Thailand begins 5-day funeral for King Bhumibol

BANGKOK - Thailand on Wednesday began an elaborate five-day funeral for King Bhumibol Adulyadej with his son, the new monarch, performing Buddhist merit-making rites in preparation for moving Bhumibol's remains to a spectacular golden crematorium.

UN fails to extend Syria gas attacks probe

UNITED NATIONS - Russia on Tuesday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution that would have extended the term of an independent panel of investigators probing who was behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Einstein's hotel note fetches auction record

JERUSALEM - While Albert Einstein's theory of happiness may be relative, it fetched $1.56 million at a Jerusalem auction on Tuesday.

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US, Russia call for talks with Kurds

BAGHDAD - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that Washington was keen on dialogue between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdish region to solve recent tensions.

Peking Opera strikes a chord in London

LONDON - With lavishly embroidered costumes, elaborate makeup and acrobatics, the China National Peking Opera Company performed Mei Lanfang's masterpiece The Phoenix Returns Home on Sunday to mark the 123rd anniversary since his birth.

ASEAN will step up counterterrorism measures

CLARK, the Philippines - Defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states have agreed to step up counterterrorism measures to prevent pro-Islamic State militant groups from gaining a stronghold in Southeast Asia.

The forgotten history of Rodin's Napoleon, found in a New Jersey meeting room

WASHINGTON - Napoleon Bonaparte and Auguste Rodin are both household names, but a bust of the French emperor created by the master sculptor faded into oblivion in a town in the United States, only to be discovered by chance.

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Abe's ruling bloc wins big in election

Japan's ruling coalition Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito has grabbed a two-thirds majority - or 384 seats of the 465-seats Lower House of the country's parliament, or Diet, in Sunday's election.

Egypt's Sisi vows to quash terrorism

CAIRO - In his first remarks after a deadly attack on the country's police force, Egypt's president vowed on Sunday to press ahead with the country's war against terrorism, secure its borders and hunt down militants.

Pilot revives crashed plane as museum

KATHMANDU - A Turkish Airlines plane that crash landed at Kathmandu airport two years ago will be welcoming ticket holders on board again - not for a flight but as the Nepali capital's first aviation museum.