By Robin Emmott BRUSSELS (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's high-profile military deployments aim to showcase Russian power in any global confrontation with the West, NATO officials say, but the alliance will not seek to match Moscow's actions. Curtis Scaparrotti, the U.S.

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's top court on Thursday approved an injunction against a congressional probe that found Rafael Ramirez, the former president of state oil company PDVSA, was responsible for corruption and malfeasance that cost the firm $11 billion.

By Stephen Kalin and Maher Chmaytelli SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - The Iraqi army was trying on Thursday to reach a town south of Mosul where Islamic State has reportedly executed dozens to deter the population against any attempt to support the U.S.-led offensive on the jihadists' last major city stronghold in Iraq.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed on Thursday to work together to put more pressure on North Korea to get it to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Shinsuke Sugiyama said.

BEIJING (Reuters) - A blast that killed 14 people in a block of prefabricated houses in China on Monday was caused by "illegal production and storage of explosives", the state news agency Xinhua reported. The explosion in the northwestern town of Xinmin in Shaanxi province injured 147 people and damaged dozens of buildings, including a hospital.

By Tom Westbrook and Jane Wardell SYDNEY (Reuters) - Forensic police were examining a river rapids ride at Australia's biggest theme park on Wednesday after four people were killed when it apparently malfunctioned and they were trapped beneath an upturned raft.

By Andrew Cawthorne and Eyanir Chinea CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly voted on Tuesday to open a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro for violating democracy, but the socialist government dismissed the move as meaningless.

By Andrew Osborn and Lisa Barrington MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it would extend a moratorium on air strikes on Syria's Aleppo into a ninth day, but a monitor and a civil defense official said that rebel-held parts of the divided city had been struck in recent days.

By Matthias Blamont CALAIS, France (Reuters) - French workers began demolishing the "Jungle" shanty town in Calais on Tuesday, wielding sledgehammers to tear down makeshift dwellings as their former residents - migrants seeking entry to Britain - were moved out.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States are in "advanced negotiations" on returning to China five of its most wanted corruption suspects who have fled to the United States, a state-run newspaper said on Wednesday.