Firefighters scrambled Sunday to make further progress against wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed 24 people in the Los Angeles area as forecasters again warned of dangerous weather with the return of strong winds this week. At least 16 people were missing, and authorities said that number was expected to rise. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions through Wednesday, with sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) and gusts in the mountains reaching 70 mph (113 kph). The most dangerous day will be Tuesday, said weather service meteorol

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has hit southwestern Japan, the country's Meteorological Agency said Monday. Tsunami warnings were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the temblor was centered, in the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi Prefecture, shortly after the quake struck at 9:19 p.m. local time, according to the agency. The extent of damage was not immediately clear. Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

At least 10 people have been confirmed dead as a wildfire in the Los Angeles area of California spreads into the city. Officials say the actual death toll will not be known until it is safe for investigators to fully enter the area. At least four major wildfires are currently burning in Los Angeles County, with 29,000 acres of land scorched in the past four days. More than 10,000 buildings have been destroyed, and nearly 30,000 homes have been damaged. The Palisades and Eaton fires, both of which started on Tuesday, are the two largest fires in Los Angeles. Firefighters expect strong winds an

New York's highest court declined to block Donald Trump's upcoming sentencing inhis hush money caseThursday, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as the president-elect's likely last option to prevent the hearing from taking place Friday. One judge of the New York Court of Appeals issued a brief order declining to grant a hearing to Trump's legal team. Trumphas asked theSupreme Courtto call off Friday’ssentencingin thehush money case. His lawyers turned to the nation’s highest court on Wednesday afterNew York courtsrefused to postpone the sentencing by Judge Juan M. Merchan, who presided over Tr

President Joe Biden on Wednesday cancelled the final overseas trip of his presidency just hours before he was set to depart for Rome and the Vatican, choosing to remain in Washington to monitor the response todevastating fires raging in California. Biden was scheduled to leave Thursday afternoon, aftereulogizing former President Jimmy Carterat a memorial service in Washington, for the three-day trip to meet with Pope Francis and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The trip was meant as a coda to the second Catholic U.S. president’s time in the White House a

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed inthe Israel-Hamas war, Gaza's Health Ministry said Thursday, as the conflict raged into a 16th month with no end in sight. The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and childrenmake up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants operate in resid

Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that troops have recovered the bodies of two additional hostagesfrom Gaza. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the bodies of Yosef Al Zaydani and his son Hamzah were recovered in an operation, without disclosing further details. The men were taken captive during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. The return of the two bodies comes as Israel and Hamas are consideringa ceasefire dealthat would free the remaining 100 or so hostages and would halt the fighting in Gaza. Israel believes a third of the remaining hostages are dead. However, Yosef and Hamzah Al Za

A wildfire whipped up by extreme winds swept through a Los Angeles hillside dotted with celebrity residences Tuesday, burning homes in Pacific Palisades and prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands. In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways were clogged and scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases. The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path, according to the LA Fire Department. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, w

Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to use economic force to make Canada part of the United States. Trump told reporters that he has no intention of using military force against Canada; instead, he would use economic pressure. Trump argued that the move would be beneficial for national security, stating that the issue with Canada is the billions of dollars the U.S. spends to protect it. Trump made these comments during a press conference in Florida. He also suggested he might use military force to acquire the Panama Canal and Greenland. Trump said China is using the Panama Can