NEW YORK, May 8 – A pro-Palestinian protest broke out at Columbia University on Wednesday afternoon and more than 100 demonstrators occupied part of the university’s main library, leading to the arrest of some 75 individuals.

Tensions escalated quickly as clashes erupted between protesters and university public safety officers. Protesters were pushed back toward the library entrance, and two safety officers sustained injuries during the confrontation. A fire alarm was triggered amid the chaos.

Protesters chanted slogans including “No cops. No K.K.K. No fascist U.S.A.” and “Free Palestine.”

The New York police entered the main campus of Columbia University at the university’s request around 6 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) and made arrests on the grounds of trespassing.

This marks the most significant protest at Columbia University since the demonstrations in April 2024 and resulted in a big number of arrests to date.

Earlier this week, Columbia University’s faculty and staff held vigils to protest the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s detention of three international students and vowed to continue weekly vigils until all detainees are released.

“Disruptions to our academic activities will not be tolerated and are violations of our rules and policies; this is especially unacceptable while our students study and prepare for final exams,” according to a statement from Claire Shipman, acting president of the university.

New York City authorities also responded. Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, called the demonstrators’ action “unacceptable.”

“To those protesting on campus who do not attend Columbia: exit the campus immediately or you will be arrested. We will not tolerate hate or violence in any form in our city,” said Adams in a post on social media.

Columbia University has been at the center of pro-Palestinian protests. In April 2024, a massive protest at the university led to over 100 arrests.

In March, the Trump administration also withdrew 400 million U.S dollars in federal funding from Columbia University, citing the failure to curb anti-semitism on the campus.

The current protest could complicate negotiations between the federal government and university officials seeking to restore federal funding.

XINHUA

SANTA ANA, Calif. – One student was killed and two others were wounded in a stabbing in front of a Southern California high school Wednesday, authorities said.

The three male Santa Ana High students were taken to a hospital, where one of them died and the other two were in stable condition, according to city police spokesperson Officer Natalie Garcia.

The stabbing happened in the afternoon as students were leaving school for the day, district spokesperson Fermin Leal said. The incident involved both students and nonstudents.

Authorities were searching for at least two suspects whose connection to the school and motive were not clear, Garcia said.

Other details such as the ages of the victims were not immediately made public.

After-school programs and athletics were canceled, and officials said the school would make crisis counselors available Thursday.

Santa Ana is a city of about 300,000 people roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. The school serves roughly 3,000 students.

AP

LAKE WALES, Fla. – An alligator attacked and killed a woman on a central Florida lake Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The attack occurred near the mouth of Tiger Creek into Lake Kissimmee, south of Orlando, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a news release.

A woman was canoeing when she encountered an alligator and went into the water, wildlife officials said. The woman was later recovered from the water and declared dead.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies and marine units assisted with the search. The woman had been with another person at the time of the attack, sheriff’s officials said.

Investigators didn’t release any details about the attack or the alligator. A contracted nuisance alligator trapper has been dispatched to the area.

AP

SAN DIEGO – A small boat believed to be carrying migrants capsized early Monday off San Diego’s coast and left three people dead and four injured, while U.S. Coast Guard crews were searching for nine others, officials said.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Chris Sappey said it was unclear where the boat was coming from before it flipped shortly after sunrise about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of the Mexico border. He described the vessel as a panga, single or twin-engine open fishing boats commonly used by smugglers.

“They were not tourists,” Sappey said. “They are believed to be migrants.”

Migrants are increasingly turning to the risky alternative offered by smugglers to travel by sea to avoid heavily guarded land borders, including off California’s coast. Pangas leave the Mexican coast in the dead of night, sometimes charting hundreds of miles north.

Officials had no other details about those on board, including the three who died. It was also unclear if anyone made it to shore on their own and left the area. Agencies that responded to the capsizing included Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Encinitas Fire Department.

The four injured people were taken to hospitals. The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter and boat to search for the missing.

Hikers and others at Torrey Pines State Beach reported seeing a boat capsize near the shore at about 6:30 a.m., said Lt. Nick Backouris of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.

AP

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Nine people were shot at a restaurant in a Phoenix suburb Sunday night, police said.

Police received calls reporting shots around 7:45 p.m. at El Camaron Gigante Mariscos & Steakhouse, Glendale Police Department Officer Moroni Mendez said during a briefing at the scene.

The number of victims was not immediately clear as the initial investigation moved forward but it was believed to be “approximately nine,” Mendez said.

The medical conditions of the victims were not immediately available.

Police believe there was more than one shooter involved. Investigators did not have a suspect in custody but multiple people were being questioned, Mendez said.

AP

LOS ANGELES – Three people were hospitalized Sunday afternoon after a shooting at a park in Orange County, the U.S. state of California, authorities said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a post on X that “Deputies responding to reports of a shooting at Featherly Regional Park in Yorba Linda.”

The Sheriff’s Department added later in an update that the three victims in unknown conditions were transported to a local hospital.

The public is urged by local law enforcement to avoid the area. Officials haven’t released information on a suspect in the shooting.

XINHUA

HOUSTON – Sixteen people were shot and at least one was killed Sunday during a large party at a home in Houston, where police said gunfire broke out after an uninvited guest was asked to leave.

An 18-year-old man was pronounced dead at the hospital, and the injured ranged in age from 16 to 40, the Houston Police Department said in a statement Sunday evening. No suspect is currently in custody, though several people were detained, questioned and then released.

The department began receiving calls reporting shots fired around 12:50 a.m. at a home in southeast Houston, Assistant Police Chief Patricia Cantu said during a news briefing earlier Sunday.

Officers reported hearing gunshots when they arrived minutes later, Cantu said. They saw multiple people wounded in the area outside the home.

Cantu said a family party was taking place and an uninvited guest was asked to leave the home. That person is believed to have started shooting, she said, which prompted others to draw guns and return fire.

AP