Fans say goodbye to 'Queen of Soul'

DETROIT - Aretha Franklin, the music icon, legendary singer and "Queen of Soul" loved by millions whose history-making career spanned six decades, died at her Detroit home on Thursday. She was 76.

Brothers get ready to refloat bubble car

ZURICH - With its quirky egg shape and minimalist interior, the bubble car was a symbol of cheap and cheerful mobility on European roads in the 1950s and 60s.

Xi greets Hun Sen over poll victory

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, sent a message to Hun Sen, president of Cambodian People's Party on Wednesday, congratulating him on his party's victory in the sixth National Assembly Election.

Conflict 'harming Ebola effort' as cases increase

The World Health Organization has raised concerns that continuing conflict in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo is hampering efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak even as local health authorities confirmed the spread of the virus to another province in the eastern part of the country.

Two gunmen killed after Kabul siege

KABUL - Two gunman who attacked an intelligence service compound on Thursday in the city's northwest have been killed, with police saying the nearly six-hour siege is over.

Afghanistan: A sacrificial lamb of insurgency

The systematic attacks against Shiite ethnic group in Afghanistan by the self-proclaimed Islamic State group reveals its ugly intention to stoke sectarian violence and sow the seeds of discord between Afghan people.

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Abe sends donation to Yasukuni Shrine

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual donation on Wednesday to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine that enshrined 14 convicted Class-A war criminals as Japan marked the 73rd anniversary of the country's surrender in World War II.

Invitation signals diplomatic thaw

A diplomatic thaw seems to have arisen on the Korean Peninsula as the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States sent an invitation for talks to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, amid preparations for an upcoming summit.

Search for survivors after deadly Italy bridge collapse, govt blames operator

GENOA, Italy - Rescuers searched for survivors amid the debris of Italy's bridge collapse on Wednesday as the death toll climbed to 39 and the government blamed the bridge's operator, demanding resignations and moving to strip its toll concession.

Police carry out raids after terror crash, name suspect

British police have searched two addresses in the city of Birmingham and another in Nottingham in the aftermath of the attempted terror attack in Westminster in London on Tuesday morning.

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