Nation bids farewell to Fidel Castro

Cubans were scheduled to begin massing on Havana's Revolution Square from Monday for a weeklong commemoration of Fidel Castro, the guerrilla leader who led a revolution in 1959.

New Orleans French Quarter shooting kills 1 and wounds 9

Police had already increased patrols in New Orleans' bustling French Quarter before gunfire erupted on Sunday, leaving one man dead and nine other people wounded in a tourist district famed for its bars, bright lights and live music.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

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IS bomb sows carnage among pilgrims

A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed 73 people, mainly Shiite pilgrims, south of Baghdad on Thursday, as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul from the extremists.

Haifa fire overcome but others still rage

Israeli firefighters on Friday reined in a wildfire that had spread across the country's third-largest city of Haifa and forced tens of thousands of people to flee, but continued to battle more than a dozen other fires around the country for the fourth day in a row.

Political turmoil hits business confidence

South Korean President Park Geun-hye's approval rating has fallen to 4 percent amid a deepening political crisis, according to an opinion poll released on Friday.

Crustacean revelation: Coconut crab is stunningly strong

It may not be wise to get into a scrap with a coconut crab. Its claws are a mighty weapon.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Nepal workers unwitting victims of cash crackdown

When Bishnu Pandey, a Nepali migrant working in India, returned home last month, he had hoped to clear a loan taken by his family to rebuild its village home with his savings.

Urban sprawl threatens world heritage site

Sprawling urban growth and water management problems are threatening conservation efforts at Thailand's ancient city of Ayutthaya, experts say.

Martial arts plan stride into global spotlight

Some fight with meter-long machetes, others are armed with daggers curved like the claws of big cats, while other combatants rely on only their minds.