Mega-cruiser docks in US amid choppy economic waters
AFP - Saturday November 14, 10:02 AM
FORT LAUDERDALE , Florida (AFP) - The largest and most expensive cruise ship in the world arrived in Florida Friday, where it faces a challenge to fill its multitude of berths as Americans struggle to keep their heads above water.

High-energy alcoholic drinks under US spotlight
AFP - Saturday November 14, 08:50 AM
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Friday notified some 30 drinks manufacturers who combine alcohol and caffeine in their beverages that they must prove the products are safe.

'Let them eat vegetables', Bardot tells EU
AFP - Saturday November 14, 08:02 AM
PARIS (AFP) - Brigitte Bardot, one-time French screen goddess turned animal rights activist, wants the European Union to institute a "Vegetarian Day" as part of the battle against global warming.

Vienna exhibition explores gender in art from E.Europe
AFP - Saturday November 14, 06:48 AM
VIENNA (AFP) - A major new exhibition opened in the Austrian capital's MUMOK Museum of Modern Art Friday exploring the role of gender in art from eastern Europe since the 1960s.

Singapore chef breathes fresh air into APEC summit
AFP - Saturday November 14, 06:27 AM
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Singapore, a culinary melting pot that prides itself on spicy and pungent dishes, is cutting back on onions, garlic and chillies when it feeds Asia-Pacific leaders this weekend.

Reality TV show exposes racial divides in China
AFP - Saturday November 14, 06:27 AM
SHANGHAI (AFP) - Lou Jing sings Shanghai opera and speaks fluent Mandarin, but when she competed to be China's next reality TV pop star, it was not her voice that was criticised -- it was her black skin.

S.Korea district to host mass blind dates to boost birthrate
AFP - Saturday November 14, 06:27 AM
SEOUL (AFP) - Seoul's Gangnam district, South Korea's most prosperous area, has a single imperfection -- one of the country's lowest birthrates.

Shanghai to pay millions to make way for Disney: media
AFP - Saturday November 14, 06:21 AM
SHANGHAI (AFP) - The cost of relocating villagers to make way for the first phase of the planned Shanghai Disney Park is expected to reach six billion yuan (880 million dollars), state media said Friday.

First woman pilot joins Britain's Red Arrows
AFP - Saturday November 14, 05:56 AM
LONDON (AFP) - Britain's renowned Red Arrows aerobatic display team has presented its first woman pilot, ending a high-altitude all-male bastion.

US town nixes Christmas parade to avoid legal squabble
AFP - Friday November 13, 12:07 PM
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Officials in an Ohio town canceled their Christmas parade this year to avoid huge legal fees in defending the tradition from possible lawsuits by religious groups.