Firefighters rushed to contain wildfires in Los Angeles
Officials hoped yesterday's drop in wind speeds would give firefighters a window to control the fast-moving blaze, which has raged out of control this week. At least 5 people have been killed, but this number is expected to rise. Almost 180,000 people were under evacuation orders. All the neighborhoods were destroyed along with the sights, the landscape was rendered unrecognizable. Watch our live broadcast and our fire maps.
Santa Ana winds, dangerous winds spreading the flamesit was expected to intensify overnight and into the weekend and likely continue into next week. Helicopters and planes dropped water from an ominous orange sky, and firefighters battled the blaze with renewed water supplies after hydrants ran dry in the previous days.
hollywood hills, home to celebrities and entertainment executivesit started to burn overnight. Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and other celebrities lost their homes.
Law enforcement officials said 20 people were arrested on suspicion of looting during the chaos, and that number is expected to rise.
Context: It might be hard to imagine Los Angeles being roughly the size of two small US states. Disasters or riots may occur at one end of the city, while those at the opposite end are far from the scene. There are forest fires attacked the metropolis as a whole.
Rescue: As one resident scrambled to evacuate, she sent a plea to her Instagram followers: Can anyone help? to evacuate his nearly 300-pound pig?
Lebanon elected president after two years of crisis
The Lebanese parliament elected General Joseph Aoun as the commander of the Lebanese army. to be the next president.
Aoun won the second round of the vote by a landslide, reflecting the shifting balance of power at a nervous time for Lebanon. The country has endured a series of disasters in recent years, including an economic collapse and a war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.
Context: The country's international backers, including the United States, pointed out that post-war financial support depended on successful presidential elections.
Background: Aoun is considered to have the support of the United States and is highly respected in Lebanon. Since 2017, he has led the army, the only national institution with cross-sectarian support.
How the US benefited from supporting Ukraine
The Ukraine Defense Liaison Group will meet this week for the last time under the Biden administration. The group was first established after the invasion of Russia in 2022 provide aid and ammunition to Ukraine. It also gave the US a rare chance to knock out an old enemy.
The Biden administration turned primarily to US allies for help, but also focused on relations with non-NATO countries. The way the group was created could serve as a blueprint for future administrations to use in the event of a major conflict, such as a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan.
What's next: The group's fate is uncertain. US President-elect Donald Trump is deeply skeptical of supporting Ukraine and openly sympathizes with President Vladimir Putin. According to the Pentagon, if the United States withdraws, another country may take over.
MORE BREAKING NEWS
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 Mandarin, promote the party's values of loyalty and patriotism, and replace the culture and Buddhist beliefs instilled in Tibetan homes.
Our colleagues analyzed hundreds of videos sent to social networks and publicity departments learn how these schools work.
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Restoring the (very) old with a modern touch
The second floor of a 12th-century palace in Genoa was in a state of complete disrepair: The walls were covered with holes and the windows rattled and leaked – it could no longer be classified as a residence.
But the two architects were still able to feel a palpable grandeur and paid 250,000 euros for the ruin. Two years and another €350,000 later, their efforts yielded the gorgeous, 1,000-square-foot one-bedroom apartment they live in now. They even found some secrets on the walls. Look beyond repair.