Tag: California

Wildfires rage across southern California; first death reported

by Veronique Dupont Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Firefighters on Thursday battled raging wildfires across southern California that have forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes, including residents on the outskirts of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city. Winds with hurricane-force gusts of up to 80 miles per hour (130 kilometers per hour) fueled the blazes, creating apocalyptic scenes of hillsides engulfed in billowing smoke and towering plumes of […]

New blaze ignites near LA as fierce California wildfires rage

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — An inferno engulfed the Los Angeles region Wednesday, forcing more than 200,000 people to evacuate and threatening thousands of homes, including the luxe Bel-Air neighborhood dotted with mansions. The flames have swallowed some 80,000 acres (32,000 hectares) in just over a day since the “Thomas” fire, currently the state’s largest, broke out, leaving at least one dead in an area about 45 minutes from downtown LA. High winds caused another wave […]

California struck once more by devastating infernos

  by Javier Tovar Agence France Presse SANTA PAULA, United States (AFP) — More than a thousand firefighters were struggling to contain a wind-whipped brush fire in southern California on Tuesday that has left at least one person dead, sent thousands fleeing, and was choking the area with thick black smoke. The Ventura County Fire Department said more than 27,000 people had been told to evacuate as the fast-moving fire in the coastal county north […]

Snapchat redesign keeps it personal

SAN FRANCISCO, United States(AFP) – Snapchat on Wednesday unveiled a redesign intended to rev up use of the image-sharing smartphone application by focusing on personal interests instead of what friends post. Parent company Snap has promised the redesign in a bid to make Snapchat more user-friendly in the face of competition from rival messaging apps, especially those fielded by leading social networking Facebook. Snap changes included separate streams for posts or messages from close friends versus […]

Lady Gaga, Diana Ross and Bruno Mars win at the AMAs

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Pink, Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera led female artists of pop music dominating the American Music Awards stage on Sunday (November 19) with powerful performances, despite being edged out by male artists in most award categories this year. Bruno Mars won Artist of the Year, former One Direction member Niall Horan won New Artist of the Year and Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi, Justin Bieber and Daddy Yankee won Collaboration […]

NASA launches next-generation weather satellite

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Santa Barbara County, California (AFP) — NASA on Saturday launched a next-generation satellite into space designed to monitor weather around the world and help improve forecasts. The satellite, called the Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), is a joint venture between the US space agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which provides weather reports and forecasts. The satellite was launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket as scheduled at 1:47 […]

Tesla unveils electric big-rig truck

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Tesla Inc on Thursday (November 16) unveiled a prototype electric big-rig truck, throwing itself into a new market even as it struggles to roll out an affordable sedan on which the company’s future depends. Chief Executive Elon Musk unveiled the big rig, dubbed the Tesla Semi, by riding the truck into an airport hangar near Los Angeles in front of an invited crowd of what Tesla said were potential truck […]

Wife of California shooter found dead under floorboards

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Detectives searching the home of a man who went on a shooting rampage in northern California said Wednesday they had found his wife’s body under the floorboards, raising the death toll to five. Police in Tehama County believe Kevin Janson Neal shot her dead on Monday night before he began roaming the streets the following morning, armed with two semi-automatic rifles and selecting targets apparently at random. “We believe that is […]

UPDATED: Four killed in California mass shooting

by Jocelyne Zablit Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Four people were killed and nearly a dozen were wounded, including several children, when a gunman went on a rampage Tuesday at multiple locations, including a school in rural northern California. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston told reporters that the assailant was killed by police following the mass shooting, which began around 8:00 am (1600 GMT) at a home in Rancho Tehama […]

Awards season kicks off in Hollywood

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) — Awards season kicked off in Hollywood with the 21st annual Hollywood Film Awards in Beverly Hills on Sunday (November 5). However, unlike other ceremonies, the awards are announced before the event. The films and actors receiving awards included Gary Oldman (‘Darkest Hour’) with a Career Achievement Award, Jake Gyllenhaal (‘Stronger’) for Best Actor, Sam Rockwell (‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Montana’) for Best Supporting Actor, Alison Janney (‘I, Tonya’) for Best […]