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Big foreign brands like Apple have fought to get a strong foothold in the country, despite significant barriers. With 1.4 billion consumers, China is a market so potentially lucrative that many companies simply can't afford to ignore it.

In Venezuela, you need to be lucky to get groceries, or have connections and cash. A lot of cash.

Pope Francis has created a commission to study the historical role of female deacons in the Catholic Church, the Vatican's press office said.

From Caribbean beaches to snow-capped mountains, the country has it all. It has the largest proven oil reserves in the world. Many in a thriving professional class left the country when Hugo Chavez took power in 1999, but the early years of his rule saw a massive reduction in poverty, more children in school, and greater access to clean drinking water.

China has sent a clear warning to foreigners who enter contested areas of the South China Sea -- stay away or you'll be prosecuted.

With its stunning peaks, beaches and city skyline, Rio de Janiero should provide the perfect setting for Olympic sailing.

Dotted with small islands, reefs and shoals, the South China Sea is home to a string of messy territorial disputes that pit multiple countries against each other.

Many of Europe's top banks have lost half their value in a year, and the stock market rout continues.

The 27th African Union Summit in Kigali showcased a city on the rise.

Venezuela's opposition has begun a process to oust unpopular leader Nicolas Maduro by a referendum well ahead of the end of his term in office.

Aleppo was once a bustling economic hub and a cultural destination, surrounded by ancient architecture and relics.

An investigation has been launched after pictures posted on social media appear to show a child inside a rhino enclosure at Dublin Zoo.

The United States has expanded its airstrikes against ISIS into Libya, bombing targets in the coastal city of Sirte, U.S. officials said Monday.

UNESCO has placed five World Heritage Sites in Libya on its list of locations in danger, citing "damage caused by the conflict affecting the country and the threat of further damage it poses."

On what appears to be a residential street on the outskirts of Havana, the tan building with a guard gate seems out of place.

Jabhat al-Nusra, one of the biggest jihadist groups in Syria, has cut its ties with al Qaeda, and changed its name.

The killing happened in broad daylight.

A prominent Chinese human rights lawyer has been released on bail after she appeared to confess in a video published online.

Hundreds of trains and flights have been canceled in cities across southern China as Typhoon Nida barrels toward land after battering the Philippines over the weekend.

The Taliban took credit for an explosion that targeted a Kabul, Afghanistan, hotel early Monday, the latest in a series of bombing attacks seeking to destabilize the war-torn nation.