President Donald Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro began their first meeting on Tuesday, a White House encounter testing whether they can reach a lasting detente despite clashing ideologies and reputations for unpredictability. Trump, who has voiced a desire for American dominance over all of Latin America, has in recent...
US Soon to Issue General License for Oil Production in Venezuela, Sources Say
The U.S. government is working to issue as early as this week a general license allowing companies to produce oil and gas in Venezuela, as Washington seeks to encourage expanded output in the OPEC nation since capturing its leader, three sources close to the matter told Reuters. The move by...
Fresno Couple Opens Celebrity Chef Indian Restaurant
A month after opening The Yellow Chilli, the couple who brought the flagship restaurant to Fresno from one of India's top celebrity chefs say they've gotten strong attention for the localized take on cuisine from the subcontinent. Husband-and-wife team Satvinder and Kamal Ghotra say since they've opened, they've been waitlisted...
Palestinians Return to Gaza for First Time in Nearly 2 Years
For nearly two years, Palestinians have been barred from returning to the Gaza Strip, watching in anguish as Israel’s bombing campaign against Hamas left whole neighborhoods in ruin and killed tens of thousands of people. But late Monday, 12 residents were allowed back home after Israel and Egypt opened the...
Fresno CHP Warns Drivers After Tanker, Pickup Crash in Fog
A crash between a truck and tanker occurred on Manning Avenue in Fresno County in dense fog, the California Highway Patrol said Monday. The tanker pulled into the path of an approaching Tacoma pickup truck, and the Tacoma driver was able to slow down in time to avoid a deadly...
No Plans for ICE Immigration Operations at Super Bowl, Officials Say
National Football League and federal law enforcement officials said on Tuesday there were no planned Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations for Sunday's Super Bowl or the events leading up to it. "There are no planned ICE or immigration enforcement operations that are scheduled around the Super Bowl or any of...
US Shoots Down Iranian Drone Approaching Aircraft Carrier, Official Says
The U.S. military on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that "aggressively" approached the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, the U.S. military said, in an incident first reported by Reuters. The Iranian Shahed-139 drone was flying toward the carrier "with unclear intent" and was shot down by...
Advocacy Group Sues Fresno County Over Sex Offender Housing Ordinance
An advocacy group is suing Fresno County over the passage of an ordinance restricting how many registered sex offenders can live at a single location. The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, Inc. filed the lawsuit Jan. 26 in Fresno County Superior Court, claiming the ordinance adopted Jan. 6 by...
Iranian Boats Approach US-Flagged Tanker in Strait of Hormuz, Maritime Sources Say
A group of Iranian gunboats approached a U.S.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz north of Oman, maritime sources and a security consultancy said on Tuesday. The Iranian boats ordered the tanker, the Stena Imperative, to stop its engine and prepare to be boarded before it could speed up and...
New York Attorney General to Deploy Observers to Document ICE Raids
Letitia James, the New York attorney general, announced Tuesday that her office would deploy legal observers to document raids conducted by federal immigration authorities across the state. The observers, outfitted with purple vests, could be sent to where immigration raids are unfolding to serve as “neutral witnesses on the ground,”...