US OKs 'heat-not burn' tobacco device

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of a "heat-not-burn" tobacco device, but warned it had not declared it safe to use.

Mass evacuations as monster cyclone targets eastern India

Nearly 800,000 people in eastern India have been evacuated from the expected path of a major cyclone packing winds up to 200 km/h and torrential rains, officials said on Thursday, Agence France-Presse reported.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Xi congratulates Japan's new emperor

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday congratulated Japan's new Emperor Naruhito on his succession to the throne.

Another US state ditches Columbus Day holiday

Maine has become the latest state in the United States to replace Columbus Day with "Indigenous Peoples' Day" to honor the country's original inhabitants - Native Americans - and not the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus who has been given credit for discovering America in 1492.

UN chief calls for restraint in Venezuela

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for "maximum restraint" in Venezuela to avoid violence and to restore calm.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Intl panel set to review 737 Max jet certification

The US Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, met with international aviation experts in Seattle on Monday to review the original certification of Boeing's 737 Max jetliner, grounded worldwide following two crashes that killed 346 people.

Historical threads: Morocco's last brocade master

FEZ, Morocco - Abdelkader Ouazzani, the last of Morocco's brocade master weavers, has been repeating the same gestures for 63 years in his dilapidated workshop in the heart of the old city of Fez.

Akihito abdicates as Japan marks end of era

Japanese Emperor Akihito, in the final remarks as his three-decade reign drew to a close, on Tuesday thanked people for their support and expressed hope for a peaceful future, Reuters reported.

UK study raises doubts about biodegradable bags

Some supposedly biodegradable plastic bags are still strong enough to carry shopping items after being exposed in air, soil or sea for three years, scientists in the United Kingdom have found.

IN BRIEF (Page 4)