Combined briefs

Women’s life expectancy gap growing

Life expectancy for women at 50 has improved, but the gap between poor and rich countries is growing and could worsen without better detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancers, the World Health Organization says. The WHO study, one of the first to analyze the causes of death of older women, found that in wealthier countries deaths from noncommunicable diseases have fallen dramatically in recent decades, especially from cancers of the stomach, colon, breast and cervix. Women older than 50 in low and middle-income countries are also living longer, but chronic ailments, including diabetes, kill them at an earlier age than their counterparts, the health organization said.

NOUTH KOREA

U.S. blamed for canceled trip

North Korea said it rescinded its invitation for a U.S. envoy to visit the country to seek the freedom of an U.S. detainee because Washington perpetrated a “grave provocation” by allegedly mobilizing nuclear-capable bombers during recent military drills with Seoul. Bob King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights, had been scheduled to travel to Pyongyang on Friday for talks on Kenneth Bae, a 45-year-old tour operator and Christian missionary who has been detained since November for committing “hostile acts.” He was sentenced in April to 15 years of hard labor.

FLORIDA

Funeral held for boy with rare infection

Nearly 1,000 people gathered for the funeral of a boy who was infected by a rare and deadly brain eating amoeba. The public visitation and service Saturday for Zachary Reyna, 12, was conducted at the LaBelle Middle School Gym. The burial service was at a nearby cemetery. Reyna became infected Aug. 3 while knee boarding with friends. He died Aug. 24.

NEW YORK

Vodafone confirms talks with Verizon

Vodafone said Sunday it is in advanced talks to sell its 45 percent stake of Verizon Wireless back to the U.S. cellphone service provider for $130 billion in cash and stock, a deal which would be the second-largest acquisition deal on record if it goes through. If an agreement is reached, Verizon would own its wireless business outright after buying the stake back from British cellphone company Vodafone PLC. Vodafone said in a statement on Sunday there is no certainty that a final deal will be reached. Verizon Communications Inc. declined to comment.

IRAQ

Iranian exiles report camp deaths

Deadly violence erupted at a contentious Iranian exile camp inside Iraq early Sunday, leaving international observers scrambling to determine the cause of the bloodshed and the number of casualties. The dissidents alleged that more than 50 were killed and accused the Iraqi government. Baghdad said an internal dispute was to blame. And the United Nations mission to Iraq, which has been closely involved in trying to find a viable long-term solution for the dissidents, acknowledges it does not have a clear picture what happened.

PAKISTAN

Roadside bomb kills 9 soldiers

A roadside bomb targeting a passing Pakistani army convoy exploded Sunday, killing nine soldiers in a tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, authorities said. The roadside bomb exploded in a village near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, the army said in a statement. The army did not say if anyone was wounded in the attack. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

AFGHANISTAN

Abducted soldiers’ bodies discovered

The badly beaten, bullet-riddled bodies of seven Afghan soldiers were found dumped in an eastern province Sunday, apparent victims of insurgents, authorities said. Local residents found the corpses next to each other in Andar district of Ghazni province, their hands chained behind their backs. The dead soldiers had been kidnapped at different times, with some abducted while they were on leave visiting relatives, said Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, deputy Ghazni governor. The discovery comes as the Taliban have stepped up their attacks in Afghanistan and U.S.-led foreign forces are reducing their presence in the country.