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Wearables seek permanent place

BARCELONA - Consumers are snapping up fitness trackers, smartwatches and other connected wearable gadgets - but huge numbers wind up in drawers unused after just a few months once the novelty wears off.

'Ghost Tower' haunts city 20 years after crisis

BANGKOK - The 49-story Bangkok high-rise was supposed to feature luxury condos for hundreds of affluent Thai families, but it was abandoned unfinished when the Asian financial crisis struck in 1997.

Thousands flee Mosul battles

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - The number of civilians displaced from western Mosul in northern Iraq has risen sharply as the military operation is now being carried out in the city's more densely populated areas. During the past two days, 12,700 people were displaced from western Mosul, where Iraqi federal police and Interior Ministry special forces fought against Islamic State militants, bringing the total number of displaced civilians to some 16,500.

Bashful pandas mate after four-year hiatus

TOKYO - Two giant pandas at Tokyo's Ueno Zoo mated for the first time in four years on Monday - a 52-second effort that boosted hopes for a baby as well as shares in a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Trump's defense plan draws response

US President Donald Trump made his first speech to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, laying out his "optimistic" vision for a divided nation.

Security Council fails to adopt resolution on Syria sanctions

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council on Tuesday failed to adopt a draft resolution aiming to impose sanctions over alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria as Russia and China vetoed it.

Airports, volunteers prepare for ban

SEATTLE - Airport officials and civil rights lawyers are getting ready for President Donald Trump's new travel ban mindful of the chaos that accompanied his initial executive order but hopeful the forthcoming version will be rolled out in a more orderly way.

Two women charged with murder of DPRK man

SEPANG, MALAYSIA - Two female suspects were charged on Wednesday with the murder of a man from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

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Vietnam eyes social housing for the poor

HO CHI MINH CITY - Whenever her suitor or coworkers call round, Vietnamese garment worker Nguyen Thi Loan struggles to make her 8-square-meter room look more spacious, and mutters "If only..."

Australian campuses 'covering up' rapes

SYDNEY - Australian universities have been accused of covering up sexual assaults, with experts warning that international students are at a heightened risk.