News of the day from across the globe, July 29

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Peace talks: Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives are set to meet again for a second round of peace talks on Friday, two Pakistani government officials said Tuesday. The meetings, to be held in Pakistan, are expected to be more substantive than the previous round of talks, raising hopes that the two sides will be able to find a way to end the conflict in Afghanistan, the officials said. The first round of talks was also held in Pakistan on July 7. The entire process “is an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace initiative,” said one Pakistani official.