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Apple’s board of directors has recommended shareholders vote against a conservative think tank’s proposal to consider scrapping the tech giant’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

“At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world. We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our Business Conduct and Compliance policies are foundational to how we do business,” the company said Friday in its proxy statement.

The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) notified Apple in September that it intends to submit the anti-DEI proposal at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting on February 25. If passed by shareholders, it would require Apple to consider eliminating some or all of its DEI policies.

But Apple said the proposal “inappropriately attempts to restrict” and “micromanage” company operations and policies. The company also said it has a “well-established compliance program,” and its board actively manages business and legal conduct to ensure it complies with laws in multiple jurisdictions.

Stefan Padfield, executive director of the NCPPR’s Free Enterprise Project, said DEI poses risks, including litigation, customer backlash and divisiveness among employees, that outweigh the benefits.

The NCPPR said that Apple “likely has over 50,000 who are potentially victims of this type of discrimination.” The NCPPR said if any employees sue the company, Apple could lose “tens of billions of dollars.”

“We are simply asking for a consideration. The proposal, if approved, would not automatically result in the abolishment of DEI,” Padfield told CNN. He called Apple’s statement “non-responsive” and said that “corporations that have been pushing DEI have lost the goodwill to simply say ‘trust us.’”

DEI isn’t new. Neither is the backlash

Apple’s diversity programs aren’t new. Its supplier diversity program was established in 1993 and works with various nonprofits, including the National Minority Supplier Development Council and National Veterans Business Development Council. Apple also hired its first vice president of inclusion and diversity in 2017 and has 67 employee groups known as “diversity network associations,” the first of which was established in 1986.

But other companies are abandoning their commitments or renaming programs to “appear more palatable” to the incoming Trump administration and other critics, said Nani Vishwanath, a consultant and facilitator of DEI and employee experiences at the Courage Collective.

Meta, John Deere and Walmart are among the companies that have made such changes to their DEI commitments following pressure from right-wing activists, legal groups, customers and President-elect Donald Trump.

Changing DEI programs doesn’t necessarily shield a company from further backlash. McDonald’s, which announced on January 6 that it would roll back DEI practices, was sued Sunday by the American Alliance for Equal Rights, an anti-affirmative action group. The lawsuit claims the fast food company did not fully adhere to its commitment to treat “everyone” fairly because it kept a college scholarship program for Hispanic and Latino high school students.

Other companies aren’t buckling to demand. The NCPPR has made similar proposals to shareholders of major companies, including retail giant Costco, whose board of directors recommended shareholders vote against DEI policies.

“Those who are staying fiercely committed understand how it’s imperative,” Vishwanath said.

Vishwanath said DEI is “vastly misunderstood” and companies don’t always understand why they implemented the programs. DEI efforts were originally intended to advance the representation of people from various identities and backgrounds, and this affected employee trainings, resource networks and recruiting practices. But there isn’t a single definition for DEI, which has complicated its implementation.

She said these misunderstandings cause inconsistency with DEI initiatives. She suggested companies should ask themselves if DEI policies were “a reactive add-on or was it intrinsically important to the company’s success?”

“(DEI) will continue to be met with curiosity or resentment,” said Vishwanath. “For organizations to remain relevant and meaningful to both their internal and external audiences, they need to think about what practices they need to evolve.”

Weather forecasters in California are warning fierce winds which fuelled the infernos around Los Angeles are expected to pick up again this week, as fire crews on the ground race to make progress controlling three wildfires.

Officials warned that after a weekend of relatively calm winds, the notoriously dry Santa Ana winds would pick up again from Sunday night until Wednesday, reaching speeds of up to 60mph (96km/h).

Ahead of the wind’s uptick, some progress has been made in stopping the spread of the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires, which are burning on opposite ends of the city. Local firefighters are being assisted by crews from eight other states, as well as Canada and Mexico, who continue to arrive.

The LA County medical examiner updated the death toll on Sunday to 24, while officials said earlier at least another 16 remain missing.

Sixteen of the dead were found in the Eaton fire zone, while eight were found in the Palisades area.

Three conflagrations continue to burn around Los Angeles.

The largest fire is the Palisades, which has now burnt through more than 23,000 acres and is 13% contained.

The Eaton fire is the second biggest and has burnt through more than 14,000 acres. It is 27% contained.

The Hurst fire has grown to 799 acres and has been almost fully contained.

The wildfires are on track to be among the costliest in US history.

On Sunday, private forecaster Accuweather increased its preliminary estimate of financial losses from the blazes to between $250bn-$275bn.

While crews have managed to start containing the largest fires, authorities have warned the incoming wind event could lead to “potential disastrous wind conditions”, with the whole of LA County put under fire threat.

“Unfortunately, we’re going right back into red flag conditions with some potential disastrous wind conditions between now and Wednesday, with the peak winds expected to be on Tuesday,” Pasadena fire chief Chad Augustin told the BBC.

“While we’re making some progress, the end is not even close yet,” he said.

The National Weather Service has issued a rare ‘particularly dangerous situation’ alert for Tuesday, warning of “extreme fire behaviour” – running from 04:00 local time, until midday on Wednesday.

Kristin Crowley, the fire chief for the city of LA, called for residents near evacuation zones to be prepared to flee if an order is issued, and to stay off the roads as much as possible in order to not hinder crews.

Despite the dire forecast, all schools except those in mandatory evacuation zones would reopen on Monday, the LA Unified School District announced.

Topanga Canyon resident Alice Husum, 67, told the BBC a new fire that began in the area overnight was quickly contained, but that she and her neighbours are all “dreading Tuesday” when the wind speeds are likely to peak.

But Ms Husum, who has stayed behind despite evacuation orders, notes that the forecast “is a little better than the 100 mile-gusts that were hammering us” earlier in the week.

New fires continued to flare up on Sunday, threatening communities in the San Fernando Valley and near Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

On Sunday, firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread of new fires in the Angeles National Forest, which surround the facility that is at the heart of the US space programme and contains top secret technology.

At least 29 people have been arrested for looting in mandatory evacuation zones. Two people were caught posing as firefighters in order to steal from evacuees.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in a news conference Sunday he had requested more National Guard troops to bolster the 400 already in the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom has since announced that 1,000 additional members of the National Guard would be deployed.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter. And I asked him if he was okay because he was sitting down. I didn’t realise we had him in handcuffs,” Sheriff Luna told reporters.

“We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He just got caught burglarising a home. So those are issues that our front-line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

There are now 14,000 firefighters in the southern California region, being assisted by 84 aircrafts and 1,354 fire engines, said Sheriff Luna.

Evacuation numbers have dropped, with around 105,000 residents still under mandatory evacuation orders and 87,000 under evacuation warnings.

Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), told CNN on Sunday that a significant threat remained.

“I know that so many people probably want to get back into the area and check on their homes, but with winds picking back up, you never know which way they’re going to go,” she said.

LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said that limited access had been allowed to evacuated residents over the weekend, but that his officers are once again barring all residents from returning.

Officials have issued repeated orders for drone operators to not fly near fire zones, and are now seeking information after a drone crashed into a vital plane.

The FBI has shared photos of the small drone which on Thursday collided with a plane known as a “Super Scooper”, one of the world’s most affective firefighting aircrafts, briefly grounding it.

The drone ripped a 3-by-6-inch (8-by-15cm) hole in the plane.

Officials have also warned of scammers seeking to take advantage of victims, and issued a stern warning that anyone caught price gouging will be prosecuted.

Meanwhile the spat between California Governor Newsom and President-elect Donald Trump continues.

Trump, who takes office on 20 January and has been invited by the governor to come tour the fire damage, on Saturday blamed “incompetent” politicians for “one of the worst catastrophes in the history of our country”.

Newsom, who is a Democrat, has in turn attacked Trump for sharing “inexcusable” misinformation about the fires.

South African Airways said it had cancelled flights to Perth and Sao Paulo on Thursday after receiving confirmation from the SAA Pilots Association that they planned to strike following a deadlock in pay talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike Ukraine again with a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile following Moscow’s latest widespread attack on critical energy infrastructure.

More than a million households in Ukraine were left without power following the overnight bombardment, authorities in the country said Thursday. It’s Russia’s 11th large-scale assault on Ukraine’s energy supplies this year alone, according to the Energy Ministry in Kyiv, a strategy that has caused nationwide rolling blackouts.

Speaking at a security summit in Kazakhstan Thursday, Putin claimed the overnight attacks were a response to strikes on Russian territory using US-made ATACMS missiles. He also warned he would consider further launches of Russia’s new “Oreshnik” medium-range ballistic missile, first fired at Ukraine’s Dnipro region last week.

“We will respond to the ongoing strikes on Russian territory by Western-made long-range missiles, including the possible continuation of the Oreshnik test in combat conditions,” he said.

Putin also praised US President-elect Donald Trump, describing him as an “intelligent and experienced” politician capable of finding “solutions,” as tensions rise between Moscow and Kyiv’s Western partners.

The Russian leader claimed his forces hit 17 targets, describing them as “military facilities, defense industry facilities and their support systems,” without acknowledging the attacks on power infrastructure. “As I have said many times, there will always be a response from our side (to the use of American ATACMS),” Putin said.

Putin, who has previously said that Moscow considers itself entitled to use weapons against military targets belonging to countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russia, also threatened further strikes.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense is “selecting targets for hitting on Ukrainian territory,” he said. “These could be military facilities, defense industry enterprises or decision-making centers in Kyiv.”

Russia’s use of the Oreshnik ballistic missile, which carries multiple warheads, last week marked a decisive, and potentially dangerous moment in Moscow’s conflict with the West, and may be the first time such a weapon has been used in war.

South Korea is reeling after a whiplash six hours during which the country’s embattled president declared martial law but was forced to lift it amid widespread condemnation, throwing the country’s political landscape into chaos and uncertainty.

The saga began unfolding Tuesday night as most South Koreans prepared to go to sleep – prompting furious lawmakers to force their way past soldiers into parliament to strike down the decree, as protesters demanded President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal and no return to the country’s painful authoritarian past.

By dawn, the president had caved – agreeing to lift martial law. But experts say he’s dug a political grave; opposition parties are trying to impeach him, police are investigating him for treason, and his own party is trying to oust him.

Questions are still swirling around the future of Yoon’s presidency, his party’s rule, and what happens next in one of the world’s most important economies and a major United States ally.

Here’s what we know.

What happened? What is martial law?

Yoon declared martial law around 10:30 p.m. local time Tuesday in an unannounced late-night TV address, accusing the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of “anti-state” activities.

He also cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal.

Martial law refers to granting the military temporary rule during an emergency, which the president has the constitutional ability to declare. But the announcement hit like a bombshell, sending shock waves through a democratic nation and sparking an astonishing late-night political showdown.

In a nation with a strong contemporary tradition of free speech, Yoon’s military decree banned all political activities, including protests, rallies, and actions by political parties, according to Yonhap news agency. It also prohibited “denying free democracy or attempting a subversion,” and “manipulating public opinion.”

In the end, the decree only lasted a few hours.