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By Amy Langfield

March 31, 2026

By Amy Langfield

March 31, 2026

 
 

Good afternoon and welcome to your afternoon news update from AP. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court rules against a Colorado ban on “conversion therapy”; Iran strikes a fully loaded oil tanker off the Dubai coast; and Brazilian inmates reduce their sentences through reading.

 

UP FIRST

AP Morning Wire

The Supreme Court in Washington in 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Supreme Court rules against Colorado ban on ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ+ kids

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states that ban the discredited practice. An 8-1 majority sided with a Christian counselor who argues the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the solo dissent. Read more. 

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TOP STORIES

Live updates: Iran strikes fully loaded oil tanker off Dubai coast as gas reaches $4 per gallon in US

Authorities in Dubai said Tuesday morning they “contained” a Kuwaiti oil tanker after it came under attack from Iran. Officials said there was “no oil leakage and no injuries reported.” The Dubai Media office earlier said a drone hit the Kuwaiti tanker in Dubai waters. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

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Brazilian inmates find relief and reduce sentences through reading

When 33-year-old Brazilian woman Emily de Souza heard about a program allowing her to shave off four days from her prison sentence by reading a book, she seized the opportunity to reconnect with a cherished habit. Like tens of thousands of detainees across the country — including former President Jair Bolsonaro — she signed up for a sentence reduction program that encourages inmates to immerse themselves in literary works in exchange for reducing their sentences by up to 48 days per year. Brazil, which has one of the highest per-capita incarceration rates in Latin America, stands out for having one of the most formalized and nationwide systems for sentence remission via reading in the world. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • WATCH: Tens of thousands of Brazil’s detainees are part of a reading program
 

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IN OTHER NEWS

Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille takes a swim in a pool in a road created by a water leak in Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday. (Jacques Nelles/Democratic Alliance via AP)

‘City of Gold’: A South African politician goes snorkeling in a giant pothole to highlight city management failures

Serbia: EU voices concern over reports of violence during elections

West Africa: Senegal’s president signs harsher anti-gay penalties into law

Sudan: Sexual violence is being used as a weapon in war, doctors group says

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WATCH: Fort Lauderdale turns pink as Barbie Dream Fest makes its debut

 

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