Sunday, January 12, 2025

Six In The Morning Sunday 12 January 2025

 

Threat of fires in LA County is still 'very high', says fire chief, as at least 16 killed

Summary

LA is currently under a local health emergency - county supervisor

LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath is speaking now.

She says Southern California gas company CalGas is starting to restore connections to Malibu today.

She also repeats the public health warnings, saying that LA is currently under a local health emergency.

She explains that the fire has made the air unhealthy and advises people to limit outdoor activities in areas with visible smoke or the smell of it.


Ukraine’s capture of North Koreans offers rare insight into Russian alliance, says Zelenskyy

Kyiv keen to emphasise that Ukraine is fighting an unprecedented coalition of malign autocratic states

 in Pavlohrad,  in Berlin and Mark Gerts
Sun 12 Jan 2025 16.07 GMT


Ukraine’s capture of two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield has provided a rare glimpse into their role and Pyongyang’s participation in the Russian invasion, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The two soldiers were taken prisoner in Kursk oblast, the scene of intense fighting since Ukraine launched a cross-border raid five months ago. Video showed special forces soldiers carrying one of the wounded North Koreans across a snowy forest.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would give journalists access to the pair, so the world “can learn the truth about what is happening”.


Boost for the Right WingWhy Did a German Newspaper Help Elon Musk Interfere in German Politics?

Ever since Elon Musk threw his support behind the right-wing AfD party in the pages of Die Welt, the paper and the Axel Springer publishing house has had a newsroom revolt on its hands. CEO Mathias Döpfner's apparent courtship of Musk may have been behind the stunt.


For many journalists at the German daily Die Welt, the scene must have seemed rather farcical. Speaking in the editorial conference last Monday, Editor-in-Chief Ulf Poschardt said that "all the debates had ruined” his Christmas. As though a bit of peace and quiet over the winter holidays was the only thing at stake – and not a clash that has stirred up the newsroom to a greater degree than anything else in recent memory.

Two days prior, on December 28, the paper’s Sunday edition, called Welt am Sonntag, had printed a guest editorial by Elon Musk, in which the American billionaire called on German voters to support the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in upcoming parliamentary elections.

Saudi Arabia calls for Syria sanctions relief as Arab, EU diplomats gather in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia said Sunday it was time to lift sanctions on Syria as it hosted talks between key diplomats from the Middle East and Europe focused on reestablishing stability in the war-torn country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.


Saudi Arabia on Sunday called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria after meetings with top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe that focused on the war-ravaged country's future.

The Gulf kingdom, the region's biggest economy, is seeking to increase its influence in Syria after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad last month, analysts say.

"We stressed the importance of lifting unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria, as their continuation hinders the aspirations of the Syrian people to achieve development and reconstruction," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after Sunday's talks concluded in Riyadh.

In Hokkaido, ‘sea of mega solar farms’ threatens protected park

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 12, 2025 at 08:00 JST


Motorists driving westward through a wetland region in Kushiro city can quickly spot numerous solar panels on both sides of the Doto Expressway.

Some areas are dotted with compact panels. Larger zones, the size of Tokyo Dome, are each covered by more than 10 large and dense solar panel arrays.

Locals call this area a “sea of mega solar farms.”


'I got death threats when men thought I put feminist gesture in video game'

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

It was late at night, and Darim's animation studio had just finished designing a new look for a character in one of South Korea's most popular video games, MapleStory.


Darim was proud of her work. So, sitting alone on the floor of her small studio apartment, she posted the trailer on social media. Almost immediately, she was flooded with thousands of abusive messages, including death and rape threats.


Young male gamers had taken issue with a single frame in the trailer, in which the female character could be seen holding her thumb and forefinger close together.







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