Farewell: Maker to shelve once-hit VCRs

Japanese electronics maker Funai Electric Co said it's yanking the plug on the world's last video cassette recorder.

Japanese fantasy world fever grips young people in Cuba

Cuba may be one of the world's least connected countries but that is not stopping the Japanese subculture of animated movies, manga comics and video games from spreading feverishly among its youth.

Nation aims to become rat free

Their abilities to travel, multiply and spread disease have always made rats one of mankind's greatest pests.

Fake detectors banned after attack

For nearly a decade, anyone driving through one of Baghdad's many checkpoints was subjected to a search by a soldier pointing a security wand at their vehicle and watching the device intently to see if its antenna moved. If it pointed at the car, it had supposedly detected a possible bomb.

Ex-leader Arroyo: 'I was persecuted'

Former Philippine president Gloria Arroyo has declared herself a victim of political persecution, following her release from nearly five years in detention over a corruption case.

Syrian blows himself up outside music festival

A spokeswoman for the Bavarian state police force said on Monday it was unclear whether the man was an Islamist militant, and that investigations were continuing.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

2 dead in shooting at Florida nightclub

At least two people were killed and 17 others wounded in a shooting early on Monday at a Florida nightclub, police said, in an incident that reportedly occurred at a party for teenagers.

DNC opens amid protests, high temps

The Democratic National Convention opened on Monday in Philadelphia with much bigger demonstrations than the Republican convention and much higher temperatures as the region sweltered under a heat wave.

Studio offers movie marvels

Marvel Studios took a year off from Comic-Con, but it came back with a pow on Saturday with a spectacle and star-filled presentation offering exclusive looks at Spider-Man: Homecoming, Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Ghost orchid scientists aim to restore rare Florida bloom

Armed with an orange staple gun and dozens of burlap squares entwined with ratty green roots, Mike Kane wades hip-deep into the swamp to restore what generations of thieves have stolen.

Gunman was 'obsessed' with mass slaughter

The teenager who shot dead nine people in a gun rampage in Munich was "obsessed" with mass killers like Norwegian rightwing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik and had no links to the Islamic State group, police said.