The Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires were some of the fastest on record. Their destruction shows the significance of speed in wildfire preparedness.

The Sudanese government has suspended its participation in the global hunger-monitoring system on the eve of a report that’s expected to show famine spreading across the country, a step likely to undercut efforts to address one of the world’s largest hunger crises.

No one knows how many people have died from the catastrophic hunger sweeping Sudan. But graves, counted from the sky, offer a clue to the devastation.

Here’s how the world’s hunger monitoring-and-response system is supposed to work – and why it’s not achieving its mission.