The United States' top disease detective calls Ebola a "painful, dreadful, merciless virus."

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak in West Africa an international emergency, killing more than 900 people and spreading.

Sending heavier vehicles and, eventually, humans to Mars requires first testing new technologies to see if they actually work.

But it's infeasible to conduct experiments on the red planet, so to mimic Mars' low-density atmosphere, NASA sent a saucer-like test vehicle high above the Earth.

Legendary director Woody Allen has added his handprints to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but not the one in California.

It's in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

The adventures of sisters Anna and Elsa of "Frozen" fame will continue, at least on paper.

Random House Children's Books announced Friday that they will launch a new series next year tied to the blockbuster Disney movie. The first two books, "Anna & Elsa #1: All Hail the Queen" and "Anna & Elsa #2: Memory and Magic," are scheduled for January. The planned first printing for each book is 150,000 copies.

Artwork from "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson's three-day return to comics has brought more than $74,000 at auction to benefit Parkinson's research.

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions says the three comic strips sold Friday for a combined $74,040 to three collectors, all of whom wish to remain anonymous. Heritage had expected the strips to sell for more than $30,000 combined.

James Rodriguez hopes the scoring streak that earned him the Golden Boot award at the World Cup continues after his move to European champion Real Madrid.

Madrid paid Monaco a reported $108 million for the Colombia forward after he scored a tournament-leading six goals at this summer's World Cup in Brazil.

For decades Greeks have enjoyed watching the latest Hollywood blockbusters and old classics under the stars.

Open-air cinemas survived Greece's real estate boom and the financial bust that followed, providing many with an affordable night out.

Two 20-something women with a gift for arts and crafts arrived at Miley Cyrus' homecoming concert with identical bedazzled shirts that read, "R.I.P. Hannah Montana."

Look no further than that for the official theme to Cyrus' Bangerz Tour, a pastiche of weird culture that plays a lot like a YouTube channel devoted to absurdist performance art. With a flying hot dog, a dwarf dressed as the Liberty Bell, a dozen recognizable hits and a lot of inappropriate touching, Thursday's show was a little bit pop concert, a little bit late-night pay cable and a little bit great.

General Motors' troubles with safety recalls have surfaced in another case, this time with the company recalling a group of SUVs for a third time to fix power window switches that can catch fire.

The problem, revealed in documents posted by federal safety regulators this week, is so serious that GM is telling customers to park the SUVs outdoors until they are repaired because they could catch fire when left unattended.

The Swiss Parliament says it has suspended an employee after a naked picture she took of herself at work found its way into the media.

The Parliament said Wednesday that the woman, whom it didn't identify, was suspended with immediate effect "until the facts are cleared up."