Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including an appeals verdict from a U.N. tribunal brought an end to the world's longest-running war crimes case; The Senate’s environment committee overwhelmingly voted to approve a nuclear reactor bill; Texas’ former elections boss was appointed to act as interim attorney general, and more.

National

Nuclear moves in Senate as reactor bill advances

Brushing past the objections of some members, the Senate’s environment committee overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to approve a sweeping bill that would fast-track the deployment of a new fleet of advanced nuclear reactors.

Indian Point Energy Center is seen on the Hudson River in Buchanan, N.Y., on April 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Regional

Former Texas elections chief appointed as interim attorney general

Following the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday appointed the state's former elections boss to act as interim attorney general.

Then-Texas Secretary of State John B. Scott is pictured in Austin on Feb. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Challenge to campus carry law dismissed by Georgia Supreme Court

The Georgia Supreme Court issued an opinion Wednesday affirming the dismissal of a lawsuit brought by five university professors against the state's campus carry law.

The University of Georgia campus in Athens.

Fourth Circuit backs Virginia Tech bias reporting policy

A Fourth Circuit majority agreed Wednesday with a district court's determination that Virginia Tech's bias response team does not have a chilling effect on free speech.

Main Eggleston Hall at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. (B/Wikipedia Commons via Courthouse News)

International

In final ruling, UN tribunal extends sentences for Serbian security officials

Judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia on Wednesday lengthened the sentences for a pair of septuagenarians convicted of training paramilitary groups who murdered and tortured civilians during violent conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s.

Jovica Stanisic, former head of Serbia's state security service, appears in court in The Hague, Netherlands, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool Photo via AP)

US seeks to calm ethnic conflict in Kosovo, blasts PM

Amid a dangerous escalation of violent conflict in the tiny disputed state of Kosovo, Washington's ambassador to the hot spot is blaming the Albanian leadership in Pristina for fueling ethnic tensions with the country's Serbian population.

People hold a giant Serbian flag during a protest in the town of Zvecan, northern Kosovo, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Bojan Slavkovic)

Macron calls Russia threat to Europe, urges security guarantees for Ukraine

In a bold but nuanced speech on European security, French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday made his strongest remarks yet on supporting Ukraine and building up Europe's defenses against Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks on May 31, 2023, about European security at the Bratislava Forum in Slovakia. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Science

Setting boundaries for a safe Earth requires a consideration of justice, scientists say

A biophysically safe planet cannot exist without justice and equity, scientists say in a new study in the journal Nature that assesses, for the first time, safe and just boundaries for the climate, biodiversity, freshwater and pollution.

To make up for shortfalls after cutting Russian energy imports, EU members have diversified fuel supply around the globe. Atmospheric image of Earth with a view of the North American continent while darkness mostly obstructs other parts of the planet. (Alexander Antropov/Pixabay via Courthouse News)

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