SACRAMENTO — A colorful display in the night sky was caused by a solar flare and for the first time in decades, you can see it in Northern California, sparking much excitement.

A rare sight in Northern California – an aurora borealis.

“It was an amazing site to see,” Stockton resident Anahi Ballesteros said.

A Pinkish-purple color It stretched into the sky and left the audience speechless.

“Seeing the Northern Lights was a lifelong dream, and I never in a million years thought it would happen in my backyard,” said Marina Aria of Davis.

According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the event caused by a series of solar flares caused geomagnetic storms toward Earth.

These types of storms can sometimes affect infrastructure such as power grids and satellite operations, and disrupt radio signals and navigation.

FEMA reported no damage.

In addition, these storms produced aurora borealis displays in various parts of the world, as seen in northern California – and spread across the country to parts of Tennessee and Alabama.

“Everything came to life, there were stars,” Ballesteros said.

Ballesteros, a fifth-grade teacher in Stockton, took the eight-mile road with her family to take photos.

“It’s like a picture frame from Alaska but you buy it here but we see it in Stockton,” Ballesteros said.

In Davis, Aria and her husband leave the city to see for themselves.

“I was so emotional. My eyes started to flutter,” Aria said.

The local police department is also taking action and posting on Facebook.

A site usually found only in the northern hemisphere gives Californians a rare glimpse.

“It completely changed my board for nature,” Aria said.

The northern lights can be seen as far south as Modesto, and although the storm has weakened, you may catch it again Saturday night.

Rafah, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel ordered new evacuations Saturday in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, forcing tens of thousands of people to move, as it prepares to expand its military operation near the densely populated central area. in the middle War From close ally the US and others.

as Pro-Palestine protests Subsequently, Israel’s military said it was moving into a ravaged part of northern Gaza, where the Hamas militant group insisted it had regrouped.

Israel has now evacuated the eastern third of Rafah, considered the last refuge in Gaza. The United Nations has warned that a planned full-scale Rafah invasion will happen Further paralyzes humanitarian operations and cause a surge in civilian casualties.

Rafah borders Egypt, close to key aid entry points already affected. There are Israeli troops occupied the Gaza Strip of the Rafah Crossing, which was forced to close.

Egypt has refused to coordinate aid with Israel at the Rafah crossing due to “unacceptable Israeli escalation”. The channel has close links with Egyptian security agencies.

US President Joe Biden has said that he will not provide offensive weapons to Israel for Rafa. The Biden administration on Friday said it was “reasonable.” Evidence of Israel’s violation of international law Protecting citizens – Washington’s strong statement on the matter.

In response, Ofir Falk, a foreign policy adviser to Israel’s prime minister, told The Associated Press that Israel is acting in accordance with the laws of armed conflict and that the military is taking extensive measures to prevent civilian casualties, including alerting the public to military operations through phone calls. Text messages.

more than 1.4 million Palestinians – half of Gaza’s population – have taken refuge in Rafah after fleeing Israeli attacks elsewhere. Areas devastated by previous Israeli attacks are forcing some to return north. Aid agencies estimated 110,000 people had left before Saturday’s order, adding another 40,000.

“Are we all waiting for each other to die? So we have decided to leave. It’s great,” said Hanan al-Saatari, a resident of Rafah, as people rushed to load mattresses, water tanks and other items into vehicles.

“There is no safe zone for the Israeli army in Gaza. They target everything,” said Abu Yusuf al-Diri, a former displaced person from Gaza City.

Many have migrated multiple times. There are still a few places to go. Earlier in the week some fleeing fighting set up tent camps in the city of Khan Yunis – half of which was destroyed in an earlier Israeli attack – and the central city of Deir al-Bala, which damaged infrastructure.

The Muwasi coastal area, which some Palestinians call Israel’s humanitarian buffer zone, is already badly overcrowded with 450,000 people. The dumping camp lacks basic facilities.

Georgios Petropoulos, a UN humanitarian official in Rafah, said aid workers had no supplies to help people in the new locations. “We simply have no tents, no blankets, no bedding, none of the things that you would expect people on the move to be able to get from a humanitarian system,” he said.

The World Food Program has warned that it will run out of food to distribute in southern Gaza by Saturday, Petropoulos said — a further challenge as parts of Gaza face what the WFP chief called “Complete famine.” Aid groups have reported that fuel will soon run out, forcing hospitals to shut down critical operations and halt aid trucks.

Heavy fighting is also ongoing in northern Gaza. Israeli military spokesman Aviche Adre told Palestinians in and around Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya to leave their homes in the west of Gaza City and go to shelters. .”

The UN agency that supports people in Gaza, known as UNRWA, said around 300,000 people were affected by the evacuation orders in Rafah and Jabaliya, but the number could be higher.

Northern Gaza was the first target of Israel’s ground offensive after Hamas and other militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages. They still hold 100 prisoners and the remains of over 30. Hamas said on Saturday that Nadav Popplewell, who was wounded in an Israeli airstrike a month ago, was being held hostage. Hamas has not provided any evidence for the claim.

Israeli bombing and ground attacks have killed more than 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its statistics. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties.

Civil officials in Gaza on Saturday provided more details about mass graves announced by the Health Ministry earlier in the week at Shifa Hospital, northern Gaza’s largest hospital and the target of a previous Israeli attack. Officials said most of the 80 bodies were patients who died due to lack of care. The Israeli military said “any attempt to blame Israel for burying civilians in mass graves is completely false”.

At least 19 people, including eight women and eight children, were killed overnight in central Gaza in strikes in the areas of Zaweida, Makassi and Deir al-Balah, according to an AP journalist who visited Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital and a body count.

“Kids, what’s wrong with dead babies?” A relative said. A woman hit one of the children in the face as he lay on the floor.

Another round of ceasefire talks in Cairo ended earlier this week without progress.

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Sam Mednick reported from Tel Aviv and Sammy Magdi from Cairo. Jack Jeffrey in Jerusalem contributed to this story.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the battle https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

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Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more

King Charles met privately with David Beckham earlier this week while Prince Harry was in England.

The monarch met the former England star to discuss her charity, the King’s Foundation. The Independent understands.

The press was not notified and no pictures were taken at the meeting.

A spokesman for the duke previously said he would not be able to meet his father “due to Her Majesty’s full schedule”.

This comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria where they were mobbed by fans after arriving in Abuja on Friday.

The pair posed for selfies, played with schoolchildren and joked with their teachers as they embarked on their three-day tour.

The trip follows Prince Harry’s brief return to England, where he celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, but did not see his father.

Harry and Meghan are in Nigeria on a whistle-stop tour to promote sports in Africa – and are expected to visit a school, meet wounded servicemen and attend basketball and polo games.

CNN
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The The Biden administration said Friday It is reasonable to assume that US weapons have been used by Israeli forces Gaza In ways that do not “contradict” international humanitarian law but stop short of officially claiming that Israel has violated the law.

The Report was Drafted by the State Department He noted that investigations into possible violations were ongoing but that the United States did not have “complete information” to verify whether US weapons were “specifically used” in alleged violations of international humanitarian law.

“Given the nature of the conflict in Gaza, where Hamas seeks to hide behind civilians and infrastructure to expose them to Israeli military action, as well as the absence of USG personnel in Gaza, it is difficult to assess or draw conclusions. Findings from individual incidents. Nevertheless, because Israel relies on US-made defense articles, under NSM-20 “It is reasonable to assess that the security articles in force have been used by the Israeli security forces inconsistently with its IHL obligations or with established best practices since October 7. harm to civilians,” the report said.

This report covers the outbreak period War with Hamas Between October 7 and late April, Israel could not be found to have blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza in violation of US law.

Although the report did not find Israel violating any of the terms of the memorandum, it was highly critical of the toll of Israel’s military campaign. The report’s findings mark another stark moment in U.S.-Israeli relations the same week President Joe Biden He threatened to restrict the transfer of arms If Israel launches a major attack on Rafah.

However, the final finding that Israel’s commitments under the National Security Memorandum are “credible and credible” has already raised scrutiny among some lawmakers and mistrust among human rights and humanitarian organizations.

The statement did not mandate any action by the Israeli government, and it did not prompt any policy change. The administration has largely avoided restricting military aid to Israel, but in a significant shift ahead of the report’s release, Biden announced in an interview with CNN this week that he would restrict it if Israel continued a major offensive in Gaza City. Transfer of certain offensive weapons to Israel.

High-stakes reporting is categorized and Sent to Capitol Hill Friday afternoon. The administration had to make a decision on those two issues under a February national security memo that Biden released under pressure from Democratic lawmakers. It is the first time the US government has had to assess Israel’s conduct in the seven months of its war with Hamas in Gaza, fueled by the terrorist group’s brutal attacks that have killed more than 34,000 people. Coastal area destroyed.

Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who was the driving force behind the creation of the national security memo, expressed disappointment at the report.

“The administration dodged all the hard questions about making a real decision,” the Maryland Democrat told reporters Friday evening. “I think what they’re trying to do is make it clear that they understand how bad the situation is, but they don’t want to take any steps to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for what’s going on.”

Senate Democrats on Foreign Relations Committee. Jeff Merkley agreed with Van Hollen’s comments, telling CNN that the statement was “a massive diplomatic sham.”

“On the one hand, it says it’s very reasonable to conclude that there are restrictions on aid, it’s very reasonable to conclude that our weapons have been used in violation of international law, and then it says we don’t want to. That still needs to be answered,” Merkley said on “Erin Burnett Outfront.” .

The Oregon Democrat was one of the few members of Congress to set foot in Rafa, visiting in January.

“Obviously, politics comes into this and strategy comes into this, but it’s disappointing because it’s so important at this time because we’re using leverage to persuade Israel to change its behavior,” he said.

Earlier Friday, Van Hollen said “the purpose of this report is not to provide a snapshot in time” and accused the administration of taking Israel’s pledges “at face value” despite investigations by human rights groups finding violations of the law.

However, a senior State Department official said this is always retrospective and processes are underway to evaluate current operations. There is no time frame for any decisions to be made under those processes.

“In any conflict involving foreign partners, it is often difficult to make quick, definitive assessments or determinations about whether specific US defense articles or services have been used in a manner consistent with international law,” the report notes.

“However, enough incidents have been reported to raise serious concerns,” it said.

“Although Israel has the knowledge, experience, and tools to implement best practices to minimize civilian harm in its military operations, the results on the ground, including the high levels of civilian casualties, raise substantial questions about whether the IDF is using them effectively in all cases,” the report said.

According to a senior State Department official, the report package is a useful tool for the Biden administration to go to the Israeli government to obtain information and urge behavioral changes. The report will be shared with the Israeli government, the official said.

Biden administration officials have for months called on Israel to limit the civilian death toll and provide more aid to Gaza. Regarding humanitarian aid, the statement said the US government “is deeply concerned about Israel’s actions and inaction since October 7, which have significantly contributed to the steady and predictable delivery of much-needed aid, and overall reach to Palestine. Civilians – although improved – are not enough.

However, it says, “they do not currently assess that the Government of Israel is interdicting or otherwise restricting the transit or distribution of US humanitarian assistance within the meaning of section 620I of the Foreign Assistance Act.” Restricts assistance.

The report calls the “impact of Israel’s military operations on humanitarian actors” a particular area of ​​concern, citing a series of incidents including Deadly strike World Central Kitchen Helpline.

Following that strike last month, Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel must do more to address the humanitarian situation or face a change in US policy. In recent weeks, U.S. officials have said Israel has taken important steps following that conversation, but has more to do. However, humanitarian aid access has once again collapsed following the launch of “limited” Israeli military operations in Rafah, where millions of Palestinians have fled.

The report was the subject of intense debate throughout the administration for months. Human rights organizations have assessed Israel’s military campaign as a violation of humanitarian law.

Late last month, Amnesty International assessed that US-provided arms to Israel had been used in “serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law and in a manner contrary to US law and policy”.

An Amnesty International official said on Friday, “This statement sounds like the international version of ‘thoughts and prayers’: admitting there is a problem, but doing nothing meaningful to stop the loss of life.”

“Despite President Biden’s vague comments earlier this week, his administration today made its position loud and clear: When the U.S. government deems an actor an adversary is violating international law, it is quick to point fingers and take swift action, but holds the government of Israel above the law. , Israeli “Despite overwhelming evidence admitting that the forces are violating international law and killing Palestinian civilians with American weapons at the expense of American taxpayers,” said Amanda Glassing, Amnesty International USA’s National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy.

Van Hollen said Friday that it is “not credible that the US government has less information than organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam.”

A senior State Department official said he could not speak to the standards for the assessments made by those organizations, but said the U.S. government process was very diligent and considered any accountability measures undertaken by the Israeli government.

The president admitted to CNN that “civilians were killed” as a result of US-supplied bombs. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Thursday that Biden was talking about the “tragic loss of civilian life in this conflict,” which is not a legal determination under international humanitarian law.

Humanitarian aid organizations also questioned the report’s findings.

“We are perplexed and appalled by the Biden administration’s report to Congress, particularly its findings that Israel has not withheld aid to Gaza,” said Kate Phillips-Barasso, Mercy Corps’ vice president of global policy and advocacy.

“Over the past seven months humanitarian organizations have publicly and repeatedly described Israel’s sanctions, which have prevented humanitarian aid from being delivered to the 2.2 million people in Gaza,” he said.

“Even more compelling than the testimony of aid organizations is the dire situation in which the people of Gaza are trapped in a conflict zone and facing starvation,” he continued. “Had humanitarian aid been adequately facilitated — as the NSM calls it — 1.1 million people would not have faced catastrophic famine conditions miles from available food. The U.S. government had abandoned aid from the air and expended considerable effort and resources building floating ships for seaborne deliveries, providing aid ‘directly or indirectly.’ Implicitly’ indicates that the authorities have already come to the conclusion that it is obstructing.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

New York
CNN
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Limits the number of stores in which Target sells LGBTQ-themed merchandise for Pride Month It took a hit in June following a boycott by right-wing activists last year Bottom line of the brand.

This year, the target said It will sell pride-oriented “adult apparel” and home goods only “in select stores, based on historical sales performance” — a drastic reversal from the chain, which has sold products in many of its U.S. stores for the past decade.

Half of its 2,000 stores will sell the Pride collection, According to Bloomberg, which first reported the news. Assortment will also be sold at Target website.

A Target spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that it is “committed to supporting” the LGBTQ community during Pride Month, with internal programs and a presence at local Pride events, including in its hometown of Minneapolis.

“Most importantly, we want to create a welcoming and supportive environment for our LGBTQIA+ team members that reflects our culture of care for the more than 400,000 people who work at Target,” the company said in a statement.

The changes are a “sensible approach,” Global Data’s managing director of retail, Neil Sanders, told CNN. But he warned “it risks being accused of not being proud of the target.”

“Unfortunately for Target, it’s been dragged into the culture wars and is in a position where it can’t win no matter what it does,” he said.

The Human Rights Campaign pushed back, with Pride issuing a statement that selling merchandise “means something,” and with the LGBTQ community making up 30% of Generation Z, HRC said, “Companies need to understand that community members and allies want businesses to show wholehearted support for the community.”

“Target’s decision is disappointing and puts LGBTQ+ individuals and allies at risk not only for their bottom line, but also for their values,” said HRC President Kelly Robinson.

Last year, Target pulled Pride merchandise from some stores after the company and its employees became the focus of a “volatile” anti-LGBTQ campaign that included threats against its store employees.

The company said earlier Wall Street Journal People confronted workers in stores, tore down displays of Pride products and posted threatening posts on social media with video from inside the stores. Some have thrown Pride items on the floor.

Mainstream right-wing activists, Republican political leaders and conservative media outlets have focused their attention on the women’s swimsuit, which has been described as “duck friendly” for its ability to cover male genitalia. Misinformation spread on social media that it was being marketed to children.

That, along with softer demand for specialty items, caused Target’s quarterly sales to fall for the first time in six years in the quarter that included Pride Assortment sales.

A Target executive said on the earnings call that there was a “strong reaction” to Pride merchandise and “a signal for us to pause, adapt and learn.”

—CNN’s Nathaniel Meyersohn contributed to this report.

Updated on May 10, 2024 at 2:11 am

Members of the pro-Palestinian camp called on interim university president Alan M. to end a two-week occupation of Harvard Yard and avoid receiving involuntary leave notices. Garber ’76 declined the proposal, according to an Instagram post published just after midnight Friday. By the Camp Guiding Committee.

Facing pressure from her own faculty to negotiate with student protesters, Garber began meeting Wednesday evening with several members of Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student groups. Questions related to protesters’ concerns about Harvard’s investments in Israel.

Harvard spokesman Jonathan L. Swain confirmed Wednesday’s meeting in a statement early Friday morning, which included college dean Rakesh Khurana and two faculty visitors in addition to Garber and the protesters.

HOOP representatives didn’t accept the off-ramp that Garber offered them, and instead responded with a counterproposal of their own. The breakdown in negotiations almost certainly means dozens of students who participated in the camp will soon be placed on involuntary leave from their schools, a fact HOOP acknowledged in a Friday post.

“In short, Garber has ignored us, threatened us, refused to negotiate with us, and will now be the first Harvard president to suspend students altogether for protest,” HOOP wrote.

Garber “has made clear the university’s commitment to fair discussion of complex issues, including the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict,” Swain wrote.

“Yet, as he put it, ‘initiating these difficult and important conversations does not require, or justify, interference with the academic environment and Harvard’s academic work,'” Swain added.

Since the camp’s inception, HOOP has demanded disclosure and divestment of the university from all investments in Israel. However, Garber and other senior Harvard officials have repeatedly indicated that the university will not seek to divest its endowment from Israel — something Garber reaffirmed to HOOP representatives during Wednesday’s meeting.

Under the involuntary leave, students cannot complete final exams or live in Harvard housing, and must “cease to be on campus until readmitted” — marking the university’s toughest move against protesters since the two camps began. weeks ago.

“Disciplinary procedures and administrative recommendations for placing protesters on involuntary leave continue to advance,” Swain wrote.

“Carber shut down our most basic demands, making it clear that the meeting was not a negotiation, but merely a ‘conversation,'” HOOP wrote. “All he would agree to is the possibility of further ‘dialogues’ – not negotiations – as a condition for immediate removal of the camp.”

Swain confirmed that Garber made it clear to protesters that Wednesday’s meeting was “not a negotiation about the protesters’ demands.”

“He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to being an institution where discussion and debate are central to our work, and there will be more opportunities for constructive conversations on these issues throughout our community in the coming months,” Swain wrote.

The meeting with university officials on Harvard’s grant, which protesters rejected in favor of continuing the occupation, will include at least one member of the corporation’s Committee on Shareholder Responsibility — a committee that decides how the university should vote on shareholder matters related to public investments. Trading companies.

“Because there is no greater sacrifice than Harvard’s complicity in genocide, protesters chose to remain camp,” HOOP wrote in the post. Since its opening on April 24, the camp has expanded to the courtyard area where Harvard’s commencement ceremony is held annually.

The group’s decision to remain in the yard and risk involuntary absences raises the possibility that the Harvard administration may ask the police to remove the camp.

Although Garber said in an interview last month that there was a “very high hurdle” before asking law enforcement to take action against student protesters, he has signaled in recent days that he doesn’t want to let the camp start to derail.

Swain wrote, “Carber reiterated that the camp should be stopped so that thousands of students at Harvard’s commencement could be recognized for their academic achievement.”

Wednesday’s meeting marked the first time Garber sat down with protesters since the camp began. For the first two weeks of the occupation, Garber ignored the protesters’ repeated calls to the university administration to engage with their demands.

Last week, the committee gave Garber a deadline of 5 p.m. Monday to negotiate with the protesters — a deadline that passed without any approval from the university.

Instead, Garber sent a university-wide email Monday morning to protesters camped out in Harvard Yard threatening “involuntary leave.” Garber’s email did not specify a deadline set by HOOP or express an intention to begin negotiations with the group.

The meeting with Garber comes after HOOP took to social media Wednesday afternoon to accuse university leadership of “repeatedly” ignoring the demands of pro-Palestinian groups and students since October 2023.

HOOP’s Friday morning post also included a screenshot of an email from Garber in which he responded to the team’s decision to reject his plan and stay at camp.

“I regret that you declined this opportunity by deciding to continue the camp,” Garber wrote in the email. “Great, Alan.”

HOOP’s response was in an Instagram post.

“We regret that you have rejected this opportunity by deciding to continue punishing students for protesting a genocide,” the group wrote. “Great, HOOP.”

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @joycekim324.

Two skiers were killed and a third hospitalized following an avalanche on Utah’s Lone Peak on Thursday, according to the Salt Lake City Unified Police Department.

The skiers are believed to have been buried by an avalanche in the backcountry, police said.

The deceased were identified as two men aged 32 and 23. Aimee Race told reporters.

The skier, who was hospitalized, was being treated for minor injuries after he was able to extricate himself from the snow and tried to save his two friends before calling for help, Race says.

Officials said search and rescue experts were unable to reach the crash site because the avalanche conditions were so dangerous.

Rescue operations were suspended on Thursday afternoon again due to snowfall on the mountain, police said. Rescue operations have been suspended until Friday, the Utah Avalanche Center told ABC News.

Large, dangerous avalanches are rare late in the ski season because daytime warmth usually stabilizes snowfall, Craig Gordon of the Utah Avalanche Center told reporters.

A recent storm about 30 inches changed the weather very quickly, raising the risk dramatically, Gordon said. He said the area north of Lone Peak is steep and technical, complicating rescue efforts.

As is often the case for nearby ski resorts with large resources, Alta Ski Area told ABC News earlier in the day that it had dispatched a ski patrol and an avalanche rescue dog to search and rescue efforts.

According to Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

DAGARH, Senegal (AP) — A Boeing 737-300 with 85 people on board skidded off the runway at the airport in Senegal’s capital, injuring 10, according to the transport minister, an aviation safety team and footage from a passenger who showed up to the plane. on fire.

“Our plane just caught fire,” Malian musician Chek Siriman Sisoko wrote in a Facebook post that showed passengers jumping down emergency slides as flames engulfed one side of the plane at the airport in Dakar. People can be heard screaming in the background.

The Air Sénégal flight, operated by TransAir, was en route to Bamako in neighboring Mali late Wednesday with 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew on board, Transport Minister El Malik Ndiaye said. The airport, which was closed overnight, was reopened on Thursday morning.

The injured are being treated at the hospital while others have been taken to a hotel to rest. Boeing referred a request for comment to the airline.

This is the third incident involving a Boeing aircraft this week. On Thursday, 190 people were safely evacuated from a plane in Turkey After one of its tires burst while landing at the southern airport, Turkey’s Ministry of Transport said.