Judge rules Arkansas law allowing criminal charges against librarians is unconstitutional

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down key parts of an Arkansas law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks found that elements of the...

France's anti-terrorism court convicts 8 people of involvement in the 2020 beheading of a teacher

PARIS (AP) — France’s anti-terrorism court on Friday convicted eight people of involvement in the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty outside his school near Paris four years ago, a horrific death that shocked the country. Paty, 47, was killed by an Islamic extremist outside his...

Minneapolis softens law on obstructing abortion clinics in response to free-speech lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis has softened an ordinance that prohibited the obstruction of entrances and driveways to abortion clinics after anti-abortion activists sued to challenge it on free-speech grounds. The City Council this month quietly amended the ordinance to exclude...

Supreme Court will hear arguments over the law that could ban TikTok in the US if it's not sold

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will hear arguments next month over the constitutionality of the federal law that could ban TikTok in the United States if its Chinese parent company doesn't sell it. The justices will hear arguments Jan. 10 about whether the...

Serbian police use mobile phone spyware to keep track of opponents and journalists, Amnesty says

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s secret service and police have been spying on journalists and opposition activists by installing spyware on their mobile phones, Amnesty International said Monday. The watchdog's report, backed by testimonies of those who claim their phones have...

The Detroit area's many Syrians are celebrating Assad's overthrow and planning long-delayed visits

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Nizam Abazid is gleefully planning his first trip in decades to Syria, where he grew up. Rama Alhoussaini was only 6 years old when her family moved to the U.S., but she's excited about the prospect of introducing her three kids to relatives they've never met in person. ...

Belarusian authorities arrest 7 journalists who worked for an independent newspaper

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Belarusian authorities have arrested seven journalists who worked for an independent regional news outlet, a media watchdog said Thursday, the latest move in a sweeping crackdown on dissent and freedom of speech by the country’s authoritarian President Alexander...

New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A New Zealand immigration official has overturned a ban on the U.S. conservative political commentator Candace Owens entering the country, citing “the importance of free speech," a spokesperson for the official said Thursday. Owens is scheduled to...

New Jersey becomes latest state to prohibit bans on books in school, public libraries

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Monday to prohibit public and school libraries from banning books in the state and to enshrine protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians who comply with the law. New Jersey becomes the...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signs law to prohibit book bans in public and school libraries in his state.