US aims to secure Kabul airport for departures, nations call for safe passage

U.S. officials say they are taking steps to secure Kabul’s international airport to enable the safe departure of thousands of U.S. and allied personnel from Afghanistan by way of civilian and military flights.

Study suggests lambda variant could evade COVID-19 vaccine protection

A study published July 28 on bioRxiv by researchers in Japan found concerning data that suggests the lambda coronavirus variant may evade protection from current COVID-19 vaccines.

Ducey calls for Mayorkas' resignation after leaked border crisis audio

"We can't have a defeatist fighting for our nation's border security. It's time for Sec. Mayorkas to resign, and he needs to be replaced with someone who will tell the truth publicly & stand up to the radical activists inside the Biden-Harris administration," Ducey tweeted Friday after Fox News first reported on the leaked audio.

Taliban seizes 4 more cities in sweep across southern Afghanistan

The Taliban has taken half of Afghanistan’s 34 provincial capitals in recent days, including its second- and third-largest cities, Herat and Kandahar.

Wildfire smoke reaches North Pole for 1st time in recorded history

Smoke from dozens of wildfires burning in Russia reached the North Pole for the first time in recorded history, NASA said.

Carnival Vista: 27 people aboard cruise ship test positive for COVID-19

The COVID-19 cases were among 26 crew members and one passenger on the Carnival Vista cruise ship, which arrived Wednesday in Belize, officials said.

Tropical Depression Fred likely to strengthen as it tracks toward Florida

Tropical Depression Fred is heading for a drenching of Cuba and the Bahamas on a forecast track that would carry it toward south Florida as a tropical storm by Saturday.

SoCal dad who killed his 2 kids with spear gun in Mexico was QAnon-obsessed, FBI says

Matthew Taylor Coleman is accused of killing his 2-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter in Mexico with a spear gun because he believed they would become monsters, authorities said.

Study finds COVID-19 booster dose helps protect transplant patients

A third dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine improved protection for organ transplant recipients, Canadian researchers reported this week.

Tropical Storm Fred makes landfall in Dominican Republic

Tropical Storm Fred has made landfall in the Dominican Republic, with forecasters warning that heavy rains could cause dangerous flooding and mudslides there and in the neighboring country of Haiti.