IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Excellent relations offer opportunities

PHNOM PENH - Chinese investors and tourists have greatly contributed to socioeconomic development and poverty reduction in Cambodia, local business leaders said, as China is both the largest source of foreign direct investment and tourists to its neighbor.

Martian ice deposits could sustain humans

WASHINGTON - Scientists using images from an orbiting NASA spacecraft have detected eight sites where huge ice deposits near the Martian surface are exposed on steep slopes, a potential source of water that could help sustain future human outposts.

Migrants risk death crossing Alps

BARDONECCHIA, Italy - It took Abdullhai almost three years to get from his home in Western Africa to a rocky, snow-covered Alpine mountain pass in the dead of winter, for what he hopes will be the final stage of his journey into France.

Chinese drama staged in NY

NEW YORK - The Chinese music drama Overlord was staged on Thursday at the Asia Society in New York.

Weather blowing hot and cold

SINGAPORE - Deep freeze, heatwave, flash floods: What on earth is going on with the weather?

Chef stars in first Thailand guidebook

BANGKOK - After spending more than three decades cooking in an unassuming outdoor kitchen, a wok-wielding, goggles-wearing Thai chef has been propelled to international culinary stardom by having her restaurant awarded a Michelin star.

Gene discovery could help repair DNA 'mistakes'

Scientists from Britain and China have made a discovery that might lead to the ability to repair mutations in genes that cause harmful disorders, such as cystic fibrosis and certain cancers.

Mammoth triumph for female mahout

CHITWAN, Nepal - On a warm winter afternoon, cheers and applause rang out as eight elephants lumbered onto an area of ground in the village of Sauraha.

'Robot suitcases' take weight off for travelers

LAS VEGAS - Self-driving cars may take a while to arrive, but the self-driving suitcase is here now.

International celebrations for New Year taking shape

London will host some of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside Asia as millions of people around the world mark the start of the Year of the Dog.

Hemingway village turns new page as eco trailblazer

HAVANA - Cojimar, just a few minutes' drive east of Cuba's capital, is a small picturesque fishing village where US writer Ernest Hemingway docked his boat and which became an inspiration for his novel The Old Man and the Sea.