AP National News

Associated Press CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California wildfire has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, in less than two days, fire officials said Thursday as raging winds were forecast to ease. The fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County and has grown to about 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) at 5% containment. Its

Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s president has denied wrongdoing over a burgeoning influence-peddling scandal involving him and his wife. Already, the rumors are severely hurting his approval ratings and providing political munition to his political rivals. The scandal centers around allegations that President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon

Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A robot that has spent months inside the ruins of a nuclear reactor at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant delivered a tiny sample of melted nuclear fuel, in what plant officials said was a step toward beginning the cleanup of hundreds of tons of melted fuel debris. The sample, the

Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — After Germany’s government coalition collapsed in a dramatic fashion when Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business Free Democrats, Scholz said he would lead the country with a minority government, despite calls from opposition leaders on Thursday for early elections. The chancellor said the minority government

Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England has cut its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point after inflation across the U.K. fell below its target rate of 2%. The bank said Thursday its rate-setting panel lowered the benchmark rate to 4.75%. That is its second cut in three months,

Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — A court in Thailand has acquitted a Thai woman who had been charged with involvement in a 2015 bombing at a shrine in Bangkok that killed 20 people and injured 120. The court ruled Thursday that there was not enough evidence to link Wanna Suansan to the bombing. Two other

Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s parliament has passed a law that would allow it to deport family members of Palestinian attackers to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip or other locations. The law passed on Thursday was championed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his far-right allies. The law was passed with

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Police say a roadside bomb has exploded near a vehicle carrying security forces in restive northwestern Pakistan, killing four officers and wounding five others. A local police officer said the bombing happened on Wednesday in the South Waziristan district, which is a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Associated Press MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A strong typhoon has hit the northern Philippines, prompting a new round of evacuations in a region still recovering from back-to-back storms a few weeks ago. Typhoon Yinxing is the 13th to batter the disaster-prone Southeast Asian nation this season. Tens of thousands of villagers were returning to emergency

Associated Press MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian government announced on Thursday what it described as world-leading legislation that would institute an age limit of 16 years for children to start using social media, and hold platforms responsible for ensuring compliance. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,”

Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has ordered Rudy Giuliani to quickly surrender cherished assets as part of a $148 million defamation judgment against the former New York City mayor. The order Thursday during a hearing in Manhattan led a defiant Giuliani to tell reporters afterward that he feels he’s the victim

Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s name wasn’t on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris’ resounding defeat as his loss too. As Democrats pick up the pieces after President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory, some of the vice president’s backers are expressing frustration that Biden’s decision to seek reelection until this summer

AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory this week. The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it reflects

AP Business Writer HONG KONG (AP) — China has reported its exports rose 12.7% in October from a year earlier, the fastest monthly growth in more than two years. Official customs data released Thursday also showed imports fell 2.3% from a year earlier. Exports far surpassed analyst’s estimates of about 5.5% growth and outpaced September’s

Associated Press HAVANA (AP) — Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island, destroying hundreds of homes, knocking out the country’s power grid and damaging other infrastructure. No fatalities were immediately reported in Cuba, and Hurricane Rafael had weakened to a Category 2 storm as it swirled across

Associated Press SAO PAULO (AP) — The story of “King,” who doesn’t disclose his real name, is similar to that of many vulnerable Brazilians in recent years. The country has become the third-biggest market in the world for sports betting, following the U.S. and the U.K. But unlike those countries, rampant advertising and sponsorship have

Associated Press MAUMERE, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki unleashed towering columns of ash into the air on Thursday, in an even larger eruption than the one that killed nine people and injured dozens of others three days ago. There were no reports of casualties from the latest eruption as residents living in

Democratic Rep. Raul Ruiz won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing California on Wednesday. Ruiz was first elected to the House in 2012 when he defeated Republican incumbent Mary Bono. His district encompasses all of Imperial County and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including the cities of Indio, Coachella, Calexico, Hemet and

Associated Press CHICAGO (AP) — For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said Thursday. “It’s