Russian President Vladimir Putin says there is no need for a Russia-China military alliance now but the idea of a future one can't be ruled out. Putin was asked during a video conference with international foreign policy experts Thursday if a military union between Moscow and Beijing was possible. He replied that ``theoretically, it's quite possible to imagine it.'' Russia and China have hailed their ``strategic partnership,'' but so far rejected any talk about the possibility of their forming a military alliance. Putin noted that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies

Two advocacy groups say detainees in Texas' juvenile prisons suffer from frequent physical and sexually abuse, inadequate mental healthcare and high rates of staff turnover. Texas Appleseed and Disability Rights Texas asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the Texas Juvenile Justice Department lockups in a complaint Wednesday. The groups allege the hundreds of youth held in five secure state facilities continue to have their rights violated despite recent and long-standing efforts to reform the Texas youth corrections systems. A Texas Juvenile Justice Department spokesman did not

Melania Trump's return to the campaign trail will have to wait. Her chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, said Tuesday that Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recent recovery from COVID-19 but has a lingering cough. Grisham says the first lady has decided not to accompany President Donald Trump to a campaign rally Tuesday evening in Erie, Pennsylvania, out of an abundance of caution. Mrs. Trump's last public appearance was during the Sept. 29 presidential debate in Ohio and she and the Republican president received their positive test results in early October. The first

President Donald Trump says people are tired of hearing from Dr. Anthony Fauci ``and all these idiots'' about the coronavirus. Trump has made no secret of his growing impatience with Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert. Speaking Monday to campaign staffers, Trump called Fauci a ``disaster'' but said he'd create bigger issues for himself if he fired the doctor. Fauci is head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and is a member of the White House coronavirus task force. Trump has needled Fauci over his advice on wearing face masks. Nearly 220,000 Americ

The British government has moved London to its second-highest COVID-19 alert level. Authorities seek to slow the exponential rise in infection rates across the country. The government also increased the risk level in seven other areas, meaning millions of people will be barred from meeting socially with anyone from outside their households and they will be asked to minimize travel. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons that he recognized these restrictions are hard on individuals and businesses, but says tough decisions are needed now to keep people safe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced regulatory approval for a second coronavirus vaccine after early-stage studies. The peptide-based, two-shot vaccine was developed by the Vector Institute in Siberia and tested among 100 volunteers in early-stage human trials. An advanced study involving tens of thousands of volunteers that is necessary to establish safety and effectiveness of the vaccine were scheduled to start in November or December. It remained unclear whether the vaccine would be offered for a wider use while the trials still ongoing. Russia licensed another vaccine on Aug. 1

The Palestinian prime minister says if US President Donald Trump is re-elected, quote, ``God help us, God help you and God help the whole world.'' Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh says the last four years of the Trump administration have greatly harmed the Palestinians. He spoke remotely to European lawmakers on Monday and said that the last four years of the Trump administration have greatly harmed the Palestinians. Trump has cut off hundreds of millions of dollars of American aid to the Palestinians, shut the Palestinian diplomatic offices in Washington, recognized contested Jerusalem as I

Facebook is banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust. The move is the latest attempt by the company to take action against conspiracy theories and misinformation.The company says people searching for information about the Nazi genocide will be directed to authoritative sources. Holocaust survivors around the world had lent their voices to a campaign targeting C-E-O Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to take action to remove Holocaust denial posts from the site.

Two former eBay employees have pleaded guilty to taking part in a campaign to terrorize a married couple who edit and publish an online newsletter critical of the company. Stephanie Popp and Veronica Zea pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with witnesses. The scheme included sending live spiders, a funeral wreath, bloody pig Halloween mask and other disturbing deliveries to the couple's home. The couple was targeted after their newsletter published an article about a lawsuit filed by eBay accusing Amazon of poaching its sellers.