By Julia Symmes Cobb YARI PLAINS, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebel group voted unanimously to approve a peace deal with the government on Friday, declaring an end to the five-decade war as it prepares to transition into a new political party.

By David Brunnstrom NEW YORK (Reuters) - The planned U.S. deployment of the THAAD anti-missile system in South Korea is not negotiable as part of efforts to agree new U.N. sanctions on North Korea after its fifth nuclear test, but Washington is confident tougher steps will be agreed before long, the senior U.S. diplomat for Asia said on Friday.

By Ellen Francis and Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Warplanes bombed Aleppo on Friday with what residents described as unprecedented ferocity after the Russian-backed Syrian army announced an offensive to fully capture Syria's biggest city, killing off any hope of reviving a ceasefire.

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaragua on Thursday criticized a proposal by U.S. lawmakers that would require the Central American country, which will hold elections in November, to make political changes in order to receive international loans.

TAIPEI/MONTREAL (Reuters) - Taiwan has not been invited to the assembly meeting of a United Nations aviation agency, the latest sign of the pressure China is bringing to bear on the new independence-leaning government of the self-ruled island it views as a renegade province. Diplomatically-isolated Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, which recognizes China.

By Sarah Marsh HAVANA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the first Japanese leader to visit Communist-ruled Cuba, called for a strong and unified international response to North Korea's nuclear program in rare talks with former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on Thursday.

By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada and China on Thursday settled a trade dispute and said they would start exploratory talks on a free trade pact, but gave few details about a possible extradition treaty for Chinese fugitives which has triggered criticism in Canada.

By J.R. Wu TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's Defence Ministry said it was asking Google to blur satellite images showing what experts say appear to be new military installations on Itu Aba, Taipei's sole holding in the hotly disputed South China Sea.

By David Brunnstrom UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se accused North Korea on Thursday of "totally ridiculing" the authority of the United Nations through its nuclear and missile tests and said it was time to reconsider whether it was qualified for U.N. membership.

By Brad Haynes and Brad Brooks SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police arrested former Finance Minister Guido Mantega on Thursday as a sweeping corruption investigation struck further at the heart of the Workers Party (PT) that ran the country for 13 years.