LOS ANGELES – Landlords have been illegally raising prices due to the Los Angeles wildfires, says Selling Sunset star Jason Oppenheim. The LA property mogul, who owns the luxury real estate brokerage at the centre of the Netflix reality show, said one client had been asked for thousands over the original asking price to rent a home – despite California’s anti “price gouging” laws. It comes as LA officials warned anyone caught “taking advantage” of the disaster by scamming or burgling wildfire victims would be prosecuted.

Thousands of people have lost homes in LA and displaced victims say they are facing sky-high rental prices and hotel fees. Oppenheim said his business, known for selling LA’s most expensive and glamorous homes, was offering its services for free and had received dozens of calls from people who had lost homes. Speaking on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he described sending a client to visit a property where the landlord had previously been asking for $13,000 per month in rent.

“[My client] offered $20,000 a month and he offered to pay six months upfront and the landlord said ‘I want $23,000’,” he said. “There are price gouging laws in California, they’re just being ignored right now, and this isn’t the time to be taking advantage of situations.” The 47-year-old added that the disaster had been “emotional for everyone”. He said: “Everyone has tears in their eyes all day long, literally from the smoke but also just because it’s emotional to see people struggling like this.” (BBC)

Photo: LA landlords illegally inflating rents, says Selling Sunset star.

INDIA – Nearly 15 million Hindus, six times the number expected, took a dip in freezing waters seeking absolution of their sins on Monday, the first day of India’s festival that could draw the world’s largest single gathering of humanity. Held every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela or Great Pitcher Festival, as the religious event in the city of Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh is called, attracts more than 400 million visitors, both Indians and tourists. State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said 15 million devotees “earned the holy benefit of bathing in the uninterrupted and clean Triveni,” or the confluence of the rivers. Officials had expected the first ritual dip to draw 2.5 million visitors, followed by a “royal bath” on Tuesday reserved for ascetics, in the belief that it absolves them of sin and confers salvation from the cycle of life and death.

As many as 40,000 police officers are on guard to provide security and help manage the crowds, while surveillance cameras equipped with artificial intelligence AI capabilities will ensure continuous monitoring. “It is our festival,” said ascetic Hazari Lala Mishra, who took the holy dip himself before sunrise, which is considered an auspicious time. “(It is) the only festival for hermits and monks, and we wait for it desperately.” (Reuters)

HAÏTI – The Haitian government has welcomed the integration of 739 recruits, including 213 women, into the Haitian National Police (PNH) as the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country seeks to strengthen the ranks of the PNH in the fight against criminal gangs.

Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 34thh promotion “Vertières” of the PNH, over the last weekend, reiterated his unwavering support for the police institution. He told the ceremony, organised at the National Police School, that the new recruits will have a crucial role to play in the fight against armed gangs and the restoration of public order. “Peace and stability are absolute imperatives,” he said, adding “my government will spare no effort to restore security throughout the national territory”. In his speech, President of the Transitional Council, Leslie Voltaire, congratulated the new police officers, adding “it is with great pride that I salute the 739 new police officers who have joined the national police. I congratulate them for their courage and determination to serve the country”. Minister of Women’s Affairs, Pédrica Saint-Jean, said “it is with immense pride and a deep sense of satisfaction that I would like to salute the integration of 213 young women into the ranks of the National Police”.

She said the commitment of these women illustrates not only their determination to serve and protect the Nation, but also their crucial role in strengthening representation within the police force. “Their integration is a strong signal that gender barriers can and must be removed to allow everyone to contribute to the development of our country,” she said, adding “to these new policewomen, I extend my warmest encouragement. (Jamaicaobserver)

JAMAICA – Jamaica has seen a bloody start to 2025, with 34 murders recorded in 11 days, according to the latest serious crime statistics published on Sunday by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). This is eight more murders than was recorded for the similar period last year. After the first 11 days in 2024, the country recorded 26 murders. Last year ended with 1,139 murders or a 19 per cent decline when compared to the previous year. For the first four days this year, January 1-4, the country recorded five murders, however, in the first full week, January 5-11, 29 murders were recorded. This has since prompted the JCF to impose 48-hour curfews in the entire Kingston Western, St Andrew Central, St Andrew South and St Catherine South divisions. (Jamaica-Gleaner)

BEIRUT –  Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun has begun binding consultations with members of parliament to nominate a prime minister. Aoun’s consultations got under way at 8:15am (06:15 GMT) on Monday with a meeting with Elias Abu Saab, the deputy parliament speaker, according to the official National News Agency. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Hezbollah-led alliance, and Nawaf Salam, a favourite of anti-Hezbollah legislators who is the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, are seen as the frontrunners. The consultations follow Aoun’s election last week amid foreign pressure to form a government desperately needed to tackle major challenges in the country.

Lebanon had been without a president since October 2022, run by a caretaker government amid a crushing economic crisis compounded by all-out war between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel. The outcome of the parliamentary consultations is expected to emerge by the end of the day. Once the prime minister is selected, it is their job to form a new government, a process that could take months. “The newly elected President Aoun said that he hopes the next prime minister will be a partner and not an opponent,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. “A man who has the support of the international community, and a man who is ready to carry out much-needed reforms.”

Lebanon has a unique power-sharing system, designed to balance power among the nation’s different communities. The president, who must be a Maronite Christian, serves as head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Meanwhile, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and has significantly more executive power than the president. The speaker of parliament, who leads parliamentary debates as well as playing the role of political mediator, has to be a Shia Muslim.

One of the country’s richest men, Mikati has headed the country in a caretaker capacity throughout the presidential vacuum. Mikati said on the sidelines of the presidential vote last Thursday that he was ready to serve Lebanon “if needed”.

However, Hezbollah’s opponents see Mikati as part of an old political system that the group has within its grip. Whoever heads Lebanon’s new government will face major challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors amid the country’s worst economic crisis in its history. They will also face the daunting task of reconstructing swaths of the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27 ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming the Lebanese armed group. (Al  Jazeera/Reuters)