Monday Briefing: Number of missing rises in L.A.

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January 13, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering the Los Angeles fires and a potential turning point in Sudan’s civil war.

Plus, how cured ham fixed an antique organ in France.

Mandeville Canyon Road during the Palisades fire on Sunday. Max Whittaker for The New York Times

Number of missing rises as Los Angeles fires continue

Firefighters made some progress to contain the multiple wildfires across the city on Sunday as more desert winds arrived. The blazes have killed at least 16 people, and Sheriff Robert Luna of Los Angeles County said that the number of missing increased by the hour. Follow our live coverage here.

Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, and the kind of gusts that have propelled the fires were expected to return after a possible reprieve. Even as crews managed to stop the momentum of the large Palisades fire, fire risk remained high in the region. More than 100,000 residents were still under evacuation orders.

The Eaton fire, which has killed at least 11 people, is now among the deadliest in California history. Search teams with cadaver dogs scoured neighborhoods razed by the flames. Here’s what we know about the victims of the fires.

Political criticism: California politicians have faced questions about their preparation. President-elect Donald Trump called state officials “incompetent” on his Truth Social site and renewed a longstanding feud with Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who has said Trump was politicizing the destruction.

Inmate firefighters: More than 900 prisoners are working to slow the spread of the deadly blazes. California has long relied on incarcerated people to help fight wildfires, but their work this month has revived criticism of the practice.

Sudanese people celebrated in Meroe, Sudan, on Saturday, after the army announced it had entered Wad Madani. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A potential turning point in Sudan’s civil war

The Sudanese military this week recaptured the city of Wad Madani from the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., a paramilitary group that had overtaken the city just over a year ago.

If the military were able to maintain control there, experts say, it would be the most significant victory since the war began nearly two years ago and could reshape the battlefield. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan, the leader of the R.S.F., vowed to soon take back the city.

Sudanese residents flocked to the streets of Khartoum, the capital, to celebrate the victory as church bells pealed in Port Sudan. They hoped the news might signal a turning point in a civil war that has led to massacres, ethnic cleansing and a spreading famine.

Related: Last week, the U.S. determined that the R.S.F. had committed genocide in Sudan.

Online gambling has been booming in Brazil since it was legalized in 2018. Dado Galdieri for The New York Times

Digital gambling spreads in Brazil

The animal lottery, a gambling game, has been for decades a daily fixture for many Brazilians and has fueled bloody mafia disputes. Digital gambling, though, is reshaping how people place wagers and upending organized crime.

Digital gambling, legalized in Brazil in 2018, has set off a frenzy in the country and forced officials to determine how to regulate the industry. One frequent gambler, who grew up in the fringes of Rio de Janeiro, estimates that she lost roughly 78,000 euros over two years using a gambling app.

Digital alternatives now draw over 22 billion euros in wagers each year, 10 times the amount originating from the analog game. Some of that money has come from the animal lottery bosses themselves — who have used legal betting sites to launder revenues.

A demonstration on Saturday in Tel Aviv calling for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. Amir Levy/Getty Images

Middle East

Asia Pacific

Europe

Sports

Hady Habib. Rolex Dela Pena/EPA, via Shutterstock

On the water in Mocimboa da Praia. Joao Silva/The New York Times

In Mozambique, a country known for its lush forests and emerald waters, Islamic State militants have rampaged across a region the size of Austria for more than seven years. The government has said the crisis has stabilized, but residents, many of them bearing physical and psychic scars, say otherwise. Nearly 6,000 people have been killed and up to half of the 2.3 million people in Cabo Delgado Province have been displaced.

Our colleagues traveled to the country in October to speak with and photograph residents who are trying to find a sense of normalcy and reckon with the conflict. Read about what they learned here.

Lives lived: Mauro Morandi, known as Italy’s Robinson Crusoe for living alone on a Mediterranean island for 32 years, died at 85.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

A view of the cathedral in the Cantal area of France where a bell tower was used for curing hams. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times

The politics of ham

When a priest in St.-Flour, France, struggled to raise funds for the restoration of his cathedral’s antique organ, he came up with a novel solution. He turned one of the bell towers into a curing workshop, where for nearly two years farmers could hang their hams to dry. (After the meat was blessed by a local bishop, of course.)

But an architectural heritage inspector with more of a taste for red tape than red meat stepped in and ordered the ham to be taken down after finding infractions like a grease stain on the floor.

The cathedral refused, and the dispute escalated to the desk of France’s minister of culture. The issue appeared hyperlocal, but it raised a broader question facing the nation: Who is going to pay to maintain the country’s vast religious heritage?

Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Cook: This recipe takes advantage of excess sourdough starter, using it as a fermented pancake or waffle batter.

Health: A pulse oximeter is an easy, painless way to tell whether your body is getting enough oxygen. Here are our top choices for ones you can try at home.

Listen: The superstar Bad Bunny released his sixth album this month. If you’re not versed in his musical catalog, get to know the artist in nine songs.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

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