North Korea denies aiding Syria in fight against rebels
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea denied it was sending military aid to the Syrian government, one of its few close allies, in its battle against rebel forces after media reports said that Pyongyang had sent advisors and helicopter pilots.
Venezuela president vows no letup in price-gouging crackdown
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro has promised to step up a pre-election “economic offensive” that has resulted in inspections of hundreds of Venezuelan businesses for price gouging and caused crowds to flock to shops to take advantage of st…
Army occupation angers Sri Lankan Tamils four years after war ends
JAFFNA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) – The threats came by text message, a phone call and a delivery of two cow skulls. The message was clear: stop protesting against the army’s occupation of your land or you will be killed.
U.S. carrier starts Philippine storm relief; death toll jumps
TACLOBAN, Philippines (Reuters) – A U.S. aircraft carrier started unloading food and water in the typhoon-ravaged central Philippines, while the United Nations, citing government figures, put the latest death toll at 4,460 – almost double the last offi…
Tax debate delays Slovenia confidence vote
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) – A vote of confidence in Slovenia’s government that was expected to take place on Thursday is likely to be postponed due to a prolonged debate on an unpopular new real estate tax, a parliamentary spokeswoman said.
Iran putting brakes on nuclear expansion under Rouhani: IAEA report
VIENNA (Reuters) – Since Hassan Rouhani became president, Iran has stopped expanding its uranium enrichment capacity, a U.N. inspection report showed on Thursday, in a potential boost for diplomacy to end Tehran’s nuclear dispute with the West.
Two officers killed in Libya’s Benghazi
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) – Gunmen killed two army officers in Benghazi in eastern Libya on Thursday, security sources said, the latest violence in the country’s second-largest city despite the deployment of special forces.
As fractious Nepal drifts, regional rivals step in
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – In August, Indian security officials tracked down one of their most-wanted militants in a mountain town in Nepal where he had told neighbors he was a traditional healer.
Toronto mayor says ‘I’m sorry’ again, to get help for alcohol problem
TORONTO (Reuters) – Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, under huge pressure to quit after he admitted smoking crack cocaine, said on Thursday he was getting help for a drinking problem, but offered no indication that he might step down.
French priest kidnapped by gunmen in northern Cameroon
YAOUNDE/PARIS (Reuters) – Gunmen have kidnapped a French priest working in northern Cameroon, authorities said on Thursday, nine months after Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram seized a French family in the same lawless area.
