AP-Newswatch

Heavy fighting in Gaza’s Rafah keeps aid crossings closed, sends 100,000 civilians fleeing

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A United Nations official says heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah has left crucial nearby aid crossings inaccessible and caused over 100,000 people to flee north. Israel’s plans for a full-scale invasion of Rafah appear to be on hold for now. The United States is deeply opposed to that and is stepping up pressure by threatening to withhold arms. But even the more limited incursion launched earlier this week threatens to worsen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. Heavy fighting was also underway in northern Gaza, where Hamas appears to have once again regrouped in an area where Israel had already launched punishing assaults.

A West Bank village feels helpless after Israeli settlers attack with fire and bullets

DUMA, West Bank (AP) — Charred homes and cars dot the hilltop West Bank village of Duma, a searing reminder of Palestinians’ vulnerability to rising violence from Israeli settlers. The head of village council says the wreckage is the aftermath of an attack in mid-April that left 15 homes damaged by arson and six residents injured by bullets. He says Duma lacks the power to defend itself. The U.N. says there have been nearly 800 settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began. The attack in Duma occurred after a 14-year-old Israeli who went missing was found dead. Authorities arrested a man from Duma they say was connected to the boy’s alleged murder.

Airman shot by deputy doted on little sister and aimed to buy mom a house, family says

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The family of the U.S. Air Force airman shot and killed by a deputy in Florida says he was devoted to improving the lives of a younger sister, brother and his mom. An Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputy shot 23-year-old Roger Fortson on May 3 in Fort Walton Beach. Fortson was originally from Atlanta but was living in the Florida Panhandle while serving at nearby Hurlburt Field. His mom, Chantemekki Fortson, said her son wanted to buy her a home and be a role model for his 16-year-old brother. In the Air Force, Roger Fortson rose to the rank of senior airman and received a distinction for service during combat.

‘Where’s Ronald Greene’s justice?’: 5 years on, feds still silent on Black motorist’s deadly arrest

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Ronald Greene’s deadly arrest on a rural Louisiana roadside in 2019 sparked outrage after The Associated Press published long-suppressed body-camera video showing white state troopers stunning, beating and dragging the Black motorist as he wailed, “I’m scared!” Yet five years on, a federal investigation into the case remains open with no end in sight. Mona Hardin is Greene’s mother. She says she feels angry that other major civil rights cases from that period — including George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery — have long ago been prosecuted. She asks, “Where’s Ronald Greene’s justice?” A Justice Department spokesperson says only that the probe remains ongoing.

Police dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment at MIT and move to clear Penn and Arizona protests

Police have dismantled a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and are moving to clear protesters from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Early Friday’s action came hours after police tear-gassed protesters and took down an encampment at the University of Arizona. Video showed police roaming through the MIT encampment and the school said 10 students had been arrested. In Arizona, campus police in riot gear fired tear gas late Thursday at protesters before tearing down an encampment. Tensions have ratcheted up in standoffs with protesters on campuses across the United States and in Europe.

Shunned for centuries, Vodou grows powerful as Haitians seek solace from unrelenting gang violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Shunned publicly by politicians and intellectuals for centuries, Vodou is transforming into a more powerful and accepted religion across Haiti, where its believers were once persecuted. Vodou believers are seeking solace and protection from violent gangs that have killed, raped and kidnapped thousands in recent years. Amid the spiraling chaos, a growing number of Haitians are praying more or visiting Vodou priests known as “oungans” for urgent requests ranging from locating loved ones who were kidnapped to finding critical medication needed to keep someone alive.

Inside a makeshift shelter saving hundreds of dogs from floods in southern Brazil

CANOAS, Brazil (AP) — Hundreds of volunteers have set up a makeshift dog shelter in an abandoned, roofless warehouse in the Brazilian city of Canoas, one of the hardest hit by floods in southern Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state. They treat and feed sick, injured and hungry dogs, hoping to reunite them with their owners. They were working was at full speed Friday morning as renewed heavy rains are forecast in the region over the weekend. Authorities say the floods have killed more than 110 people, almost 150 are missing, and more than 300,000 people have been displaced. There is no official tally for the number of animals that have died or are missing, but local media estimated the number to be in the thousands.

Mixing games and education, Prince Harry and Meghan arrive in Nigeria to promote mental health

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans. The couple, visiting the West African nation for the first time, arrived in its capital, Abuja, early Friday and will be meeting with Nigerian soldiers, some of whom have been fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists. They visited a college which receives support from their Archewell foundation to train and cater to the mental wellbeing of young girls affected by conflicts in Nigeria. The Nigerian military has touted the Invictus Games as an event that could help the recovery of thousands of its personnel fighting the extremists.