Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli issued a public apology Monday for his latest act of indiscipline and made an appeal to stay in Italy's national team for the European Championship.

He picked up his fourth red card in two seasons with City in the 1-0 loss at Arsenal on Sunday, prompting questions about whether Balotelli has again broken the new code of ethics installed by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli.

Christian Dior has named Belgian designer Raf Simons as its new artistic director, seven months after its icon, John Galliano, was convicted by a Paris court for drunken anti-Semitic ravings.

A fashion rebel of a different sort, Simons — who began his career as a furniture designer and has had his own successful menswear label — will present his first show for the renowned Dior fashion house in July, according to Monday's announcement.

Cellphone companies and the government are trying to make it as difficult to use a stolen cellphone as it is to sell a stolen car.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said in a statement late Monday that major cellphone carriers and the Federal Communications Commission have agreed to set up a database of identification numbers that are unique to each phone.

He's on the lam, but Travis A. Nicolaysen still had time to update his Facebook page.

The 26-year-old has eluded authorities since two foot chases Wednesday and a dragnet that included a police dog tracking him through a Port Angeles neighborhood.

The tiny Pacific atoll of Niue is attempting to lure US pop superstar Lady Gaga to its shores by pledging every single person from the island will attend if she performs there.

The island, about 2,500 kilometers (1,500 miles) northeast of New Zealand, has about 1,600 inhabitants and Niue Tourism spokesman Mike Hogan said they were all keen to see a concert by the chart-topping diva.

Facebook is spending $1 billion to buy the photo-sharing company Instagram in the social network's largest acquisition ever.

On the surface, that's a huge sum for a tiny startup that has a handful of employees and no way to make money.

A Canadian actress accused of stalking "30 Rock" star Alec Baldwin has been told to stay away from him.

Genevieve Sabourin was arraigned in a Manhattan court on Monday, a day after she was arrested on charges of stalking and aggravated harassment when Baldwin filed a complaint with police.

Queen Elizabeth II has appointed the Duchess of Cornwall to the highest female rank in the Royal Victorian Order, Buckingham Palace said Monday.

The announcement that Camilla has been made a Dame Grand Cross comes on the day of her seventh wedding anniversary with Prince Charles, the queen's son.

Britain's Home Office confirmed Sunday that its website was attacked after hackers claimed responsibility for shutting it down.

The hackers also claim they attacked the Justice Ministry website and warned of further attacks every Saturday on U.K. government websites.

It's been so warm in the United States this year, especially in March that national records weren't just broken, they were deep-fried.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states were 8.6 degrees above normal for March and 6 degrees higher than average for the first three months of the year, according to calculations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That far exceeds the old records.