UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A Somali businessman linked to Islamist rebels who likely received a ransom paid for kidnapped French aid workers was a contractor for the World Food Program and UNICEF, a U.N. report said.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Five same-sex couples wed in Mexico on Thursday as Mexico City became the first Latin American city to defy religious taboos and macho stereotypes by legalizing gay marriage.

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey recalled its ambassador to Sweden on Thursday and canceled an upcoming summit between the countries after the Swedish parliament branded the World War One killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki posted mixed results in initial returns on Thursday from Iraq's parliamentary election, and a rival grouping complained of serious fraud.

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC guerrillas have issued coordinates for the release of two soldiers held in rebel camps deep in the jungles, a leftist senator involved in mediation efforts said on Thursday.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa may need to enforce power cuts or raise electricity prices further if a disputed $3.75 billion loan from the World Bank is not approved, a senior government official said on Thursday.

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile's navy lifted a tsunami warning for the country's coast after strong aftershocks shook the capital Santiago on Thursday, following the swearing in ceremony for new President Sebastian Pinera.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden called on Thursday for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to start without delay despite Palestinian insistence that Israel first cancel a settlement project condemned by Washington.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's military on Thursday indicted two of its soldiers for endangering the life of a Palestinian boy during Israel's three-week offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip more than a year ago.

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Two foreign aid workers with Doctors Without Borders in quake-hit Haiti were kidnapped and held for nearly a week before being freed early on Thursday, the international medical charity said.