Aid project crafts new hub for Afghanistan's artisans

KABUL - Ceramics, carpentry, calligraphy and gem cutting: centuries of Afghan craftsmanship honed on the ancient Silk Road are being preserved in Kabul, a rare success story for an aid project in the war-torn country that organizers are now hoping to replicate with refugees from Syria.

King of Comedy dies at 91 after endearing and enduring career

WASHINGTON - Veteran Hollywood comedian Jerry Lewis, who died on Sunday aged 91, perfected a goofy brand of slapstick that endeared him to millions over the course of a career spanning six decades.

Millions in US to gaze on once-in-a-lifetime eclipse

CHARLESTON, South Carolina - Twilight will fall at midday on Monday, stars will glimmer and birds will roost in an eerie stillness as millions of Americans and visitors witness the first total solar eclipse to traverse the United States from coast to coast in 99 years.

'Jaipur Foot' offers low-price boost for India's amputees

JAIPUR, India - Vishnu Kumar had barely reached adulthood when he lost his limbs in a freak electrical accident, seemingly condemning him to the life of penury endured by millions of amputees in India.

China metro trains smooth journeys for Rio commuters

RIO DE JANEIRO - Mariana Moreira used to suffer a downtown traffic jam twice a week when she drove between home and the classroom.

A smiley is not a smile: the perils of work emails

SAN FRANCISCO - Contrary to actual smiles, using smileys in work emails does not increase perception of warmth but may leave an impression of incompetence, according to a study.

Books on the go bring literature to refugees stuck in Greece

ATHENS - The brightly colored minivan that pulls into Athens' food market, drawing a group of refugees around it, is not carrying something edible.

Statue defaced as protests over Confederate past rise

WASHINGTON - A statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was defaced at North Carolina's Duke University and there were more arrests on Thursday over the toppling of a similar statue as communities in the US South faced a contentious debate over such divisive monuments.

African cities face threat of landslides like Sierra Leone

FREETOWN - Natural and human factors made Sierra Leone's capital vulnerable to a landslide that killed more than 400 people this week: Heavy rain, deforested land and communities forced by overcrowding to live on steep hillsides.

Fishermen fight to save Aztec floating gardens

MEXICO CITY - Roberto Altamirano has the lake to himself as he casts his glistening net onto the still water in a perfect circle, lets it sink, then slowly pulls it in.

Navy hands penalties on collision, both ships made errors

WASHINGTON/TOKYO - The US Navy has removed the two senior officers and the senior enlisted sailor on a US warship that almost sank off the coast of Japan in June after it was struck by a Philippine container ship, the Navy said on Friday.

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