United News of Bangladesh

As pressure grows to get artificial colors out of the U.S. food supply, the shift may well start at Abby Tampow’s laboratory desk. On an April afternoon, the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye, each a slightly different ruby hue. Her task? To match the synthetic shade used for years in a commercial bottled raspberry vinaigrette — but by using only natural ingredients. “With this red, it needs a little more orange,” Tampow said, mixing a slurry of purplish black carrot juice with a bit of beta-carotene, an orange-red color made from algae. Tampow is part of the team at Sensient Technologies Corp., one of the world’s largest dyemakers, that is rushing to help the salad dressing manufacturer — along with thousands of other American businesses — meet demands to overhaul colors used to brighten products from cereals to sports drinks. “Most of our customers have decided that this is finally the time when they’re going to make that switch to a natural color,” said Dave Gebhardt, Sensient’s senior technical director. He joined a recent tour of the Sensient Colors factory in a north St. Louis neighborhood. Last week, U.S. health officials announced plans to persuade food companies to voluntarily eliminate petroleum-based artificial dyes by the end of 2026. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called them “poisonous compounds” that endanger children’s health and development, citing limited evidence of potential health risks. The federal push follows a flurry of state laws and a January decision to ban the artificial dye known as Red 3 — found in cakes, candies and some medications — because of cancer risks in lab animals. Social media influencers and ordinary consumers have ramped up calls for artificial colors to be removed from foods. A change to natural colors may not be fast The Food and Drug Administration allows about three dozen color additives, including eight remaining synthetic dyes. But making the change from the petroleum-based dyes to colors derived from vegetables, fruits, flowers and even insects won’t be easy, fast or cheap, said Monica Giusti, an Ohio State University food color expert. Advanced cancers returned to prepandemic levels, according to a reassuring report “Study after study has shown that if all companies were to remove synthetic colors from their formulations, the supply of the natural alternatives would not be enough,” Giusti said. “We are not really ready.” It can take six months to a year to convert a single product from a synthetic dye to a natural one. And it could require three to four years to build up the supply of botanical products necessary for an industrywide shift, Sensient officials said. “It’s not like there’s 150 million pounds of beet juice sitting around waiting on the off chance the whole market may convert,” said Paul Manning, the company's chief executive. “Tens of millions of pounds of these products need to be grown, pulled out of the ground, extracted.” To make natural dyes, Sensient works with farmers and producers around the world to harvest the raw materials, which typically arrive at the plant as bulk concentrates. They’re processed and blended into liquids, granules or powders and then sent to food companies to be added to final products. Natural dyes are harder to make and use than artificial colors. They are less consistent in color, less stable and subject to changes related to acidity, heat and light, Manning said. Blue is especially difficult. There aren't many natural sources of the color and those that exist can be hard to maintain during processing. Also, a natural color costs about 10 times more to make than the synthetic version, Manning estimated. “How do you get that same vividness, that same performance, that same level of safety in that product as you would in a synthetic product?” he said. “There’s a lot of complexity associated with that.” The insects that could make ‘Barbie pink’ naturally Companies have long used the Red 3 synthetic dye to create what Sensient officials describe as “the Barbie pink.” To create that color with a natural source might require the use of cochineal, an insect about the size of a peppercorn. The female insects release a vibrant red pigment, carminic acid, in their bodies and eggs. The bugs live only on prickly pear cactuses in Peru and elsewhere. About 70,000 cochineal insects are needed to produce 1 kilogram, about 2.2 pounds, of dye. “It's interesting how the most exotic colors are found in the most exotic places,” said Norb Nobrega, who travels the world scouting new hues for Sensient. Artificial dyes are used widely in U.S. foods. About 1 in 5 food products in the U.S. contains added colors, whether natural or synthetic, Manning estimated. Many contain multiple colors. FDA requires a sample of each batch of synthetic colors to be submitted for testing and certification. Color additives derived from plant, animal or mineral sources are exempt, but have been evaluated by the agency. Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. The FDA says that the approved dyes are safe when used according to regulations and that “most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.” But critics note that added colors are a key component of ultraprocessed foods, which account for more than 70% of the U.S. diet and have been associated with a host of chronic health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. “I am all for getting artificial food dyes out of the food supply,” said Marion Nestle, a food policy expert. “They are strictly cosmetic, have no health or safety purpose, are markers of ultraprocessed foods and may be harmful to some children.” The cautionary tale of Trix cereal Color is powerful driver of consumer behavior and changes can backfire, Giusti noted. In 2016, food giant General Mills removed artificial dyes from Trix cereal after requests from consumers, switching to natural sources including turmeric, strawberries and radishes. But the cereal lost its neon colors, resulting in more muted hues — and a consumer backlash. Trix fans said they missed the bright colors and familiar taste of the cereal. In 2017, the company switched back. Scientists find possible chemical signs of life on a faraway planet “When it’s a product you already love, that you’re used to consuming, and it changes slightly, then it may not really be the same experience,” Giusti said. “Announcing a regulatory change is one step, but then the implementation is another thing.” Kennedy, the health secretary, said U.S. officials have an “understanding” with food companies to phase out artificial colors. Industry officials told The Associated Press that there is no formal agreement. However, several companies have said they plan to accelerate a shift to natural colors in some of their products. PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said most of its products are already free of artificial colors, and that its Lays and Tostitos brands will phase them out by the end of this year. He said the company plans to phase out artificial colors — or at least offer consumers a natural alternative — over the next few years. Representatives for General Mills said they’re “committed to continuing the conversation” with the administration. WK Kellogg officials said they are reformulating cereals used in the nation’s school lunch programs to eliminate the artificial dyes and will halt any new products containing them starting next January. Sensient officials wouldn’t confirm which companies are seeking help making the switch, but they said they’re ready for the surge. “Now that there’s a date, there’s the timeline,” Manning said. “It certainly requires action.”

Five new hires are selflessly roaming the halls of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs, hoping to provide a paw-sitively stress-free travel experience for anxious passengers. Meet Istanbul Airport’s therapy dogs — always ready to offer support with snuggles, belly rubs and sloppy kisses. The Associated Press caught up with Kuki and Alita, two of the dogs taking part in the pet-friendly airport’s new pilot project aimed at easing stress and anxiety among travelers. Israeli troops withdraw from Khan Younis ahead of expected Rafah offensive All four-legged members of the program are certified therapy dogs, professionally trained and conditioned to comfort humans. The “Therapy Dog Team” has been on duty since late February following months of preparation and intensive training, learning desensitization to distracting stimuli, like sounds and people. “We have to ensure that they are safe and they are 100% adapted to all environments,” said Kadir Demirtas, Istanbul Airport’s customer experience manager. Kuki, a Lagotto Romagnolo, an Italian retriever breed, is team captain. He works hard to please but likes his breaks and sometimes plays hooky. That's OK, however. The team’s veterinarian said each dog’s temperament dictates their hours on the job each day. “They walk around the airport led by their handlers who are also responsible for their care,” said Volkan Arslan. The dogs, who are airport employees with official badges and uniforms, have a set schedule and work during peak travel hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Iranian commander renews vow to avenge Syria strike attributed to Israel that killed 2 generals Alita, a border collie, is Kuki’s teammate. Her intense gaze and dedication to her handler are striking, as is her ability to soothe and calm nerves. “We are always surrounded by people who are constantly petting her," said Volkan Gul, Alita’s dedicated handler, adding that she helps them relax. Airport officials said they already have plans to expand the pilot project following initial positive feedback from travelers. 

Five new hires are selflessly roaming the halls of one of the world’s busiest transportation hubs, hoping to provide a paw-sitively stress-free travel experience for anxious passengers. Meet Istanbul Airport’s therapy dogs — always ready to offer support with snuggles, belly rubs and sloppy kisses. The Associated Press caught up with Kuki and Alita, two of the dogs taking part in the pet-friendly airport’s new pilot project aimed at easing stress and anxiety among travelers. All four-legged members of the program are certified therapy dogs, professionally trained and conditioned to comfort humans. The “Therapy Dog Team” has been on duty since late February following months of preparation and intensive training, learning desensitization to distracting stimuli, like sounds and people. “We have to ensure that they are safe and they are 100% adapted to all environments,” said Kadir Demirtas, Istanbul Airport’s customer experience manager. Kuki, a Lagotto Romagnolo, an Italian retriever breed, is team captain. He works hard to please but likes his breaks and sometimes plays hooky. That's OK, however. The team’s veterinarian said each dog’s temperament dictates their hours on the job each day. “They walk around the airport led by their handlers who are also responsible for their care,” said Volkan Arslan. The dogs, who are airport employees with official badges and uniforms, have a set schedule and work during peak travel hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alita, a border collie, is Kuki’s teammate. Her intense gaze and dedication to her handler are striking, as is her ability to soothe and calm nerves. “We are always surrounded by people who are constantly petting her," said Volkan Gul, Alita’s dedicated handler, adding that she helps them relax. Airport officials said they already have plans to expand the pilot project following initial positive feedback from travelers.

Awami League nominated candidate for Nilphamari-2 Asaduzzaman Noor won the race of 12th parliamentary election held on Sunday. Singer Momtaz fails to secure her place in national polls Noor bagged 1,19,339 votes while his nearest rival independent candidate Joynal Abedin secured 15,684 votes. Asaduzzaman Noor is a Bangladeshi actor, politician and activist. 12th JS Election: AL romps home amid low turnout in peaceful but predictable polls He has been a Jatiya Sangsad member from Nilphamari-2 constituency since 2001 and served as the Cultural Affairs Minister during 2014–2019. Giants who lost 12th national election race

Limited phone and internet services began working again Friday across Gaza after fuel was delivered to restart generators that power the networks. Israel announced that it will allow two tanker trucks of fuel into Gaza each day for the United Nations and communication systems. That amount is half of what the U.N. said it needs for lifesaving functions including powering water systems, hospitals, bakeries and the trucks delivering aid. A pro-Palestinian demonstration Friday in Michigan led to the involvement of a half-dozen police agencies after protesters forced their way into a building. Clashes over Israel-Hamas war have shattered students’ sense of safety on U.S. college campuses, which have seen numerous protests in the weeks since the war began. At least 11,470 Palestinians — two-thirds of them women and minors — have been killed since the war began, according to Palestinian health authorities, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. About 2,700 people are reported missing. Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after the militant group launched its Oct. 7 incursion. Some 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mostly during the initial attack, and around 240 were taken captive by militants. Here’s what's happening in the latest Israel-Hamas war: PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS FORCE THEIR WAY INTO A UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BUILDING A group of pro-Palestinian protesters forced their way Friday into a building on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, police said.   Video posted on social media showed protesters pushing past police into the Ruthven Administration Building, which houses offices for school President Santa Ono. An estimated 200 people then entered the building, university Deputy Police Chief Melissa Overton said. Once inside, protesters chanted, called for the university to divest from Israel and waved Palestinian flags, as seen on the video. About a half-dozen police agencies, including state police, assisted campus officers. There were no reports of injuries. Officers began removing protesters from the building Friday evening, police said. A TANZANIAN STUDENT BELIEVED KIDNAPPED BY HAMAS HAS DIED, HIS COUNTRY’S FOREIGN MINISTRY SAYS Tanzania’s Foreign Ministry on Friday announced the death of Clemence Felix Mtenga, 22, one of two Tanzanian agriculture interns believed kidnapped by Palestinian militants on Oct. 7. The statement did not provide details on how the Tanzanian government had learned of his death or the location of his remains. Clemence and 21-year-old Joshua Loitu Mollel were working on cow farms not far from the Gaza Strip — Clemence had been placed at Nir Oz and Joshua was living at Nahal Oz. They had arrived in Israel in mid-September. LIMITED INTERNET AND PHONE ACCESS RETURNS IN GAZA AFTER GENERATORS GET FUEL The Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel said Friday that phone and internet services were partially working again across Gaza, after fuel was delivered to restart generators that power the networks. NetBlocks, a group tracking internet outages, confirmed that “internet connectivity is being partially restored” in the Gaza Strip. On Thursday, Paltel announced that all communication services, including landline connection, mobile network and Internet connection, dropped due to a lack of fuel. The next day, Israel agreed to allow two tanker trucks of fuel, equaling 60,000 liters (15,850 gallons), into the Gaza Strip each day. A U.S. State Department official said 10,000 liters of the daily intake will be used to power the enclave’s communications network. Before this week, Israel had completely prohibited fuel from entering Gaza, fearing that inbound fuel could be commandeered by Hamas and used against them. ISRAEL SAYS ‘DIRE’ CONDITIONS IN SHIFA HOSPTIAL AS TROOPS STILL SEARCHING FOR ALLEGED HAMAS COMMAND CENTER JERUSALEM — More than two days after Israeli soldiers stormed Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, doctors said they were amputating limbs to avoid infection and spoke of wounds festering with maggots, while Israel’s military said it was still searching for evidence to back up its allegations that Hamas used the hospital as a command center. Hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia told Al Jazeera television that 52 patients have died since fuel ran out — up from 40 reported dead before Israeli troops entered the compound on Wednesday. More patients were on the verge of death as their wounds are “open with maggots coming out of them,” another doctor, Faisal Siyam, told the Qatar-run TV network. The doctors’ accounts could not be independently verified. Abu Selmia said Israeli troops should either bring them fuel to power equipment or allow an evacuation. Israel has delivered food and water to patients, said Col. Elad Goren, the head of civil affairs at COGAT, the defense body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs. Abu Selmia said the amount was far too little for the nearly 7,000 people in the compound. The Israeli military said Friday that it was searching the hospital for Hamas infrastructure, but acknowledged it was taking a long time and that patients in the hospital were suffering. “We’re aware that the situation is dire,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a military spokesperson, told reporters Friday. Since entering Shifa earlier this week, the Israeli army said it has found weapons and military equipment hidden around the hospital and in a vehicle outside, as well as the laptop it says belonged to a Hamas militant. It also released videos of what it says is a tunnel, which is still being studied. The military’s claims could not be independently verified. But Israel has yet to present proof of a Hamas command and control center it previously said is underneath the hospital. GENERATORS FOR GAZA TELECOMS CAN'T BE RESTARTED WITHOUT REGULAR FUEL DELIVERIES, TOP OFFICIAL SAYS RAMALLAH, West Bank — Mobile phone and internet services in Gaza can only be restored if sufficient quantities of fuel start entering the enclave on a regular basis, the general manager of the Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel said Friday. Israel signals wider operations in southern Gaza as search of hospital has yet to reveal Hamas base Abdulmajeed Melhem did not disclose how much fuel was needed to power the network each day but warned against a stop-start process. “We cannot run the generators for an hour and then stop them because this will lead to great damage to the generators and devices as a whole,” he told The Associated Press. Experts say frequently turning generators on and off wears them down, and can also lead to power spikes. “They are fuel based, so it’s like old cars where start/stopping too much would cause deposits to form on the spark plugs etc. messing up timing and efficiency,” said MVS Chandrashekhar, an electrical engineering professor at the University of South Carolina, said via email. “For the electrical systems, constant surges from power/no-power can cause spikes that could damage equipment,” he said. FUNERAL HELD FOR 19-YEAR-OLD ISRAELI SOLDIER WHO WAS AMONG HAMAS HOSTAGES MODI'IN, Israel — The funeral of 19-year-old Israeli soldier Noa Marciano, who was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, was held Friday after Israeli forces in Gaza recovered her remains. Hundreds of mourners, many carrying Israeli flags, paid their respects to Marciano in her home town of Modi’in. Her coffin, draped in the blue-and-white Israeli flag, was carried beside large photos of a smiling Marciano. In one photo, she wears a graduation cap and gown. “Our Nooni, in a normal, just world, we shouldn’t be standing here right now. But we are not in a just world. You were only 19 when you died,” Adi Marciano, her mother, said during the funeral service. “We tried everything – 40 days in which we turned over every stone, searched every path and climbed every tree — and today, we ask for your forgiveness,” she said. “Sorry we didn’t make it. You guarded us but we didn’t guard you.” RESIDENTS VOW TO REBUILD ISRAELI TOWN ATTACKED ON OCT. 7 NETIV HAASARA, Israel — Residents of an Israeli town on the border with Gaza vowed Friday to rebuild homes destroyed in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants. Netiv HaAsara, which is just 300 meters (yards) from the Gaza border, was attacked and 20 residents were killed, after the gunmen passed over the concrete border wall using paragliders, according to Israeli military officials. Resident Hila Fenlon, 46, pointed toward her neighbor’s home which was gutted in the attack. “Obviously, there was no escape from this house,” she said. “It is a symbol to people who woke up one Saturday morning and vicious terrorists (came) and started to burn everything, to burn their lives down, and our victory will be to rebuild it. Our victory will be to make sure it won’t stay burnt.” Moments after she spoke an air raid siren rang out and visiting residents dropped to the ground as rockets fired from Gaza were visible in the sky. INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT IS GATHERING INFO ON ALLEGED CRIMES DURING ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR THE HAGUE, Netherlands — International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan says that his office has received “a significant volume of information and evidence” about alleged crimes committed during the Israel-Hamas war. Khan did not elaborate on the nature of the information his office has received. He made the comment in a written statement Friday confirming that South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, and Djibouti had made official state referrals to the court about the “Situation in the State of Palestine,” which his office has been investigating since March 2021. South Africa announced the referral on Thursday. The ICC investigation dates back to the last major Israel-Hamas war in 2014 but also includes the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Khan says his prosecution office “will continue its engagement with all relevant actors, whether national authorities, civil society, survivor groups or international partners, to advance this investigation.” He also says he will “continue my efforts to visit the State of Palestine and Israel in order to meet with survivors, hear from civil society organisations and engage with relevant national counterparts.” MILITANTS ATTACK 3 US BASES IN IRAQ AND SYRIA, 1 SOLDIER WOUNDED WASHINGTON — Militants attacked U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria on Friday, conducting three strikes on facilities using one-way attack drones that wounded one soldier, two U.S. officials said on the condition of anonymity to provide sensitive details of the strikes. The attacks have been launched almost daily since Oct. 17, the day a blast at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds and sparked protests across the region. The U.S. has repeatedly warned the groups to desist and avoid escalating the war between Israel and Hamas into a wider conflict. The three additional attacks on U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Syria on Friday bring the total number of attacks on U.S. and coalition military facilities in Iraq and Syria to at least 60 since Oct. 17. At least 59 service members have been wounded, but the Pentagon has said all were minor injuries and those troops were able to return to duty. On Friday a one-way drone targeted Al Harir air base in Erbil, with no casualties reported, but a damage assessment was still ongoing. Multiple one-way drones attacked Al Asad air base in Iraq but caused no injuries or infrastructure damage, and another multiple one-way drone attack at Tall Baydar, Syria, resulted in minor injuries to one service member who was able to return to duty, one of the defense officials said. ROCKETS FIRED FROM GAZA ARE INTERCEPTED OVER TEL AVIV Israel’s missile defense systems were activated over Tel Aviv late Friday to intercept rockets fired by militants in Gaza. The city skyline was lit up as the interceptions occurred that could be heard across the city. No injuries were reported. ISRAEL WILL ALLOW 140,000 LITERS OF FUEL INTO GAZA EVERY 48 HOURS, US OFFICIAL SAYS WASHINGTON — A U.S. State Department official said Friday that Israel has agreed to allow 140,000 liters (36,984 gallons) of fuel into Gaza every 48 hours through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. The first deliveries are expected Saturday, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations between the U.S. and Israel. The fuel will be delivered to the fuel depot in the Gaza side of the border and distributed from there. The official said 120,000 liters (31,700 gallons) will be reserved for U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees trucks carrying humanitarian aid, as well as water desalinization, well and sewage pumping, solid waste disposal, bakeries and hospitals. The other 20,000 liters will be for generators used by Palestinian telecoms provider Paltel in order to restore communications networks. On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Israeli Cabinet Minister Ron Dermer and told him that a “major catastrophe” was imminent without Israel following through on the agreement in principle to send fuel to southern Gaza that had been forged during Blinken’s last meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war cabinet. Dermer told Blinken that the war cabinet would vote shortly. Israeli forces raid Gaza’s largest hospital, where hundreds of patients are stranded by fighting On Thursday, Blinken called Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, to repeat the message of urgency. MARCHERS TREKKING TO NETANYAHU'S OFFICE CARRY IMAGES OF HOSTAGES JERUSALEM — Thousands of marchers embarked Friday on their fourth leg of a five-day walk from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling on the Israeli government to bring some 240 hostages abducted by Hamas back home. The marchers, who included relatives of more than 50 hostages, are traversing the 70 kilometers (roughly 45 miles) to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, calling on him and Israel's War Cabinet to do more to rescue their loved ones. They expect to complete the march on Saturday. The families have called upon the War Cabinet for more information on the whereabouts of their loved ones and to consider a cease-fire deal or a prisoner exchange to free their loved ones. Hamas has offered to release all the hostages in exchange for some 6,000 Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails, but the Cabinet has rejected the proposal. The Cabinet has also been adamantly opposed to any cease-fire agreement. Four hostages have have been released through international diplomacy involving Qatar, while a fifth was rescued by Israeli troops. Israel has confirmed the deaths of two hostages. ISRAELI OFFICIAL SAYS ‘VERY MINIMAL’ AMOUNT OF FUEL APPROVED FOR GAZA JERUSALEM — Israel’s national security adviser says the country’s War Cabinet has agreed to allow two tanker trucks of fuel to enter the Gaza Strip each day, a quantity he described as “very minimal.” Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Tzachi Hanegbi said the fuel would be allowed for Gaza’s communications system and water and sewage services. He said the deliveries are intended to prevent the spread of disease without disrupting Israel’s ability to continue its war against the Hamas militant group. "We don’t want diseases that could harm the civilians who are there and our forces. If there are diseases, the fighting would be halted. We cannot continue fighting in the event of a humanitarian crisis or an international outcry,” Hanegbi said. Hanegbi said the fuel amounted to roughly 2% to 4% of the normal quantities of fuel that entered Gaza before the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7. The office of Israeli lawmaker and former defense minister Benny Gantz, a member of the three-person War Cabinet, said the agreement would allow 60,000 liters (15,850 gallons) of fuel to enter Gaza over the next 48 hours. Hanegbit said the War Cabinet “agreed to a special request by the United States to supply two tankers per day” for Gaza. . The War Cabinet says it agreed to the U.S. request on the recommendation of the Shin Bet internal security agency and the army. ISRAEL'S WAR CABINET APPROVES SMALL FUEL SHIPMENTS INTO GAZA JERUSALEM — Israeli officials say the country’s War Cabinet has unanimously approved small shipments of fuel for humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip. The officials said they would allow two tanker trucks of diesel fuel each day for the United Nations to support water and sewage infrastructure in the besieged territory. Israeli officials have all but banned fuel shipments into Gaza since the Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas that triggered Israel’s latest war with the Islamic militant group. The Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement, said the decision had come in response to a request from the United States. A lack of fuel has caused communications systems in Gaza to collapse, forcing aid agencies to halt cross-border deliveries of humanitarian supplies. Israel says the restrictions are needed to prevent Hamas from using fuel for military purposes. — By Joe Federman BATTLE IN THE WEST BANK LEAVES AT LEAST 3 DEAD AND 15 WOUNDED JERUSALEM — Israeli troops and Palestinian militants exchanged fire in the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank during an army raid and at least three Palestinians were killed, the Palestinian health ministry said Friday. Jenin has long been a flashpoint, and the military has carried out near-nightly operations there since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza six weeks ago. Gunbattles erupted in several locations, also drawing in fighters from Hamas, the militant group battling Israeli forces in Gaza. At one point, an Israeli aircraft targeted militants who threw explosives toward Israeli forces, the Israeli military said. The military said it killed five militants in the raid and arrested 15 Palestinians. Airstrikes were once a rare attack mode in the West Bank but have grown increasingly common since war began. Israel said its forces unearthed explosives under some streets and confiscated weapons, ammunition and surveillance equipment from a vehicle and two militant command centers. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that once at the hospital, Israeli forces detained and searched paramedic crews. Videos posted to social media by the organization showed Red Crescent paramedics with their hands raised in surrender, leaving the hospital building and walking slowly to stand in front of several Israeli military trucks lined up outside the hospital. Palestinian health officials, who do not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths, said that 15 Palestinians were injured in the raid, four of them seriously. DOZENS ARE KILLED OR INJURED FROM STRIKES OVERNIGHT IN SOUTHERN GAZA KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel bombarded two homes in southern Gaza late Thursday and Friday morning, according to survivors accompanying those killed and wounded in the strikes to the main hospital in Khan Younis. An Associated Press journalist witnessing the arrivals said he saw three dead and dozens injured, including babies and young children, from Friday’s strike. The attack late Thursday killed 11 members of a family who had fled the main combat zone in Gaza City in the northern part of Gaza earlier in the war. The strikes hit Bani Suheila, an area east of Khan Younis, located in the southern half of Gaza. Early in the war, now in its sixth week, Israel told civilians to flee the north and head south for their safety. On Wednesday, Israel dropped leaflets over Bani Suheila and other nearby areas, calling on residents to leave yet again and seek shelter elsewhere. The leaflets triggered fears that Israel is expanding its offensive, which is currently focused on northern Gaza. The south of Gaza is already crammed with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who have nowhere else to go. The Israeli army rarely comments on individual airstrikes but says the attacks are aimed at Hamas operatives and targets. Mohammed Zaqout, the head of Gaza’s hospitals, said a total of 35 people were killed in airstrikes in Khan Younis and the nearby town of Rafah overnight. AFGHANISTAN DENOUNCES ISRAEL'S ONGOING STRIKES IN GAZA ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration denounced the ongoing Israeli strikes in Gaza, including the raid on Shifa Hospital. In an overnight statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Israeli forces were continually breaking all rules of war. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan called on the United Nations and other human rights bodies, saying that “if they genuinely believe in their stated values, they must prevent the ongoing brutalities by adopting an honest, transparent & just position vis-a-vis crimes against humanity carried out by the zionists against the people of Gaza," the statement read, referring to Jews who seek to regain and retain their biblical homeland. It also asked Arab and Islamic countries “to respond to the cries of the oppressed Muslims of Gaza, & to fulfill their religious & human responsibility through effective & meaningful positions & steps.” The Taliban-led administration seized power in 2021, and since then the U.N. and other human rights groups have blamed it for human rights violations. In September, the U.N. said it documented more than 1,600 cases of human rights violations committed by authorities in Afghanistan during arrests and detentions of people. At the time, it urged the Taliban government to stop torture and protect the rights of detainees. The report by the mission’s Human Rights Service covered 19 months — from January 2022 until the end of July 2023 — with cases documented across 29 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. It said 11% of the cases involved women. SEVERAL ISRAELI AIRSTRIKES HIT NEAR DAMASCUS, SYRIA'S STATE NEWS AGENCY SAYS DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s state news agency says Israel’s military has carried out strikes that hit several posts near the capital, Damascus, causing material damage but no casualties. SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the missiles before they reached their targets early Friday. There has been no confirmation from the Israeli military. Israeli military forces raid Gaza's largest hospital in operation against Hamas In the weeks since the latest war between Israel and Hamas broke out, Syria reported Israeli airstrikes that hit the international airports in Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, damaging their runways and putting them out of service. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) The gunman who killed a grandmother and her 1-year-old grandson inside a Florida supermarket had declared bankruptcy earlier this year after falling deeply into debt, federal court records show, though detectives don t know of any connection between him and his victims.Timothy J. Wall, 55, carried out the slayings Thursday at a Publix in Royal Palm Beach, Palm Beach County sheriff s spokeswoman Teri Barbera said Friday.The shooting sent dozens of employees and customers fleeing the store as Wall then killed himself. No other injuries were reported. The sheriff s office scheduled a Friday afternoon news conference to provide an update. Authorities have not released the victims names, citing a state law that allows survivors to block their release.Wall listed in his bankruptcy filing $6,000 in assets, including $9 in checking, $18 in savings, $4,100 in a stock trading account, $740 in bitcoin and a $300 gun. He said he earned $24,000 last year as a laborer working through a temp agency and his mode of transportation was a $600 scooter.Meanwhile, he had accumulated more than $215,000 in debts, most of it owed on the home his ex-wife now owns, the bankruptcy file shows. She divorced him in 2018 and he had signed over their house to her in 2019, Palm Beach County court records show.State records show that the couple once owned a dry cleaning business in the Publix shopping center. It is unclear when it closed, but Wall last filed an annual report with the state in 2012.No previous criminal record for Wall could be found. Neither Wall s bankruptcy lawyer, Ryan Loyacano, nor his ex-wife immediately returned calls Friday seeking comment. The Associated Press is not naming her to protect her privacy.The shooting happened shortly after 11:30 a.m. Thursday in the produce section of a Publix located in a strip mall that also houses small shops and restaurants. Detectives initially said the shooter and the victims may have known each other, but their investigation has turned up no link, Barbera said.Publix is Florida s largest grocery chain and has more than 1,200 stores in the Southern United States. The company said in a Thursday statement that it was cooperating with law enforcement. The sheriff s office said the supermarket would be closed until Saturday.Royal Palm Beach is a middle-class suburb of 40,000 residents, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) inland from Palm Beach.

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) One up-and-coming Canadian tennis player edged into the semifinals of the Stuttgart Open on Friday but another fell short.Felix Auger-Aliassime needed two tiebreaks to beat Ugo Humbert of France 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8).Canada s Auger-Aliassime failed to convert three match points in the second-set tiebreak and had to save set point twice before winning three straight points to seal the quarterfinal.That set up a semifinal for Auger-Aliassime against Sam Querrey of the United States, who recovered from a set down to beat fast-climbing Swiss 18-year-old Dominic Stricker, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3.Top-ranked Canadian Denis Shapovalov lost another close match 7-5, 7-6 (3) against veteran former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic. It was always likely to be a tough match for Shapovalov because he was playing for the second time on Friday after ousting Feliciano Lopez 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-3 in the finish of a second-round match delayed from Thursday because of rain.Cilic s semifinal opponent is Austrian Jurij Rodionov, who upset fourth-seeded Australian Alex de Minaur 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).___More AP tennis: https: apnews.com hub tennis and https: twitter.com AP_Sports

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) The teenager who pulled out her cellphone and recorded the police restraint and death of George Floyd, helping to launch a global movement to protest racial injustice, was on Friday awarded a special citation by the Pulitzer Prizes.Darnella Frazier was cited for courageously recording the murder of George Floyd, a video that spurred protests against police brutality, around the world, highlighting the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice, the Pulitzer Prizes said.Frazier s publicist did not immediately respond to an Associated Press message seeking comment.Frazier was 17 when she recorded the arrest of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, on May 25, 2020. Her video, which she posted to Facebook hours after it happened, sparked a reckoning on race in America and demands for an end to police brutality.The video was seen worldwide and was prominent in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Floyd s neck, pinning him to the pavement for 9 minutes, 29 seconds, as he said repeatedly that he couldn t breathe. Chauvin was convicted in April of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. He will be sentenced June 25.Frazier was also honored last year by PEN America, a literary and human rights organization. She was awarded the PEN Benenson Courage Award.PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said at the time: With nothing more than a cellphone and sheer guts, Darnella changed the course of history in this country, sparking a bold movement demanding an end to systemic anti-Black racism and violence at the hands of police.Frazier also testified at Chauvin s trial, telling jurors that she looks at her father and other Black men in her life and thinks about how that could have been one of them.It s been nights I stayed up, apologizing and apologizing to George Floyd for not doing more, and not physically interacting and not saving his life, she testified, adding of Chauvin: But it s like, it s not what I should ve done, it s what he should ve done.The three other officers involved in Floyd s arrest are scheduled to face trial next year on aiding and abetting counts. All four officers are also charged with violating Floyd s civil rights.___Find AP s full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https: apnews.com hub death-of-george-floyd

The Associated Press won two Pulitzer Prizes in photography Friday for its coverage of the racial injustice protests and the coronavirus s toll on the elderly, while The New York Times received the public service award for its detailed, data-filled reporting on the pandemic.In a year dominated by COVID-19 and furious debate over race and policing, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis won the breaking news prize for its coverage of George Floyd s murder and its aftermath, while Darnella Frazier the teenager who recorded the killing on a cellphone received a special citation.Frazier s award was intended to highlight the crucial role of citizens in journalists quest for truth and justice, the Pulitzer Board said.The AP and The New York Times each won two Pulitzers, the most prestigious prize in journalism, first awarded in 1917.The feature photography prize went to AP s chief photographer in Spain, Emilio Morenatti, who captured haunting images of an older couple embracing through a plastic sheet, mortuary workers in hazmat gear removing bodies, and people enduring the crisis in isolation.The breaking news photography prize was shared by 10 AP photographers for their coverage of the protests set off by Floyd s killing. One widely published photograph by Julio Cortez on the night of May 28 in riot-torn Minneapolis showed a lone, silhouetted protester running with an upside-down American flag past a burning liquor store.It is a tremendous honor to win not only one, but two Pulitzer Prizes for photography, and a true testament to the talent and dedication of AP photojournalists, said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. These photographers told the stories of the year through remarkable and unforgettable images that resonated around the world.The New York Times received its public service prize for pandemic coverage that the judges said was courageous, prescient and sweeping coverage and filled the data vacuum for the public. Wesley Morris of the Times won for criticism, for his writing on the intersection of race and culture.Star Tribune journalists covered the rage in Minneapolis, where protesters burned buildings, including a police station, in the wake of Floyd s death. The Black man died after a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground with his knee on Floyd s neck for up to 9 1 2 minutes. The officer was later convicted of murder.The Boston Globe received the investigative reporting Pulitzer for a series demonstrating the systematic failure by state governments to share information about dangerous truck drivers.Brendan McCarthy, the editor on the series, said the Globe quickly found that this kind of tragedy had been happening year after year for decades. The problems were in plain sight but had never been addressed.Prizes for explanatory reporting went to two recipients. Ed Yong of The Atlantic won for a series of deeply reported articles about the pandemic. Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Andrea Januta, Jaimi Dowdell and Jackie Botts of Reuters were honored for a look at the legal concept of qualified immunity and how it shields police from prosecution.Two prizes for feature writing were also awarded. Nadja Drost won for her freelance piece in The California Sunday Magazine on global migration, and freelance contributor Mitchell S. Jackson for an account in Runner s World on the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was chased down and shot while jogging in Georgia.The national reporting prize went to the staffs of The Marshall Project, AL.com, IndyStar and the Invisible Institute for an investigation into police K-9 units.The winner of the public service Pulitzer is honored with a gold medal. The awards in the other categories carry a prize of $15,000 each.

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) Ministers from 47 Council of Europe member states have agreed to seek new regulations to protect freedom of expression online and in news media amid growing concerns that artificial intelligence may be used to curtail the right, officials said Friday.The ministers in charge of media and information society have also asked the Council of Europe the continent s top human rights organization to help draft national action plans to protect journalists whose safety has recently come under increasing threat.The pledges were included in documents the ministers adopted at the end of a two-day conference organized by the Council of Europe and the government of Cyprus in the Cypriot capital Nicosia.The ministers agreed to develop a regulatory framework ensuring that automated tools for creating and distributing news content don t curtail the right to freedom of expression.They would also work together with developers of artificial intelligence technology designed to create and distribute online content on drafting rules to safeguard free expression. Journalists would be invited to jointly develop ethical codes promoting the transparent and responsible use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom and to protect people online from personal data exploitation.It is an important commitment of states to be able to say, this freedom of expression is one of the cornerstones of our societies and we need to protect it, said Patrick Penninckx, head of the CoE Information Society Department.In order to protect democracy, in order to protect the societies as we know, and despite the pandemic, we can ensure that media freedom is not being curtailed.The ministers pledged to support independent media outlets as a bulwark against increased disinformation and called on the CoE to toughen up standards for online content.They also expressed a commitment to remove all unnecessary obstacles to freedom of expression in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.