Volcano rattles island as quake aid trickles in

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A volcano erupted on Wednesday morning on the same central Indonesian island as an earlier earthquake and authorities warned planes about volcanic ash in the air.

Iran welcomes UN court order on US to lift sanctions

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The United Nations' highest court on Wednesday ordered the United States to lift sanctions on Iran that affect imports of humanitarian goods and products and services linked to the safety of civil aviation.

Japan launches new robot toward asteroid

TOKYO - A Japanese probe launched a new observation robot toward an asteroid on Wednesday as it pursues a mission to shed light on the origins of the solar system.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Survivors grow desperate as toll rises

PALU, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered more rescuers to be sent in to find victims of a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Tuesday as the official death toll rose above 1,200 and looting raised fears of growing lawlessness.

New NAFTA deal 'won't fix' loss of competitiveness

MEXICO CITY - The revamped North American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, Canada and the United States fails to address the region's eroding competitiveness, according to a leading Mexican economist.

Abe keeps 'firm foundation' as key ministers retain cabinet posts

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe retained key ministers in a Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday in the hope of maintaining the "firm foundation" as he pushes for his long-cherished goal of revising Japan's pacifist Constitution.

Scientist suspended in sexism row

A top scientist who claimed before an audience of young, female physicists that physics "was invented and built by men" and that men were now suffering from pro-female discrimination has been suspended from working with the European nuclear research center CERN.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Indonesia rushes to aid victims as deaths climb

PALU, Indonesia - Indonesian authorities scrambled on Monday to get aid and rescue equipment to earthquake-and tsunami-hit Sulawesi island and started to bury some of the more than 1,200 dead, as shaken survivors streamed away from their ruined homes in search of food and shelter.

US, Canada deal saves NAFTA as a trilateral pact

OTTAWA/WASHINGTON - The United States and Canada forged a last-gasp deal on Sunday to salvage NAFTA as a trilateral pact with Mexico, rescuing the three-country, $1.2 trillion open-trade zone that had been about to collapse after nearly a quarter-century.

Iran launches missiles over attack on parade

TEHERAN - Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Monday that it had launched ballistic missiles into eastern Syria, targeting militants whom the force blamed for a recent attack on a military parade in Iran.