AP-National

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — After nearly a decade, Nicaragua’s congress has finally canceled a controversial canal concession granted to a Chinese businessman that critics said endangered the environment and threatened to displace rural communities. Despite a symbolic “groundbreaking” in 2014, no work was done on the canal that was to link Nicaragua’s Atlantic and Pacific

By TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A group of Tennesseans who say they were intimidated into not voting in a primary election or were threatened with prosecution after they did vote have filed a challenge to two state laws that require primary voters to be “bona fide” members of the party they

By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press BOSTON (AP) — Defense attorneys for a woman charged with killing her Boston police officer boyfriend are ramping up efforts to show that she was framed. Attorneys for Karen Read want to show that investigators were biased because of relationships with the owner of the house outside of which Officer

By TARA COPP Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — As it targets Hamas’ underground tunnels in Gaza, Israel has relied on powerful 2,000-pound bombs provided by the United States. But now those deliveries are on hold. The U.S. is pausing a shipment of 1,800 of the bombs, as well as 1,700 500-pound bombs, U.S. officials said.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Xavier University’s pick to deliver its undergraduate commencement address has sparked criticism among students who oppose past positions by the U.S. on the war in Gaza. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m. Saturday to graduates of

By COLLEEN BARRY AP Business Writer TORGIANO, Italy (AP) — The Prada Group is expanding its production footprint in Italy, including dozens of new jobs at its knitwear factory in Umbria, leaning into “Made in Italy” as integral to the brand’s ethos. It’s also developing new artisanal talent to ease the luxury group through a

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Prices in Argentina have surged so dramatically in recent months that the government has multiplied the size of its biggest bank note by five — to 10,000 pesos, worth about $10. The central bank announcement Tuesday promised to lighten the load for many Argentines who must carry around giant bags

By REBECCA BOONE Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A northern Idaho prosecutor won’t bring hate crime charges against an 18-year-old accused of shouting a racist slur at members of the Utah women’s basketball team during the NCAA Tournament. The deputy attorney for the city of Coeur d’Alene made the announcement on Monday, writing in

By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Associated Press PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — As major floods engulfed entire cities in the northern part of the Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state last week, meteorologist Estael Sias knew the water would drain into capital Porto Alegre’s metropolitan region and that she would need to find

ATLANTA (AP) — A music festival that draws tens of thousands of people to Atlanta’s Piedmont Park will not take place this year. Posts Wednesday on the Instagram page and website of Music Midtown, a longtime fixture for pop music lovers, says the festival is going on hiatus this year. The posts did not explain

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s public hospital doctors union has called off a national strike that had left patients in limbo for almost two months. The union secretary general Davji Atellah on Wednesday said they had agreed to trust the government to implement an agreement signed to ensure the labor

NEW YORK (AP) — A cruise ship sailed into New York City with a 44-foot dead whale across its bow. A spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the endangered sei whale was caught on the ship’s bow when it arrived at the Port of Brooklyn on Saturday. A spokesperson for MSC Cruises

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled Arkansas cannot prevent two high school teachers from discussing critical race theory in the classroom but is stopping short of more broadly blocking the state from enforcing its ban on so-called indoctrination in public schools. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky

By ISABELLA VOLMERT Associated Press INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — It’s been two months since Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican race, but the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor is ringing up significant support in state primaries. In Indiana, she grabbed more than 21% of the votes on Tuesday. It’s a sign of persistent

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Sports Writer Two Republican Congressmen have introduced a bill that would provide the NCAA, college conferences and member schools federal protection from legal challenges that undercut their ability to govern college sports. The Protect The Ball Act is sponsored by Representatives Russell Fry of South Carolina and Barry Moore

By LLAZAR SEMINI Associated Press TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister has deplored the fact that some Western powers reportedly have set another condition ahead of Kosovo’s joining the Council of Europe. Kosovo media reported that France and Germany want Kosovo to take a significant step toward establishing an association of its Serb-majority municipalities

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — Internet casino gambling is legal in only a handful of states, but the industry is convinced it is the future of betting, even as some worry about cannibalizing physical casinos. Industry executives spoke Wednesday at a gambling industry conference in New Jersey. They acknowledged the difficulty

By MEG KINNARD Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged Donald Trump to a head-to-head debate for when both address a Libertarian convention later this month. It comes as the presumptive GOP nominee has ramped up both criticism of Kennedy’s independent bid and demands that President Joe Biden meet him

By HOGIR AL ABDO Associated Press AL-HOL CAMP, Syria (AP) — Scores of Syrian women and children linked to the Islamic State group have left a sprawling camp in northeast Syria and headed home to the eastern province of Deir el-Zour following mediation by tribal leaders. Wednesday’s departures are the latest from al-Hol camp, which

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Democrats plan to spend $7 million on television ads in five state Senate races they believe are key to regaining control of the chamber. The State Senate Democratic Committee says the buy will target races around Wisconsin, including Milwaukee’s northern suburbs, the rural areas north

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Taliban official says A sticky bomb exploded in northeastern Afghanistan, killing at least three police officers. AAbdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban’s interior ministry, said the bomb which was “attached to a motorcycle, exploded in Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province,” while a convoy of security forces was passing

By ALEXA ST. JOHN Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Tornado emergencies have been called in Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa and more states over the past few weeks during recent periods of severe weather. Tornado emergencies differ from tornado watches and warnings. According to the National Weather Service, emergencies are far rarer and are issued when there’s

By ALICIA RANCILIO Associated Press Travis Kelce continues to work in the NFL off season. The Super Bowl winner has booked a role on “American Horror Story: Grotesquerie.” Fellow cast member Niecy Nash posted a series of Instagram stories Tuesday of her and Kelce on set. In one video, the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, embraces

By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he won’t supply offensive weapons Israel can use to launch an all-out assault on Rafah — the last major Hamas stronghold in Gaza — over concern for the well-being of the more than 1 million civilians sheltering there. Biden acknowledges

By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Voting rights advocates have filed an emergency motion asking the Supreme Court to keep in place a new Louisiana congressional map that gives the state a second majority Black district. Wednesday’s Supreme Court filing seeks to block an April 30 ruling from a divided panel of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has been hit by hours of rolling blackouts late Tuesday due to high temperatures and temporary drops in electrical power generation. The government’s National Center for Energy Control said the blackouts lasted a total of about five hours, though it was likely less for individual customers because it was a

By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer NEW YORK (AP) — All dogs coming into the U.S. from other countries must be at least 6 months old and microchipped to help prevent the spread of rabies, according to new government rules published Wednesday. The new rules require vaccination for dogs that have been in countries where

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union nations have reached a tentative breakthrough deal to provide Ukraine with billions in additional funds for arms and ammunitions coming from the profits raised from frozen Russian central bank assets held in the bloc. The agreement among the 27 EU ambassadors came after weeks of tough negotiations that were made

NEW YORK (AP) — Charges of inciting a riot will be dropped against online streamer Kai Cenat after he agreed to pay restitution and apologize for luring thousands of fans to New York’s Union Square last year, prosecutors said. Cenat, 22, and two codefendants agreed to pay more than $57,000 in restitution and apologize on

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Kosovo’s foreign minister says her country is convinced that Russia must lose the war in Ukraine for conflict not to spread further in Europe. She also said in an interview with The Associated Press that her young nation’s support for Ukraine is unconditional even though Kyiv