World
Delta variant drives virus spread to three China provinces
China Thursday reported small coronavirus outbreaks driven by the Delta variant in three provinces as a cluster linked to an eastern airport spreads despite mass testing and a vaccination drive. The flareup, which began after nine workers at the Nanjing airport tested positive on July 20, has since seen 171… Read
CDC mask guidance met with hostility by leading Republicans
As he rallied conservatives on Wednesday, one of the Republican Party's most prominent rising stars mocked new government recommendations calling for more widespread use of masks to blunt a coronavirus surge. “Did you not get the CDC’s memo?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joked before an almost entirely unmasked audience of… Read
Macron: France owes 'debt' to Polynesians over nuclear tests
President Emmanuel Macron reasserted France’s presence in the Pacific on a visit to French Polynesia aimed in part at countering growing Chinese dominance in the region. The trip was also designed to underline the government's support for Polynesians, and heal wounds over nuclear testing on the atolls of the former… Read
Biden to launch vaccine push for millions of federal workers
Hoping to set a model for employers nationwide, President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that millions of federal workers must show proof they’ve received a coronavirus vaccine or submit to regular testing and stringent social distancing, masking and travel restrictions. An individual familiar with the president's plans, who spoke on… Read
U.S., Russia hold arms talks despite tensions
Senior diplomats from the United States and Russia held what the State Department described as “substantive and professional” talks on arms control and other strategic issues on Wednesday despite myriad other differences that have sent relations into a tailspin. The State Department said the discussions in Geneva produced no breakthroughs… Read
Countries in southeast Europe brace for heat wave
Authorities in several southeast European countries have issued weather warnings before a heat wave in the region expected Thursday that is set to push temperatures to as high as 43 C (109.4 F) in inland areas. Public health officials in North Macedonia on Wednesday said all six of the country’s… Read
Israeli lawmakers urge Ben & Jerry's to drop settlement ban
Three-quarters of the members of the Israeli parliament on Wednesday called on Ben & Jerry's to reverse its decision to stop selling ice cream in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. In a letter to the Vermont-based ice cream maker, the lawmakers said they were… Read
Violent arrest in Colorado reignites anger over policing
A video showing a police officer pistol-whipping and choking a Black man during an arrest in a Denver suburb has reignited anger over policing in the community, with activists on Wednesday decrying what they say is just the latest example of the mistreatment of people of color. Aurora Officer John… Read
Dutch unearth Roman canal, road near UNESCO heritage sites
Dutch archaeologists said on Wednesday they have unearthed a Roman canal and road near ancient military camps that were this week listed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites. The canal -- more than 10 meters wide -- and road were uncovered last week near the eastern city of Nijmegen,… Read
Peru's new president promises constitution change
Leftist Pedro Castillo was sworn in as Peru's fifth president in three years Wednesday on the 200th anniversary of the country's independence, promising an end to corruption and a new constitution. The 51-year-old rural schoolteacher, who has vowed to upend a quarter-century of neo-liberal government, enters the job with a… Read
