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the prospect of renewed dialogue.
• Officials in Tehran have kept open channels with the U.N. nuclear agency and European Union envoys over possibilities to restart the talks with the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany.
• ___

• KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber blew himself up near NATO headquarters in the Afghan capital on Saturday, killing at least six people, police said.
• The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the target was a U.S. intelligence facility nearby.
• Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the U.S.-led international military alliance, said all coalition compounds in Kabul were currently secure. He said he was not aware of any casualties among members of the coalition.
• The U.S. and Italian embassies as well as the Afghan presidential palace are also located near the site of the blast.
• The Afghan Interior Ministry said six people, all civilians, were killed and five others were wounded.
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• VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) -- China will ensure steady and robust growth by boosting domestic demand and rebalancing its economy to help counter the obstacles hindering a global recovery, President Hu Jintao pledged Saturday to Asia-Pacific leaders gathered for a regional summit.
• Asia remains the brightest spot in the global economy but is facing challenges. Chinese growth slowed to a three-year low of 7.6 percent in the second quarter, and Hu acknowledged that Beijing is struggling to create enough jobs and cope with the adverse impact of the European debt crisis on its own economy.
• "The global economy has reached a critical juncture, and we face the arduous task of overcoming major difficulties standing in the way in order to achieve full recovery and ensure steady growth," Hu told business leaders gathered on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in this Russian Far East sea

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