AP-National

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court upheld a lower court judge’s ruling putting a temporary halt on New Jersey’s primary ballot design, widely seen as helping those with party establishment support. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia denied an appeal by county clerks seeking to halt U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi’s recent

By JARI TANNER Associated Press HELSINKI (AP) — Finland says it will extend the closure of its border crossing points with Russia beyond the current April 14 deadline “until further notice” due to a high risk of organized migration orchestrated by Moscow. The Finnish Interior Ministry said national security and public order would come under

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — Police in Italy, Austria, Romania and Slovakia have arrested 22 people as part of an investigation into the suspected theft of hundreds millions of euros in post-pandemic relief funds from the European Union. The 600 million euros ($650 million) in post-pandemic money was meant for Italy, the

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that prospective negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine could be successful only if they take Moscow’s interests in the account. Lavrov on Tuesday dismissed a planned round of peace talks in Switzerland as a Western ruse to rally broader international support for Kyiv. He

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s defense minister has announced a plan to streamline and reorganize the country’s military command as part of efforts to make the armed forces of NATO’s most populous European member “war-capable.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz set in motion a big increase in military spending shortly after Russia’s full-scale

By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The former South African speaker of parliament has been arrested over allegations that she received about $135,000 in bribes, in the latest corruption scandal to face the governing African National Congress party. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula turned herself in to police in the capital, Pretoria, on Thursday and was

DETROIT (AP) — With U.S. electric vehicle sales starting to slow, Ford Motor Co. says it will delay rolling out new electric pickup trucks and a new large electric SUV as it adds gas-electric hybrids to its model lineup. The Dearborn, Michigan, company said Thursday that a new electric pickup to be built at a

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer The number of Americans applying for jobless benefits rose to their highest level in two months last week, but layoffs remain at historically low levels as the labor market continues to chug along despite elevated interest rates. The Labor Department reported Thursday that filings for unemployment claims for the

By PAN PYLAS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government will grant extensions to several large U.K. airports unable to meet the June 1 deadline to fully install new scanning technology. The new scanners will allow passengers to take 2 liters, or 70 ounces, of liquid in their hand luggage — rather than the

By DORANY PINEDA and SUMAN NAISHADHAM Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — Sea-level rise and increasingly ferocious storms are eroding thousands of miles of Mexico’s coastline. Drought is draining reservoirs dry and creating severe water shortages. Deadly heat is straining people and crops. But the leading presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum isn’t making climate a central

By DEEPA BHARATH, DAVID CRARY and MARIAM FAM Associated Press Throughout history, solar eclipses have had profound impact on adherents of various religions around the world. They were viewed as messages from God or spiritual forces, inducing emotions ranging from dread to wonder. Ahead of the total solar eclipse that will follow a long path

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.’s leading human rights body has agreed to measures aimed at putting pressure on Myanmar and Iran, whose governments have been accused of using violence against their own people. The council backed by consensus a measure that calls on governments to avoid exporting or selling jet

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals as part of a three-year deal with the women’s professional tennis tour that will increase the prize money for this November’s season-ending championship to a record $15.25 million. That is a 70% increase from 2023. The event for the top eight singles

NEW YORK (AP) — Bestselling author Eoin Colfer has a new set of adventures ready for young Juniper Lane. Roaring Brook Press announced Thursday that Colfer’s “Guardians of Cedar Wood” is scheduled to come out in 2025. It’s the second book in Colfer’s middle-grade series about Juniper Lane and a helpful reindeer who were featured

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A new diplomatic crisis between Poland and Israel has erupted following the death of a Polish aid worker in Gaza. The Polish president on Thursday denounced a comment by the Israeli ambassador as “outrageous” and the Foreign Ministry in Warsaw said it was summoning him for

By RISDEL KASASIRA Associated Press KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan gay rights activists asked the international community to mount more pressure on the government of Uganda to repeal an anti-gay law which the country’s Constitutional Court refused to nullify on Wednesday. The court upheld a law that allows the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” and

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia’s imprisoned former Prime Minister Najib Razak is seeking to serve the rest of his prison term under house arrest, two months after his graft sentence was halved. His application said he had information that the then-king had issued an order allowing his house arrest during the Jan. 29 pardon

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Kuwait is holding national elections for the fourth time in as many years as the oil-rich country seeks to break out of its longstanding political gridlock. The Persian Gulf country’s elected assembly has more power than most in the Arab world, but has long been at loggerheads with the

By KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES Associated Press SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — North Macedonia’s presidential race has kicked off, with seven candidates vying for the largely ceremonial post in a two-round vote that will conclude on May 8. The official start on Thursday to the campaign season means the candidates are allowed to make campaign speeches, hold

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — More than 600 British jurists, including three retired judges from the U.K. Supreme Court, are calling on the government to suspend arms sales to Israel, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after the deaths of three U.K. aid workers in an Israeli strike. Britain is just