IN BRIEF (Page 8)

US backpedals on investment bill

US lawmakers may soften legislation that aims to heighten scrutiny of Chinese investment in the US technology sector.

Long-lost 'African Mona Lisa' found

LONDON - "I think of it as the African Mona Lisa," said award-winning novelist Ben Okri, gazing at the long-lost portrait of a Nigerian princess which recently turned up in a London flat.

Human eggs fully grown in lab for first time

LONDON - Scientists have succeeded for the first time in growing human eggs in a laboratory from the earliest stages in ovarian tissue all the way to full maturity - a scientific step that had previously been taken in mice. The eggs were grown to the point at which they could be fertilized.

Biotech billionaire buys LA Times for millions

Doctor Patrick Soon-Shiong, a California biotech billionaire and a minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, struck a big deal on Wednesday to buy Los Angeles Times from Chicago-based Tronc Inc.

Galapagos fights temptation of lucrative mass tourism

PUERTO AYORA, Ecuador - With its iconic giant tortoises, crested black iguanas, huge ocean manta rays and a veritable menagerie of other cool creatures, the Galapagos Islands are one of the most beautiful places you will probably never visit.

Chinese cultural event helps elderly cope with loneliness

KIEV, Ukraine - "I love this very much! My soul is singing," says Lucia Pavlovna, who is joining in with a Ukrainian folk song during the Spring Festival celebration in a nursing home on the outskirts of Kiev.

'Oldest Briton' had dark skin, blue eyes

New research suggests ancient Britons had dark-brown or black skin, dark wavy hair and blue eyes.

Skiers take to Paris streets amid travel chaos

PARIS - Skiers swished down the hilly streets of Montmartre in Paris on Wednesday, taking advantage of heavy snowfall that otherwise spelled misery for thousands of travelers.

China holds gala tour overseas

The 2018 Spring Festival gala for overseas Chinese will tour 29 cities, according to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council on Tuesday.

Universities purge books as students opt to learn online

INDIANA - A library without books? Not quite, but as students abandon the stacks in favor of online reference material, university libraries are unloading millions of unread volumes in a nationwide purge that has some print-loving scholars deeply unsettled.

Bollywood's new movie targets Indian taboo

MUMBAI - A Bollywood movie about an inventor who created a revolutionary machine that makes cheap sanitary pads hits screens this week, challenging taboos surrounding menstruation in India.