Friday briefing: The race to control the Los Angeles fires

Firefighters rushed to contain wildfires in Los Angeles

Officials hope that the drop in wind speeds yesterday will give firefighters a chance to control the fast-moving fires that have raged unchecked this week. At least five people were killed, but that number is expected to rise. Nearly 180,000 people were under evacuation orders. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, along with landmarks, making the landscape unrecognizable. Follow our live coverage and Our fire maps.

santa ana winds, Dangerous gusts caused the fire to spreadIt is expected to intensify overnight and over the weekend, and may continue into next week. Helicopters and planes dropped water from an ominous orange sky, and firefighters battled the blazes with a renewed supply of water after taps had run dry in the previous days.

hollywood hills, Home of celebrities and entertainment executivesIt also started burning overnight. Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and other celebrities lost their homes.

Law enforcement officials said twenty people were arrested and charged with looting during the chaos, and that number is expected to rise.

Context: It may be difficult to imagine Los Angeles, which is the same size as two small states in the United States. Disasters or riots may occur at one end of the city while the people on the other end are far from the scene. However, these wildfires have happened They attacked the entire capital.

saves: As one resident rushed to evacuate, she made a plea to her Instagram followers: Can someone help? Evacuating her nearly 300 pound pig?

Lebanon elected a president after two years of stagnation

The Lebanese Parliament chose General Joseph Aoun as Commander of the Lebanese Army Become the next president.

Aoun won an overwhelming majority in the second round of voting, reflecting the changing balance of power at a worrying time for Lebanon. The country has suffered a series of disasters in recent years, including economic collapse and war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

Context: The country’s international backers, including the United States, hinted that post-war financial support was conditional on the success of the presidential election.

background: Aoun is considered to have the support of the United States and is widely respected in Lebanon. Since 2017, he has led the army, the only national institution with cross-sectarian support.

How did the United States benefit from Ukraine’s support?

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group is scheduled to meet this week for the last time under the Biden administration. The group was first formed after the Russian invasion in 2022 Providing aid and ammunition To Ukraine. It also gave the United States a rare opportunity to undermine an old enemy.

The Biden administration first turned to US allies for help, but also relied on relations with non-NATO countries. US officials said the way the group was set up could serve as a blueprint for future administrations to use in the event of major conflicts, such as a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan.

What’s the next step: The fate of the group is uncertain. President-elect Donald Trump is deeply skeptical of support for Ukraine, and has publicly sought to curry favor with President Vladimir Putin. If the United States backs down, another country could take over, the Pentagon said.

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Human rights activists say Communist Party leaders in western China are separating hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children from their families and placing them in boarding schools. The schools teach in the Chinese language, promote party values of loyalty and patriotism, and replace the Buddhist culture and beliefs inculcated in Tibetan homes.

Our colleagues analyzed hundreds of videos posted on social media and advertising departments to Learn how these schools work.

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Restoration of the (very) old with a modern touch

The second floor of a 12th-century palace in Genoa was in such poor condition: the walls were full of holes, the windows shook and water leaked – it couldn’t even be classified as a residence anymore.

But two architects can still sense the palpable grandeur, and they paid €250,000 for the wreck. Two years and another €350,000 later, their efforts resulted in the stunning 1,000 square foot one-bedroom apartment where they now live. They even found some secrets in the walls. See more renovation.