Massive wildfires have claimed the lives of at least 16 people and ravaged 37,000 acres in the greater Los Angeles area, destroying entire communities and over 12,000 structures, NBC reported. 

At least 13 people are missing, LA County Sheriff was quoted by NBC News as saying. At least 153,000 LA residents were under evacuation orders overnight. 

The National Weather Service warned of worsening Santa Ana winds that it predicted would pick up Saturday night into Sunday morning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and again on late Monday through Tuesday morning, bringing sustained winds up to 30 mph and wind gusts up to 70 mph, according to Reuters. 

Amid the ongoing local efforts to stem the devastating fires, a humanitarian team from Mexico arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday afternoon. The firefighters will join more than 14,000 personnel already on the ground fighting the fires, ABC reported, noting that aside from Mexico, mutual aid from Canada is also expected to arrive on Monday.

Politicize the fire?

As a series of wind-driven fires ravages Los Angeles County, local government officials have been criticized for not doing enough for the county's emergency response.

On Saturday, Mayor Karen Bass dismissed claims that she had failed the city's fire department by issuing nearly $18 million in budget cuts, a move Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) chief Kristin Crowley previously warned could hinder the city's ability to combat wildfires. Bass was previously also criticized for the timing of her overseas trip in Ghana. 

On Friday, Crowley told Fox 11 that her department is not "properly funded," saying funds that were slashed from the department's budget for the 2025 fiscal year likely impacted "our ability to provide service," according to Forbes.

President-elect Donald J. Trump offered fresh criticism early Sunday of the officials in charge of fighting the Los Angeles wildfires, calling them "incompetent" and asking why the blazes were not yet extinguished, the New York Time reported. "The fires are still raging in LA," Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. "The incompetent pols have no idea how to put them out."

Trump's comments indicated that the fires, and officials' response to them, will likely occupy a prominent place on his domestic political agenda when he takes office on January 20. He has renewed a longstanding feud with California's governor, Gavin Newsom, who in turn has accused Mr. Trump of politicizing the fires, per New York Times.

Calling out the Golden State's leadership, actor and director Mel Gibson told California Governor to "spend less on hair gel," noting he is "not a big admirer" of either executives' leadership in his interview with Fox news. Gibson is among the celebrities who have lost homes to the Los Angeles wildfires. 

"California has a lot of problems that sort of baffle the mind as far as why they do things, and then in the events like this, you sort of look, well - is it on purpose? Which, it's an insane thing to think, but one begins to ponder whether or not there is a purpose in mind," Gibson said. 

"California has the best land but the worst government," a blogger from California Kaizen Asiedu, with about 39 thousands fans on Instagram, claimed in his video. 

California has incompetent politicians who constantly focus on things that sound good while actually going bad. They tend to ignore the second-order consequences, Asiedu said, who added that local policies around water management and clearing deadwood in forests might be exaggerating the effects of these fires. 

"I believe the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is trying their best to contain but the budget cut and whatever the government was doing on the reserve water were not helping," Travis Trinh, a 34-year-old who lives in Los Angeles, told the Global Times.

Tracy Li, 27, a marketing assistant who has lived in California for over 10 years, told the Global Times that the most frustrating part is that a lot of insurance companies canceled the fire insurance on a lot of big houses recently so some people who were affected can't get their money back. 

Blaming game

Wildfires are an annual occurrence in California, usually starting in June or July and lasting until October. However, Los Angeles experienced record heat in the summer of 2024 with rainfall only about 4 percent of normal time as a result, extending the fire season from October to January, according Xinhua News Agency.

Sun Shao, a senior researcher at Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, told the Global Times that in the recent wildfires, "Santa Ana winds" were exceptionally strong, contributing to the rapid spread of the flames. 

Meanwhile, California is experiencing its driest period on record, with vegetation dry and highly combustible. Changes in high temperatures and rainfall patterns caused by climate change are making vegetation drier, which increases the risk of fire, Sun said. 

County officials announced Friday they are overhauling their emergency alert system, which reportedly issued false alarms, according to the LA Times.

Previously, as crews have fought the fast-spreading fires across the Los Angeles area, they have repeatedly been hampered by low water pressure and fire hydrants that have gone dry, the LA Times reported. 

As California is grappling with devastating wildfires, nonetheless, some US media did not forget to attack China. Titled "On the California wildfires and the Xizang earthquake, China's state media give wildly different coverage," a VOA report demonized how Chinese media covered the California fires with terms like "looks like a war zone" and "Armageddon." 

However, such terms were not invented by Chinese state media outlets and such phraseology has been used elsewhere by various news outlets. For instance, the LA Times reported that one restaurant owner said the fire that burned Moonshadows, Reel Inn and others was "like Armageddon." And the New York Post published an article with the title: Six Californians describe terrifying moments they lost everything to LA wildfires: 'Like being in a war zone.'"

Even amid disasters, there is still an obsession with denigrating and smearing China, which does not help the US government improve its disaster response and relief efforts. In times of disaster, it is the responsibility of any government to dedicate all its resources to assist those affected, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Sun, the climate expert reached by the Global Times, offered some suggestions for California to better cope with future fires. He said that it is crucial to enhance infrastructure development by ensuring the maintenance and upgrading of water supply systems and electrical facilities to effectively respond to sudden fire outbreaks.

Development in areas where densely populated regions having flammable vegetation should be avoided. Additionally, increasing the budget and resources for fire departments is essential to ensure they can effectively handle large-scale emergencies, the expert stated.

Dingri County in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region continued to feel tremors after a 6.8-magnitude quake on January 7, with the strongest aftershock at a magnitude of 5.0 jolting the area on Monday night. No casualties have been reported so far. Major transport lines and power networks in epicenter areas perform normally. 

According to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), a magnitude 4.9 quake occurred at 8:57 pm on Monday, followed by a magnitude 5.0 aftershock a minute later. Both were shallow quakes with a depth of 10 kilometers. Another 3.2-magnitude quake jolted Dingjie, Dingri's east neighboring county, at 4:14 am on Tuesday at a depth of 10 kilometers, said a report issued by the CENC. 

According to CENC, the 5.0-magnitude shock in Dingri has been the strongest one among all the  aftershocks monitored since January 7.

The tremors have caused the collapse of some already dilapidated houses, but no casualties have been reported so far since local residents have moved into tents and prefabricated houses, said Tashi Dondrup, the county head of Dingri, as reported by the Xinhua News Agency.

According to Tashi Dondrup, local authorities contacted the villages at the epicenters immediately after the two tremors and are assessing the specific situation.

Local transportation and emergency authorities have examined the important traffic channels within the aftershock areas. As of 23:30 pm on Monday, the national highways 318 and 219, as well as the provincial roads 515 and 303 remain unobstructed. The power system in the epicenters also operated normally.

An army aviation brigade under the Chinese PLA Xizang Military Command sent out two helicopters on Tuesday morning to carry out aerial surveys over the townships of Golok, Tsogo and Chamco to examine the destruction of houses and roads, Xinhua reported. 

As Dingri experienced constant aftershocks, the Global Times learned from two local village officials in Dingri on Tuesday afternoon that the current tremors have had little impact on the villagers' access to water and electricity, as well as on the life-supply channels.

Gadan Village official Wu Qixun said that despite the tremors being frequent, the situation is stable with no casualties in the village. "The National Grid staff have been stationed here to make sure the power system works normally. Residents can have access to water. And the roads for transporting life supplies are clear and open. Currently, we are not too worried about the afterquakes as we have enough machinery, working staff and rescue teams," Wu told the Global Times.

Zacun Village official Tenzin Phuntsok told the Global Times that all collapsed houses were examined after the Monday night aftershocks and all villagers were safe. Transportation, local access to water and electricity have not been affected. He said the village has finished building 80 prefabricated houses with 70 more under construction. "Tomorrow morning, after all the houses have been set up and equipped with electricity, our villagers will all be able to move in. Then I'll feel much relieved," said Tenzin Phuntsok.

Given the risks of continued aftershocks, local authorities will conduct further checks on highway infrastructure and the electricity grid in earthquake-affected areas on Tuesday, according to CCTV.

Currently, a total of 407 people have been rescued, and over 47,500 disaster-affected individuals have been properly relocated. The earthquake relief efforts are being carried out effectively and in an orderly manner, CCTV reported on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, as of 12 pm on Monday, the rescue forces have checked more than 6,700 damaged houses and built 1,825 sets of prefabricated houses. Over 199,000 pieces of emergency supplies and more than 260 tons of living materials have been orderly distributed to the affected people.

Tenzin is a 14-year-old boy from Gurum Village in Chamco Township of Dingri County in Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. Following the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Dingri, Tenzin sustained a minor head injury. After being sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, he quickly reunited with his parents. On his way back to the temporary resettlement site in the village, Tenzin noticed a yak that had been unearthed from the rubble of a collapsed building and seemed to have a chance of survival. Together with his 12-year-old friend from the same village, Kunga Tsering, they began to save the yak.

On the way to the village on Monday, the Global Times reporter observed the two boys feeding grass and water to the severely injured yak by the roadside. The boys told the Global Times that they had discovered the yak two days earlier and started trying to rescue and take care of it. However, despite their efforts, they found the yak's injuries were extremely severe, leaving it with little chance of survival. Even so, they refused to give up, continuing to feed it grass and water on schedule.

"If we don't feed it, it will starve to death," the two boys told the Global Times. Although the yak is not theirs and it is unlikely to survive, they still wanted to help it.

In the earthquake-affected areas of Dingri County, the Global Times observed that livestock, such as yaks, as part of the affected residents' property, have also been a focus of rescue efforts by emergency response teams amid the disaster. Dead livestock retrieved from collapsed buildings have also been professionally handled by epidemic prevention teams.

The Global Times learned that following the earthquake, the Animal Disease Control Center of the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Xigaze city immediately deployed personnel to the disaster-stricken areas. Their routine tasks include carrying out the safe disposal of dead livestock carcasses.

"This work can effectively eliminate the source of animal epidemic transmission and prevent the occurrence of major animal diseases and zoonoses. As long as we find the carcasses of livestock, we will conduct burying or other harmless disposal measures. This ensures the healthy development of the livestock industry and public health safety," Tseten Ngodrup, director of the center, to the Global Times.

During the rescue and cleanup operations, the rescue teams would make every effort to minimize the economic losses of the affected residents, and that healthy livestock discovered would be returned to their owners. Severely injured animals beyond saving, found during cleanup operations, would be dealt with according to the owners' wishes and local customs, with harmless disposal carried out after the livestock had died, he said. 

In response to a question regarding China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi's official visit to four African countries this week and China's view on the future development prospects of African nations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated that Chinese foreign ministers have made Africa their first destination for visits at the beginning of a year for 35 consecutive years, reflecting the enduring and revitalized traditional friendship between China and Africa, as well as China's consistent commitment to friendly cooperation with the continent. 

Guo noted that China has always believed that Africa is not a "forgotten continent," but a "source of vitality" and a "land of development."

Gou further pointed out that Africa contributes transformative power to global governance. Under the guiding of Pan-Africanism, African countries are accelerating their process of unity, self-reliance, and integrated development and revitalization, playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. Africa also provides significant momentum to the global economy. 

According to the African Development Bank Group, Africa's economic growth rate is expected to rise to 3.7 percent in 2024, surpassing the global average. Among the 20 fastest-growing economies worldwide, African nations will account for 10.

As one of the cradles of human civilization, Africa is the youngest continent, with 70 percent of its population under the age of 30, brimming with energy and hope. Guo emphasized that, in the face of unprecedented global changes, the Global South represented by China and Africa, is thriving and profoundly shaping the course of world history. A growing and thriving Africa will undoubtedly make greater contributions to world peace and development.

Responding to an inquiry related to respiratory diseases in China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that the Chinese government insists on promptly releasing transparent information about infectious diseases in accordance with the law. 

For the specific question, Guo recommended consulting relevant authorities in China for further information. 

According to the latest monitoring data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), the positivity rate for influenza viruses is continuously rising, with more than 99 percent being influenza A, predominantly the A(H1N1)pdm09 subtype. 

Health authorities in multiple regions have also issued urgent reminders, calling for enhanced personal protective measures, the report said. 

The latest data released by China CDC indicates that for the week from December 23 to 29, 2024, influenza remained the most detected pathogen among patients of respiratory diseases in both northern and southern regions, across outpatient and inpatient cases. The level of influenza activity varies across regions, with a more noticeable rise in northern provinces, although it remains lower than the same period last year.

Other prevalent pathogens include rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus (HMPV), according to China CDC. The Center noted a recent rise in HMPV-positive cases, with a more noticeable increase in northern provinces, the Life Times reported. 

HMPV is a common virus that can cause acute respiratory infections. Similar to most respiratory viruses, it is mainly transmitted through droplets and contact. Winter and spring are peak seasons for HMPV outbreaks, and it is more likely to spread in crowded environments like schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, according to the Life Times.

The virus can cause repeated infections and poses a significant threat to children, as it is a leading cause of acute respiratory infections in children under five, the report said. 

The report added HMPV may cause severe lower respiratory tract infections among children under 5 years old, the elderly, and people with low immunity.

After the deadly quake that struck Dingri County in the city of Xigaze, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region on Tuesday, the China National Space Administration (CNSA)'s Earth Observation and Data Center immediately activated its emergency response mechanism with the participation of a number of civil and commercial space agencies, the administration said on Wednesday. The first batch of three remote sensing images and pre-disaster data have been shared with relevant authorities, it said. 

With the joint efforts of civil and commercial space forces, a multi-satellite joint emergency mission was planned and executed, the CNSA said. The center coordinated and dispatched units including the China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application, Spacety Co., Changguang Satellite Technology Co., and Minospace Co., to capture emergency imaging of the quake-hit county and its surrounding areas. 

The Changguang Satellite Technology told the Global Times on Wednesday that in order to monitor the real-time situation, it urgently dispatched the Jilin-1 satellite to observe the affected regions. The satellite images were provided to relevant units immediately after capture to assist in earthquake relief efforts.

Dingri County's Cogo Township lies in the epicenter of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake. High-resolution images captured by the Jilin-1 satellite on Tuesday show that many houses in the township are made of adobe, which suffered significant collapses during the earthquake. Additionally, satellite images indicate that in Chamso Township, where buildings are primarily made of timber, the earthquake led to severe collapses because of poor seismic resistance.
The local government has actively set up temporary tents to provide shelter for the affected residents, the images showed.

The Jilin-1 satellite is China's first domestically developed commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite. It has established the world's largest sub-meter level commercial remote sensing satellite constellation. This constellation can revisit any location on Earth 35 to 37 times a day, delivering comprehensive remote sensing data and services for agriculture, forestry, meteorology, oceanography, resources, environmental protection, urban construction, and scientific research, the Global Times has learned.

The latest joint statement released by the Quad foreign ministers reflects an obvious division among the four countries, as India, Japan, and Australia - who are improving ties with China - showed a shared reluctance to provoke Beijing in the text while trying to maintain coordination with the US. The grouping's focus on China as a target lacks the momentum to go far due to emerging uncertainties, according to some Chinese analysts on Wednesday.

The Secretary of State of the US and the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India, and Japan issued a joint statement commemorating the 20th anniversary of "Quad Cooperation," which it claimed that the Quad is "a diplomatic network of four countries committed to supporting a free and open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient." 

According to the US Department of State, twenty years ago, in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Australia, India, Japan, and the US came together in service to the people of our region for the first time as the grouping now known as the Quad.  

The statement ends on an ambiguous note, stating that "the Quad is committed to working together in responding to the future needs of the region." 

Although the statement did not mention China directly, some Indian media outlets including the Indian Express and Business Standard have hyped the statement by offering anti-China narrative in their reports, citing so-called China's assertive behavior or China's increasing military muscle-flexing in the region.

"India, Japan, and Australia have improved their relations with China. Explicitly naming China could provoke a strong reaction from Beijing. Therefore, the grouping avoided directly mentioning China in the statement to maintain diplomatic flexibility," Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

While they [India, Japan, and Australia] are unwilling to be tied to the anti-China chariot led by the US, the pressure of China's rise may still lead them to maintain cooperation with the US. This reflects their strategy of balancing national interests, he said. 

The statement also reflects the evident differences and division within the Quad grouping, said Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University.

Li told the Global Times that the three members of the Quad have been striving to maintain coordination with the US while keeping their relationship with China stable. This has led to an awkward diplomatic stance within the grouping, revealing divisions and inconsistencies in their actions, Li said. 

The Biden administration promotes multilateral cooperation, but the next Trump administration advocates for "America First" and downplays international coordination, making the future of the Quad mechanism uncertain, Japan's Kyodo News reported on Tuesday. 

Despite that US hopes to position the Quad as an anti-China instrument, the grouping's anti-China operations may face a lack of momentum in the next four years due to the instability of US politics, Li said. 

"Some Indian media outlets often inflame tensions in China-India relations, reinforcing the geopolitical confrontational mind-set between China and India, while paying less attention to the mutual interests and potential for cooperation between the two countries," Qian said. 

In September 2024, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commented at a routine press briefing that Quad is identified as the premier regional grouping that plays a leading role in the US' "Indo-Pacific strategy." It is a tool the US uses to contain China and perpetuate US hegemony, he said in response to a question about US President Joe Biden's comments at the 2024 Quad Leaders' Summit held on September 21, 2024.

Though the US claims that it does not target China, the first topic of the summit is about China and China was made an issue throughout the event. The US is lying through its teeth and even the US media does not believe it, said Lin.

Police in Zibo, East China's Shandong Province, solved a 17-year backlogged case using only a set of fingerprints. The complexity of the case, along with the victim's intricate relationships and the limitations of forensic technology at the time, had made it a longstanding concern for local police. 

The incident dates back to late March 2007, when a murder took place in a residential community in the Zichuan District, Zibo, resulting in the deaths of a mother and her son. At that time, the scene was very chaotic, with the room in disarray, leaving very few valuable investigative clues.

Based on the forensic investigation of the scene, local authorities promptly established a special investigation team and designated two groups of police officers to investigate the victim's social relationships based on the results of the scene investigation, while the other group focused on deducing the suspect's motives in order to find a breakthrough to the case.

After relentless efforts, the forensic experts extracted a set of clear fingerprints from the crime scene. The officers printed out the fingerprint images and distributed them to the investigators, ensuring that each had a copy for easy comparison during their inquiries.

However, through investigations of the surrounding environment and the social relationships of the victim, the local police discovered that the fingerprint left at the scene did not match any individuals in the vicinity of the crime scene. 

Beyond this fingerprint, there was no other information available, which significantly hindered the investigation of the case.

Based on multiple analyses and assessments, the investigation team narrowed the search to over 400,000 individuals. Team members traveled to various locations across six provinces and 30 cities nationwide, including Mohe in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, covering over 100,000 kilometers to conduct investigations and verify clues, according to the local police.

For 17 years, every time the police solved a case, they would cross-check it against the fingerprint. Whenever a new technology or method emerged, local police would apply it to this case.

Finally, their hard work paid off. The local criminal investigation team recently used advanced comparison methods to uncover valuable and specific clues. After verifying each clue, they successfully identified the suspect.

Local police arrested the suspect surnamed Wang on December 3. During the interrogation, Wang confessed to the crimes committed 17 years ago. With his capture, the murder case from 17 years ago was finally solved.

With cross-Straits relations showing signs of thawing after recent exchange activities, Taiwan authorities' self-proclaimed "presidential office" held its first "tabletop simulation" designed to test the island's response in a scenario conflict with the Chinese mainland while stressing the "defense resilience" of Taiwan's society. 

The latest exercise, according to mainland analysts, shows that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are trying to undermine the current cross-Straits exchange atmosphere by terrorizing Taiwan people with mainland "threats," while also showing that the DPP authorities feel the military pressure from the mainland, but are still unwilling to give up their stubborn secessionist path, even at the cost of Taiwan people's lives.

Taiwan-based media said more than a dozen departments of DPP authorities and civil groups participated in the three-hour simulation on Thursday, which was led by Taiwan island's deputy regional leader Hsiao Bi-khim and top security official Joseph Wu.

The exercise, according to Taiwan media, has simulated scenarios including mainland's "high-intensity grey-zone operation" as well as when Taiwan is "on the verge of conflict," and it's aimed at testing the "response readiness" of Taiwan authorities and civil society.

A DPP authorities' official claimed on Thursday that their goal is to train more than 50,000 volunteers across the island by next year capable of emergency response including first aid capacity, per Reuters.  

Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Friday that the "defense resilience" is the essence of the simulation.

Emphasizing the building of "defense resilience" suggests that the DPP authorities are focusing on alleyway warfare, guerrilla warfare, and the concept of "turning every Taiwan resident into a soldier," Zheng said.

Meanwhile, through hyping up the threat from the mainland, the DPP authorities are also attempting to create fear across Taiwan society and further shape an "anti-mainland" atmosphere, especially at a time when cross-Straits interactions becomes more frequent, Zheng said.

The Chinese mainland has staged the "Joint Sword 2024A" and "Joint Sword 2024B" military drills around the island in May and October in response to Taiwan secessionists' provocation. Meanwhile, the mainland has also been active in promoting cross-Straits exchanges and integrated development by hosting and participating in major forums between the mainland and Taiwan. 

Leading a delegation of Taiwan students, former Chinese Kuomintang Party leader Ma Ying-jeou visited the mainland for the second time in 2024. A mainland delegation featuring Olympics medalists visited Taiwan in November.

Zheng noted that in 2025, DPP authorities may organize more civil defense exercises and training at local levels. Yet it is, in essence, more of an "election-oriented political fraud." Given the huge gap of the military strength between the two sides of the Straits, once a military conflict begins, the DPP authorities will only have a dead end, Zhang said. 

Some mainland analysts believe that behind the DPP authorities' confrontational posture with the mainland, even at the expense of Taiwan people's lives, was the secessionists' panic resulting from the mainland's continuous military pressure. Compared to the uncertainty of whether external forces will come to their aid when a military conflict starts, the huge gap in military power between the mainland and Taiwan is quite clear.

Taiwan secessionists are like patients who are terminally ill and dying, and no medicine can solve their problem, Zheng said. "The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan does not want war… Meanwhile, Taiwan's military forces are short of both strength and confidence to fight against the mainland."