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Oslo  - US actress Scarlett Johansson was Tuesday named as one of the hosts of the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Concert, organizers said.

Among acts slated to perform at the December 11 concert were Diana Ross along with Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist, US country musician Dierks Bentley, singer Julieta Venegas, Nigerian musician Seun Kuti and Norwegian singer-songwriter Marit Larsen.

The concert is held the day after the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony where the 2008 winner, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari was to be honoured.

Helsinki - Top military leaders from the United States and Russia met Tuesday near Helsinki for their first time since this summer's war between Russia and Georgia.

The agenda was reported to have included talks on the situation in Georgia, an ally of the United States that in August fought a short war with Russia.

The meeting was attended by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, and General Nikolai Makarov, head of Russia's general staff.

Details of the discussions were not released, but it was reported to be the first direct meeting between these two defence chiefs.

Riga - The three Baltic stock exc

Kabul- Afghanistan's appeals court sentenced on Tuesday an Afghan journalist to 20 years in prison for blasphemy, a crime punishable by death in Islamic law.

The ruling overturned a death sentence handed earlier to Perwiz Kambakhsh by primary court in northern Afghanistan for distributing articles downloaded from the internet which questioned the rights of women under Islam.

Srinagar, Oct 21 : As many as 28 pick-up vans loaded with goods crossed the “Aman Sethu” (peace bridge) on Tuesday as cross-LoC trade resumed between the divided parts of Kashmir after decades of closure.

In all, 13 truck loads moved across from this side carrying apples and spices while 15 pick-up vans loaded with rice, spices, rock salt, dry dates and raisins drove to this side from across the border.