Pace decried in action on hostages
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Kidnappers threatening to kill three foreign UN workers in Afghanistan complained yesterday that the government had yet to free 26 Taliban
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The captives included members of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services and Associated Press correspondent Joseph Morton.
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Diplomatic efforts mount as a deadline nears for two French journalists held hostage in Iraq.
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The safe release of two Italian aid workers held hostage in Iraq led to questions Wednesday over whether a ransom was paid, highlighting the dilemma of many governments if the price of saving lives means caving in to terrorists.
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Â· Fears for press as aides talk of 'creeping coup'Â· Leader deploys new team to counter rising criticism
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Top Shiite politicians failed to reach a consensus Wednesday on their nominee for prime minister, shifting the two-man race to a secret ballot and exposing divisions in the winning alliance. In a chilling reminder of challenges facing the winner, a videotape showed a sobbing Italian hostage pleading for her life.
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US-led reconstruction efforts in Iraq are changing track amid a scourge of hostage beheadings, as contractors seek to hire more local companies directly instead of high-risk and costly foreign expertise.
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Pakistan was braced on Saturday for  reprisals from militants after the capture of one of the  Taliban's three most senior leaders earlier this week.
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The drama surrounding the fate of Kenneth Bigley highlights the different tactics taken by countries faced with citizens kidnapped in Iraq.
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In the ramp-up to the Republican convention, police and security agencies are putting on a show of force designed to give terrorists pause.
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British, American and Iraqi authorities were trying last night to secure the freedom of Margaret Hassan, the Irish-born aid worker kidnapped in Baghdad early yesterday.
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BESLAN, Russia - A respected pediatrician negotiated through the night to end a standoff with militants who threatened to blow up a school they seized 24 hours before with about 350 hostages, including children, trapped inside.    Crowds of distraught relatives and townspeople waited helplessly for news of their loved ones as the crisis entered its second day Thursday with no sign of a resolution...
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Efforts to help save the life of Kenneth Bigley held captive in Iraq, intensified when Irish politicians made an appeal to Bigley&#39;s captors.
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Afghan kidnappers holding hostage three United Nation workers, including Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, say the progress of negotiations for their release will decide whether they extend a deadline to execute the trio.
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KABUL - Taleban-linked militants threatening to kill three UN hostages are accusing the United States of hampering their release, although an Afghan official says a ransom demand is the main stumbling block.
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Media: The lingering fate of the hostage Kenneth Bigley has dominated recent news reports. Despite criticisms that the headlines are promoting the fundamentalistsâ agenda, last weekâs footage of Bigley
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department of the Palestinian security forces, and forced him to drive off with them on Thursday. The identity of the kidnappers was not immediately clear.