Hollywood stars call for equal pay at Cannes festival

CANNES, France - Hollywood stars including Cate Blanchett, Kristen Stewart and Salma Hayek called on Saturday for equal pay in the cinema industry and beyond in a red-carpet protest at the Cannes film festival.

New railway opens new era in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA - Yusuf Abera still remembers his trips on Ethiopia's old railway during its last years in active service. They were hardly pleasant journeys, as trains were slow, noisy and often disrupted by mechanical glitches.

Time travelers welcome at Hawking's memorial service

LONDON - The public ballot for tickets to Professor Stephen Hawking's thanksgiving service opened on Saturday - with visitors from the future welcome to apply.

Queen gives formal consent to wedding

LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has given her formal consent to the marriage of her grandson Harry to US actress Meghan Markle in a historic document made of vellum that is decorated with symbols representing the lives of the couple.

US sanctions target Iran funding

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions against six individuals and three companies it said were funneling millions of dollars to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force, just days after President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Calls for restraint after Israeli strikes in Syria

Unprecedented clashes between Israel and Iran over Syria have sparked calls for restraint from world leaders worried about the risk of all-out war, even as both sides said they want to avoid a regional conflict.

Seven found slain at Australian rural property

CANBERRA - Seven people, including four children, were found dead from gunshot wounds at a property near the tourist town of Margaret River in Australia's southwest on Friday in what could be the country's worst mass shooting in 22 years, police said.

Chinese railroad workers' efforts honored

As California celebrated its second Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial Day on Thursday, a Chinese artist and a State Assembly member have produced an art exhibition to honor the workers and promote Sino-US friendship.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

The challenge of space gardening

MIAMI - It's not easy having a green thumb in space.

Myanmar farmers choose silkworms over poppies - with help from China

TANGYAN, Myanmar - Zhou Xing Ci's family has farmed poppies for as long as anyone remembers, scraping the flowers' sticky brown sap to produce opium.

Island takes flight after China bird gift

TOKYO - Crested ibises, the iconic birds that were on the verge of extinction in Japan in the 1980s, are now prospering and providing a boost to the local economy on the island of Sado, thanks to China's help.