World datelines

Afghanistan

KABUL — A captive Taliban spokesman has told Afghan agents that the hard-line militia's chief Mullah Omar lives in southwestern Pakistan and is protected by that country's powerful intelligence service, according to video of his questioning given to reporters Wednesday. Pakistan called the claim "totally baseless."

Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA — A concrete wall collapsed at a Honduran coffee warehouse Wednesday, crushing six workers under tons of bagged coffee beans, emergency officials said.

North Korea

Seeking to revive stalled negotiations to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the United States held two days of "substantive" talks with North Korean diplomats in Berlin Tuesday and Wednesday, said the chief American envoy, Christopher R. Hill. The unusual one-on-one sessions were signs of progress since the last negotiations broke off in December after North Korea demanded that Washington lift financial sanctions against it.

Philippines

MANILA — The announcement Wednesday of the killing of Abu Sulaiman, a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf militant group, represents a major blow against one of the world's most notorious terror organizations. Sulaiman, a 41-year-old whose real name is Jainal Antel Sali Jr., left a legacy of lethal attacks and ransom kidnappings — outrages that put him on both the U.S. and the Philippine most-wanted lists.

Poland

WARSAW — A journalist admitted Wednesday to cooperating with Poland's Communist-era intelligence services while working as a correspondent in Britain in the mid-1980s. The statement by Boguslaw Woloszanski came amid revelations by priests, journalists and other professionals who cooperated with the despised secret police, including Warsaw Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, who resigned Jan. 7 after details came to light.

Russia

MOSCOW — Russia stepped up security in major cities Wednesday, deploying thousands of extra police and urging public vigilance a day after officials warned of a possible terrorist threat on public transportation.

Somalia