Hamas seeks amendments to Gaza ceasefire proposal but US envoy calls it 'unacceptable'

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Hamas is seeking amendments to the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza. But U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff calls the Hamas response “totally unacceptable.” The latest friction in negotiations comes as the fighting nears 20 months of war, and as desperation grows among hungry Palestinians and relatives of hostages in Gaza. A Hamas statement says 10 living hostages and the bodies of 18 would be released. Witkoff instead describes a 60-day ceasefire deal that would free half the living hostages and return half of those who have died. Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza blocked and emptied dozens of aid trucks.

2 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as prospects for talks remain uncertain

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s drone and missile attacks on Ukraine have killed at least two people, including a 9-year-old girl. Uncertainty, meanwhile, remains around whether Kyiv diplomats will attend a new round of peace talks proposed by Moscow for early next week in Istanbul. Russia’s Ministry of Defense says it gained control of a Ukrainian village in the Donetsk region and another in the northern Sumy region. Ukrainian authorities in Sumy ordered mandatory evacuations in 11 more settlements as Russian forces make steady gains in the area.

Iran has amassed even more near weapons-grade uranium, UN watchdog says

VIENNA (AP) — The U.N. nuclear watchdog says Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. That's according to a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency’s probe. Saturday's report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several rounds of talks over a possible nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to reach. Iran has long been enriching uranium to 60% or near weapons-grade levels — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90% — but maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs

ATLANTA (AP) — Black women are starting to pay more for their hair care because of the Trump administration’s tariffs on goods imported from China. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention. They can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs and braids. Most hair, salon tools and packaging is imported from China. Stylists are considering raising their prices while the the U.S. and China negotiate new trade agreements. But many dread what price increases will do for clients who are lower income and already strained by months of inflation on virtually everything else.

Trump fast-tracks Utah uranium mine, but industry revival may wait for higher prices

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The U.S. uranium mining industry is looking to a revival under President Donald Trump. Environmental reviews of mining operations would normally take months or even years. But after Trump declared a “national energy emergency,” it took just 11 days for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to approve the Velvet-Wood uranium mine's plan for resuming operations in the red-rock desert south of Moab, Utah. More fast approvals could be coming. But U.S. uranium mining has a long way to go to offset imports. About 98% of the uranium used in U.S. power plants currently is imported.

Death toll reaches 151 in north-central Nigerian town submerged in floods, with thousands displaced

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 151 people have now been confirmed dead after heavy rainfall unleashed flooding in a market town in north-central Nigeria, the local emergency services told The Associated Press on Saturday. More than 3,000 people were displaced in the flooding in the town of Mokwa in Niger state, more than 180 miles (300 kilometers) west of Abuja, the capital of Africa’s most populous nation, Niger state emergency agency spokesman Ibrahim Audu Husseini said. At least 500 households across three communities were affected in the  predawn rain Friday, leaving roofs barely visible and residents waist-deep in water, Husseini added. Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu said he has directed the activation of the national emergency response center to quickly assist the state.

Deep cuts erode the foundations of US public health system, end progress, threaten worse to come

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Americans are losing an array of people and programs dedicated to keeping them healthy. State and local health departments responsible for invisible but critical work including inspecting restaurants, monitoring wastewater for new and harmful germs, responding to outbreaks — and a host of other tasks to protect both individuals and communities — are being hollowed out. The Trump administration is cutting health spending on an unprecedented scale, pulling $11 billion of direct federal support and laying off tens of thousands of workers at national health agencies that support local public health work. It wants billions more slashed.

A growing number of New Orleans fugitives' friends and family arrested for aiding in jail escape

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The 10 men who escaped from a New Orleans jail more than two weeks ago by cutting out a hole behind a toilet received help from at least 15 people, many of them friends and family who provided food, cash, transport and shelter according to court documents. Some are held on bonds $1 million or higher. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show how some of the fugitives received aid before and after their escape — including from a number of people named in police reports but not facing charges, such as an apparent former jail employee. Authorities upped the reward to $50,000 for each of the two remaining fugitives.

Key moments from the third week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK (AP) — The third week of Sean “Diddy” Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured testimony from the second of three women expected to testify that the hip-hop mogul sexually abused them. It was also highlighted by additional testimony about a break-in of rapper Kid Cudi's Los Angeles home and the later destruction of his Porsche with a Molotov cocktail. One of the biggest developments of the week came outside of the courtroom when Casandra “Cassie” Ventura delivered her third child on Wednesday. The jury learned of it through a witness. Cassie, a girlfriend of Combs and the star government witness, testified for four days in the trial's first week. Combs has pleaded not guilty.

Pacers beat Knicks 125-108 in Game 6 to reach NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 13 assists and the Indiana Pacers pulled away for a 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 on Saturday night to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history. Obi Toppin added 18 points and six rebounds against his former team as the gold-clad crowd gave the starters a roaring ovation when they departed with 47.2 seconds left. Indiana will visit Oklahoma City for Game 1 on Thursday night.