Union out of crisis mode but focus falls on China's role

Last September when European Parliament members held their first plenary after the summer break, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered a gloomy speech, saying the 28-member bloc was in "existential crisis".

Songhe villagers build 9-kilometer 'great green wall' to protect homes

Shi Shuzhu, former Party chief of Songhe village, Minqin county in Gansu province, spent half a century leading his village in planting trees to fend of sandstorms and desertification. They built a 9-kilometer "green great wall" around the village, helping to turn it into a prosperous place. Today, the village looks like a green leaf in the vast desert, preventing the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts from devouring it.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Chinese investment 'not a threat'

THASSALONIKI, Greece - Chinese investment in Europe should be seen as an opportunity instead of a threat, senior representatives of news agencies said on Sunday during a New Silk Road Forum.

Greece benefits from cooperation

China is a power with a strategic plan and Greece can only benefit from bilateral cooperation, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday.

Russia urges dialogue to solve Gulf crisis

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Arab countries and Qatar should enter into direct talks to solve a diplomatic dispute, Russia's foreign minister said on a trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, urging all parties to restore regional unity.

Muddy adventure at biggest off-road race

HANOI, Vietnam - Swapping his office garb for driving gear, businessman Vu Minh Hung readies for Vietnam's largest amateur offroad race, a mud-soaked adventure in the nation where professional auto sport is nonexistent.

Australian researchers say they can stop melanoma spreading

SYDNEY - Researchers say a combination of new treatments can stop the world's deadliest form of skin cancer - melanoma - in its tracks and halt its spread to other organs.

Seoul sees peninsula nuke issue a long-term challenge

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's top diplomat on Monday saw the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula as the biggest long-term challenge as it takes time to achieve the goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

Weakened Irma lashes Florida with wind, rain

TAMPA, Florida - A massive but weakened Hurricane Irma zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region on Monday after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages.

No bride's dress: Guard couple tie knot amid chaos

ORLANDO, Florida - Lauren Durham had a poofy white dress and plans for an intimate beach wedding on the second weekend of September.

Mourners sob, sift wreckage of huge Mexico earthquake

JUCHIT DE ZARAGOZA, Mexico - Sobbing families followed coffins through the streets and picked nervously at the ruins of their homes on Sunday as help trickled in after an earthquake killed 90 people.