Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Jan. 6

WASHINGTON -- At least 22 people in the United States have died in brutal cold weather following a massive winter storm causing the weather to become even more unbearable across the Northeast and Midwest of the country on Saturday.

Forecasters said that the frigid temperatures will make Saturday the coldest day of the week before a gradual warming trend begining Sunday.(US-Cold-Death)

- - - -

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir -- Eleven people including a one-year-old child were killed after avalanches hit them in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said Saturday.

The avalanches was triggered Friday evening following fresh snowfall in upper reaches near remote Sadhna pass in frontier Kupwara district, about 130 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. (India-Avalanche-Casualties)

- - - -

SEOUL -- South Korea's unification ministry said Saturday that it has sent the list of a five-member delegation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK) through the restored hotline for next week's inter-Korean high-level talks.

The proposed South Korean delegation will be led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, according to Seoul's unification ministry.(S.Korea-DPRK-Talks)

- - - -

ASSADABAD, Afghanistan -- A Taliban key commander and three of his armed fighters were killed after their explosive device went off prematurely in the eastern Kunar province on Friday night, provincial Police Chief Juma Gul Humat said Saturday.

"Taliban key commander Mubarak Shah alias Jahan along with three of his men was busy in making mine in a house in Narai district on Friday night when the device exploded accidentally, killing all the four on the spot," Humat told Xinhua.(Afghanistan-Blast-Militants)

- - - -

BELGRADE -- An armed man barricaded himself in an apartment building in the Serbian capital of Belgrade and threatened to blow the building up on Saturday morning, local media reported.

Heavy police forces and snipers, along with negotiators, are now on the scene in Rakovica, an urban municipality of Belgrade, and the traffic is being redirected to other streets.(Serbia-Hostage Crisis) Enditem