UN: Committee drafting new Syria constitution meets Aug. 24

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Syria announced Wednesday that the 45-member committee charged with drafting a new constitution for the conflict-torn country will meet for the first time in nine mo…

Mexican governor denies corruption as president looks on

MEXICO CITY (AP) — An opposition-party Mexican governor suddenly engulfed in a national scandal defended his integrity Wednesday alongside President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has played a part in embarrassin…

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Mali coup leaders vow elections amid widespread condemnation

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The junta that forced Mali’s president to resign urged people to go back to business as usual on Wednesday, seeking to normalize their coup amid global condemnation from leaders who feared the p…

Arkansas governor, lawmakers unveil hate crimes proposal

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' Republican governor, attorney general and a bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled legislation Wednesday that would impose harsher penalties for crimes motivated by the victim's r…

Black Globetrotter speaks about banana thrown at him on TV

A Black member of the Harlem Globetrotters is speaking out about an incident earlier this year where fruits, including a banana, were thrown at him by white news broadcasters as he was performing basketball tricks …

Pompeo pledges support for Iraq, targets pro-Iran militias

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that the Trump administration will continue to support Iraq as it confronts the threat posed by the Islamic State group, but he also called for the Baghdad g…

Editorial Roundup: US

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

In Obama, Dems see a bridge between Biden and young voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since leaving the White House nearly four years ago, former President Barack Obama has repeatedly called for a new generation of political leaders to step up. On Wednesday, he’ll implore Americans…

Thai students jeer education minister as protests escalate

BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of high school students besieged Thailand's Ministry of Education and harangued and booed the education minister when he came to speak to them, in the latest in a growing series of anti-gove…

Trail of bubbles leads scientists to new coronavirus clue

A doctor checking comatose COVID-19 patients for signs of a stroke instead stumbled onto a new clue about how the virus may harm the lungs -- thanks to a test that used tiny air bubbles and a robot.

San Francisco blanketed in smoke as California fires rage

VACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Crews were battling wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate as dozens of wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave …

The Latest: UConn evicts students after crowded dorm party

STORRS, Conn. — University of Connecticut officials have evicted several students from on-campus housing after a crowded dorm room party with no mask wearing or social distancing.

How COVID-19 gives cover to press crackdowns the world over

Governments around the world are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to justify — or to divert attention from —crackdowns on press freedom.

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