Good morning.
California has deployed more than 1,400 firefighters in its attempts to quell the “unprecedented” wildfires that have ripped through the state’s south, said the California governor, Gavin Newsom. The fires, which have been fueled by a windstorm, have forced tens of thousands to evacuate their homes, including in affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
The efforts to fight the blazes have been hindered by high winds, which prevented firefighting aircraft from operating. Nearly 3,000 acres have been burned as winds whipped a fire in Los Angeles county, tearing through the Pacific Palisades area on Tuesday. Congested roads forced residents to abandon their cars and flee on foot.
A separate blaze in Altadena erupted just before 6.30pm, and spread so quickly that staff at a senior care center reportedly evacuated residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds. The Santa Ana windstorm, which is fueling the blazes, is expected to intensify overnight and could go on for days.
What are the Santa Ana winds? They’re common during the winter months in southern California, and have driven many of the state’s worst fires. They cause a drop in humidity, driving up fire risk, particularly as many areas already face drought.
France warns Donald Trump against threatening EU ‘sovereign borders’
France has warned Donald Trump against threatening the European Union’s “sovereign borders” after the president-elect refused to exclude the possibility of using military force to seize Greenland.
The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, told France Inter radio: “There is no question of the EU letting other nations in the world, whoever they may be, attack its sovereign borders.”
The autonomous territory of Denmark, an EU member, was the focus of Trump’s comments, along with the Panama canal, during a press conference on Tuesday. He refused to say he wouldn’t use military or economic force when pressed about his plans. The Panama canal was transferred from US to Panamanian control in 1999.
“I can’t assure you on either of those two,” Trump said. “But I can say this: we need them for economic security.”
Why Greenland? Trump voiced the ambition of buying Greenland during his first term, too, saying it was for “strategic reasons”. The territory is rich in natural resources and occupies a valuable geopolitical location between the US and Europe.
Shkreli award ‘winners’ announced for worst healthcare profiteering
The 2024 “winners” of the annual Shkreli awards, handed to those in the healthcare industry judged to have committed the worst examples of profiteering and mismanagement, have been named.
The awards, created by the independent healthcare thinktank the Lown Institute, are named after the businessman Martin Shkreli, who became infamous after raising the price of a lifesaving anti-parasitic drug 50-fold. A panel made up of policy experts, clinicians, journalists and advocates chooses the winners.
Who won? After a year in which the US healthcare system was thrust into the spotlight by the killing of the UnitedHealth Group chief executive, the company – the fourth-largest business in the US – was awarded second place.
And who got first prize? Steward Health Care. Its chief executive has been accused of placing private-equity profits above patient care. The company was ranked worse than one selling body parts without consent.
In other news …
Meta will eliminate factcheckers on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has said.
Scientists are close to developing pills to prevent Alzheimer’s disease or lessen its effects, experts have said.
A Palestinian activist has launched a soda called Gaza Cola to raise funds to rebuild a hospital destroyed by Israel.
The soldier who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas planned the attack using ChatGPT, police have said.
Stat of the day: Morning coffee drinkers 31% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease
Good news if you enjoy a cup of joe first thing – a study has found that people who did had a 31% lower chance of dying from cardiovascular disease during a 10-year follow-up period, compared with those who didn’t start their day with coffee. But the benefits disappear if you drink it throughout the day.
Don’t miss this: Is flaking on the rise?
Have you recently been looking forward to a dinner or drinks with a friend, only to have them cancel at the last minute? Or perhaps it was you who bailed. Flaking – canceling plans at short notice – may be becoming more common, with some observers attributing it to hectic lives and the prioritization of individual needs.
Climate check: You can now sponsor a Pacific island nation struggling with rising seas
The tiny island nation of Niue is employing an innovative strategy to help it cope with rising sea levels: it is selling sponsorship of the ocean surrounding it for NZ$250 ($140) a sq km. Sponsors become guardians, but do not own a section of the sea or land. The plan is for the funds to help boost climate resilience and conserve marine life, as well as support fishers and others whose livelihoods are affected by conservation measures.
Last Thing: Belgium warns a tree is just for Christmas, not for dinner
Belgium’s food agency has had to issue an unlikely health warning: do not eat your Christmas tree. The message came after the city of Ghent shared tips for preparing the conifers to be eaten, pointing to examples from Scandinavia, and suggesting they could be stripped, blanched and dried, in order to make things like flavored butter. But the food agency made clear that the trees were “not destined to enter the food chain”, pointing to pesticides and the possible use of flame retardants.
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