Six In The Morning Wednesday 8 January 2025

 

LA firefighters give update as wildfires destroy buildings and force thousands to flee

Summary

• Firefighters are battling four wildfires in Los Angeles, almost 24 hours after the first blaze broke out in the Palisades area

• A fifth, smaller fire that broke out 60 miles south-east of LA, in Riverside, has been contained, officials there say

• Earlier, authorities warned there was "no possibility" of bringing some of the flames under control - with the Santa Ana winds and dry weather conditions worsen the situation

• They are now giving an update on the situation, which you can watch live at the top of this page

• "The winds are so strong, I can hear the windows on the house shaking", one witness and LA native tells the BBC

'This is not a drill', says Los Angeles chair

Chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors begins the press conference by explaining that the wildfires that are raging across the area is a "dynamic situation".

Kathryn Barger goes onto explain how all of the major fires still burning - Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Woodley - are 0% contained and resources have been stretched "very short".

"Heed the advice of first responders," Barger warns. "When they ask you to evacuate, evacuate."

"This is not a drill."

Awards success of cartel boss musical Emilia Pérez prompts outrage in Mexico

The film about Mexico has just one main actor who is Mexican, and Mexicans say it’s heavy with stereotypes and treats violence with frivolity

Thomas Graham in Mexico City

Wed 8 Jan 2025 10.00 GMT

A musical about a Mexican cartel boss who fakes their death, transitions and is reborn as a heroine searching for the forcibly disappeared is sweeping international film awards, but prompted amusement and outrage in Mexico.

Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard, has been largely praised by international critics, though some noted it risked trivialising extremely sensitive issues. It scooped the jury prize at Cannes before winning four Golden Globes on Sunday, including those for best musical or comedy and best non-English language film.

People in Mexico won’t be able to see it until later this month, and most of them were unaware of it until clips started circulating online of Selena Gomez delivering bizarre sexual lines in stilted Mexican Spanish.

Allow Syrians to go back for short visits, EU activists say

While Ukrainian refugees in Europe can take short trips home without a change in protection status, Syrians can not. Activists say temporary visits would help Syrians rebuild their homes and encourage voluntary returns.

Anwar Bunni picked up the phone after just two rings. It was December 8, the day Syrian rebels ousted President Bashar Assad and took control of Damascus.

Bunni, head of the non-profit Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, has spent more than a decade collecting testimonies on crimes committed against Syrians and building cases of crimes against humanity under the Assad government. He was expecting a call from a contact in the German government to hear about his request to go back to Syria without losing his refugee status in the European nation. 

"We need to go back, I need to go back and rebuild the country," he told DW by phone from Berlin. "Everybody wants to go and have a look. Some may come back and resume their lives here, but others will return either now or after they have rebuilt their homes and societies."

Journalist Cecilia Sala en route to Italy after release from Tehran prison

A plane carrying journalist Cecilia Sala has left Tehran and will soon arrive back in Italy, Italian authorities announced on Wednesday. Sala had been held in the Iranian capital's notorious Evin prison since she was arrested on December 19.

An Italian journalist arrested in Iran and jailed for three weeks has been freed and is returning to Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said on Wednesday.

"The plane taking journalist Cecilia Sala home took off from Tehran a few minutes ago" following "intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels", Meloni's office said in a statement.

"Our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is on her way back to Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expresses her gratitude to all those who helped make Cecilia's return possible, allowing her to re-embrace her family and colleagues," her office said.

7 Chinese arrested for exploiting Apple student discounts

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 8, 2025 at 18:41 JST

Seven Chinese nationals were arrested on suspicion of fraudulently purchasing Apple’s MacBook laptops at student discount prices while concealing their intent to resell them overseas.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said on Jan. 8 that it arrested seven Chinese men and women, including Zhao Li, 51, who resides in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.

Police did not disclose whether the suspects admitted to or denied the charges.

More Gaza children and women killed in relentless Israel bombing

By Edna Mohamed, Farah Najjar and Brian Osgood

Published On 8 Jan 20258 Jan 2025

• Attacks by Israel’s army on war-battered Gaza continue with at least 51 Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry, including infants, young children, and women.
• US President-elect Donald Trump demands that Hamas releases Israeli captives held in Gaza by the time he enters office, warning “all hell will break out” otherwise.
• Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati informs international sponsors of the Israel-Hezbollah truce deal about continued Israeli violations as Lebanon’s army deploys units to southern areas that Israeli forces pulled out from.