Stars arrive for Trump-less White House press dinner

NSO Group's Pegasus malware was abused by its government clients to spy on journalists, opposition politicians and rights activists, an investigation revealed. The targets also include presidents and prime ministers.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says the United States holds China's Ministry of State Security responsible for "malicious cyber activities" and reserves the option "to take additional actions" in response.

Hundreds of Cuban Americans, political refugees and activists marched on the US capital Monday to protest against the Cuban government and its crackdown on anti-communist demonstrations earlier this month.

Democracy and human rights were the focus of talks between the US president and Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in Washington, DC.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US is worried about the harassment and intimidation of foreign correspondents reporting on the floods in China.

"We're not going back to the shutdowns of March of 2020," says White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, as the US national average of daily coronavirus cases tops 60,000 and is rising rapidly.

The White House announced plans to hold a virtual summit for democracy in December. Leaders of the world's democracies are set to take part.

Just weeks before a general election, German politicians are worried that large numbers of Afghan refugees might make their way to Europe. The wave of mostly Syrian refugees who came in 2015 still haunts German politics.

The Taliban pledged press freedom and "no threats" against journalists in Afghanistan. But intimidation and violence at the hands of their fighters illustrate the group's haste in breaking its promises.

"We will get you out. We will honor your service," vows White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki after a former interpreter to Joe Biden begged him to save him and his family in a Wall Street Journal news article. The interpreter, who helped rescue Biden in a 2008 Afghan snowstorm, is in hiding after failing to join the Kabul evacuation airlift, according to the Journal.

A vibrant media landscape had developed in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Since the Taliban takeover, media professionals face immediate danger and even death. Activists are urgently calling for help.

Critics say a plan to consolidate media regulatory agencies will further shrink press freedom in the country. Journalists and opposition parties have decried the law as "draconian" and unconstitutional.