ECU men's basketball: Pirates lose on road to UNC Wilmington

Officials say thousands of police officers have carried out raids across much of Germany against suspected far-right extremists who allegedly sought to overthrow the government in an armed coup. Federal prosecutors said some 3,000 officers conducted searches at 130 sites in 11 of Germany’s 16 states on Wednesday against adherents of the so-called Reich Citizens movement. They said 22 German citizens were detained on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization.” Three others, including a Russian citizen, were held on suspicion of supporting the organization. Officials have repeatedly warned that far-right extremists pose the biggest threat to Germany’s domestic security.

Dissident Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei is taking heart from recent public protests in China over the authorities’ strict COVID-19 policy. But he doesn’t see them bringing about any significant political change. He tells The Associated Press in an interview at his home in Portugal he doesn't think that’s possible. He acknowledges that the recent unrest in several Chinese cities that has questioned Beijing’s authority — going so far as to demand President Xi Jinping’s resignation in what have been the boldest protests in decades — is “a big deal.” But he says it is unlikely to go further.

BANDUNG, Indonesia (AP) — A Muslim militant and convicted bomb-maker who was released from prison last year blew himself up Wednesday at a police station on Indonesia’s main island of Java, killing an officer and wounding 11 people, officials said.

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Scientists around the world are warning governments who will be gathering in Montreal this week for the United Nations biodiversity summit to not repeat past mistakes and are urging officials to “avoid trade-offs” between people and conservation needs in a report Monday.

China has rolled back rules on isolating people with COVID-19 and dropped virus test requirements for some public places. That's a dramatic change to a strategy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign. China has enforced some of the world’s strictest curbs, disrupting global manufacturing and trade and the lives of ordinary Chinese. The latest announcement is the second easing of rules following a Nov. 11 change that fueled hopes the Communist Party would scrap its “zero COVID” strategy. Experts warn that because millions of elderly people still need to be vaccinated, it will be mid-2023 or later before restrictions can be lifted completely.

The next World Cup will be the biggest ever after world soccer body FIFA took the leap from a 32-team field to 48 teams in 2026. It means more of soccer’s so-called “little teams” that didn’t make it to Qatar will be given a chance-of-a-lifetime when the World Cup goes to the United States, Canada and Mexico. Great news for everyone who was entertained by Saudi Arabia’s stirring underdog upset of Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Morocco knocking out Spain. More surprises surely await in four years. Only it’s not clear for some that bigger is better at the World Cup.

MESAIEED, Qatar (AP) — Thirty feet (9 meters) deep into the waters of the Persian Gulf, angel fish swim in and out of rusted trucks and SUVs. Plastic bags and water bottles, blown in from the nearby shoreline, float across the ocean floor.