News

By MARINA VILLENEUVE Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker has submitted his resignation. The governor thanked Zucker for his service to the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hochul said Thursday that Zucker has agreed to stay on until the state names a new commissioner.

HELSINKI (AP) — NATO member Estonia says a Russian air force plane violated its airspace in what the Baltic nation alleged was the sixth such incident this year by a Russian aircraft. Estonia’s military said Thursday that the alleged intrusion took place at noon Wednesday and the Beriev A-50 plane stayed in Estonian airspace near

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Sam has formed in the Atlantic and is expected to become a major hurricane. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm’s maximum sustained winds Thursday are near 50 mph with additional strengthening expected. The storm is expected to be near major hurricane strength by the end of the weekend.

LONDON (AP) — James Bond star Daniel Craig has been made an honorary Commander in the Royal Navy. That’s the same rank held by the fictional secret agent in Ian Fleming’s spy thrillers. Craig was made an honorary naval officer ahead of the release of “No Time to Die,” his fifth and likely final appearance

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The husband of a detained U.K. charity worker has appealed to the British government to be brave in its dealings with Iran as the family marked 2,000 days since her detention. Richard Ratcliffe and the couple’s 7-year-old daughter Gabriella stood atop a snakes and ladders game board

By HOLLY RAMER Associated Press CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Retired Roman Catholic Bishop John McCormack has died after a career in which he faced criticism for his role in Boston’s clergy sex abuse scandal and led New Hampshire’s diocese during its own reckoning. The Diocese of Manchester says the 86-year-old McCormack died Tuesday. McCormack was

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Once hailed as a prototype for a new kind of federal jail and the most secure in the country, the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City has become a blighted wreck. It’s deteriorated so badly it’s impossible to safely house inmates

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s anti-monopoly commission has fined 17 soccer teams for conspiring to impose a cap on the salaries of female soccer players. The commission announced Thursday the teams will be fined about $9 million for illegal practices, which include limits on players’ ability to switch teams. The clubs acted somewhat openly through

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian police say they have broken a gang that smuggled more than 100 migrants from Bosnia into Croatia and on toward Western Europe, and charged nine suspected members. The suspects are eight Croatian nationals and a Serb, police said in a statement. Seven have been arrested and two remain at large.

By PETER SMITH Associated Press Washington National Cathedral says an artist renowned for his works depicting African American life will design new stained-glass windows with racial justice themes to replace ones with Confederate imagery. Artist Kerry James Marshall Marshall says it’s too soon to say what the new windows will look like. But he notes

By DAVID CRARY AP National Writer NEW YORK (AP) — As the Boy Scouts of America moves through its complex bankruptcy case, it’s encountering criticism from major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units. The churches fear an eventual settlement could leave many of them unprotected. The Boy Scouts sought bankruptcy protection

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA and NATACHA PISARENKO Associated Press Millions of people have found solace during the pandemic in cuddling a dog or cat. For a few Argentines, comfort comes in other forms — a horse or a pig, perhaps a possum-like sugar glider or even a tarantula. As the new coronavirus began to circulate last