AP-National

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — The former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele has been named the new creative director at Valentino, following the sudden departure last week of Pierpaolo Piccioli after 25 years. Valentino confirmed the move in a statement Thursday, calling it the start of a new journey aimed at continuing

MADRID (AP) — Emergency services in Spain say four people have died in three separate incidents on Spain’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines after falling into the sea. The deaths came amid warnings of strong winds and widespread rain across many parts of the European country. Spanish police said Thursday that an underage male of Moroccan

By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay All-Star shortstop Wander Franco was placed on administrative leave through June 1 under an agreement between Major League Baseball and the players’ association while the investigation continues in an alleged relationship with a minor. Administrative leave is not disciplinary under the sport’s

By LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE Associated Press BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Meanwhile the U.S. Army Corps of

ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria’s government has flooded newly opened markets selling subsidized goods with pantry staples to stave off shortages during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, when demand typically increases in Muslim-majority countries and prices tend to rise. Authorities have moved to increase food and fuel imports and also limit exports, hoping to meet

By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia has vetoed a U.N. resolution in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by United Nations experts of U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, though the sanctions themselves remain in place. Russia’s vote on Thursday prompted Western accusations that Moscow was

PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers have condemned an infamous 1961 police crackdown on Algerian protesters in Paris as a “bloody and murderous repression.” The nonbinding vote on Thursday marked another step in France’s recognition of the massacre that authorities sought to cover up for decades. The National Assembly voted 67-11 in favor of a resolution

By KATHLEEN FOODY, RICK CALLAHAN and COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — A 22-year-old man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder in a frenzied stabbing and beating rampage that left four people dead in a matter of minutes in a northern Illinois city, authorities said Thursday. Christian Soto is also charged

By BRUCE SCHREINER Associated Press FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a U.S. Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The legislation calls for a

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A well-known politician in the Bahamas has been killed when two gunmen opened fire on a group of people while trying to rob them. Officials say Don Saunders, a former parliamentarian and the deputy chairman of the Free National Movement Party, died at the scene late Wednesday. The Royal

HELSINKI (AP) — A shortage of eggs in shops during Holy Week has led Norwegians to flock to supermarkets across the border in Sweden and hoard the traditional Easter food. Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen said Thursday that the Nordby shopping center in Sweden — located just off the border about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south

By YURI KAGEYAMA Assoiated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is reiterating his determination to work toward a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to realize the return of Japanese people believed abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s. He was speaking Thursday at a news conference after

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian Authority has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform. President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday. None of the incoming ministers is a well-known figure. At

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British Museum has appointed Nicholas Cullinan as its new director. It comes as the 265-year-old institution grapples with the apparent theft of hundreds of artifacts and growing international scrutiny of its collection. Previous director Hartwig Fischer resigned in August after the museum disclosed that more than

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of Americans signing up for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, another sign that the labor market remains strong and most workers enjoy extraordinary job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims dipped by 2,000 to 210,000. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups

By ROB GILLIES Associated Press TORONTO (AP) — Four of the largest school boards in the Canadian province of Ontario have launched lawsuits against TikTok, Meta and SnapChat alleging the social media platforms are disrupting student learning. The lawsuits announced Thursday claim that platforms like Facebook and Instagram are “designed for compulsive use, have rewired

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — King Charles III stressed the importance of friendship and acts of caring in a recorded message delivered to a traditional pre-Easter church service, which the monarch skipped as he undergoes cancer treatment. Queen Camilla represented her husband during the Royal Maundy Service at Worcester Cathedral, presenting bags

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage. The revisions to

By JESSICA DONATI Associated Press DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Rights groups say the Russian mercenary group known as Wagner is helping government forces in central and northern Mali carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed scores of civilians. Mali, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger, has for over a decade battled

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.4% annual pace from October through December, the government said in an upgrade from its previous estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded at a 3.2% rate last quarter. The Commerce Department’s revised measure of the