Los Angeles, Indian Pilgrimage, and Igloo Warmth

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Flames Continue in LA

The death toll from devastating Los Angeles wildfires rose to 24 over the weekend, with more than 10,000 structures inside the city’s metro area damaged or destroyed. Officials say the fires may be the costliest in US history—the cause of the fires has not yet been identified.

The two primary fires (see map) are the Palisades Fire to the west and the Eaton Fire on the city’s east side. The former—around 10% contained as of this morning—destroyed the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood and left parts of nearby Malibu and Santa Monica under evacuation orders. The latter was close to 30% contained but had burned through the suburb of Altadena and surrounding areas. See photos here and here. 

Strong Santa Ana winds—blowing westward from the desert down the San Gabriel Mountains (how they work)—are expected to return today and tomorrow, threatening to spread the flames toward the city.

Check out a visual explainer on how firefighters battle flames from the sky and what is in the flame retardant being dropped from planes. 

India's Massive Pilgrimage

Today marks the opening of India's Maha Kumbh Mela festival, touted as one of the largest gatherings in history. A projected 400 million visitors will participate in the pilgrimage over the next six weeks, as officials have set up a temporary 10,000-acre city, including 150,000 tents, 3,000 kitchens, and 99 parking lots.  

The Hindu pilgrimage occurs once every three years at a rotation of four traditional river sites, with the most sacred occasion taking place in the city of Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) in the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, every 12 years. A sprawling pop-up economy of vendors supports participants as they ceremonially bathe in the Ganges River to wash away their sins (see explainer) and attend talks and discussions with religious leaders. 

Observers claim the scale of investment in the event reflects the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's priority of reclaiming Hindu traditions from Islamic influences in the country, where 80% of the population is Hindu and 15% follows Islam. See photos here.

North Korean Soldiers Captured

A pair of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were captured by Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed over the weekend. It marks the first time North Korean forces have been taken alive and held for questioning since their arrival at the front lines. 

While estimates vary, analysts believe North Korea sent upward of 10,000 troops to assist Russia sometime in October. The group represents less than 1% of North Korea's 1.3 million-person military—though how effective they are is unknown, as the country hasn't deployed troops in a large-scale combat scenario since the Korean War in 1950-53. See a map of the current state of the war here.

Separately, the US leveled a new round of sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector, including "shadow fleets" of ships secretly ferrying oil and gas. The restrictions are expected to impact China and India, which have become top destinations for Russian energy exports since the start of the war. 

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