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FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, greets International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach at an event welcoming IOC members ahead of the upcoming Winter Olympics at the Rus Hotel, Feb. 4, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. The International Olympic Committee has always been political, from the sheikhs and royals in its membership to a seat at the United Nations to pushing for peace talks between the Koreas. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine three weeks ago exposed its irreconcilable claims of “political neutrality.” (AP Photo/David Goldman, Pool, File)
Russia invasion upends Olympic 'neutrality' — if it existed

By Stephen Wade Mar. 15, 2022 12:07 AM EDT

A staff prepares for the arrival of Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, for the Olympic Truce Mural ceremony at the Olympic Village ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2022, in Beijing. (Wang Zhao/Pool Photo via AP)
EXPLAINER: What in the world is the Olympic Truce?

By Mallika Sen Feb. 08, 2022 10:10 AM EST

FILE - Finland's Leo Komarov speaks with referees during the Channel One Cup ice hockey match between Russia and Finland in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021. Leo Komarov is expected to play for Finland at the Olympics after the NHL decided not to send players to Beijing. Komarov played in the NHL as recently as October, and he and the New York Islanders agreed to mutually terminate his contract in November.(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Olympics Live: US diplomat says human rights should be focus

Feb. 05, 2022 09:23 PM EST

FILE - Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin enter a hall for talks in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. The U.S., Britain and a handful of others aren’t sending dignitaries to the Beijing Games as part of a diplomatic boycott, but the Chinese capital is still attracting an array of world leaders for Friday’s opening ceremony. Russia’s athletes will be competing under a neutral flag, but the presence of Putin, an enthusiastic skier and hockey player, will reinforce that they are the Russian national team in all but name and soothe wounded national pride. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool, File)
World leaders: Who's coming, who isn't to Beijing Olympics

Feb. 03, 2022 09:43 PM EST

FILE - Demonstrators hold placards and flags during a demonstration outside the Chinese embassy in London on Dec. 9, 2021. The location of the Winter Olympics in Beijing is certain to draw global attention to acts of genocide against the Uyghur people committed by the Chinese government. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
As Olympics open, Uyghurs set to take rights case to court

By Stephen Wade Dec. 13, 2021 11:38 PM EST

A visitor to the Shougang Park walks past the a sculpture for the Beijing Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. China on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, threatened to take "firm countermeasures" if the U.S. proceeds with a diplomatic boycott of February's Beijing Winter Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
China dismisses UK, Canada Olympic boycott as 'farce'

Dec. 09, 2021 06:05 AM EST

Climate activists unfurl a large banner reading "Code Red" across the street outside the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum as the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
UN climate conference urges sports bodies to hit green goals

Nov. 03, 2021 02:49 PM EDT

Suga Yoshihide, Prime Minister of Japan, remotely addresses the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in a pre-recorded message, Friday Sept. 24, 2021, at UN headquarters. (Peter Foley/Pool Photo via AP)
Japan's leader says Olympics were 'symbol of global unity'

By Jennifer Peltz Sep. 24, 2021 04:08 PM EDT

Members of the Refugee Paralympic Team listen to a message sent to them by Alphonso Davies who is a refugee playing professional football for Bayern Munich during a press conference ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. (Josh Toth for OIS via AP)
Afghanistan flag to be displayed in Paralympic ceremony

Aug. 23, 2021 07:21 AM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 3, 2021, file photo, activists wearing masks of the IOC President Thomas Bach and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose in front of the Olympic Rings during a street protest against the holding of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, in Dharmsala, India. The IOC has declined several recent requests to move the Olympics out of Beijing. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia, File)
Beijing Games: Sports coverage fine, other things maybe not

By Stephen Wade Aug. 02, 2021 02:24 AM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, May 24, 2021 file photo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of the World Health Organization said Thursday, July 15 that he is asking China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus and acknowledged it was premature to rule out that the pandemic may have been linked to a laboratory leak. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)
WHO leader says virus risk inevitable at Tokyo Olympics

By Graham Dunbar Jul. 20, 2021 10:37 PM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday June 24, 2021, European Council President Charles Michel, left, greets Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels. The government of Luxembourg said Monday June 28, 2021, that Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in isolation for 10 days. (AP Photo/Olivier Matthys, FILE)
The Latest: Hong Kong to ban flights from UK to curb virus

By The Associated Press Jun. 28, 2021 06:35 AM EDT

Croatia's Luka Modric, right, celebrates, after Croatia's Ivan Perisic, left, scored during the Euro 2020 soccer championship group D match between Croatia and Scotland at the Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow, Tuesday, June 22, 2021.(AP Photo/Petr David Josek, Pool)
The Latest: South Africa resumes restrictions to fight surge

By The Associated Press Jun. 27, 2021 05:40 AM EDT

FILE - In this May 25, 2021 file photo, Xu Guixiang, a spokesperson for the Xinjiang northwestern region's government, is surrounded by reporters after a news conference related to Xinjiang issues at the Xinjiang Tower in Beijing. China said Saturday, June 26, that it provides vaccines to other countries with no political conditions attached. The statement came in response to a story by The Associated Press citing diplomats from two Western countries. They said China had pressured Ukraine into withdrawing from a multi-country statement on human rights in China’s Xinjiang region by threatening to withhold a COVID-19 vaccine shipment. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
China says no strings attached to vaccine shipments overseas

Jun. 26, 2021 11:51 AM EDT

FILE - In this Monday, May 24, 2021 file photo, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a bilateral meeting with Swiss Interior and Health Minister Alain Berset before signing a BioHub Initiative with a global Covid-19 Pathogen repository in Spiez laboratory on the sideline of the opening of the 74th World Health Assembly, WHA, at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland. The head of the World Health Organization said at a press briefing on Friday June 25, 2021, the COVID-19 delta variant, first seen in India, is “the most transmissible of the variants identified so far,” and warned it is now spreading in at least 85 countries. (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP, File)
WHO: Delta variant is 'most transmissible' identified so far

By Maria Cheng Jun. 25, 2021 02:17 PM EDT

AP Exclusive: Diplomats say China puts squeeze on Ukraine

By Jamey Keaten Jun. 25, 2021 01:57 PM EDT
GENEVA (AP) — China pressured Ukraine into withdrawing its support for a call for more scrutiny of human rights in China's western region of Xinjiang by...

A medical worker in protective gear checks the paperwork of people getting the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, June 25, 2021. The world's fourth most populous country, has seen COVID-19 infections surge in recent weeks, putting pressure on hospitals, including in the capital city, where most of hospital beds are full, and has added urgency to the government's plan to inoculate 1 million people each day by next month. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
The Latest: Maine nears 70% vaccination level for residents

By The Associated Press Jun. 25, 2021 06:01 AM EDT

Tourists relax in the shade in St. Mark's square, in Venice, Italy, Thursday, June 17, 2021. After a 15-month pause in mass international travel, Venetians are contemplating how to welcome visitors back to the picture-postcard canals and Byzantine backdrops without suffering the indignities of crowds clogging its narrow alleyways, day-trippers perched on stoops to imbibe a panino and hordes of selfie-takers straining for a spot on the Rialto Bridge or in front of St. Mark’s Basilica. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
UNESCO watching as Venice grapples with over-tourism

By Colleen Barry Jun. 25, 2021 02:47 AM EDT

UN: 275 million people used drugs worldwide in 2020

Jun. 24, 2021 02:07 PM EDT
BERLIN (AP) — Around 275 million people used drugs worldwide last year, while over 36 million people suffered from drug use disorders, according to the World...

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 22, 2021 file photo, healthcare workers prepare to test patients for COVID-19 at the Lancet Laboratories in Johannesburg. Africa is facing a devastating resurgence of COVID-19 infections whose peak will surpass that of earlier waves as the continent's countries struggle to vaccinate even a small percentage of the population, top health officials said Thursday June 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File)
Africa battles new COVID-19 wave hitting faster and harder

By Carley Petesch Jun. 24, 2021 11:19 AM EDT