Trump mulls scrapping FEMA, pledges disaster help to North Carolina, California
Los Angeles, US Reuters US President Donald Trump on Friday floated shuttering the Federal Emergency Management Agency during a trip to disaster areas in North Carolina and California, where he pledged government support and sparred with Democratic officials. Fresh from assuming office on Monday, Trump’s visit showcased a desire to show up early in the […]
Los Angeles firefighters holding the line despite extreme winds
Los Angeles, US Reuters Firefighters on Tuesday held the line against two massive wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles for the past week, even as desert winds and a parched landscape presented extremely hazardous conditions. Some 8,500 firefighters from at least seven states and two foreign countries prevented the fires from growing for […]
Dangerous winds forecast to resume in fire-stricken Los Angeles
Los Angeles, US Reuters Dangerously high winds were expected to return to Los Angeles on Monday, jeopardising efforts to contain two massive wildfires that have levelled whole neighbourhoods, claimed the lives of at least two dozen people and burned an area the size of Washington, DC. Dry Santa Ana winds of up to 80 to […]
Los Angeles races to contain wildfires as severe winds return, 24 killed
Updated: 1:15pm (AEDT) Los Angeles, US Reuters Firefighters raced to contain the frontiers of two Los Angeles wildfires that burned for the sixth straight day on Sunday, taking advantage of a brief respite in hazardous conditions before high winds were expected to fan the flames anew. At least 24 people have died in what California […]
Los Angeles surrounded by out-of-control wildfires; at least five dead
Updated: 11:40am (AEDT) Los Angeles, US Reuters Raging wildfires surrounded Los Angeles on Wednesday, killing at least five people, destroying hundreds of homes and stretching firefighting resources and water supplies to the limit, as more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate. Fierce winds hindered firefighting operations and fueled the fires, which have burned unimpeded […]
Malibu wildfire rages, destroys several structures
Reuters Firefighters made some progress in containing a wildfire in the beach community of Malibu, California, on Wednesday, but it continued to threaten several structures, force residents to flee and close schools in the area. More than 1,500 firefighters were battling the Franklin Fire, which had scorched nearly 1,620 hectares and was seven per cent […]
Wildfire near Los Angeles burn dozens of homes
Updated: 3pm (AEDT) Santa Paula, California, US Reuters Over ten thousand people were ordered to evacuate communities north-west of Los Angeles as fierce seasonal winds drove a wildfire down tinder-dry hillsides into ranches and homes, authorities said. Firefighters and police cleared residents from neighbourhoods near Camarillo before homes were set ablaze by embers blown 3.2 […]
Many Democrats back Harris in 2024 race, but Pelosi, Obama silent
Updated: 12pm (AEST) Reuters Many Democrats on Sunday quickly backed Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the party’s presidential nominee against Donald Trump after incumbent President Joe Biden’s abrupt departure from the race, but some powerful party members, including former House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi, stayed quiet. After weeks of in-party fighting between […]
Arizona’s top court revives 19th century abortion ban
Reuters Arizona’s top court on Tuesday revived a ban on nearly all abortions under a law from 1864, a half century before statehood and women’s suffrage, further restricting reproductive rights in a state where terminating a pregnancy was already barred at 15 weeks of gestation. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled four-to-two in favour of an […]
US pastor John MacArthur, Grace Community Church, defy bans on singing, indoor worship
Los Angeles, US RNS Grace Community Church congregants in Sun Valley gathered indoors and sang hymns on Sunday, defying California regulations that aim to limit the spread of COVID-19. “This is a very special day in the life of our church family. It is for us a return to what we love the most, the […]