDAN: Violence pushes peace talks off track ABUJA, 13 December (IRIN) - Continuing violence in Darfur is derailing efforts to find a political roadmap out of a crisis that has pitted the Sudanese government against rebel groups for almost two years, delegates at AU-sponsored talks said on Monday. | 0World
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Poll: Arafat lost real power years ago A Palestinian pollster says Yasser Arafat #39;s death will not leave a political vacuum because others effectively replaced him years ago. | 0World
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Peruvian President: Japan Should Extradite Fugitive Fujimori Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo has called on Japan to extradite fugitive ex-President, Alberto Fujimori. Mr. Toledo made the demand Wednesday during a speech at the United Nations General Assembly in | 0World
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Car Rams Entrance of Japanese Parliament A car rammed into the entrance gate of Japan #39;s lower house of Parliament on Thursday and burst into flames. There were no immediate reports of injuries. | 0World
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Fergie fuming as United blow catch-up chance (AFP) AFP - Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was left seething at his side's inability to cash in on the draw between English Premiership favourites Arsenal and Chelsea. | 0World
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The mystery of Veerappan #39;s missing moustache The missing handlebar moustache of forest brigand Veerappan has triggered speculation that it wasn #39;t the sandalwood smuggler who was killed in Monday #39;s encounter with the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force near Dharmapuri. | 0World
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Iraq Hostages' Kin Appeal for Their Lives BAGHDAD, Iraq - Family members of an American and a Briton held by kidnappers in Iraq appealed for their lives after a grisly video posted on the Internet purportedly showed militants beheading U.S. civil engineer Eugene Armstrong and threatening to kill another hostage in 24 hours... | 0World
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Dali-Disney Collaboration Premieres NEW YORK - A narrow waisted, emerald-eyed brunette flits through a desert full of melting clocks and wacky perspectives, looking for her lover. Giant telephones levitate... | 0World
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Iraq PM Adamant Jan. Election Will Be Held Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said Sunday elections would be held on schedule in January despite a surge in violence and more than a score of hostages under threat of death from insurgents. | 0World
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Search for Thai Tsunami Dead Narrows to Hard Hit Areas (Reuters) Reuters - Teams searching for bodies in\tsunami-devastated Thailand zeroed in on the hardest hit areas\on Monday, as Thai and Japanese navy ships scoured the seas for\more dead. | 0World
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Car Bomb Near Fallujah Causes U.S. Deaths (AP) AP - A massive car bomb exploded on the outskirts of Fallujah on Monday killing and wounding several U.S. Marines, a U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity. | 0World
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Sudan rebel leader vows to respect truce A rebel leader in Sudan #39;s Darfur region has said his group will fully respect a truce with Khartoum, countering earlier statements by a spokesman declaring the agreement null and void. | 0World
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Indonesia tightens nationwide security after terror warnings JAKARTA - INDONESIAN authorities have launched a nationwide security clampdown after warnings by several countries that terrorists are preparing to strike again in the run-up to Christmas. | 0World
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Thousands in Florida Remain in Shelters WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Since Labor Day weekend, Linda Baker and her 4-year-old daughter have been forced to stay at a Palm Beach County shelter, the victims of a one-two punch... | 0World
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Anxiety increases over Iranian nuclear program VIENNA -- A year ago, nonproliferation officials were jubilantly hailing the triumph of diplomacy in reining in Iran's alleged nuclear weapons ambitions. But many now fear that efforts to negotiate with Tehran have descended into a perilous diplomatic quagmire. | 0World
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Rescuers confident of saving second pod Rescue teams are confident of saving most surviving whales from a pod beached off Tasmania #39;s east coast - the second mass stranding in Tasmanian waters in 24 hours. | 0World
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Troops find more bodies in Mosul US forces uncovered more bodies in the northern city of Mosul on Friday, apparent victims of an intimidation campaign by insurgents against Iraqs fledgling security forces. | 0World
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EU lifts Libya arms ban but presses Tripoli over medics LUXEMBOURG, Oct 11 (AFP) - The European Union agreed Monday to lift an 18-year-old arms embargo on Libya, welcoming the country #39;s renunciation of weapons of mass destruction and movement towards quot;responsible government. | 0World
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Agreement among Ukraine's political foes hits snag over presidential powers (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A tentative deal to ease Ukraine's political crisis foundered Tuesday over the opposition's refusal to endorse constitutional changes and outgoing President Leonid Kuchma's rejection of the call to fire his prime minister. | 0World
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Hostage murder to hurt Koizumi JAPAN #39;S troop deployment in Iraq beyond December is at risk as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi braces for a wave of public anger over the nightmare ending to the country #39;s second Baghdad hostage crisis. | 0World
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Suspected Spies Heading To Israel The Prime Minister has confirmed the two Israelis convicted and sentenced earlier this year for passport fraud, have been deported. | 0World
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Haiti rescuers face tough time RELIEF workers faced washed-out roads and rising crime as they delivered emergency aid in Haiti, where more than 700 people died in weekend landslides and floods triggered by Tropical Storm Jeanne. | 0World
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Election-Related Lawsuits Pile Up in Fla. (AP) AP - A lawsuit demanding touch-screen voting machines be made to produce paper records will not be heard until Oct. 18, a judge ruled Friday, raising doubts that any significant changes to the system used by about half of Florida's voters will happen before the election. | 0World
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Annan rejects resignation demands United Nations: Buoyed by strong support from member nations including four out of five Security Council members, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has firmly rejected the demand of some American lawmakers to resign in view of allegations of corruption in | 0World
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Russia finds air crash explosive Russian officials say traces of explosive have been found in the debris of one of two crashed airliners. | 0World
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Yawar Warns Iran Against Meddling in Iraq Iraq's interim president warned today against Iranian meddling in Iraqi politics ahead of elections next month and said his countrymen must reject religious government. | 0World
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Europeans launch military police force NOORDWIJK: Five EU states signed an accord on Friday creating a new European military police force deployable to crisis situations worldwide, the latest tool in Europes developing security arsenal. | 0World
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Jeanne Tears Across Bahamas Toward Fla. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hurricane Jeanne got stronger, bigger and faster as it battered the Bahamas and bore down on Florida Saturday, forcing hundreds of thousands more residents to hurriedly shutter their homes ahead of its anticipated devastating punch... | 0World
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Ivory Coast rebels ask Mbeki to help with security Ivory Coast #39;s rebels have asked President Thabo Mbeki to help provide security when they begin to disarm. Laurent Gbagbo, Ivory Coast #39;s president, has acceded to Mbeki #39;s request to create a conducive atmosphere | 0World
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US Agent Sparks Afghan False Alarm A US agent hidden under a head-to-toe veil on Sunday sparked fear of a suicide attack in the Afghan capital by fleeing from police who tried to search her, officials said. | 0World
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