Iran-backed hackers accused of targeting US with ransomware, other cyber threats

An advisory issued by officials in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia warns that hackers linked to the Iranian government have been targeting a “broad range of victims” inside the U.S. with ransomware and other malicious cyber activity.

Brazil's Amazon rainforest deforestation surges to worst levels in 15 years, data shows

The area deforested in Brazil’s Amazon region reached a 15-year record after a 22% increase from the prior year, according to official data published Thursday.

Peng Shuai: Doubts over China tennis star's email raise safety concerns

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, not seen in public since she accused a former top government official of sexual assault, purportedly sent an email claiming she was safe and that the allegation was false.

Biden, Trudeau kick off North American summit with in-person meeting

President Joe Biden kicked off the North American Leaders Summit on Thursday with a one-on-one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Germany implements new COVID-19 measures amid coronavirus surge

Germany has approved new measures to rein in record coronavirus infections as Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the pandemic situation in the country “really worrying” and demanded “consequent action” to contain the spread of the virus.

Blinken arrives in Kenya to boost US response to regional crises

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first official visit to Africa in Kenya amid worsening crises in neighboring Ethiopia and Sudan.

US to invest billions in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing to boost world supply

The Biden administration is making billions of dollars available to drugmakers to scale up domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines to share with the world.

Callers to helplines around the world voiced similar pandemic worries

A study on calls to crisis helplines in 19 countries shows a striking similarity in the pandemic's toll on mental health. Fears of infection, loneliness and physical health were the main concerns voiced in the pandemic's early weeks.

Frida Kahlo's 'Diego y yo' self-portrait sells for record $34.9 million

Frida Kahlo’s “Diego y yo,” one of the artist’s final self-portraits, sold this week for a record $34.9 million at Sotheby’s in New York City.

Bird flu cases reported in Europe and Asia, raising alert for global poultry industry

Health experts are concerned about the pandemic potential of avian flu and the global poultry industry has been put on high alert following recent reported cases of the virus among birds in Europe and Asia.

Russia rejects blame for space debris endangering 7 astronauts aboard ISS

U.S. officials accused Russia of destroying an old satellite with a missile. Astronauts now face four times greater risk than normal, a NASA official said.

Pfizer signs deal to let other companies make its COVID-19 pill

Pfizer has signed a deal with a U.N.-backed group to allow other manufacturers to make its experimental COVID-19 pill in an effort to expand access.

Biden-Xi meeting: Leaders try to tamp down US-China tension with summit

President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping held a more than three-hour virtual talk, concluding that they need to tread carefully amid fraught competition.

Liverpool explosion: UK says taxi blast was a bomb, raises threat level

U.K. police say an explosion in a taxi outside a Liverpool hospital that killed the suspected bombmaker is being treated as a terrorist incident.

Protesters say Facebook incites violence against Muslims

Demonstrators want Meta, aka Facebook, to remove hateful speech, identify dangerous groups, moderate posts, and invest resources in stopping violence.

U.S. journalist Danny Fenster freed from Myanmar with ex-diplomat's help

After being sentenced to 11 years of hard labor just days ago, a former U.S. Ambassador said Danny Fenster was handed to him in Myanmar and would return to the U.S. over the next day and a half.

Biden to hold virtual summit with China's Xi Jinping Monday

Biden looks to stress that the two nations need to set guardrails in deepening areas of conflict in the increasingly complicated relationship between the two nations.

Former Japanese princess arrives in US with commoner husband

Mako Komuro, the Japanese princess who gave up her royal status to marry her commoner college sweetheart, has arrived in New York.