USA

(AP) --- President Joe Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but he stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the eight days of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rocket barrages that have killed more than 200 people, most of them Palestinian.

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The disparities in heath during the COVID-19 pandemic have exposed "undeniable effects of racism" in the United States, said Anthony Fauci, top U.S. infectious disease expert on Sunday.

Minority groups, especially African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, have a greater risk of being infected with COVID-19, often because many of them work in essential jobs, Fauci said during a graduation ceremony for Emory University.

UNITED NATIONS, May 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore on Sunday asked the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized countries to donate excess COVID-19 vaccines to the COVAX Facility, a global tool to procure and deliver vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.

She made the plea as G7 leaders will meet next month in Britain.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave, authorities said.

The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed “suspicious” and is under investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright is scheduled to appear in court via videoconference Monday.

Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter, who is white, has an omnibus hearing, also known as a pretrial hearing, on Monday afternoon in Hennepin County District Court. The purpose of such a hearing is to go over evidence and determine if there’s probable cause for the case to proceed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Liz Cheney, newly ousted from House Republican leadership for challenging former President Donald Trump, criticized GOP colleagues Sunday for downplaying the Jan. 6 riot and condoning Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen, saying they were “complicit” in undermining democracy.

In television interviews, the Wyoming Republican said there was “no question” an attack like Jan. 6 could happen again if Trump’s claims go unchecked.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press’ top editor is calling for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrike that targeted and destroyed a Gaza City building housing the AP, broadcaster Al-Jazeera and other media, saying the public deserves to know the facts.

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The UN chief has said foreign fighters and mercenaries remain in Libya in violation of last October’s cease-fire agreement and called for their withdrawal.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report to the UN Security Council that the smooth transfer of power to a new interim government, which took power in March, “brings renewed hope for the reunification of the country and its institutions and for a lasting peace.”

UNITED NATIONS, May 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “dismayed” by civilian casualties in Gaza and “deeply disturbed” by Israel’s strike on a building containing international media outlets, a spokesman said in response to reporters’ questions.

The comments came as Israel pummeled the Gaza Strip with air strikes, killing 10 members of an extended family and demolishing the 13-floor Gaza building housing Qatar-based Al Jazeera and The Associated Press news agency, with Palestinian militants firing back barrages of rockets.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen states in the United States and some big-label businesses have announced plans as of Saturday to drop public mask mandates either immediately or in the weeks to come, but other states such as California, New York and New Jersey are moving forward with caution.

Many Americans went maskless in public on Friday for the first time in months -- a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed its guidelines on face coverings for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.