Govt eyes luxury tourists amid concerns over safety

Thailand needs to do more to keep its tourists safe if it wants to achieve its objective of attracting more high-end travelers, operators say, or it risks losing out to its up-and-coming neighbors.

Stigma shackles Indonesia's mentally ill

Indonesian rice farmer Usman has kept his 19-year-old son chained in the family's tiny wooden hut for more than a month, reluctant to release the mentally disturbed boy for fear he might wander off and steal neighbors' livestock.

Biggest party quits coalition

Brazil's largest party abandoned President Dilma Rousseff's governing coalition on Tuesday, making it tougher for her to survive mounting pressure in Congress for her impeachment.

Brussels airport delays reopening despite drills

Brussels airport said it would not reopen on Wednesday despite drills to test resuming partial services.

Hijack increases concerns about tourism

The hijack of EgyptAir's plane on Tuesday is likely to negatively affect Egypt's efforts to revive its ailing tourism industry despite the fact that the incident seems to be unrelated to terrorism and all the passengers and crew were released unharmed.

Government returns seized property to Jews

In 1945, Aleksandar Lebl returned to Serbia after escaping the extermination of Jews in World War II and reclaimed his family's confiscated house.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Chinese TV dramas and movies thrill Vietnamese

Chinese TV dramas and movies are becoming evermore popular in Vietnam as evidenced by their growing market share, with movies in particular posting record ticket sales with the features themselves receiving rave reviews from local audiences.

FBI hacks iPhone, ends legal battle with Apple

The extraordinary legal fight pitting the US government against technology giant Apple Inc, ended unexpectedly after the FBI said it used a mysterious method without Apple's help to hack into a California mass shooter's iPhone.

'Masked Girls' seek undercover fame

Standing out from Japan's myriad girl bands can be a daunting task, but one group, the Kamen Joshi, or "Masked Girls" in Japanese, has found the answer by hiding behind masks.

Flights canceled after volcano erupts

The activity level of an Alaska volcano has declined after the mountain erupted with a massive ash cloud that prompted the cancelation of dozens of flights.

Great Barrier Reef coral bleaching worst on record

Bleaching to Australia's Great Barrier Reef is the worst on record, with 95 percent of the northern reaches ranked in the two most severe categories, according to a scientist studying the reef.