The death toll from a raging fire in a five-story building in central Johannesburg has risen to 47, according to officials from the city's emergency services.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker got married in three different ceremonies and fans say 'it never ends'

Former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating January 6, 2021, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Guatemala’s electoral registry has suspended the Seed Movement, the party of Bernardo Arévalo, the progressive candidate who won Guatemala’s presidential elections this month

Excitement is building among Taylor Swift fans in Latin America who have endured months-long queues, expensive tickets and, in one case, assault to realize their...

South Korea's military says North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missile into its eastern sea, adding to a recent streak in weapons testing

Officials say Russia fired 11 Shahed drones against Ukrainian targets, reaching deep into Ukraine where falling debris damaged power lines near a nuclear power plant in the west

For many book writers, AI is a threat to their livelihood and the very idea of creativity

Officials say engineers have partially restored passenger rail service in southern Pakistan, a day after a passenger train derailed there, killing at least 30 people and injuring 90 others

By Jack Queen Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is expected to take the stand on

Delivery of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s new ground radar for the US system in Alaska intended to track and

Texas would expand what can be defined as sexually explicit material or potentially harmful to children in order to ban books from public and charter school libraries, under a bill given final passage by the state Senate late Tuesday night and sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas move is the latest attempt to ban or regulate reading material in conservative states around the country. Critics say the standards set in the Texas bill are too vague, will snag books that are not inappropriate, and that materials dealing with LGBTQ+ subject matter are more likely to be targeted for bans. The bill passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature defines “sexually explicit material” as anything that includes descriptions, illustrations or audio depicting sexual conduct not relevant to required school curriculum, and prohibits it from school libraries. The bill requires the state’s Library and Archives Commission to adopt standards that schools must follow when purchasing books, and a rating system that would be used to restrict or ban some material. “What we’re talking about is sexually explicit material ... that doesn’t belong in front of the eyes of kids,” said the bill sponsor, Sen. Angela Paxton, a Republican. “They shouldn’t be finding it in their school library.” Abbott, a Republican, previously joined a former GOP lawmaker’s campaign to investigate the use of books in schools covering topics of race, gender identity and sexual orientation. That inquiry included a list of more than 800 books. In April, leaders of a rural central Texas county considered closing their public library system rather than follow a federal judge’s order to return books to the shelves on themes ranging from teen sexuality and gender to bigotry and race. Under the measure passed Tuesday night, book vendors would have to rate books based on depictions or references to sex. "Sexually relevant” material that describes or portrays sex but is part of the required school curriculum could be checked out with a parent's permission. A book would be rated “sexually explicit” if the material is deemed offensive and not part of the required curriculum. Those books would be removed from school bookshelves. State officials will review vendors’ ratings and can request a rating change if they consider it incorrect. School districts and open-enrollment charter schools will be banned from contracting with book sellers who refuse to comply. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide