TEHRAN — Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers jailed in Iran on spying charges since 2009, were freed from prison Wednesday and flown to Oman for a joyful reunion with family members. “We’re so happy we are free,” Fattal told reporters at Muscat International Airport in Oman. The 29-year-old Californians and a companion, Sarah Shourd, were arrested in the mountainous region between Iraq and Iran for supposedly crossing the border; their detention further frayed diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran. Read full article > >

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Iran frees American hikers after two years

MANILA, Philippines — Slow-moving Typhoon Nanmadol remained dangerous Sunday despite weakening as it struck the tip of the mountainous northern Philippines, leaving at least eight people dead and scuttling a visit by a U.S. Navy battleship group, officials said. Taiwan issued sea and land warnings and planned to evacuate about 6,000 people in its eastern and southern regions as it braced for the typhoon. Troops and rescue equipment were deployed for any contingency, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said. Read full article > >

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At least 8 dead as strong typhoon hits northern Philippines; next stop: Taiwan

STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh — This is where the first war set off by the Soviet collapse took place. And it may be where the next one breaks out. Twenty years ago, Armenians and Azerbaijanis, unleashed from Soviet control, waged a bitter struggle for this mountainous region in the South Caucasus. A cease-fire was reached in 1994, after about 30,000 people had been killed, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh outside Azerbaijan’s control, as an unrecognized, de facto republic in the hands of ethnic Armenians. Read full article > >

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In Nagorno-Karabakh, peace elusive 20 years after Soviet fall

At least 500 people are dead and thousands more are trapped in their homes in the mountainous region north of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where heavy rains have pushed mud down the slopes, burying buildings. About 14,000 people have been displaced by the…

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Over 500 Dead in Brazil Mudslides

There were no survivors after a passenger plane carrying 68 people crashed in the mountainous central region of the island on Thursday, the Cuban government said.

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Plane Crash in Cuba Kills 68 Aboard