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New York, June 21 : A US journalist kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan last year has managed to escape from the compound where he was being held, The New York Times reports.

David Rohde, a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban, escaped Friday night and made his way to freedom after more than seven months of captivity in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The newspaper says its reporter scaled the wall of the compound with an Afghan journalist.

Peshawar, June 21 : At least 22 Taliban insurgents and other extremists have reportedly been killed, as the Pakistan Army intensified its operation against the Baitullah Mehsud-led Taliban in South Waziristan.

According to sources, the security forces are engaged in a gruesome battle in the region, and are also being assisted by Pakistan Air Force fighter jets and helicopter gunships.

London, June 21 : Back in November last year, when Barack Obama was making history as US president, Italian premiere Silvio Berlusconi was enjoying a candlelit dinner party with three beautiful women at Palazzo Grazioli, his luxurious residence in Rome, reveals one of the guests.

Patrizia D'Addario, 42, a former actress and escort girl said that the 72-year-old then asked her to stay for the night. Not only that, but she claims to have taped the conversation that followed.

Washington, June 21 : In a groundbreaking research, scientists have determined that plants engage in self-recognition and can communicate danger to their "clones" or genetically identical cuttings planted nearby.

The research was done by Professor Richard Karban of the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis, and fellow scientist Kaori Shiojiri of the Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, Japan.

London, June 21 : If sources are to be believed, Prince William is looking for a 5-million pound mansion in California's enclave of Malibu.

And yesterday rumours were abuzz that the future king is hunting for a luxury hideaway where he can share a honeymoon with his girlfriend Kate Middleton, reports The Daily Express.

Reports of a marriage between the two were fuelled by Pointe De Vue magazine, which boasts "impeccable contacts" with royal families worldwide.