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A hiker gazes 3,000 feet down to the Colorado River at Toroweap Overlook in Grand Canyon National Park. A parks advocacy group says the Grand Canyon region has lost 120,000 visitors and $11 million in visitor spending since the government shutdown began.

Report: Parks Shutdown Saps $750 Million In Visitor Spending

A dozen of the busiest and biggest U.S. national parks have lost some 7 million visitors because of the partial government shutdown. That's costing the parks and nearby communities tens of millions of dollars a day and potentially hundreds of jobs, according to a new report.

The annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank began Thursday in Washington amid a partial government shutdown. Many delegates are concerned that the U.S. budget impasse may threaten global economic stability.

At Global Gathering, Many Worry About U.S. Strength

At the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., many foreign economists and finance ministers are dismayed by the political battles that they say threaten U.S. economic strength and stability.

Scout Leaders Who Toppled Ancient Rock May Face Charges

A video posted online shows a man destroying the rock formation in Goblin Valley, Utah. The "rock mushroom" field the men were in dates back nearly 200 million years to the Jurassic Period.

Tara Heaton (left) and Crystal Mayfield with guide Fred Williams at a women's antelope hunt in Wyoming. Before the event, both women had hunted almost exclusively with male relatives, not other women.

Enthusiasts Encourage More Women To Give Hunting A Shot

Hunting is a popular U.S. pastime, but most hunters are male. A women's foundation in Wyoming is trying to change that through mentorship and a new women's hunting competition. The sport isn't just fun, the group says; it's also a good way for mothers to put food on the table.

Activists march during an anti-rape rally on June 18 in Kolkata, India.

Rape Widespread Across Asia-Pacific, U.N. Survey Says

The survey of 10,000 men in six Asian and Pacific countries found nearly 1 in 4 men reported raping a woman. The results of the survey were released the same day a court in New Delhi convicted four men of the rape and murder that shocked India last December.

A Bangladeshi woman holds a photograph of a relative missing in the Rana Plaza building collapse, as she participates in a protest in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday. Protesters demanded a minimum monthly salary of $103 and compensation for the victims and injured in the building collapse in April that killed more than 1,000 people.

No Deal On Bangladesh Garment Factory Compensation Fund

At a meeting in Geneva, companies failed to set up a compensation fund for victims of the April disaster — the worst in the industry's history. Only one company announced compensation, and of the 20 invited for the meeting, nine turned up. One critic said the meeting lacked "clarity around objectives."

Teenagers put in more than two hours a day of TV time on average, still more than what pediatricians say is healthy.

Teens Curb Sodas And TV, But More Work Needed In Obesity Fight

After a decade of pressure from schools, parents and public health officials, teenagers do seem to be doing a wee bit better when it comes to eating fruits and vegetables and cutting back on sugary drinks. But they've got a long way to go to be considered healthy eaters.

Proposed legislation in France would ban pageants for the under-16 set, such as this "Mini-Miss" elegance beauty contest for 10-to-12-year-olds, held in Bobigny, near Paris, a year ago.

France Moves To Say 'Mais Non' To Honey Boo Boos

Outrage in the U.S. over a French photo spread featuring a seductively arrayed 10-year-old model helped spur proposed legislation to ban child beauty pageants in France. That's ironic considering how popular, prevalent and lucrative the American child, or "glitz," beauty pageant industry is.

Courts in Tucson, Ariz., are turning to private lawyers to represent clients who would have had public defenders.

Cutting Public Defenders Can Cost Federal Government More

With the sequester, the Public Defender's Office in Tucson, Ariz., has lost a quarter of its staff. But everyone is entitled to legal representation, so judges are appointing expensive private attorneys in the public defenders' place.

Afghanistan and Pakistan, countries that have a history of tense relations, played their first soccer match in nearly 40 years when they met Aug. 20 in Kabul. Afghanistan (in red) won 3-0.

For Pakistan And Afghanistan, Soccer As Reconciliation

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense for years. A recent soccer game seemed to ease the friction, at least temporarily.

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