World briefs

JERUSALEM – Far-right politician Avigdor Lieberman endorsed Benjamin Netanyahu for Israeli prime minister on Thursday, all but guaranteeing that Netanyahu will be the country's next leader.

The divisive Lieberman emerged as the kingmaker of Israeli politics after the Feb. 10 election produced a deadlock between its two largest parties, and his backing of Netanyahu could be the basis for a hardline government.

Such a government could freeze peace talks with the Palestinians, hurt Israel's standing in the world and place it on a possible collision course with President Barack Obama, who has said Mideast peacemaking will be a top priority of his administration.

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea stepped up its war rhetoric Thursday, saying its troops are "fully ready" for war with South Korea just hours before a visit to Seoul by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

North Korea's military accused South Korean President Lee Myung-bak of using "nonexistent" nuclear and missile threats as a pretext for an invasion and warned it was prepared for an "all-out confrontation."

PARIS – Rioters fired at police and stormed a city hall in a third night of violence on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, officials said Thursday, as France proposed a plan to boost poor islanders' income in a bid to cool tensions.

Weeks of strikes by workers demanding higher salaries and lower prices degenerated into clashes this week. A union activist was killed Tuesday, apparently by rioters, raising the pressure on the central government in Paris.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Kyrgyzstan's parliament voted Thursday to close a key U.S. air base in the country — a move that could hamper President Barack Obama's efforts to increase the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Deputies voted 78-1 for the government-backed bill to cancel the lease agreement on the Manas air base, a transit point for 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo each month to and from Afghanistan.

If President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signs the bill and authorities issue an eviction notice, the US will have 180 days to vacate the base.

CARACAS, Venezuela – A British couple who were traveling with four children have been arrested on charges of trying to smuggle more than 23 kilograms (50 pounds) of cocaine in three suitcases. British police said Thursday the man also faces an arrest warrant back home.

Venezuelan National Guard troops detained Paul and Laura Makin, who are accused of trying to smuggle the cocaine aboard a flight Monday from Margarita Island to London, Venezuela's state-run news agency reported.