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Firefighters fought on into the night on Saturday in a bid to get on top of massive wildfires around Los Angeles as winds ramped up, pushing the blazes towards previously untouched neighborhoods. At least 16 people were now confirmed dead from fires that have ripped through the city, leaving communities in ruins and testing the mettle of thousands of firefighters — and millions of California residents. Despite heroic efforts, including precision sorties from aerial crews, the Palisades Fire continued to grow on Saturday, pushing east towards the priceless collections of the Getty Center art museum and north to the densely populated San Fernando Valley. “We’re a nervous wreck,” Sarah Cohen told the Los Angeles Times of the threat to her Tarzana home.  Every time they drop water, it gets better. But then it gets worse again. Footage from the Mandeville Canyon area showed one home consumed, with a wall of flame licking up a hillside to menace others. A brief lull in the wind was rapid...

Syrian authorities foiled an attempt by Islamic State ( ISIS ) to blow up a revered Shia shrine in a Damascus suburb, a source within Syria’s intelligence agency told state news agency SANA on Saturday. Intelligence and security forces “succeeded in thwarting an attempt by ISIS to carry out a bombing inside the Sayyeda Zainab shrine”, the source said. The interior ministry posted pictures of four men it identified as members of an ISIS cell, arrested in the countryside outside the capital. It published images of equipment allegedly seized from the suspects, including smartphones, two rifles, what appeared to be three explosive devices and several hand grenades. The photos showed the identity papers of two Lebanese and a Palestinian refugee living in Lebanon. Iran-backed guards used to be deployed at the gates of the Sayyeda Zainab mausoleum, Syria’s most visited Shia pilgrimage site.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday announced a 15-player squad for the two ICC World Test Championship Tests against the West Indies, with the first match of the series scheduled to be played in Multan from January 17 to 21 January and second from January 25 to 29. In a press release the Board said it has made seven changes to the side that featured against South Africa recently. “Off-spinner Sajid Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed have been recalled to partner with left-arm spinner Noman Ali,” it said. “Openers Imamul Haq and Mohammad Huraira have also been brought back, replacing the injured Saim Ayub and the out-of-form Abdullah Shafique.” “As part of workload management, the pace quartet of Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Mir Hamza, and Naseem Shah has been rested. In their place, the selectors have retained Khurram Shahzad, recalled Mohammad Ali and included uncapped Kashif Ali.” The selectors also replaced injured wicketkeeper-batter Haseebullah with former Pakistan...

LOS ANGELES, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A pause in the fierce winds that super-charged the ring of wildfires that devastated Los Angeles this week helped crews make some progress in controlling the infernos on Friday, but strong gusts returning next week could resuscitat e the flames. The fires, which have devastated Los Angeles neighborhood on the east and west sides of the sprawling metropolis, have so far killed 10 people and destroyed nearly 10,000 structures, with those figures expected to grow.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of  ferocious wildfire erupted Tuesday   and roared across the Los Angeles area, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least 10 people. A Los Angeles County fire official said an untold number of significant injuries were linked to two of the fires, and a city official in Los Angeles described Tuesday night as "one of the most devastating and terrifying" that she had seen in her corner of the city.