KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — International aid agencies warned Friday that Israeli plans to control aid distribution in Gaza, including a U.S.-backed proposal, will only increase suffering and death in the devastated Palestinian territory, calling on Israel to lift its blockade on food and other supplies, now in its third...
Fresno Police Officer Arrested on Sexual Battery Charges
A Fresno police officer has been arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor sexual battery following an investigation into an off-duty incident earlier this year, the Fresno Police Department said in a statement. Officer Obioma Agbowo, a seven-year veteran of the department, was arrested Wednesday on two counts of misdemeanor sexual battery,...
Mayor Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, Arrested at ICE Detention Center He Has Been Protesting
NEWARK, N.J. — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested Friday at an federal immigration detention center where he has been protesting its opening this week, a federal prosecutor said. Alina Habba, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said on the social platform X that Baraka committed trespass and ignored warnings...
FDA Will Allow Three New Color Additives Made From Minerals, Algae and Flower Petals
U.S. regulators said Friday that they would allow three new color additives made from natural sources to be used in the nation's food supply. It comes after health officials pledged a sweeping phase-out of petroleum-based dyes widely used in foods from cereals to sports drinks to boost health — though...
Pentagon Directs Military to Pull Library Books That Address Diversity, Anti-Racism, Gender Issues
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday. It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far...
Fresno Pays the Most for Electricity. What Are Lawmakers Doing About It?
A new study finds Fresno pays the most for electricity bills. The region's utility promises to lower rates, and lawmakers are looking for energy-saving solutions as well. CashNet USA — an online lender — crunched data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a federal government agency. Fresnans pay an annual...
Freed Palestinian Student Accuses Columbia University of Inciting Violence
MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Palestinian student arrested as he was about to finalize his U.S. citizenship accused Columbia University on Thursday of eroding democracy with its handling of campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war. Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, who led anti-war protests at the Ivy League school in New York in...
First At-Home Test Kit for Cervical Cancer Approved by the FDA, Company Says
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators have approved the first cervical cancer testing kit that allows women to collect their own sample at home before shipping it to a laboratory, according to a medical device company. Teal Health said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved its Teal Wand for home use,...
US to Accept White South African Refugees While Other Programs Remain Paused
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will welcome more than two dozen white South Africans to the United States as refugees next week, an unusual move because it has suspended most refugee resettlement operations, officials and documents said Friday. The first Afrikaner refugees are arriving Monday at Dulles International Airport outside...
15 States Sue Over Trump’s Move to Fast-Track Oil and Gas Projects via His ‘Energy Emergency’ Order
A coalition of 15 states is suing over President Donald Trump's efforts to fast-track energy-related projects, saying the administration is bypassing environmental protection laws and threatening endangered species, critical habitat and cultural resources. Trump issued an executive order declaring a "national energy emergency " on the first day of his...