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Japan called the unilateral move an "escalation" of their dispute. The U.S. said it was "deeply concerned," because it increases the risk for a misunderstanding.

Before the vote, Business groups warned if the measure passed, it would affect Swiss competitiveness. Most voters agreed: 65 percent of them rejected the initiative.

Charles Hunt — that's not his real name — works for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. To prevent contract killings, he and colleagues pose as killers themselves. Journalist Jeanne Marie Laskas, who wrote a profile of the agent for GQ, says in real life he's a "lovely man" playing a "bit of a superman role."

The Scotch whisky is the ninth best-selling brand of distilled spirit in the world. Journalist Afshin Molavi says it has grown globally by appealing to the expanding middle classes in places like Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and India.

American studios are working hard to play well in China's gigantic — and growing — movie market, all while negotiating complex rules and competing with popular domestic films.

Everybody knows that you're not supposed to smoke while you're pregnant because it's bad for the baby. But nicotine patches often used to help women quit may pose a risk, too, researchers say. Other forms of nicotine replacement may do less harm.

With more than half the votes counted, Juan Orlando, of the ruling National Party, is ahead with about 34 percent of the votes in a close race. In other news, Uganda's city council ousts the mayor; and an Indian couple is found guilty of killing their daughter.

Representatives from the opposition and from the Assad regime will sit down for the first time, the U.N. says. But great obstacles remain. The opposition says Assad must step down. He and his supporters have said they aren't going to discuss handing over power.

A bustling market has sprung up across several blocks of downtown Tacloban two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed much of the city. Most of the goods were looted in the frenzy that followed the storm. One man is even offering haircuts, making more money now than before Haiyan struck.

Across the developing world, 1 in 3 girls marries before age 18. Some are wed and become mothers by the time they reach their teens. In Malawi, some villages have started to punish parents who marry off their young daughters.