US marks 9/11 with resolve, tears and hope

NEW YORK - The United States commemorated 9/11 on Monday with tear-streaked tributes, a presidential warning to terrorists and appeals from victims' relatives for unity and hope 16 years after the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil.

UK lawmakers back key Brexit bill

LONDON - The British government's bid to remove European Union law in time for Brexit has passed its first parliamentary test.

Union out of crisis mode but focus falls on China's role

Last September when European Parliament members held their first plenary after the summer break, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker delivered a gloomy speech, saying the 28-member bloc was in "existential crisis".

Songhe villagers build 9-kilometer 'great green wall' to protect homes

Shi Shuzhu, former Party chief of Songhe village, Minqin county in Gansu province, spent half a century leading his village in planting trees to fend of sandstorms and desertification. They built a 9-kilometer "green great wall" around the village, helping to turn it into a prosperous place. Today, the village looks like a green leaf in the vast desert, preventing the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts from devouring it.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Chinese investment 'not a threat'

THASSALONIKI, Greece - Chinese investment in Europe should be seen as an opportunity instead of a threat, senior representatives of news agencies said on Sunday during a New Silk Road Forum.

Greece benefits from cooperation

China is a power with a strategic plan and Greece can only benefit from bilateral cooperation, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Sunday.

Russia urges dialogue to solve Gulf crisis

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Arab countries and Qatar should enter into direct talks to solve a diplomatic dispute, Russia's foreign minister said on a trip to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, urging all parties to restore regional unity.

Muddy adventure at biggest off-road race

HANOI, Vietnam - Swapping his office garb for driving gear, businessman Vu Minh Hung readies for Vietnam's largest amateur offroad race, a mud-soaked adventure in the nation where professional auto sport is nonexistent.

Australian researchers say they can stop melanoma spreading

SYDNEY - Researchers say a combination of new treatments can stop the world's deadliest form of skin cancer - melanoma - in its tracks and halt its spread to other organs.

Seoul sees peninsula nuke issue a long-term challenge

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's top diplomat on Monday saw the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula as the biggest long-term challenge as it takes time to achieve the goal of a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

Weakened Irma lashes Florida with wind, rain

TAMPA, Florida - A massive but weakened Hurricane Irma zeroed in on the Tampa Bay region on Monday after hammering much of Florida with roof-ripping winds, gushing floodwaters and widespread power outages.