International

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's tough-talking prime minister said Thursday he has authorized helicopters to fire rockets at smugglers of illegally cut timber.

TRACH, Cambodia — It's been a busy morning for Cletus, Meynard, Victoria and others of their furry band. Tiny noses and long whiskers twitching, they've scurried and sniffed their way across 775 square meters (8,300 square feet) of fields to eliminate a scourge that has killed thousands of Cambodians: land mines.

OBERHOFEN, Switzerland — The International Ski Federation has settled a defamation claim by pop violinist Vanessa-Mae, who it wrongly alleged had qualified for the Sochi Olympics at fixed races.

LAS VEGAS — Donald Trump decisively won Nevada's Republican caucuses on Tuesday as his main rivals battled for second place in an increasingly urgent effort to slam the brakes on the Trump juggernaut.

LONDON — A former meerkat expert at London Zoo was cleared Tuesday of assaulting a monkey handler in a love spat over a llama-keeper.

BEIJING — Shortly after 7:30pm, the servers at China's biggest North Korean restaurant become singers. They emerge for their nightly performances in orange and purple satin dresses and stiletto heels, belting out ballads with their arms extended, would-be divas shimmering under hot lights.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A book reportedly written by a Canadian serial killer was removed Monday from Amazon's website a day after being put on sale online following protests by British Columbia authorities.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Ten people have died on a single small island in Fiji as the total death toll from a powerful cyclone climbed to 29, officials said Tuesday.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A service to commemorate the fifth anniversary of a deadly earthquake in the New Zealand city of Christchurch turned ugly Monday when someone threw goop over the government minister responsible for quake recovery efforts.

BARCELONA, Spain — To revive interest in smartphones, Samsung and LG are improving their cameras and embracing the nascent world of virtual reality.