Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., center, talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday before attending a closed, all-senators briefing on the coronavirus. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield and Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the infectious disease unit of the National Institutes of Health, briefed U.S. senators on the spread of coronavirus.

Tennessee student tests negative for coronavirus

Three cases have been diagnosed in the United States, one each in Washington state, Chicago and, as of late Saturday night, Southern California.

Today at 2:37 AM

Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Public Health, speaks at a news conference, Friday, Jan. 24, 2020, in Chicago. A Chicago woman has become the second U.S. patient diagnosed with the dangerous new virus from China, health officials announced Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. The patient is doing well and remains hospitalized "primarily for infection control," said Dr. Arwady said. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Virus

Chicago woman is second U.S. patient with new virus from China

A Chicago woman has become the second U.S. patient diagnosed with the dangerous new virus from China, health officials announced Friday.

Jan 24, 2020 at 3:15 PM

A box of masks imported from Japan sits inside a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan, China on Wednesday. The number of cases following the outbreak of a new coronavirus has risen to over 400 in China and the death toll to nine, state health authorities said Wednesday.

Coronavirus

What to know about the viral outbreak in China

Health authorities are closely watching an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a new virus that originated in China.

Jan 22, 2020 at 2:40 AM

Malawi villagers, shown here, often face hunger due to not having a sustainable water source. The irrigation project aims to change that.

Scott County

“Water is their lifeline”: Scott Rotary continues fundraising for irrigation project in Africa

Struck by the poverty and hunger in the country, particularly in the Kaziwo community, the Lanes felt they had to do something to help. That led to a partnership with the Rotary Club of Scott County, which agreed to raise money for an irrigation project in Kaziwo.

Jan 19, 2020 at 12:00 PM

In this photo taken earlier this month and provided by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Wollemi Pines tower above the forest floor in Wollemi National Park, New South Wales, Australia.

Australia wildfires

Aussie firefighters save world's only 'dinosaur trees'

Specialist firefighters in Australia have saved the world’s last remaining wild stand of a prehistoric trees from wildfires that razed forests west of Sydney.

Jan 16, 2020 at 3:35 AM

In this Nov. 1, 2019, fphoto, flames from a backfire consume a hillside as firefighters battle the Maria Fire in Santa Paula, Calif. The decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported Wednesday.

climate change

2010s by far the hottest decade on record

The decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record, two U.S. agencies reported Wednesday.

Jan 16, 2020 at 2:52 AM

Debris from a Ukrainian plane crash in Shahedshahr southwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, is shown Wednesday.

Ukrainian International Airlines

Iran admits it shot down jetliner by mistake

Iran on Saturday acknowledged that its armed forces “unintentionally” shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week after the government had repeatedly denied Western accusations that it was responsible.

Jan 11, 2020 at 3:56 AM

Dr. Patrick Brown — founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, the California plant-based meat company — unveils Impossible Pork and Impossible Sausage during a news conference Monday prior to the CES tech show in Las Vegas. Dr. Brown is also a professor emeritus in Stanford's Biochemistry Department at the School of Medicine.

CES tech show

Impossible Foods unveils plant-based pork, sausage

After a big year for its plant-based burger, Impossible Foods has something new on its plate.

Jan 7, 2020 at 1:29 AM

The sun rises on Notre Dame cathedral n Paris on Sunday. Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who is overseeing the reconstruction of the cathedral, told French broadcaster CNews that 'the cathedral is still in a state of peril' after last year's fire, which destroyed its roof and collapsed its spire.

France

Notre Dame Cathedral still in 'state of peril'

The French general overseeing the reconstruction of fire-devastated Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is not saved yet because there’s still a risk its vaulted ceilings might collapse.

Jan 5, 2020 at 3:30 PM

In this image made from video taken on Dec. 22 and provided by Oakbank Balhannah CFS, a koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia.

Australia wildfires

Thousands of koalas feared dead in wildfires

Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia’s iconic marsupial.

Dec 28, 2019 at 4:50 AM

Monitors are illuminated in the NORAD Tracks Santa center at Peterson Air Force Base on Monday in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Operation NORAD Tracks Santa

It takes a tech village to track Santa on Christmas Eve

For the 64th time, a wildly popular program run by the U.S. and Canadian militaries is providing real-time updates on Santa’s progress to millions around the globe.

Dec 24, 2019 at 12:30 PM

Village women in Malawi prepare to water crops by hand.

Fundraiser

Gate City students fundraise for irrigation project in Malawi

Students in the Earth Science II class have been studying water quality in the U.S. and the world and researching alternative energy resources for areas of drought and starvation. Their instructor, Dawn Williams, recently invited Roger and Earline Lane to share their experiences with the class from their mission trips to Malawi.

Dec 9, 2019 at 2:02 PM

Russia

Anti-doping agency imposes four-year ban on Russia

Russia was slapped Monday with a four-year ban from international sports events, including next summer's Tokyo Olympics, over a longstanding doping scandal, although its athletes will still be able to compete if they can show they are clean competitors.

Dec 9, 2019 at 10:17 AM

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrives for a news conference at the COP25 summit in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. A last-minute venue change and talk of climate tipping points are adding some unplanned drama to this year’s international talks on tackling global warming in Madrid. (AP Photo/Paul White)

climate change

UN chief warns of 'point of no return' on climate change

Speaking before the start Monday of a two-week international climate conference in Madrid, the U.N. chief said the impact of rising temperatures — including more extreme weather — is already being felt around the world, with dramatic consequences for humans and other species.

Dec 2, 2019 at 10:38 AM

A wooden relic believed to be from Jesus' manger is seen in the Church of the Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Saturday.

Holy Land

Relic thought to be from Jesus’ manger arrives in Bethlehem

Cheerful crowds greeted the ornately encased relic with much fanfare before it entered the Franciscan Church of St. Catherine next to the Church of the Nativity, the West Bank holy site where tradition says Jesus was born.

Dec 1, 2019 at 3:49 AM