In the first whisper of a comment since he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 48 hours earlier, imprisoned Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo sent word through his wife Sunday that he would dedicate the award to activists killed during 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, according to a human rights organization.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's government on Wednesday denied reports that secret high-level talks with the Taliban had begun, although signals from various quarters suggested back-channel contacts with the insurgency were gathering momentum.

At least two people were dead and two missing on Monday after hundreds of tons of red sludge flooded from an aluminum factory and washed through villages in central Hungary, emergency services reported.

Families were out for the night air, taking a stroll in the central plaza in the northern Mexico city of Guadalupe when presumed drug traffickers hurled grenades into the crowd. At least 14 people, more than half of them children, were injured, authorities said Sunday.

The illegal immigrants come seeking higher wages, steady employment and a chance at better lives for their families. They cross the border in remote stretches where there are no fences, or they pay traffickers to sneak them past border guards.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's youngest son has been named a four-star general, a promotion that paved the way for his advance in the ranks, but stopped short of installing him as next in line to run the impoverished communist country.

Two of its reporters murdered in less than two years. The killings by presumed drug gangs have pushed one of the leading newspapers in Mexico's northern border region to make an unusual, sad plea.

The Colombian military said Sunday it had killed at least 22 alleged leftist militants in southern Colombia.

Iranian authorities are prepared to release on $500,000 bail one of three American hikers held since last year, Tehran's chief prosecutor said Sunday.

The 33 miners who have been trapped for over one month 2,300 feet (700 meters) under the Atacama desert in northern Chile are to watch Tuesday's soccer match between Chile and Ukraine live.