AP National News

By AMY FORLITI Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the third-degree murder conviction of a former Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot a woman who had called 911 to report a possible rape behind her home. Mohamed Noor was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of

PRAGUE (AP) — Two firefighters have been killed in a gas explosion that has leveled a family house in the southeastern Czech Republic. The head of the regional government also says two other firefighters have been injured. The regional rescue service says a total of four people have been injured in the explosion that occurred

By JAN M. OLSEN The Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Half a century ago, four Danish teenagers interviewed John Lennon for their school paper. A cassette tape with a 33-minute audio recording of the chat, that also includes an apparently unpublished song by the late Beatle, will be auctioned in Denmark later this month.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi company that owes billions of dollars will pay banks back $1.9 billion after an agreement was reached with creditors following more than decade of efforts. The website of the Abu Dhabi-based The National newspaper on Wednesday quoted business conglomerate Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers as saying that

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Attorneys representing a U.S. woman who claims Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her have asked British courts to formally notify him about her lawsuit. The request came after the prince’s lawyer maintained this week that Andrew has not been properly notified of what he described as a “baseless”

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer The new Texas law that bans most abortions in the state is being welcomed by many of the religious leaders who help bolster the anti-abortion movement. Yet some abortion opponents in U.S. religious circles are wary of the law and questioning the movement’s current direction. Some of the wariness

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis says Catholic bishops must minister to politicians who back abortion rights with “compassion and tenderness,” not condemnation. And he is warning that they shouldn’t let politics enter into questions about receiving Communion. Francis was asked en route home from Slovakia about the

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press Senior military representatives from dozens of countries have gathered in Rhode Island to talk about ways to address shared challenges. Those challenges include combatting the coronavirus and ensuring service members are healthy. Adm. Michael Gilday, the U.S. chief of naval operations, is hosting the 24th International Seapower Symposium at the

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial production slowed to a 0.4% gain in August as shutdowns of petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants caused by Hurricane Ida curbed manufacturing activity. Plant closures long the Gulf Coast as well as lost oil production during last month’s hurricane shaved 0.3 percentage points from

LONDON (AP) — The chairman of Prince Charles’ charitable foundation has resigned after reports the organization was offered a donation of more than 500,000 pounds ($692,000) from a Russian banker seeking British citizenship. He stepped down Wednesday after the Sunday Times alleged that Charles wrote a letter to thank the businessman for the offer last

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Lawyers for two Palestinians who were captured after escaping from an Israeli prison last week say their clients were badly beaten during their arrest. The most well-known prisoner suffered a broken jaw and two broken ribs while in handcuffs. Six Palestinian prisoners, five of whom have been accused of deadly

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — International Criminal Court judges have authorized an investigation into the Philippines’ deadly “war on drugs” campaign, saying the crackdown “cannot be seen as a legitimate law enforcement operation.” The court’s former prosecutor sought permission from judges earlier this year to investigate the Philippine government’s campaign. She said that a preliminary

By LYNN ELBER AP Television Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — As busy as Cedric the Entertainer is with his sitcom “The Neighborhood,” he quickly said yes when asked to host his first major awards show. Then he sought advice on how to handle Sunday’s Emmy ceremony. He reached out to Steve Harvey and others on

By STEVE LeBLANC Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Boston voters have for the first time narrowed the field of mayoral candidates to two women of color who will face off against each other in November. City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George topped the five-person race in Tuesday’s preliminary runoff. They bested acting Mayor

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s military says its security forces have raided a militant hideout in a former northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan, triggering a shootout that killed seven soldiers and five militants. The Pakistani Taliban released a statement claiming responsibility for the incident and saying they ambushed the soldiers. Wednesday’s

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Cabbage Patch Kids touched off the first big holiday toy craze nearly 40 years ago. Now the dolls are among 12 finalists vying for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The finalists were announced Wednesday at The Strong museum in Rochester, which houses the hall. The finalists also include

BERLIN (AP) — The German government has expressed concern at reports on the possible deployment of Russian mercenaries in Mali. Germany has several hundred soldiers taking part in United Nations stabilization and European Union training missions in the West African country. A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Germany considers the possibility of such a cooperation between

By FRANKLIN BRICEÑO Associated Press CCARHUACC LICAPA, Peru (AP) — Halting efforts to promote the Quechua language hit the spotlight last month when Peru’s new prime minister surprised the nation by delivering a speech in the Indigenous tongue to Congress for the first time in Peru’s history. Translation into Spanish was unavailable, angering politicians who

EASTON, Md. (AP) — A statue thought to be the last Confederate monument still standing on a courthouse lawn in Maryland will be moved to a battlefield in Virginia. News outlets report that the Talbot County Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to move the “Talbot Boys” statue from its spot on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain’s prime minister and the leader of Catalonia are restarting negotiations in hopes of finding a solution to the ongoing political crisis caused by the region’s separatist movement. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met Wednesday with regional president Pere Aragonès at the seat of the Catalan government