As the Los Angeles fires continue, the number of missing continues to rise
Firefighters made some progress Sunday to contain multiple wildfires across the city as more desert winds arrived. The fires have killed at least 16 people, and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the number of missing was rising by the hour. Watch our live stream here.
Entire neighborhoods were destroyed and the winds that fueled the fire were expected to return after a possible reprieve. While crews were able to slow the large Palisades fire, fire risk remained high in the region. More than 100,000 residents are still under evacuation orders.
The Eaton fire, which killed at least 11 people, is still among the fires Deadliest in California history. Search teams searched the neighborhoods destroyed by the flames with cadaver dogs. Here we are information about victims of fires.
Political criticism: California politicians have faced questions about their preparedness. US President-elect Donald Trump called government officials “incompetent” on his Truth Social website, renewing a long-running feud with California Governor Gavin Newsom. Who says Trump is politicizing destruction.
A potential turning point in Sudan's civil war
The Sudanese army recaptured the town of Wad Madani this week from a paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, that seized the town more than a year ago.
If the military can retain control there, it would be the most important victory since the war began nearly two years ago, experts say. could reshape the battlefield. RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan promised to retake the city soon.
Church bells rang in Port Sudan and the Sudanese flocked to the streets of the capital Khartoum to celebrate the victory. They hoped the news would be a turning point in a civil war that had led to massacres, ethnic cleansing and widespread starvation.
Related: Last week, the US determined that the RSF He committed genocide in Sudan.
Digital gambling is taking off in Brazil
The animal lottery, a gambling game, has been a daily fixture for many Brazilians for decades and fueled bloody mafia feuds. Digital gambling notwithstanding how people place bets and raise organized crime.
Digital gambling, which was legalized in Brazil in 2018, sent the country into a frenzy, forcing officials to figure out how to regulate the industry. One frequent gambler, who grew up on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, estimates he lost around €78,000 over two years using a gambling app.
Digital alternatives now generate more than €22 billion in bets annually, 10 times the amount generated from analog gaming. Some of this money came from the animal lottery bosses themselves, who used legitimate betting sites to launder the proceeds.
MORE BREAKING NEWS
In Mozambique, known for its lush forests and emerald waters, Islamic State militants have attacked a region the size of Austria for more than seven years. The government says the crisis has stabilized, but residents, many of whom are physically and mentally scarred, say otherwise. Nearly 6,000 people were killed in Cabo Delgado state, and more than half of the 2.3 million people were displaced.
Our colleagues visited the country in October to interview and photograph residents trying to find a sense of normalcy and come to terms with the conflict. Read about what they learned here.
The Lives He Lived: Mauro Morandi, known as Italy's Robinson Crusoe because he lived alone on a Mediterranean island for 32 years, He died at the age of 85.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Ham policy
When a priest in Sainte-Anne, France struggled to raise funds to restore his cathedral's antique organ, he came up with a novel solution. He converted one of the bell towers into a curing workshop where, for about two years, farmers hung their hams to dry. (After the meat is blessed by the local bishop, of course.)
But an architectural heritage inspector, with more taste for red tape than red meat, swooped in and ordered the ham removed after discovering irregularities such as a grease stain on the floor.
The cathedral refused, and the dispute escalated to the desk of the French minister of culture. The problem seemed hyperlocal, but it raised a broader question facing the nation: Who will pay to preserve the country's vast religious heritage??