By the Associated Press

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. NORTH KOREA SAYS IT CONDUCTED SUCCESSFUL AND POWERFUL H-BOMB TEST

If confirmed, the move would be a huge jump in Pyongyang’s quest to improve its still-limited nuclear arsenal, but South Korea’s spy agency says an A-bomb was more likely.

2. WHY OBAMA’S GUN MOVES COULD PROVE INEFFECTIVE

The president’s executive actions would have had no impact in keeping weapons from the hands of criminals who used weapons bought by others, or bought them legally.

3. WHICH SCENARIO U.S. ENVISIONS FOR SYRIA

The Obama administration’s timeline for political transition in Syria does not foresee Assad stepping down as the country’s leader before March 2017, according to a document obtained by The AP.

4. WHO MUST WALK A FINE LINE AMID IRANIAN, SAUDI RIFTS

While many Iraqi Shiites took to the streets in outrage over Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shiite cleric, the country’s prime minister has to be cautious, trying to contain Iraq’s sectarian tensions.

5. ARMED GROUP IN OREGON FEARS RAID

The Harney County Joint Information Center says in a statement it has no information on arrests or arrest warrants and that authorities are “still working on a peaceful resolution.”

6. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN WAVE OF VIOLENCE MARKED BY INCREASED FEMALE ROLE

While battling Israel was once a role restricted to Palestinian men and boys, the current slew of attacks sees an unprecedented spike in involvement of women.

7. EL NINO TIES A RECORD

The current weather pattern pulls even with the 1997-1998 El Nino as the strongest recorded, based on temperature measurements in the Pacific.

8. GUN BUYER IN SAN BERNARDINO ATTACK FACES ARRAIGNMENT

Enrique Marquez Jr. also revealed plots he and his friend, Syed Rizwan Farook, discussed but never carried out to slaughter community college students.

9. VOLKSWAGEN EXEC SEES U.S. FIXES SOON IN EMISSIONS TEST CHEATING

Brand CEO Herbert Diess says that the company is having constructive discussions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

10. WILL GRIFFEY SET RECORD, CAN BONDS GET BIG BOOST?

Fewer than 500 people get a vote, but most every baseball fan seems to have a vehement opinion on who belongs in the Hall of Fame.