Obama OKs Syria airstrikes

UK, Germany say they won't participate in military action

DPRK 'prepared' to release report on Japanese abductees

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ready to provide Japan with the initial findings of a special investigating team that looked into the fate of Japanese citizens abducted by Pyongyang's agents decades ago, Kyodo news agency quoted a DPRK diplomat as saying.

Ozone layer recovering, UN science panel says

Earth's protective ozone layer is beginning to recover, largely because of the phase-out since the 1980s of certain chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol cans, a UN scientific panel reported Wednesday in a rare piece of good news about the health of the planet.

Syrian rebels free 45 Fijian peacekeepers

Al-Qaida-linked Syrian rebels on Thursday released all 45 Fijian peacekeepers they had held captive for two weeks, the United Nations said, bringing an end to a crisis that had pulled the UN monitoring force into the chaos of Syria's civil war.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Report: US kids eat too much salt

US children are eating far too much salt, mostly from processed foods, putting them at risk of high blood pressure and heart disease later in life, federal health officials said on Tuesday.

Mutual history defines Scottish-English ties

The love-hate relationship between England and Scotland has been marked by bloodthirsty medieval battles, royal marriages and executions, followed by centuries of political and social unity.

Philippine Congress gets draft bill to end rebellion

The Philippine president submitted a draft law to Congress on Wednesday that aims to end four decades of rebellion by Muslims in the south, by granting them more autonomy in a region that will have its own flag, government and police force.

Cuba says embargo costs nation $3.9b

US economic sanctions against Cuba have cost the island nation $3.9 billion in foreign trade over the past year, raising the overall estimate of cumulative economic damage to $116.8 billion over the past 55 years, Cuba said on Tuesday.

Liberian defense minister warns Ebola threatens country's existence

Ebola is threatening the very existence of Liberia, as the killer virus spreads like "wildfire", the country's defense minister warned on Tuesday, following a grim World Health Organization assessment that the worst is yet to come.

Kiev pledges more autonomy to east

Ukraine's president promised on Wednesday to introduce a bill as early as next week that would offer greater autonomy to the eastern region, where separatists have been battling government troops for almost five months.

Merkel urges EU to greenlight sanctions

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Wednesday for the European Union to move quickly on new sanctions against Russia, saying they could always be lifted if the Ukraine cease-fire holds.