IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Syria claims new offensive, diplomats fail to renew truce

Syria announced a new offensive against rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Thursday while diplomats failed to find a way in New York to revive a US and Russian-brokered ceasefire that collapsed this week.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Protesters hold peaceful demos

Protesters took to Charlotte's streets for a third straight night and defied a midnight curfew in the US city early Friday, amid heavy security aimed at preventing more clashes over the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Cheers break out as Puerto Rico emerges from a big blackout

Cheers erupted as lights slowly began to flicker across Puerto Rico overnight as it struggled to emerge from an island-wide blackout following a fire at a power plant that caused the aging utility grid to fail.

Okinawa opposes relocating US base

The Okinawa prefectural government on Friday lodged an appeal to a ruling made by the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court supporting the central government's controversial moves to relocate a US base within Japan's southernmost prefecture. Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga was initially shot down by the high-court ruling made on Sept 16, which found that Onaga's revocation of a landfill permit last October previously granted by his predecessor was "illegal."

Rats, bugs light up Ig Nobel night

A Swede who wrote a trilogy about collecting bugs, an Egyptian doctor who put pants on rats to study their sex lives and a British researcher who lived like an animal have been named winners of the Ig Nobels, the annual spoof prizes for quirky scientific achievement.

Antwerp Port House, a gem in Hadid's cap

Europe's second-biggest port has cut a distinct new shape into its skyline.

Report: Fossil fuel reserves would crush climate goals

Developed oil, gas and coal reserves, if exhausted, are enough to push Earth well past the threshold for dangerous climate change, according to a report published on Thursday.

Cows in Fukushima radiation zone graze with new purpose

In an abandoned Japanese village, cows grazing in lush green plains begin to gather when they hear the familiar rumble of the ranch owner's mini-pickup. This isn't feeding time, though.

Design world goes green and 'meaningful'

Plastic chairs are sold around the globe. But today, that "plastic" might actually be a vegetable compound as the design world increasingly embraces "green" and "meaningful" production, experts in the field say.

Bangkok edges out London as world's top travel destination

The Thai capital of Bangkok has beaten London to be crowned the world's most popular travel destination this year, according to an annual ranking by global payments and technology company MasterCard released on Thursday.