Space pair give helping hand

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida - Spacewalking astronauts gave a hand to the International Space Station's big robot arm on Tuesday.

Intense battles continue in Syria's Afrin

ANKARA/BEIRUT - Turkey has killed at least 260 Syrian Kurdish fighters and Islamic State extremists in its four-day-old offensive into the Kurdish-dominated Afrin region of northwest Syria, the Turkish military has said.

'Gun control off US agenda' despite fresh shooting, expert says

The US is not expected to put gun control on the agenda even after the country's unprecedented levels of gun violence, an expert said, as a teenage boy opened fire with a handgun at a Kentucky high school on Tuesday, killing two fellow students and wounding more than a dozen people in the latest mass shooting to hit the United States.

Comfort women cast shadow for Abe

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attendance at the Republic of Korea-hosted Winter Olympics would not change the tense situation in East Asia, although Tokyo intends to win the support of Seoul, said Chinese experts.

US Senate confirms new Federal Reserve chair

WASHINGTON - The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell as the next head of the central bank, succeeding Janet Yellen, a move likely to provide continuity in US monetary policy with the economy growing now for nine years straight.

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Europe lure leads to tourism changes

VENICE, Italy - With the flow of Chinese tourists to Europe on the increase, sector operators from both sides have started discussing how to better smooth their trip and make their stay easier in the continent.

On Rio beach, a man's home is his castle

RIO DE JANEIRO - With a crown on his head, Marcio Matolias carefully retouches his sand castle, sculpting and smoothing with a shovel as bathers cool off nearby in the suffocating January heat.

Minnie Mouse gets her Walk of Fame star 40 years after Mickey

LOS ANGELES - She waited 90 years and saw a trail of men and Disney princesses get there before her, but on Monday Minnie Mouse finally got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Hunger Games: Familiar flavors at Olympics

SEATTLE - Spam, trout, fried chicken, moon pies and anything slathered in mayonnaise - those are some of the flavors of the Republic of Korea's home cooking that might seem just a bit familiar to the Western athletes and sports fans preparing to descend upon the country for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

British nurseries drawing investors

The value of the United Kingdom's daycare nurseries shot up thanks to a cheap pound and interest from Chinese investors, according to property adviser Christie& Co.

Turkey-US ties facing challenges

ANKARA - Turkey's offensive against US-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria's Afrin region poses a new challenge to its already ailing ties with the United States, said local experts.