Countries sign pact of protection

France committed $30 million toward protecting cultural heritage sites during wartime on Saturday, a first step in the creation of an international fund aimed at preventing destruction like that carried out by Islamic State militants.

Snakecatchers risk death to save lives

A small scythe, a crowbar and a bundle of canvas bags are all that Kali and Vedan carry when they venture into the fields of southern India to catch some of the world's deadliest snakes.

Iconic wallaby back from the brink

An iconic Australian wallaby has made it back from the brink of extinction after a breeding program was launched to save the species.

Astronaut Aldrin recovering after South Pole illness

Retired US astronaut and the second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, was recovering after his medical evacuation from Antarctica but is not yet able to return home, his manager Christina Korp said Sunday.

Restaurant serves up healthy helpings for the homeless

It is early evening at a restaurant in central Madrid and Jose Silva sits down for a meal of rice, meatballs and vegetables as waiters flit from one table to another.

Castro vows to defend brother's legacy in tribute

Cuban President Raul Castro pledged on Saturday to uphold his brother Fidel's socialist revolution at a massive rally in honor of the late leader before his burial on Sunday.

Duterte fighting drugs 'the right way', says Trump

US president-elect Donald Trump told Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte that Manila was conducting its deadly drug war "the right way", Duterte said on Saturday, in stark contrast to the criticism he received from President Barack Obama.

Far-right on cusp of power in election showdown

Austrians returned to the polls on Sunday in a bitterly fought marathon election, which could propel the European Union's first far-right president to power and boost the anti-establishment tide sweeping many countries.

Nation mourns soccer team crash victims

A downpour drenched thousands of mourners in the Brazilian city of Chapeco on Saturday as they grieved over 50 caskets flown overnight to the stadium of the local Chapecoense soccer team, which was all but wiped out in an air crash on Monday in Colombia.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Up to 40 feared dead in party blaze

Firefighters say two-story warehouse was a 'death trap' with no sprinklers or smoke detectors

Body parts found after plane search

Indonesian rescuers on Sunday recovered body parts in the sea where a police plane with 13 people aboard is believed to have crashed the previous day.