The Associated Press

A destructive winter storm marched across the U.S., delivering blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains hours after tornadoes touched down in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and in Louisiana.

Australia has signed a new security deal with island nation Vanuatu as part of an ongoing competition with China for influence in the Pacific.

China's National Health Commission is scaling down its daily COVID-19 report starting Wednesday after a sharp decline in PCR testing even though daily cases are hitting record highs.

The boyfriend of Breonna Taylor who fired a shot at police as they burst through Taylor's door the night she was killed has settled two lawsuits against the city of Louisville, his attorneys said.

Mauna Loa, the world's largest volcano, began spewing molten rock Nov. 27 after being quiet for 38 years. Lava-viewers enjoyed the rare marvel of being able to see Kilauea erupting at the same time.

Although the study authors say the results can't be used to gauge drug use on the roads nationwide, the high number of drivers, passengers and others with drugs in their systems is concerning.

A French court convicted eight people charged in connection with a truck attack more than six years ago by an Islamic State sympathizer that killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice.

A massive storm blowing across the country spawned tornadoes that wrecked homes and injured a handful of people in parts of Oklahoma and Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

China advised its citizens in Afghanistan to leave the country "as soon as possible," following a coordinated attack by Islamic State militants on a Chinese-owned hotel in the heart of Kabul.

Soldiers from India and China clashed last week along their disputed border, India's defense minister said. The Indian army said troops on both sides suffered minor injuries.

Six other younger BTS members are to join the military in coming years one after another, meaning that the world's biggest boy band must take a hiatus, likely for a few years.

Some Chinese universities say they will allow students to finish the semester from home in hopes of reducing the potential of a bigger COVID-19 outbreak during the January Lunar New Year travel rush.