Atmospheric river hits Southern California with risks of flash floods and deaths on stormy seas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An unusually strong storm system called an atmospheric river was dousing Southern California on Saturday, prompting flood warnings in areas of coastal Los Angeles County that recently were ravaged by wildfire. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles and Oxnard reported heavy rainfall Saturday at rates as heavy as 2.5 centimeters per hour in coastal areas that are prone to flash flooding. On Friday, more than four inches of rain fell over coastal Santa Barbara County as the

Nov. 16, 2025

UK's King Charles III marks 77th birthday

LONDON (AFP) -- King Charles III enjoyed a busy 77th birthday on Friday, seemingly determined to carry on working despite ongoing cancer treatment. Gun salutes rang out in London to formally mark the occasion, while the monarch inaugurated a train depot in the rain in south Wales. Charles also attended a reception with Queen Camilla for the 200th anniversary of Cyfarthfa Castle, considered a Welsh historical jewel. Charles has maintained a relatively busy schedule of royal duties since his retur

Nov. 16, 2025

Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of reckoning with colonial past

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts from its vast ethnographic collection to Indigenous peoples from Canada, as part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas. Pope Leo XIV gave the artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, and supporting documentation to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which said it would return the items to Indigenous communities "as soon as possible." A joint statement

Nov. 16, 2025

Japan protests China's travel advisory over Taiwan remarks

BEIJING (AP) — Japan raised objections Saturday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, as a feud over the new Japanese leader's remarks on Taiwan showed no signs of dying down. The government in Tokyo lodged a protest and its top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take “appropriate measures,” Japan's Kyodo News Service reported. China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks aga

Nov. 16, 2025

At Trump’s urging, Bondi says US will investigate Epstein’s ties to Clinton and other political foes

NEW YORK (AP) — Acceding to President Donald Trump’s demands, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Trump political foes, including former President Bill Clinton. Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe, capping an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate and House Democ

Nov. 15, 2025

Trump scraps tariffs on beef, coffee and tropical fruit in a push to lower grocery store prices

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he was scrapping US tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities — a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices. Trump has built his second term around imposing steep levies on goods imported into the US in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the US economy. His abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy on so man

Nov. 15, 2025

Trump signs bill ending longest US shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks. The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on the

Nov. 13, 2025

'The war of tomorrow will begin in space': Macron

TOULOUSE, France (AFP) -- Modern conflicts are already being fought in space and the next wars will begin there, French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday, singling out the threat posed by Russia and announcing a multi-billion dollar increase in spending on military activities in space. "The war of today is already being fought in space, and the war of tomorrow will begin in space," Macron said in Toulouse, France's space and aviation hub, which is home to its new space military command ce

Nov. 13, 2025

Israel's president says 'shocking' settler violence against Palestinians must end

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's president and high-ranking military officials on Wednesday condemned attacks a day earlier by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank, calling for an end to a growing wave of settler violence in the occupied territory. President Isaac Herzog described the attacks as “shocking and serious,” adding a rare and powerful voice to what has been muted criticism by top Israeli officials of the settler violence. Herzog's position, while largely ceremonial, is meant

Nov. 13, 2025

Wallets, not warming, make voters care about climate: California governor

BELEM, Brazil (AFP) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom says his Democratic Party is "back on its feet" after a string of election wins -- and the way to make Americans care about global warming is to show how it affects their wallets. The 58-year-old leader of the Golden State spoke to Agence France-Presse at the UN's annual climate summit, held this year in Belem, a northern Brazilian city on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Newsom has emerged as one of US President Donald Trump's fiercest foes

Nov. 13, 2025

World's fossil fuel emissions to hit new record in 2025: study

PARIS (AFP) -- Global fossil fuel emissions are set to hit a new high in 2025, according to research published Thursday that also warns curbing warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius would now be essentially "impossible." The annual Global Carbon Budget report looks at humanity's emissions of planet-heating CO2 from burning hydrocarbons, cement production and land use -- like deforestation -- and relates the figures to the warming thresholds outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement. An international team

Nov. 13, 2025

Epstein emails say Trump 'knew about girls'

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Jeffrey Epstein suggested Donald Trump knew about the disgraced financier's abuse and "spent hours" with one victims at his house, according to emails released by Democrats Wednesday that raised fresh questions for the US president. Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the sex-trafficking activities of his former friend -- who died by suicide in 2019 while in prison awaiting trial -- and accused Democrats of trying to "deflect" from their own failings. But the scandal

Nov. 13, 2025

Jane Goodall honored in Washington funeral

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Environmental conservationists, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and representatives of Indigenous communities, gathered in the US capital Wednesday to pay a heartfelt tribute to the celebrated primatologist Jane Goodall. Goodall, who died in October at age 91, transformed the study of chimpanzees and over her decades-long career became one of the world's most revered wildlife advocates. "May we all honor her by carrying forward that same fierce belief that we can do better,

Nov. 13, 2025

[Graphic News] Shin Ramyun tops Korean ramyeon online interest

Nongshim’s instant noodle product Shin Ramyun recorded the highest consumer interest online in the third quarter of 2025, according to market research firm Data&Research, with 145,494 online mentions across news sites, communities and blogs. Analysts attributed the surge in interest to the Netflix animated hit “KPop Demon Hunters,” released in June. Nongshim released a line of products featuring characters from the film. Packaging for Shin Ramyun and the company’s Shrimp Crackers snack showcased

Nov. 13, 2025

Protesters force their way into COP30 summit venue

BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -- Dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 climate summit venue on Tuesday and clashed with security guards at the entrance to demand climate action and forest protection. Shouting angrily, protesters demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year's UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil. Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs say

Nov. 12, 2025