National & International | The Daily Courier

Some Southern California fire evacuations lifted

Some of the thousands of people who fled Southern California's huge wildfire were being allowed to return home, and traffic was flowing Monday on the major highway through the area after a closure of several days.

Grim search for more fire victims, 31 dead across California

As wildfires raged at both ends of California, officials released another grim statistic: Six more dead in a swath of Northern California wiped out by fire, raising the death toll there to 29. It matched California's record for deaths in a single fire and brought the statewide total to 31 as authorities stepped up searches for bodies and missing people.

Mississippi senator's 'public hanging' remark draws rebuke

A newly published video shows a white Republican U.S. senator in Mississippi praising someone by saying: "If he invited me to a public hanging, I'd be on the front row."

Florida election recount underway, tensions rise

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — After some early bumps, more than half of Florida's 67 counties began recounting votes Sunday in the razor-thin Senate and gubernatorial races, bringing back memories of the 2000 presidential fiasco.

Hearses stand by as crews search for California fire victims

PARADISE, Calif. — With hearses standing by, crews stepped up the search for bodies in the smoking ruins of Paradise, and relatives desperately looked for more than 100 missing loved ones, as wind-whipped wildfires raged Sunday on both ends of the state.

Migrant caravan heads to central Mexican city of Irapuato

Local Mexican officials were once again Sunday helping thousands of Central American migrants find rides on the next leg of their journey toward the U.S. border.

Death toll hits 25 from wildfires at both ends of California

Authorities called in a mobile DNA lab and anthropologists to help identify the dead as the search went on for victims of the most destructive wildfire in California history. The overall death toll from the outbreak of fires at both ends of the state stood at 25 Sunday and appeared likely to rise.

Winds again fan Southern Californian wildfire that killed 2

Strong Santa Ana winds returned to Southern California on Sunday, fanning a huge wildfire that has scorched a string of communities west of Los Angeles. Huge plumes of smoke were rising again in the fire area, which stretches miles from the northwest corner of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley to the Malibu coast.

2 dead, homes destroyed in Southern California wildfires

Two people were found dead as a pair of wildfires stretched from inland canyons to the Pacific in Southern California on Saturday, leaving people sifting through the remains of both mansions and modest homes for anything they had left.

Wildfire devastates Northern California town of Paradise

Tens of thousands of people fled a fast-moving wildfire Thursday in Northern California, some clutching babies and pets as they abandoned vehicles and struck out on foot ahead of the flames that forced the evacuation of an entire town and destroyed hundreds of structures.

Migrant caravan departs Mexico City and heads north

Thousands of Central American migrants were back on the move toward the U.S. border Saturday, after dedicated Mexico City metro trains whisked them to the outskirts of the capital and drivers began offering rides north.

Tapping Trump’s thigh, Macron seeks to defuse tensions

First the never-ending handshake, then the dandruff brush — and now the thigh tap?

US job openings dip but still exceed number of unemployed

The number of jobs posted by U.S. employers declined slightly in September but still exceeded the number of unemployed Americans and remained near a two-decade high.

Sex abuse crisis tops agenda as US Catholic bishops convene

As U.S. Catholic bishops gather for their national assembly next week, the clergy sex abuse crisis dominates their agenda amid calls from critics that church leaders finally bring about meaningful reforms to root out misbehaving priests.

Ex-IS captive recalls captivity, seeing her son killed in Syria

A Syrian woman liberated from captivity said Friday that Islamic State militants held her and more than two other dozen women and children in different hideouts for nearly three months, once keeping them captive in a moving car for over twelve hours without knowing where they were headed.

Southern California fire burns mobile homes, Malibu mansions

MALIBU, Calif. — Two people were found dead and scores of houses from the celebrity mansions of Malibu to the mobile homes of seniors in the suburbs burned in a pair of wildfires that stretched across more than 100 square miles of Southern California, authorities said Saturday.

Leaders laud fallen soldiers on eve of armistice centennial

PARIS — Traveling from across the world to monuments honoring soldiers who fell 100 years ago, victors and vanquished alike marked those sacrifices Saturday ahead of Armistice Day and assessed alliances that have been redrawn dramatically since the dark days of World War I.

Recounts ordered in Florida Senate, governor races

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida secretary of state ordered recounts in the U.S. Senate and governor races on Saturday, an unprecedented review of two major contests in the state that took five weeks to decide the 2000 presidential election.

Business in Brief: Pringles sells chips flavored for Thanksgiving for limited time

Those who crave the tastes of Thanksgiving no longer have to wait for the meal to be cooked.

THE TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: No AC in my Mexican hotel; how about a refund?

QUESTION: My family and I recently made reservations at the Villa Las Estrellas in Tulum, Mexico, using Booking.com. When we arrived, we found that the room wasn’t as advertised.

Deadly fire leveled a California town in less than a day

Not a single resident of Paradise can be seen anywhere in town after most of them fled the burning Northern California community that may be lost forever.

Official: Gunman apparently stopped shooting to post online

Authorities trying to make sense of why a gunman killed 12 people at a Southern California bar are not publicly discussing what they've learned, but at least one Instagram post he made after beginning the massacre has emerged as an early focus.

Trump, Macron seek to ease tensions before WWI anniversary

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron worked Saturday to ease tensions after a dustup over their comments about European security that threatened to divert attention from a weekend ceremony marking 100 years since the end of World War I.

Wildfire destroys thousands of buildings in California town

A fast-moving wildfire that ravaged a Northern California town Thursday sent residents racing to escape on roads that turned into tunnels of fire as thick smoke darkened the daytime sky.

Migrants decide to depart Mexico City with or without buses

Thousands of Central American migrants decided to depart Mexico City on Friday and head toward the northern city of Tijuana, opting for the longer but likely safer route to the U.S. border, caravan organizers said.