Retailers ready for 'war' with Amazon

CANBERRA - Australian electronics and homeware retailers are preparing for the invasion of US online giant Amazon, with some vowing to take the fight to the store.

Thousands gather for science rally

WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of scientists and their supporters took to the streets in Washington and around the world on Saturday to protest against what organizers described as an "alarming" anti-science trend.

Free homes spur enclave renovation

MUMBAI, India - Farida Kachwala is vacating her family's cramped home of 80 years, one of thousands receiving modern apartments through a project that hopes to transform Mumbai's historic Bhendi Bazaar from a dilapidated ghetto into a slick Singapore-like enclave.

25 years after LA riots, frictions remain

LOS ANGELES - Late in the afternoon of April 29, 1992, the looting began in south Los Angeles, quickly escalating as motorists were dragged from their cars and vehicles set alight.

Nigeria cracks down on illicit refineries

KANA RUGBANA, Nigeria - Nigerian commander Remi Fadairo points to the roiling plume of black smoke blotting the morning horizon in the Niger Delta - the unmistakable sign of an illicit oil refinery.

Forest at risk from bloom in tourism

HALLE, Belgium - A carpet of bluebells bursts into flower in Belgium in a wonder of the natural world - but one that is at risk of being trampled by tourists drawn to its beauty.

Paris attack keeping candidates cautious

PARIS - France began picking itself up on Friday from another shooting claimed by the Islamic State group, with President Francois Hollande calling together the government's security council while his would-be successors in the presidential election campaign tread carefully heading into the weekend vote.

Analysis sheds light on doomed flight

CANBERRA, Australia - Analysis of a genuine Boeing 777 wing flap has reaffirmed experts' opinion that a missing Malaysian airliner most likely crashed north of an abandoned search area in the Indian Ocean, officials said on Friday.

Prosecutors taking aim at WikiLeaks

WASHINGTON - Two media reports on Thursday said US prosecutors are preparing or closely considering charges against the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, including its founder Julian Assange, for revealing sensitive government secrets.

Surgery helps Egyptian woman shed 250 kg in two months

MUMBAI, India - The "world's heaviest woman" has shed half her weight - around a quarter of a ton - in the two months she's been in India for treatment, doctors said.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Argentine craftsman safeguards tea tradition

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's bitter-tasting yerba mate tea is definitely an acquired taste, as evident from the fact that few outside the country drink it, or even know about it.