SOPHIE RHYS-JONES

From the crushing of Beijing’s 1989 pro-democracy protests to the suppression of Hong Kong’s opposition four decades later, China’s Communist Party has demonstrated a determination and ability to stay in power that is seemingly impervious to Western criticism.

Auction house Sotheby’s Dubai has unveiled a diamond that’s literally from out of this world.

This week’s new entertainment releases include a new album of rootsy rock from John Mellencamp, the return of puppet friends from “Fraggle Rock” and a virtual Sundance Film Festival where all the selections can be streamed.

Senior U.N. refugee agency and European Union officials are accusing Latvia, Lithuania and Poland of using questionable methods to keep out migrants trying to enter from Belarus.

The third-largest group in the European Parliament has called for the establishment of a committee to investigate abuses by European Union governments with powerful spyware produced by Israel’s NSO Group.

A week after a deadly tornado outbreak, families of the victims are still processing the terrible toll.

A grandfather who “stole the show” anytime he was around his grandchildren was among dozens of victims killed by tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South.

A clearer picture is emerging of some of the dozens of victims killed by tornadoes that ripped through five states in the Midwest and South.

They both carved out sterling reputations as military and political leaders over years of public service.

British airline easyJet says it's already seeing some impact on demand from the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in the days since it was first identified.

Human Rights Watch is asking leading sponsors of the Beijing Winter Olympics to explain why they remain largely silent about alleged human rights abuses in China with the Games opening there in just under three months.

Dean Stockwell, a top Hollywood child actor who gained new success in middle age, garnering an Oscar nomination for “Married to the Mob” and Emmy nominations for “Quantum Leap,” has died.

The son of a former al-Qaida hostage has struck back at criticism of her decision to return to the West African country where she was held for four years.

Malian authorities say they are actively searching for a French woman who spent four years as an al-Qaida hostage and who now has returned to the West African country despite being denied a visa.

Amid fallout from the Facebook Papers showing its failure to address the harms its social network has created around the world, Facebook on Monday reported higher profit for the latest quarter, buoyed by strong advertising revenue.

Mac, an alligator snapping turtle that lived at a botanical garden in Florida for more than 50 years, has died.

Facebook says it plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union over the next five years to work on a new computing platform.

Author Shannon Messenger can now see the end for her telepathic heroine Sophie and the million-selling middle-grade series “Keeper of the Lost Cities.”.

Kahleah Copper scored 21 points, Allie Quigley added 18 and the hot-shooting Chicago Sky opened the WNBA Finals with a 91-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury.

Following the resignation of the National Women’s Soccer League commissioner amid a sexual harassment and misconduct scandal involving a longtime coach, a three-woman executive committee has been formed to oversee league operations.

Nearly a year and a half after being abducted by Islamic extremists in Burkina Faso, Edith Blais risked her life to escape, fearing she’d never be free.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced measures to make the police more transparent about wrongdoings.

The U.N. AIDS agency has acknowledged in an internal email last week that the behavior of a former senior staffer toward women was “unacceptable” and was tolerated by an organizational culture which allowed misconduct.

State Fairs in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as the delta variant spreads across the country.

Britain’s police watchdog says it has launched an investigation into why a 22-year-old man who fatally shot five people in southwestern England was given back his confiscated gun and gun license.

The death of a 31-year-old woman who was shot and burned alive by her former husband has focused attention on the long-taboo subject of domestic violence among French police officers.

French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered all French health care workers to get virus vaccines by Sept. 15 and urged all of his compatriots to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Human Rights Watch says China’s government and its supporters have monitored, harassed and intimidated pro-democracy Chinese students living in Australia.

Most people wouldn’t volunteer to walk through a minefield.

A new report by the rights group Global Witness says Facebook’s recommendation algorithm amplifies military propaganda and other material that breaches the company’s own policies in Myanmar following the country’s military coup.

Retail sales in Britain slipped back in May as people ventured out to spend money at restaurants and pubs instead.

A panel of independent experts who reviewed the World Health Organization’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has published its final report, listing an array of recommendations about how the world can better prepare for another.

Germany has commemorated what would have been the 100th birthday of Sophie Scholl, a young woman who became an icon for her role in the anti-fascist “White Rose” resistance group.

The Ukrainian military says two soldiers have been killed and another wounded under fire from Russia-backed separatist rebels in the country’s east, where hostilities have increased sharply in recent months.

European lawmakers want to ensure that COVID-19 certificates aimed at facilitating travel across the European Union will be enough to move freely this summer.

Gov. Jay Inslee said Saturday that inoculations with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine can begin in Washington state following a review by scientific experts in a western states work group.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada has reached an agreement with Pfizer for 35 million COVID-19 booster doses for next year, and 30 million in 2023 with options for tens of millions more in future years.

The multimillion-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise is reaching for a younger demographic.

Vartan Gregorian, the noted scholar and philanthropic leader who led the Carnegie Corporation of New York since 1997, has died.

Coronavirus restrictions mean only 30 mourners will attend the funeral of Prince Philip on Saturday at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Prince Andrew says the death of Prince Philip has left a “huge void” in Queen Elizabeth II’s life, while Princess Anne paid tribute to her father as “my teacher, my supporter and my critic.”.

The topic of gender equality took center stage Wednesday in Brussels a day after Ursula von der Leyen, one the most powerful European Union’s executives, was treated like a second-rank official during a visit to the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Seven days a week, dozens of staffers feed the more than 8,000 animals in their care at the Florida Aquarium.

The Democratic governor is struggling through a sexual harassment scandal thats testing the limits of his partys support as Democrats grapple with their first political crisis of the post-Trump era. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK – Democrats across the country celebrated New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the face of governing competence as President Donald Trump fumbled his administration's response to the exploding pandemic last year. Both of New York's Democratic U.S. senators have publicly embraced the state attorney general's nascent investigation into Cuomo's behavior. While Democrats across the country are not rallying behind Cuomo, few are calling for him to step down.

The Democratic governor is struggling through a sexual harassment scandal thats testing the limits of his partys support as Democrats grapple with their first political crisis of the post-Trump era. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)NEW YORK – Democrats across the country celebrated New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the face of governing competence as President Donald Trump fumbled his administration's response to the exploding pandemic last year. Both of New York's Democratic U.S. senators have publicly embraced the state attorney general's nascent investigation into Cuomo's behavior. While Democrats across the country are not rallying behind Cuomo, few are calling for him to step down.

“They’re hopeful.”On this Valentine’s Day, Americans are searching for ways to celebrate love amid so much heartache and isolation as the coronavirus pandemic stretches past its year anniversary. After limiting restaurants to 25% capacity and 25 people per room, restaurants now must remain at 25% but they can serve as many as 50 per room. They are also this Valentine’s Day willing to do something else over a weekend where the high temperature will reach the teens and the low will plummet well below zero. AdIn Portland, a couple married 55 years has special Valentine’s Day plans. “That’s Valentine’s Day!” her father exclaimed and smiled at his wife.

Corroon, now 20, has struggled with her mental health since fourth grade, and she’s not alone. The portion of children's emergency-room visits related to mental health was 44% higher in 2020, compared with the year before. Plotnick said mental health days can be even more effective when paired with mental health services in schools. In Oregon, students are given five excused absences every three months, and those can be either physical sick days or mental health days. Part of her routine is taking a step back to prioritize her mental health — a chance she says other kids deserve, too.

NEW YORK – Jan Morris, the celebrated journalist, historian, world traveler and fiction writer who in middle age became a pioneer of the transgender movement, has died at 94. Morris died in Wales on Friday morning, according to her literary representative, United Agents. The British author lived as James Morris until the early 1970s, when she underwent surgery at a clinic in Casablanca and renamed herself Jan Morris. Morris went on to receive praise for her immersive travel writing, with Venice and Trieste among the favored locations, and for her “Pax Britannica” histories about the British empire, a trilogy begun as James Morris and concluded as Jan Morris. Born James Humphrey Morris in Somerset, with a Welsh father and English mother, Morris remembered questioning her gender by age 4.

He was so ready,” said his mother Rontunda Moran, sitting in her apartment with her husband Kevin Moran, both wearing T-shirts bearing Jaquan's face. Nearby are life-size photos of Jaquan flashing what Kevin Moran called the “million dollar smile” that he loved so much. Unbeknownst to his family, Jaquan had an enlarged heart that made him more susceptible to the virus. As a junior at Sophie B. Wright High School, Jaquan played cornerback on the football team. Kevin Moran said he found Jaquan on the phone one day talking to a U.S. military recruiter and asked the teenager why.

Yet in public, the U.N. health agency lauded governments for their responses. Instead, the health agency relies on behind-the-scenes talks and the cooperation of member states. Critics say WHO’s traditional aversion to confronting its member countries has come at a high price. WHO also complained in private about Western countries hoarding scarce pandemic supplies. Going forward, WHO’s role in the continued unfolding of the pandemic will depend in part on the panel review.

(AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)BRUSSELS Museums are starting to reopen in some countries as governments ease coronavirus restrictions, but experts warn one in eight worldwide could face permanent closure due to the pandemic. Studies by UNESCO and the International Council of Museums show 90% of the planet's museums, some 85,000 institutions, have had to shut at least temporarily. He said the problem cuts across the board, affecting museums big and small, new and established, featuring art or science. Museums that indicated they might well not reopen, he said, have been closed for months and they have no revenues. Nearly 13% of museums around the world may never reopen, UNESCO and ICOM said in a joint statement, saying those in poorer countries faced a greater risk.