AP-National

By HILLEL ITALIE AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Tens of thousands of books are being banned or restricted by U.S. prisons, according to a new report from PEN America. The list includes everything from self-help books to an Elmore Leonard novel. “The common concept underpinning the censorship we’re seeing is that certain ideas

LONDON (AP) — A former British police officer has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 12 years after he pleaded guilty to over 100 child sex offenses. The crimes included threatening and blackmailing more than 200 young girls into sending him sexual photos of themselves on Snapchat. Prosecutors say former

BERLIN (AP) — The German Cabinet has approved legislation that is intended to ease deportations of unsuccessful asylum-seekers. The draft legislation approved on Wednesday would need parliamentary approval to take effect. It foresees raising the maximum length of pre-deportation custody from 10 days to 28 and facilitating deportations of people who are members of criminal

By GERALD IMRAY and NQOBILE NTSHANGASE Associated Press SPRINGS, South Africa (AP) — Hundreds of miners who spent three days underground as part of a union dispute are leaving a gold mine in South Africa. A mine official said 109 miners who were held against their will by fellow employees in the mine near Johannesburg

By JASON DEAREN and MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press People convicted of crimes related to domestic extremism face far shorter prison terms than those convicted in international terrorism cases, even when the crimes are similar, a new report on the outcomes of hundreds of federal criminal cases has found. The first-of-its-kind analysis, completed by terrorism

By ALEX ROSENBERG of NerdWallet Medicare Supplement Insurance, or Medigap, can help pay for Medicare Part A and/or Part B copays, coinsurance and deductibles, but shopping for plans isn’t always straightforward. Shoppers should know that because Medigap plans are standardized by the federal government, plans with the same letter name offer the same Medicare benefits,

By TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Authorities say the estranged son of Nashville’s police chief, who was wanted in the shooting of two police officers, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after leading police on a chase in a stolen car. Police had been searching for 38-year-old John Drake Jr.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Polish politician Donald Tusk is in Brussels seeking to repair his country’s ties with the European Union. Tusk arrived in Brussels a day after he and other leaders of an opposition bloc that collectively won the most votes in Poland’s Oct. 15 parliamentary election announced that they were prepared to govern together

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed Wednesday after China pledged more spending to energize its economy. Benchmarks fell in Paris, Frankfurt, Sydney and Seoul but rose in London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. U.S. futures were mixed and oil prices turned higher. China plans to issue 1 trillion yuan

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is marking a year in office but he has little reason to celebrate. His Conservative Party is trailing between 15 and 20 points behind Labour in opinion polls, and an election must be called by the end of 2024. The war between

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has announced plans to send a new telescope to probe deep into the universe as it prepared to launch the country’s next three-member crew for its orbiting space station. Lin Xiqiang, spokesperson and deputy director general of the Chinese Manned Space Agency, said on Wednesday that the mission was part

BRUSSELS (AP) — Security tensions are running high ahead of a European Union summit in Brussels, with police launching a search for a man they wanted to question over reports of unspecified threats. The Brussels prosecutor’s office later said authorities had detained a man in the case on Wednesday and were checking his identity. The

BERLIN (AP) — Prosecutors say a man with a previous conviction for membership in the Islamic State group has been arrested in Germany on suspicion that he may have agreed to attack a pro-Israel demonstration. The 29-year-old was detained Tuesday at his apartment in the western city of Duisburg. Prosecutors in Duesseldorf said that a

By JIM GOMEZ Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Relatives of victims of alleged war crimes committed by Myanmar’s military have filed a criminal complaint in the Philippines against their nation’s ruling generals. Human rights lawyers representing five Myanmar nationals say that a 2009 Philippine law that promotes human rights obligates the Philippines to prosecute

By NAJIB JOBAIN, SAMY MAGDY and LEE KEATH Associated Press RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. warned Wednesday that it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the territory blockaded and devastated by Israeli airstrikes since Hamas militants launched an

By CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden described Australia as “an anchor to peace and prosperity” while standing alongside Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House on Wednesday, part of a state visit intended to deepen an alliance that’s increasingly viewed as a critical counterweight to China’s influence in the

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s military has simulated a nuclear strike in a drill overseen by President Vladimir Putin. Wednesday’s exercise followed by hours a vote in the upper house of parliament to rescind the country’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban. The bill to end ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was

By LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have been invited to meet with top European Union officials to try to breathe life into talks aimed at normalizing their relations. The meetings would take place on the sidelines of an EU summit starting Thursday in Brussels. Serbian President Aleksandar

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB Associated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group held talks on Wednesday in Beirut with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures in a key meeting of three top anti-Israel militant groups amid the war raging in Gaza. In neighboring Syria, meanwhile, state media said an Israeli airstrike hit