Iran has deployed about a dozen mines in the Strait of Hormuz, two sources familiar with the matter said, in a move likely to complicate the reopening of the narrow waterway, an important route for shipping oil and liquefied natural gas. Exports of oil and LNG through the strategic chokepoint...
Visalia Police Arrest Amazon Delivery Driver After Fleeing Aid, Crashing During DUI Incident
An Amazon delivery driver was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly waking up while firefighters were trying to help him, fleeing the scene in his vehicle and crashing following a short police pursuit, authorities said. Officers with the Visalia Police Department and personnel from Visalia Fire responded around 6:41 p.m. to...
New Iranian Leader Wounded Early in the War, Officials Say
Three days after Mojtaba Khamenei was proclaimed to have succeeded his slain father as Iran’s supreme leader, he has not appeared on video or in public nor issued any written statements. One reason is concern that any communication could reveal his location and put him in danger, according to three...
Iran to Skip World Cup, Minister Says, Despite Reported Trump Assurances
Iran will not participate in this summer’s World Cup, the country’s sports minister said Wednesday, just hours after the head of soccer’s governing body, Gianni Infantino, revealed he had received assurances from President Donald Trump that Iran would be welcome at the tournament despite the war in the Middle East....
Merced Police Seek Suspect in Best Buy Thefts
The Merced Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in identifying a suspect involved in a series of thefts at a local Best Buy. According to authorities, the suspect shoplifted more than $2,000 worth of merchandise over three separate dates: Feb. 11, Feb. 12, and March 3. Following the...
Strikes on Iran Damage Fabled Heritage Sites, Infuriating Iranians
In the city of Isfahan, Israeli airstrikes have damaged several of Iran’s most cherished cultural jewels, Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Heritage said. The Ali Qapu Palace and the Chehel Sotoun palace and garden, dating to the 17th-century Safavid dynasty, sustained serious harm, photos and videos released by the ministry...
Voter ID Appears Headed to California Ballot. Opponents Plan to Make It About Trump
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Not long after Steve Clarke found out there was a push to require voter ID at the polls, he began canvassing for signatures in Sacramento. Many of the residents he encountered were angry, Clarke said. He began volunteering...
Bombing Iran to Rubble Won’t Give It Life
In September 1996, I visited Tehran, Iran, for the first time. I stayed at the Homa Hotel, formerly a Sheraton. I wrote at the time that fixed above the door in the lobby was a sign that read, in English, “Down with U.S.A.” As I pondered that sign, I remember...
Israeli Settler Violence Rises in West Bank Under Iran War Curbs
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank are taking advantage of curbs on movement imposed during the war on Iran to attack Palestinians, with military roadblocks preventing ambulances reaching victims quickly, rights groups and medics say. Settlers have killed at least five Palestinians in the West Bank since the United...
US Restarts Global Entry Program Amid Industry Pressure
The Trump administration on Wednesday reinstated the Global Entry program that expedites U.S. customs and immigration clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers entering the United States, the government said. The Department of Homeland Security on February 22 suspended the program but reversed course on its initial plan to also suspend the...