International News
Shuri Castle: Fire engulfs 500-year-old world heritage site in Japan
BBC World News
A fire has destroyed the main structures of Shuri Castle, a Unesco World Heritage site on Japan's southern island of Okinawa.
Firefighters have been battling the flames since early on Thursday. No injuries have been reported so far.
The wooden castle, built 500 years ago in the Ryukyu Dynasty, was designated Japan's national treasure in 1933.
New Delhi pollution prompts call to shut schools, sporting events
Al Jazeera
Some doctors and residents urged New Delhi authorities to shut schools and cancel outdoor sporting events in the Indian capital as air pollution remained at the most severe level for the second day running on Wednesday.
Farm fires raging in neighbouring states have sent clouds of smoke floating over the city, trapped in a toxic smog, posing a health risk to its 20 million residents, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) air warning guidance.
Colombia launches military offensive after killing of five indigenous leaders
The Guardian
Colombia’s government has launched a military offensive to hunt down the gunmen responsible for the massacre of five indigenous leaders in the south-western province of Cauca.
The president, Iván Duque, travelled to the region on Wednesday along with his defence and interior ministers to condemn the massacre and oversee operations to root out armed groups that plague the conflict-ridden Cauca province.
US News
Laborers and domestic workers stay behind as thousands flee California wildfires
The Guardian
For workers, a day’s work can mean the difference between having money for food or not
“We still need to make money,” said landscaper Jordan Stokles, taking off his hat and wiping sweat from his brow.
In disasters like the wildfires scorching northern and southern California, choking the air with smoke and ash, day laborers and domestic workers have always been disproportionately affected.
Trump quietly cut legal immigration by up to 65%
Vox News
With one proclamation signed earlier this month, President Donald Trump made his adviser Stephen Miller’s dreams of restricting legal immigration a reality.
Researchers estimate it could keep up to two-thirds of future immigrants out who would be admitted under current law.
Roundup of new southern California wildfires, October 30, 2019
wildfiretoday.com
Easy Fire
Time of update: 4:44 p.m. PDT Wednesday
Location: Simi Valley south of the 118 freeway, north of Madera Road, west of Acapulco Ave., and west of the 23 freeway.
Size: About 1,300 acres at 11 a.m. PDT, Wednesday.