DPRK 'ready for renewal of nuclear talks'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was ready to resume stalled international talks on its nuclear program.

Police question Indian guru after deadly-standoff arrest

Police began questioning an Indian guru on Friday after he was arrested at his sprawling ashram with more than 400 followers following a deadly 10-day standoff.

Prayut ignores Hunger Games salute

Thailand's military ruler said on Friday he was unfazed by people using a three-fingered protest salute inspired by the blockbuster Hollywood franchise The Hunger Games to express opposition to the country's junta.

Dementia patient jailed for arson

An 82-year-old man suffering from dementia was jailed for 20 years by a court of the Republic of Korea on Friday for setting a fire at a hospice for the elderly in which 22 people died.

Immigration reforms to protect 5m

Obama defies Congress with biggest changes in nearly three decades

Mexicans demand return of students

A largely peaceful march by tens of thousands of people demanding the return of 43 missing students ended in violence, as a small group of masked protesters battled police in Mexico City's main square.

At least 45 dead in Boko Haram attack

At least 45 people were killed in a suspected Boko Haram attack in northeast Nigeria, officials and witnesses said on Thursday, in the latest violence to hit the restive region.

Western New York faces threats of rain, flooding after snowdrifts

Snowfall that brought huge snowdrifts and closed roads around Buffalo is finally expected to stop, but residents still face the threat of rain and higher temperatures through the weekend that could bring flooding.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Winelovers hail 2014 Beaujolais Nouveau arrival

Thousands of wine lovers braved the cold to get the first sip of this year's Beaujolais Nouveau in its hometown as part of a time-honored tradition to celebrate the arrival of the young French wine.

School of performing arts survives in Baghdad

Ann Khalid did not feel well, but she insisted on dancing a brief scene from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with her classmates. The 12-year-old is determined to one day have a career both dancing and teaching ballet, not an easy path in a country torn by conflict.

Pyongyang denounces UN rights resolution

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Thursday denounced a UN resolution on human rights in the country and indicated it might conduct a new nuclear test to counter "US hostile policy" toward Pyongyang.