We asked Detroit Pistons fans to grade their 2021 draft class. They gave a resounding A

AFP
Fear grips Alawites in Syria's Homs as Assad 'remnants' targeted
In Syria's third city Homs, members of ousted president Bashar al-Assad's Alawite community say they are terrified as new authorities comb their districts for "remnants of the regime", arresting hundreds.Authorities said the five-day operation ended Monday, but Abu Yusuf said searches were ongoing as districts "have still not been completely cleansed of regime remnants".
Reuters
Russia says Ukrainian drones injured several in Tambov region
Ukraine launched drone attacks across several regions of Russia, striking two residential houses in the Tambov region and injuring several people, Russia said on Saturday. The regional head, Evgeny Pervyshov, said on the Telegram messaging app people were treated for injures resulting from shattered windows as drones hit two houses in the town of Kotovsk, some 480 kilometres (300 miles) southeast of Moscow. Separately, Russia's defence ministry said it intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian drones overnight in several regions of the country, including 31 drones over the Black Sea, 16 each in the Voronezh and Krasnodar regions and 14 over the Azov Sea.
AFP
Japan to give Indonesia high-speed patrol boats in security deal
Japan will give Indonesia two high-speed patrol boats, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday, as Tokyo seeks to boost regional maritime security cooperation in the face of growing assertiveness by China."We also agreed to... provide high-speed patrol boats through Official Security Assistance, which would be our first with Indonesia."
CNN
“Black boxes” from crashed South Korean plane stopped recording about four minutes before disaster, officials say
Flight recorders from the passenger jet that crashed in South Korea last month, killing more than 170 people, stopped working minutes before it exploded on the runway, investigators said Saturday.
Associated Press
Trump's words on Greenland and borders ring alarms in Europe, but officials have a measured response
President-elect Donald Trump has tossed expansionist rhetoric at U.S. allies and potential adversaries with arguments that the frontiers of American power need to be extended into Canada and the Danish territory of Greenland, and southward to include the Panama Canal. Trump's suggestions that international borders can be redrawn — by force if necessary — are particularly inflammatory in Europe.
AFP
UK treasurer says London 'natural home' for Chinese finance
British treasurer Rachel Reeves said Saturday that London was a "natural home" for Chinese finance as she began a visit to Beijing in the shadow of bond market turmoil back home.Speaking at the reopening of long-suspended finance talks between the two countries, Reeves said London was a "natural home for China's financial services firms and your clients raising capital, and a launchpad for Chinese firms seeking to build a global footprint".
Associated Press
Police arrest student suspected of hammer attack at a Tokyo university
Japanese police arrested a student suspected of a hammer attack at a Tokyo university, which local media said left several injured. The 22-year-old South Korean sociology student was apprehended on the spot for allegedly attacking a male student during class at Hosei University’s Tama campus in Tokyo’s western suburbs on Friday, causing him minor injuries, according to the Tokyo metropolitan police. Kyodo News agency reported that the suspect told investigators she felt “frustrated” after being ignored and bullied by her classmates and used a hammer she found on campus.
TODAY
This restaurateur’s business burned down in the LA wildfires. Now she’s feeding families in need
Bravo's Marissa Hermer's restaurant The Draycott burned down in the California wildfires. Now, she's feeding families in need from her other LA restaurants.
AFP
Malala Yousafzai 'overwhelmed and happy' to be back in Pakistan
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was "overwhelmed" to be back in her native Pakistan Saturday, as she arrived for a global summit on girls' education in the Islamic world.Yousafzai was evacuated to the United Kingdom after her attack and went on to become a global advocate for girls' education and, at the age of 17, the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner. zz/ecl/fox
AFP
'Purgatory': Los Angeles fire leaves nothing but a tiny momento
When Kyle Kucharski and Nicole Perri moved into their dream home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, they bought a crate of wine to mark the realization of a dream, and put it aside for a special day."We bought it when we moved in," said Kucharski.
AFP
Anger and resentment rise in Los Angeles over fire response
After being largely reduced to ashes by wildfire, Altadena was being patrolled by National Guard soldiers on Friday."It's too early to point fingers or blame anybody for anything," he told AFP, while clearing ashes from the remains of his mother's house.
NBC News
Maps: See how large the California wildfires are
See how large the wildfires have become. The Palisades Fire is half the land size of Washington, D.C.
AFP
South Korea says Jeju Air jet black boxes stopped recording before crash
The black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed Jeju Air flight that left 179 people dead stopped recording four minutes before the disaster, South Korea's transport ministry said Saturday."The analysis revealed that both the CVR and FDR data were not recorded during the four minutes leading up to the aircraft's collision with the localiser," the transport ministry said in a statement, referring to the two recording devices.
Associated Press
Uyghurs detained in Thailand say they face deportation and persecution in China
A group of Uyghur men who were detained in Thailand over a decade ago say that the Thai government is preparing to deport them to China, alarming activists and family members who say the men are at risk of abuse and torture if they are sent back. “We urgently appeal to all international organizations and countries concerned with human rights to intervene immediately to save us from this tragic fate before it is too late.” The Uyghurs are a Turkic, majority Muslim ethnicity native to China’s far west Xinjiang region.
AFP
As LA burns, criticisms and questions about response arise
The speed and intensity of the blazes ravaging Los Angeles this week have put its firefighting infrastructure to the test -- and given rise to questions and criticism surrounding preparedness.The fires have so far destroyed around 10,000 buildings, California's fire agency reported, while the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office has put the death toll at 11.
Associated Press
With their Los Angeles-area homes still smoldering, families return to search the ruins for memories
Many watched their homes burn on television in a state of shock. Since the flames erupted in and around Los Angeles, scores of residents have returned to their still smoldering neighborhoods even as the threat of new fires persisted and the nation's second-largest city remained unsettled.
Reuters
Fire agencies to investigate potential Edison link to LA Hurst fire
Sylmar 220 kV circuit. "SCE does not know whether the damage observed occurred before or after the start of the fire," the utility said. SCE said preliminary information shows the circuit experienced a relay at 10:11 p.m. (0611 GMT) where the Hurst fire was reported around 10:10 p.m. on Jan. 7.
AFP
Cambodia sends suspect in ex-politician killing to Thailand
Cambodian police said Saturday they had handed over to Thai authorities a man suspected of assasinating a former opposition politician in a brazen attack in downtown Bangkok."We have sent him to Thai authorities this morning," Cambodian National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun told AFP. Thai state broadcaster ThaiPBS said police were waiting to receive the suspect at the border on Saturday morning.
Associated Press
Californians scrambled to evacuate dogs, cats, horses, even pigs as LA flames closed in
Arianna Buturovic kept a wary eye on distant smoke from the rescue shelter she runs outside Los Angeles for dogs at risk of being euthanized. Within hours, nearby mountains were ablaze and fire began encircling her. “I stuffed 15 dogs in a black Prius and two cats,” Buturovic said.
Associated Press
Maintaining good balance is crucial as you age. Asking these questions can help
The underappreciated link between these mundane activities is good balance, which geriatricians say is key to maintaining an independent lifestyle as we age. Lacking balance can be dangerous. In the U.S., 3 million older people seek medical care for fall-related injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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