Por Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español

A Mélida Lázaro León le basta con tomar su teléfono para recordar a su hijo Mauri Daniel Arias Lázaro, así como las batallas que tuvo que librar por él.

En su perfil de WhatsApp, Mélida tiene una foto suya abrazando a Mauri Daniel y, de fondo, una imagen de Jesucristo, símbolo de la fe que —según cuenta— le dio la fuerza suficiente para buscarlo cuando estuvo desaparecido en el estado de Chihuahua, en el norte de México, y después poder recuperar su cuerpo para darle sepultura.

“Yo iba a defender la dignidad de mi hijo”, dijo Mélida a CNN, en una historia que guarda semejanzas con las de otras miles de familias con personas desaparecidas en el país.

En México actualmente hay más de 133.000 desaparecidos, de acuerdo con cifras oficiales. Los registros abarcan desde 1952 e indican que la gran mayoría de los casos se han contabilizado desde la década del 2000.

Tan solo en Chihuahua hay más de 4.000 personas desaparecidas. Otros estados superan las 10.000: el Estado de México —primer lugar en la materia— tiene más de 14.000, seguido de Tamaulipas y Jalisco con 13.000 cada uno.

Diversos especialistas señalan que estos números son un indicador de la violencia generada por grupos criminales y algunas autoridades responsables de violaciones a los derechos humanos. En ese marco, el Comité contra la Desaparición Forzada de la ONU anunció en abril la apertura de un proceso urgente por la situación de las desapariciones forzadas en el país, una decisión que el Gobierno de México rechazó y consideró carente de sustento.

Mauri Daniel vivía en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, una localidad fronteriza con Estados Unidos a la que sus padres, originarios de Comalcalco, Tabasco, en el sur del país, se mudaron después de casarse.

Su madre recuerda que desde niño le gustó mucho el fútbol y llegó a ganar algunos campeonatos locales. Sin embargo, en algún punto dejó la escuela y tuvo problemas de adicciones con los que su familia trató de ayudarle. Incluso, durante algunos meses lo ingresó a un centro de rehabilitación.

De acuerdo con Mélida, antes de que Mauri Daniel desapareciera se encontraba justamente en una época en la que intentaba recuperarse y, aunque pasaba mucho tiempo en la calle, a veces días enteros, siempre regresaba a casa.

No ocurrió así aquel día de mediados de septiembre de 2021. Cuando sus familiares se dieron cuenta de que no había regresado, comenzaron a buscarlo. Primero preguntaron por él a quienes lo conocían en su barrio y después acudieron ante la Fiscalía de Chihuahua, que elaboró y difundió una ficha con sus datos.

Para Mélida, sin embargo, la Fiscalía fue omisa en sus labores de búsqueda, un reclamo frecuente entre familias de personas desaparecidas en México, para quienes las fiscalías no tienen los suficientes recursos, capacitación o voluntad para buscar a quienes desaparecen.

Sobre su caso, Mélida atribuye las posibles omisiones a que las autoridades no le dieron importancia por los problemas de adicciones que tenía su hijo. Pero ella decidió que no se iba a quedar de brazos cruzados.

“Lo que no sabían es cómo era yo. Yo iba a defender la dignidad de mi hijo porque ellos no son nadie para juzgar a nadie, porque eso es lo que hacen, juzgan a las personas por lo que andan haciendo o no sé, pero se toparon con una que no se iba a dejar”, dijo.

CNN contactó a la Fiscalía de Chihuahua para pedir comentarios sobre el caso y está en espera de respuesta.

Mélida, de 60 años, recuerda que los primeros meses tras la desaparición de su hijo transcurrieron sin que hubiera avances en las investigaciones. En diciembre, por recomendación de personas de la iglesia

By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN

Ask an American to name their favorite Chinese takeout dishes, and images of General Tso’s chicken, chow mein and egg rolls stuffed into white cardboard containers will likely spring to mind.

Things are a little different across the Atlantic, in the UK.

British Chinese takeout — a much-cherished cuisine but little understood outside the UK — bears so few similarities to its US counterpart that Americans have been sharing their surprise, and sometimes outright horror, on social media.

“I know that people typically pour the curry all over the noodles,” notes one American TikToker in a video, as she digs into her first-ever British Chinese takeaway order.

“I’m just going to pour a little bit on the side. I’m very intrigued by this.”

Raising her eyebrows in approval as she takes a bite of chow mein with curry sauce, she reports, “It adds a little something. I’m into the curry sauce, guys.”

A search for “British Chinese food” on TikTok brings up thousands of videos of both Britons plating up their takeaways and foreign travelers sampling it for the first time.

The uptick in interest can be traced to a 2023 post featuring a British TikToker showcasing her usual Chinese takeout order.

The video has since attracted more than 10 million views and 15,000 comments, many from Americans baffled that the British version of Chinese food is nothing like the typical takeout they eat in the US.

Some poked fun at the presence of so many brown dishes, while others called it “horrendous.” Proud Britons rushed to defend one of their favorite comfort foods.

The culinary conflict got particularly heated around one specific dish, leading many Americans to ask: What do fries and curry have to do with Chinese food?

From jar jow to spice bags

The very first Chinese restaurant in the UK opened in 1908 in London. Little about it was documented, but the menu likely included a few Cantonese-inspired dishes, such as fried rice, sweet and sour pork, chow mein (don’t confuse it with the US version, it’s more like an American lo mein) and chop suey.

Today, most Chinese dishes served in the UK remain rooted in Cantonese cooking, along with some influences from Beijing and Sichuan province.

Iconic items include crispy duck with pancakes (a nod to Peking duck), crispy chili beef (Sichuan-inspired beef strips in sweet and spicy sticky sauce), sweet and sour chicken balls (deep-fried batter-coated chicken in a sweet and sour sauce) and sesame prawn toast (Hong Kong-style deep-fried prawn paste on toast covered with sesame seeds).

Like all immigrant cuisines, Chinese food in the UK evolved according to local tastes and available ingredients, not least chips — the classic thick-cut fries usually found in fish and chips.

For Helen Tse, the third-generation owner of Manchester Chinese restaurant Sweet Mandarin, one dish captures that evolution perfectly: “Salt and pepper chips and curry sauce, with a side of egg fried rice.”

Other British Chinese dishes you aren’t likely to find in the US include crispy seaweed (actually deep-fried cabbage) and chicken satay.

Certain cities also boast their own specialty dishes. When in London, for example, be sure to sample jar jow, which is a stir-fried sliced honey-glazed barbecue pork (char siu) with ginger, spring onion and other vegetables in a thick tomato sauce.

The spice bag (a mix of fried salt and chili chips, chicken and vegetables with different spices) is a classic Irish Chinese dish that has amassed a cult following in recent years and is now found throughout the UK. It even h

By Alexandra Banner, CNN

A dazzling lunar spectacle is helping to usher in the new year. January’s wolf supermoon, the first full moon of 2026, will light up the sky tonight and reach peak illumination early Saturday morning.

Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day.

1⃣ Swiss resort fire

A New Year’s party at a Swiss ski resort turned deadly after a fire tore through a bar, killing at least 40 people and injuring around 115 others. An investigation has been launched into the cause of the blaze at the upscale Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Authorities said their main theory is that a “flashover” triggered a rapid explosion during which everything in the room ignites almost simultaneously. Some witnesses said the fire was caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles, though officials caution that the investigation will take time. Families of the missing now face an agonizing wait as Swiss authorities say it could take days to identify the fire’s victims.

2⃣ Trump’s health

President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he takes a higher daily dose of aspirin than his doctors have recommended, blaming the medication for the visible hand bruises that have sparked questions about his health. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump, 79, said of why he takes a larger dose. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart,” he added. Trump’s interview comes amid intensified scrutiny over his age and fitness for office — and whether he’s being sufficiently transparent with his medical information. Observers have also raised concerns about swelling in Trump’s legs and about him appearing to doze during public events.

3⃣ California storms

After days of heavy rain in Southern California, another line of storms is set to hit the waterlogged region starting today. Thursday saw widespread flooding in the San Diego area, where high water submerged cars and swamped parts of two interstates. The San Diego Fire Department said they rescued several people trapped in their vehicles. Meteorologists warn that flooded roads could become a familiar sight in the coming days as the state remains locked in a soggy weather pattern into early next week.

4⃣ NYC’s new Mayor

Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor on Thursday. The 34-year-old immigrant from Uganda makes history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, first South Asian mayor and the youngest mayor to hold the high-profile office in more than a century. One of Mamdani’s top priorities is tackling the city’s affordability crisis, after campaigning on a promise to lower costs for everyday New Yorkers. He has pledged to create a universal childcare program, freeze rent for roughly two million rent-stabilized tenants, and make city buses “fast and free.” Many elements of Mamdani’s proposed agenda will be paid for by increasing corporate taxes and taxing wealthy residents.Mamdani has proposed that the plan, estimated to cost approximately $800 million per year, would be paid for by increasing

GOLETA, Calif.- (KEYT) Santa Barbara County firefighters knocked down a structure fire early this morning.

The fire happened at the 100 block of Aero Camino in Goleta.

The fire was caused by a New Year's candle display that spread to combustible materials and ignited.

Battalion Chief Adam Estabrook advises people to never leave candles unattended, and to make sure you have working and active smoke detectors.

No injuries were reported.

The post Firefighters knock down structure fire in Goleta appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

By Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN

(CNN) — Americans feel more politically connected by generation than they do by race or gender, CNN polling data finds.

Nearly 6 in 10 say they share a lot of common interests and concerns with other people of their generation, according to a late-summer CNN survey. By contrast, fewer than half of Americans, 43%, say they feel politically connected to others of their gender, and 39% to others of the same race.

“My generation is one of the first ones looking at an economy that will be worse for us than for our parents,” said Gabriel, a 21-year-old college senior from California who participated in the survey and said he felt a strong political connection to others his age. “Affordability and home ownership and growing up during the pandemic and all those issues make what’s important to my generation probably very different than older ones.”

It’s not just young Americans who feel that way: most in every age group think they have a lot in common with their generation. In fact, those 65 and older are actually 10 points likelier than adults younger than 35 to say that their generation is politically relevant to them.

Americans’ attachment to their respective generations, however, doesn’t exist in a vacuum. About 1 in 5 Americans said they felt politically connected across all three sets of demographics tested in the survey – generation, gender and race – with nearly half (46%) saying they felt politically connected to others across more than one demographic.

“Everyone identifies with a ton of different social groups at different times – throughout the day, even,” said Samara Klar, a political scientist at the University of Arizona who studies political identity.

People’s connection to some facet of their political identity is often strongest when that aspect is under threat, research has found. But sharing a generation doesn’t mean agreeing politically or even agreeing on whether those generational ties are important.

Partisanship also plays a major role: In CNN’s poll, that sense of connectedness is weaker among Americans whose partisan views diverge from the positions most common in their group.

Adults younger than 35 who feel a strong sense of generational connection, for instance, are mostly Democrats or Democratic-leaning, and more than half said they were angry about President Donald Trump’s policies and frustrated by politics more broadly. By contrast, those older than 65 who felt a generational connection were far more Republican than those who didn’t.

Women are only a few points likelier than men to call gender politically important, 46% to 40%. But women who feel a sense of gender solidarity are far more Democratic-leaning than those who don’t; while the pattern is reversed among men.

A 64% majority of Black Americans and 55% of Latino Americans say they share political concerns with others of the same race, falling to 28% among White adults. Those White Americans who do say they share political connections with others of their race are largely GOP-aligned – 63% belong to or lean toward the GOP – while most Black and Latino Americans who feel a sense of racial connection are aligned with the Democratic Party.

A few other differences by political connection emerge in the survey. Younger people who are more connected to their generation are more engaged in politics than those who are not, but there isn’t a similar divide for older adults. Both younger and older Americans who felt connected to their generations, though, were more likely than those who didn’t to say that they could think of a political figure who spoke for people like them.