DAKAR, Senegal (AP) A United Nations human rights expert on Wednesday urged Mali’s junta to release former government officials they have held since a coup d’etat on Aug. 18. The call by Alioune Tine, U.N. independent expert on human rights in Mali, came as a mediator for the West African regional....

WASHINGTON (AP) Americans won't be allowed to bring home cigars and rum from Cuba under measures President Donald Trump announced Wednesday to financially starve the island's government, a move taken as he tries to boost his appeal among Cuban-Americans, a crucial voting bloc in the battleground state of Florida.

Voter ID law: strict ID laws, photo not required. State mail-in voting status: any voter can request a vote-by-mail ballot (no excuse required) Early voting policy: no-excuse early voting is allowed. Felony voting law: voting rights are automatically reinstated to an individual with one felony....

Voter ID law: ID requested, photo not required. State mail-in voting status: any voter can request a vote-by-mail ballot (no excuse required) Early voting policy: no-excuse early voting is allowed. Felony voting law: voting rights reinstated upon completion of sentence (including prison time,....

The number of daily coronavirus cases in the UK has risen to more than 6,000 for the first time since May, new figures show. The Government said that as of 9am on September 23, there had been a further 6,178 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, taking the overall number of cases confirmed to 409,729.

Gloucester chief executive Lance Bradley has offered a grim outlook for the Gallagher Premiership as clubs face at least six months of playing without crowds. The Rugby Football Union is forecasting losses totalling £106 million as a result of measures designed to limit a second wave of coronavirus....

While Democrats were pushing to impeach Trump, Grassley raised concerns about corruption linking Hunter Biden to millions of dollars in transactions taking place between the Ukrainian gas company Burisma Holdings, Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, and Chinese businessmen with ties to Beijing's communist government.

WASHINGTON - Two Republican-led Senate committees issued a politically charged report Wednesday alleging that the work Joe Biden’s son did in Ukraine constituted a conflict of interest for the Obama administration at a time when Biden was engaged in Ukraine policy as vice-president.

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts says the words that best describe the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are “tough, brave, a fighter, a winner” but also “thoughtful, careful, compassionate, honest.” Roberts spoke Wednesday during a private ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON -- Dr. Anthony Fauci says Americans likely will need to wear masks and stay socially distance to protect themselves from the coronavirus after a vaccine becomes available. Fauci tells senators at a hearing that a vaccine won’t change conditions overnight.

Years of underfunding means Lower Hutt will need to dig deep to find $1.3 billion to future-proof its ageing water infrastructure. With 60 per cent of the city’s three waters assets needing to be replaced over the next 30 years, Hutt city councillors will discuss investment options for the next decade at a Long term/Annual Plan meeting on Thursday....

A former Gloriavale member is taking legal action against the West Coast Christian community, accusing leaders of “dereliction of duty” towards their followers. John Ready filed civil proceedings in the High Court at Greymouth on Wednesday seeking the removal of the trustees that govern Gloriavale....

Auckland drivers are flouting speed limits on a city centre road but one expert says the road layout is to blame. Transport Engineer Tamara Bozovic found 95 per cent of vehicles on Symonds St broke the 30kmh limit imposed as part of a to cut death and injury.

EDITORIAL: As the days warm up and alert levels come down in New Zealand, spare a thought for the place we used to call the Mother Country. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a raft of new restrictions to try to stop a resurgence of Covid-19 cases spiralling out of control as the country heads into winter.

Abe O’Donnell, 18, Green candidate for Selwyn. “I'm campaigning to return the Greens to Government to support farmers to transition to organic plant production to meet the demands of the food revolution. “I aim to bring change where fewer people get food-related chronic diseases and many sustainability problems are mitigated.