A grassroots group says the city botched an environmental report when it approved a proposed Costco in northwest Fresno. The group had its day in court on Wednesday. The expansive West Herndon Avenue lot where the mega-retailer wants to relocate its West Shaw Avenue store is empty. Not only has...
Iran Held Direct Talks With US Amid Intensifying Conflict With Israel, Diplomats Say
DUBAI/CALGARY, Canada - U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi have spoken by phone several times since Israel began its strikes on Iran last week, in a bid to find a diplomatic end to the crisis, three diplomats told Reuters. According to the diplomats, who asked...
Oil Prices Jump as Israel-Iran Conflict Enters Seventh Day
CALGARY - Oil prices rose on Thursday after Israel and Iran continued to exchange missile attacks overnight and U.S. President Donald Trump's stance on the conflict kept investors on edge. Brent crude futures rose $1.60, or 2.1%, to $78.29 a barrel by 1030 ET. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for July was up $1.64, or 2.1%, at $78.34. Brent...
Three New Judges Appointed in the Valley. Who Are They?
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the appointment of three judges Wednesday to fill vacancies created by judicial retirements in the San Joaquin Valley. Here is a look at the appointments: Merced County Ashley Albertoni Sausser will serve as a judge in Merced County Superior Court following the retirement of Judge Shelly...
As Death Toll Rises, Gazans Make Life-Risking Journeys to Seek Food
GAZA/CAIRO - Like thousands of other Palestinians in Gaza, Hind Al-Nawajha takes a dangerous, miles-long journey every day to try to get some food for her family, hoping she makes it back alive. Accompanied by her sister, Mazouza, the mother-of-four had to duck down and hide behind a pile of rubble on the...
EU Increasingly Resigned to 10% Baseline Tariff in US Trade Talks, European Sources Say
BRUSSELS - European officials are increasingly resigned to a 10% rate on "reciprocal" tariffs being the baseline in any trade deal between the United States and the European Union, five sources familiar with the negotiations said. President Donald Trump has announced wide-ranging tariffs on trade partners and wants to reduce...
Hurricane Erick Strengthens to Category 3 off Mexico’s Pacific Coast
MEXICO CITY - Hurricane Erick strengthened rapidly into a major Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday as it churned toward Mexico's southern Pacific Coast, where it is expected to make landfall early Thursday, authorities said. Erick is expected to bring potentially destructive winds and life-threatening flash flooding to parts of southern Mexico tonight and Thursday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in a report....
Democrats Want New Leaders, Focus on Pocketbook Issues, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds
WASHINGTON - Democrats want new leaders for their party, which many feel isn't focusing enough on economic issues and is over-emphasizing issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The poll identified a deep disconnect between what Democrats say their priorities are and the issues they believe party leaders care about most ahead of next year's midterm elections, when they hope to crack Republican control of Congress....
SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes in Setback to Musk’s Mars Mission
SpaceX's massive Starship spacecraft exploded into a dramatic fireball during testing in Texas late on Wednesday, the latest in a series of setbacks for billionaire Elon Musk’s Mars rocket program. The explosion occurred around 11 p.m. local time while Starship was on a test stand at its Brownsville, Texas Starbase while preparing for the tenth test flight, SpaceX said in...
Israel Hits Nuclear Sites, Iran Strikes Hospital as War Escalates
TEL AVIV/DUBAI - Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight, as the week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an off-ramp. Following the strike that damaged the Soroka medical centre in Israel's southern city of Beersheba, Prime Minister Benjamin...