India records biggest single-day coronavirus infection spike with 78,761 new cases

India registered 78,761 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the biggest single-day spike in the world since the pandemic began, just as the government began easing restrictions to help the battered economy.

French authorities harden COVID-19 rules at Tour de France

French authorities have made it harder for Tour de France teams to reach the finish line in Paris by deciding they will be expelled from the race if two or more of their staff members test positive for COVID-19 within a week.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigns

Concerns about Abe's health began this summer and grew this month when he visited a Tokyo hospital two weeks in a row for unspecified health checkups.

Luxury yacht burns and sinks in the Mediterranean

Video footage shows a 155-foot yacht called the Lady MM burn and sink in the sea off the coast of Sardinia.

Scientists say Hong Kong man got coronavirus a second time

University of Hong Kong scientists claim to have the first evidence of someone being reinfected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Vacationers, migrants drive Italy's surge in COVID-19 cases

Sicily's governor has ordered all migrants to be transferred from the island by Monday, part of a push-back by Italian regions alarmed by last week's surge in COVID-19 cases.

India's coronavirus caseload tops 3 million as disease moves south

India's coronavirus caseload topped 3 million on Sunday, with the country leading the world in new infections as the disease marched through impoverished rural areas in the north and the wealthier but older populations of the south.  

3 men rescued from Pacific island after writing SOS in sand

Three men have been rescued from a tiny Pacific island after writing a giant SOS in the sand that was spotted from above.

Trump administration formally notifies United Nations of its demand to restore sanctions against Iran

None of the other council members believe the U.S. has the legal right to demand the re-imposition, or “snapback," of sanctions because President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018. As such, the demand is expected to further isolate the U.S. at the U.N. and test the Security Council’s credibility.

Greenland lost 586 billion tons of ice in record melt last year

“Not only is the Greenland ice sheet melting, but it’s melting at a faster and faster pace,” said study lead author Ingo Sasgen, a geoscientist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany.

Russia opposition candidate in coma after alleged poisoning

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is in a coma and on a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit after falling ill from suspected poisoning that his allies believe is linked to his political activity.

Amazon rainforest continues to burn in 2020 despite promises to save it

This year, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro pledged to control the burning. He imposed a four-month ban on most fires and sent in the army.

United States suspends extradition and tax agreements with Hong Kong

President Donald Trump already had determined that Hong Kong was no longer eligible for the continued preferential treatment that it enjoyed based on its autonomy following its reversion to Chinese rule in 1997. The three agreements cover the transfer of fugitives and convicted prisoners as well as reciprocal tax exemptions on income from international shipping.