'Stupid idea' propels run along ancient Silk Road

The world today is enough to make some people want to get up and just run to the ends of the Earth, so that's what Kai Markus decided to do.

Mystery persists over Pentagon UFO program

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon acknowledged on Saturday that its long-secret UFO investigation program ended in 2012, when United States defense officials shifted attention and funding to other priorities.

Firearms drive nets hundreds of guns

SAN FRANCISCO - Almost 280 firearms were handed over in a guns-for-cash campaign on Saturday, the event's organizer said via its official Twitter account.

Japan orders probe of train network after first 'red flag'

TOKYO - Japan's Transport Minister Keiichi Ishii ordered the five Japan Railways companies that operate the network to conduct an urgent inspection of all 4,800 bullet trains in service nationwide.

Flops center stage at failure exhibition

LOS ANGELES - Once cast aside as a cringe-worthy mistake, "Colgate Lasagna" has at last found fame... as a top flop at the Museum of Failure.

Debt risks of central SOEs under control

Debt risks at China's centrally administered State-owned enterprises are under control as the government has taken various measures to reduce the debt ratio, the State assets regulator said on Friday.

China Telecom sets up 2 units

China Telecommunications Corp, the country's third largest telecom carrier by mobile subscribers, has set up two investment units to manage assets worth more than 80 billion yuan ($12 billion) and develop new growth engines from internet of things, smart homes and other sectors.

IN BRIEF (Page 10)

Countries sign up to ocean plastic pledge

NAIROBI, Kenya - Nearly 200 countries signed a United Nations resolution in Nairobi on Wednesday to eliminate plastic pollution in the sea, a move some delegates hoped would pave the way to a legally binding treaty.

'Blade runner' prosthetics put spring in maimed dog's step

PHUKET, Thailand - Just over a year after he was maimed for gnawing on someone's shoes, Cola is romping across a beach on new sleek paws: Curved "blade runner" prosthetics modeled on those used by Paralympian sprinters.

UK child laws offer template for China

Britain's comprehensive laws and its welfare system are crucial in the protection of children enrolled in early-years education, said the founder of the United Kingdom's first Chinese-English nursery school.

Big success for Japan's cute capsule toys

TOKYO - A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: Just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multimillion-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan.