
There are thousands of unsolved cases of missing Black people. Carlee Russell's unverified report is rare, advocates say
The doubt surrounding the alleged kidnapping of Carlethia "Carlee" Nichole Russell, which Alabama police said they couldn't verify, threatens to overshadow thousands of unsolved cases of missing Black people, advocates say
2023-07-23 15:19

Israel's Netanyahu recovers from heart procedure while tensions surge over judicial overhaul plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is recovering in hospital after an emergency heart procedure as opposition to his government’s contentious judicial overhaul plan reached a fever pitch and unrest gripped the country
2023-07-23 14:57

Far-right could enter government as Spain goes to the polls
Spanish voters are heading to the ballot boxes in Sunday's snap general election that could see a far-right party enter government for the first time in decades.
2023-07-23 14:49

Zimbabwean women are reduced to cheerleaders in the upcoming election, activists say
In Zimbabwe, the low number of women standing as candidates in general elections scheduled for Aug. 23 is viewed as perpetuating decades-old domination of politics by men
2023-07-23 14:26

'Biblical proportions': 3 months' worth of rainfall floods Nova Scotia, forcing evacuations as crews search for missing people
Three months' worth of rain over the course of one day has flooded the Canadian province of Nova Scotia since Friday night, inundating streets, forcing evacuations and leaving at least four people missing -- including two children.
2023-07-23 13:58

Morocco, Benzina set to make Women's World Cup history in a game against Germany
Nouhaila Benzina will make history when she steps onto the field for Morocco’s first match of the Women’s World Cup against Germany — and not just as a player for the first Arab or North African nation ever in the tournament
2023-07-23 13:56

Ukraine war: At least one killed in new Russian strikes on Odesa
Odesa's regional governor said 14 people were hospitalised in the blasts, including four children.
2023-07-23 13:29

School board in Missouri, now controlled by conservatives, revokes anti-racism resolution
In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb
2023-07-23 13:26

Spaniards vote in an election that could oust a leftist coalition and herald a return to the right
Spanish voters go to the polls in an election that could make Spain the latest European Union member to swing to the right
2023-07-23 13:19

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court's new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings
Wisconsin's Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state's abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts. Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race. Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices. While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, liberals also are talking about bringing new challenges to school choice, voter ID, the 12-year-old law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers and other laws backed by Republicans. “When you don’t know the extent of the battle you may have to fight, it’s concerning,” said attorney Rick Esenberg, president of the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. "It’s very concerning.” Some issues could take years to reach the court, said liberal attorney Pester Pines, who like Esenberg has argued numerous times before the state Supreme Court. Unlike under the conservative majority, Pines said the new liberal court will be unlikely to rule on cases before lower courts have heard them. “They're not going to do it," Pines said. There is already a pending case challenging Wisconsin's pre-Civil War era abortion ban, and a circuit court judge ruled earlier this month that it can proceed, while also calling into question whether the law actually bans abortions. The case is expected to reach the Supreme Court within months. Protasiewicz all but promised to overturn the ban by repeatedly speaking out for abortion rights, winning support from Planned Parenthood and others. “When you’re a politician and you’re perceived by the voters as making a promise, and you don’t keep it, they get angry,” Esenberg said. There is no current redistricting lawsuit, but Democrats or their allies are expected to file a new challenge this summer seeking new districts before the 2024 election. The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in 2018 and 2022 and Joe Biden in 2020. Protasizewicz declared those maps to be “rigged” and said during the campaign they should be given another look. Democrats also hope for new congressional maps improving their chances in the state’s two most competitive House districts, held by Republicans. “What we want to see is maps that are fair and that represent the will of the people and the actual make up of their state," Democratic strategist Melissa Baldauff said. Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. The outgoing conservative court came within one vote of overturning Biden's win in 2020. The new court will be in control to hear any challenges leading up to the election and in the months after. That includes voting rules. Courts have repeatedly upheld Wisconsin's voter ID requirement, in place since 2011, but some Democrats see a chance to challenge it again, particularly over what IDs can legally be shown. There is also a looming fight over the state's top elections administrator. “It seems to me that the most consequential topics that could come before the new court would have to do with elections," said Alan Ball, a Marquette University Law School history professor who runs a statistical analysis blog of the court and tendencies of justices. Considering comments Protasiewicz made during the campaign, “it’s really hard for me to imagine she would not side with the liberals on those issues,” Ball said. A national Democratic law firm filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to undo a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling last year banning absentee ballot drop boxes. The case could make its way to the state high court before the 2024 presidential election. Other sticky issues that have garnered bipartisan criticism, including powers of the governor, also could come before the new court. Evers surprised many with a veto this year putting in place a school spending increase for 400 years. Republicans said a challenge was likely. In 2021, the court struck down three of Evers' previous partial vetoes but failed to give clear guidance on what is allowed. A Wisconsin governor's veto power is expansive and used by Republicans and Democrats, but the new court could weigh in on whether it should be scaled back. Esenberg, who brought the previous case challenging Evers' veto powers, said he expected another legal challenge in light of the 400-year veto. 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2023-07-23 12:58

Analysis-Harley-Davidson, Triumph in first gear of challenge to Royal Enfield's India reign
By Indranil Sarkar and Aby Jose Koilparambil BENGALURU U.S. big-bike maker Harley-Davidson and British rival Triumph have revved
2023-07-23 12:49

As Spurs get ready for Wembanyama, a new practice home is taking shape
The San Antonio Spurs are about to get a new practice home just in time for No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama's rookie season
2023-07-23 12:48