AP-National

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court panel is maintaining a 1992 deal that resulted in Black representation on Louisiana’s highest court. Wednesday’s 2-1 ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court ruling and keeps in place a 1992 federal court agreement that led

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (AP) — It ain’t the Olympics, but a group of Floridians plan to host competitions themed according to the collective antics of the beer-loving, gator-possessing, rap-sheet heavy, mullet-wearing social media phenomenon known as “Florida Man.” Organizers of the “Florida Man Games” describe the competition as “the most insane athletic showdown on Earth.”

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Krystal Joy Brown has planted her flag on Broadway, first professionally and now personally. The singer and actor just bought an apartment a few blocks from where she’s earning a living at the Hudson Theatre. How perfectly appropriate that Brown is co-starring in a musical

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria has decided to expand the country’s nuclear power generation as an alternative of fossil fuels by launching the construction of two additional reactors at its only nuclear power plant. The two new reactors will provide a total of 2,300 megawatts. The Bulgarian government said in a statement on Wednesday that

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and KEN SWEET Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for Sam Bankman-Fried says the FTX founder plans to testify at his fraud trial. Attorney Mark Cohen said during a conference call between lawyers and the Manhattan federal court judge on Wednesday that Bankman-Fried will take the stand after three other

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Two Metropolitan Police officers have been dismissed from the force after a disciplinary panel concluded that they committed gross misconduct over the stop and search of two Black athletes. Professional sprinters Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos told the police watchdog that they were racially profiled by

By DAVID SHARP Associated Press The U.S. Postal Service says law enforcement officials have charged more than 600 people with postal crimes since launching a crackdown in May. The so-called “Operation Safe Delivery” follows a surge in robberies. The Postal Service also deployed over 10,000 high-security boxes in high-risk areas to prevent mail theft. To

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — The 22-year-old driver of a BMW that struck and killed four Pepperdine University students in Malibu, California, last week pleaded not guilty Wednesday to four counts of murder, and prosecutors said he was speeding at more than 100 mph moments before the crash. Fraser Michael Bohm

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NBA enlisted an actor from “The Sopranos” and borrowed the central theme of the film “Ocean’s Eleven,” that being a Las Vegas heist, to hype the inaugural In-Season Tournament that begins Nov. 3. The latest marketing move is a nearly 2-minute spot featuring actor Michael Imperioli narrating how Anthony Davis,

By JENNIFER PELTZ and JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was abruptly called to the witness stand and then fined $10,000 on Wednesday after the judge in his civil fraud trial said the former president had violated a gag order. It was the second time in less than a week that

By EDMAR BARROS Associated Press CAREIRO DA VARZEA, Brazil (AP) — As the Amazon drought rages on, public authorities in Brazil are scrambling to deliver food and water to thousands of isolated communities throughout a vast and roadless territory, where boats are the only means of transportation. Across Amazonas state, which has a territory the

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Slovakia’s president has sworn in a new government led by a former populist prime minister poised to end the country’s military aid for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion. Robert Fico returned to power and took over as prime minister for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party

By KEN MILLER Associated Press The National Transportation Safety Board says a pilot who had been told to wait to take off from a Houston airport started rolling on the runway, leading to a collision with another aircraft that had just landed. The collision happened Tuesday afternoon at William P. Hobby Airport. Three people were

By DEREK GATOPOULOS Associated Press ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Soprano legend Maria Callas has been honored in Greece a century after her birth to Greek parents in New York with a new museum in Athens. The museum was inaugurated Wednesday and features recordings of her most famous opera performances as well as little known details

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A battle of wreaths has erupted when a Russian diplomat in the Arctic town of Kirkenes in northern Norway reportedly put his garland on top of Norway’s at a monument for the 1944 liberation of the region by Soviet troops. Magnus Mæland, the municipality mayor, then angrily removed the Russian wreath

By AMY TEIBEL Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli officials expressed outrage Wednesday over U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ remarks that the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel “did not happen in a vacuum,” saying his comment at a Security Council meeting amounted to a justification for terrorism. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen canceled a scheduled meeting

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Chinese research ship docked at a Sri Lankan port on Wednesday. This likely will add to neighboring India’s concerns about China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean. The docking follows last year’s visit by a Chinese naval vessel. This vessel had been expected to

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The city of Orlando is moving forward with plans to create a memorial on the property of the Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred seven years ago. City leaders agreed Monday night to purchase the property for $2 million. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said they plan a collaborative approach, working

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Officials say Russia fired almost a dozen Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets, and falling debris from an intercepted drone damaged power lines near a nuclear plant in the country’s west. Ukraine’s air force says it stopped all the drones that were launched. Local authorities say that