NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Payments for Indian tea exports to Iran are facing problems, India's trade secretary said on Thursday, the latest snag in trade between the two countries that is under mounting pressure from a new wave of Western sanctions against Tehran.

KABUL (Reuters) - At a small shop a stone's throw from the Ghazi Stadium where Afghanistan's former Taliban government used to stage its public executions, Mohammad Hashem is worried about the death of his carpet business.

AMMAN (Reuters) - Armoured reinforcements poured into Homs as President Bashar al-Assad's forces bombarded the Syrian city for a fourth day, opposition sources said on Thursday, worsening the humanitarian situation and prompting a new diplomatic push from Turkey.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone attack in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region near the Afghanistan border killed four suspected militants Thursday, intelligence officials said, the second such attack in two days.

LONDON (Reuters) - Russian and Chinese arms are being used to violate human rights in Darfur region in breach of an "ineffectual" United Nations embargo, Amnesty International said on Thursday.

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - The secrets from a vault of moldy documents long covered in bat and rat droppings could soon help to put former top Guatemalan officials behind bars, years after the country's brutal civil war ended in 1996.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to decouple the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam from the southern Japan island of Okinawa from plans to relocate a base on Okinawa, a step forward in resolving an irritant in relations.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's ruling generals said Wednesday they would deploy more soldiers and tanks across the country, an announcement seen as a warning to activists planning a national strike on the anniversary of the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.

MALE (Reuters) - The ousted president of the Maldives, credited with bringing democracy to the Indian Ocean islands, said on Wednesday he had been forced out of power at gunpoint, prompting clashes between police and angry supporters.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - NATO, Afghan and Pakistani military officials will hold talks on improving border security and coordination on Wednesday, in a possible sign that tension is easing following a cross-border NATO air attack in November that infuriated Pakistan.

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least nine people Wednesday near a hotel where lawmakers often gather in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States and Gulf Arab states are not bound by a Yemeni parliament decision to grant President Ali Abdullah Saleh immunity from prosecution over civilian deaths during protests against his rule, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR/TEHRAN (Reuters) - More evidence emerged of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A few weeks ago, a leading opposition activist sat down in a downtown Khartoum office to talk to a journalist. The young man immediately removed the battery from his cellphone.

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt said on Wednesday it would not be swayed by threats to aid when investigating foreign-funded pro-democracy groups and NGOs, a case that has prompted Washington to warn that U.S. military support worth $1.3 billion a year may be in jeopardy.

ROME (Reuters) - Hiding behind a culture of "omerta" -- the Italian word for the Mafia's code of silence -- would be deadly for the Catholic Church, the Vatican's top official for dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy said Wednesday.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to decouple the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam from the southern Japan island of Okinawa from plans to relocate a base on Okinawa, a step forward in resolving an irritant in relations.

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - A U.S. drone aircraft killed 10 suspected militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan region near the Afghanistan border on Wednesday, security officials and residents said, the fifth such strike this year.

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian forces thrust into the rebellious city of Homs on Wednesday, killing as many as 100 civilians by the accounts of opposition activists, and Turkey appeared to be preparing a new diplomatic push against President Bashar al-Assad.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's president on Tuesday accused Britain of "militarizing the South Atlantic" and vowed to complain to the United Nations as tension rises ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war.