Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who guided country's economic rise, dies at 96

Jiang Zemin led China out of isolation after the army crushed the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and supported economic reforms that led to a decade of explosive growth.

China’s meticulous contact tracing pinpoints jogger amid recent COVID-19 outbreak

Patient zero had gone on a 35-minute jog in a local park without a mask and ended up exposing 2,836 people to the virus, 39 of whom tested positive, health officials said.

Stowaways survive 11-day voyage to Canary Islands aboard tanker's rudder

Three dehydrated and hypothermic stowaways were found on a ship's rudder in the Canary Islands after an 11-day, 2,800-mile ocean voyage from Nigeria.

'We're coming out aggressive': USA knows only scoring will get job done vs. Iran

The missed opportunities against the Welsh and the English — the U.S. outplayed both opponents for long stretches of those matches — puts Gregg Berhalter's squad in a tricky situation heading into their group-stage finale.

China's Xi Jinping faces threat from public anger over 'zero COVID' policy

Most protesters focused their anger on COVID-19 restrictions that confine families to their homes for months and have been criticized as neither scientific nor effective.

WHO renames monkeypox as 'mpox,' citing racism concerns

The World Health Organization said it was concerned by the “racist and stigmatizing language” that arose after monkeypox spread to more than 100 countries.

Photos: Monkeys in central Thailand mark their day with feast

While the entertainment value of the festival is high, organizers are quick to point out that it's not just monkey business.

At least 12 people missing after landslide in Italy

The force of the mud sliding down mountainsides was strong enough to send cars and buses into the sea.

Russian Duma gives anti-LGBTQ 'propaganda' bill final approval

The bill would significantly expand restrictions on activities seen as promoting gay rights in Russia, another step in a years-long crackdown on the country's embattled LGBTQ community.

Celtic gold coins stolen from German museum in stunning heist

The 9-minute job seemed straight out of a Hollywood movie. In order to avoid triggering the alarm, the thieves cut telecommunications cables which caused internet and telephone outages throughout the area.

Ukraine works to restore power after bruising Russian attack

About 70% of the Ukrainian capital was left without power, Kyiv's mayor said Thursday, a day after Moscow unleashed yet another devastating missile and drone barrage on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Europe's space agency picks first disabled astronaut recruit

John McFall, a 41-year-old British former Paralympian who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 19, called his selection “a real turning point and mark in history.”

Germany players cover mouths at World Cup in FIFA protest

Germany's players covered their mouths for their team photo before their opening World Cup match in an apparent rebuke of FIFA’s clampdown on plans to wear armbands to protest discrimination in host nation Qatar.

Workers at virus-hit iPhone factory in China beaten, detained after protests

Videos and postings on Chinese social media showed people in masks confronting police. One person was hit in the head with a club and another was taken away with his arms held behind his back.

US officials confirm Iranian drone bombed oil tanker linked to Israeli billionaire

The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon last Tuesday off the coast of Oman appears to be part of the long-running shadow war between Israel and its archenemy Iran.