LA mayor says winds and drought created 'perfect storm', while official hits out at looters
'We are all hands on deck'
Mayor Bass is urging people to support the California Wild Life Fund and the Los Angeles Fire Department foundation.
She says Airbnb, the holiday property rentals company, is offering free accommodation.
"We are all hands on deck," she adds.
- As a reminder: Bass has been facing criticism for being out of LA when these fires started. She was on a trip to Ghana for the inauguration of its new president.
Summary
Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass is giving a news conference with other officials on the wildfires raging across the area - press watch live above
Bass says the "historic winds" and extensive droughts created the "perfect storm", but says dropping winds mean firefighters are now able to tackle the fires from the air
LA County Board of Supervisors chair Kathryn Barger says she is "hopeful" the "tide is turning", but says the impact is worse than anything she's seen
She also says 20 people have been arrested for looting: "Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis"
Across LA County, the number of people told to evacuate has risen to 179,700
But an evacuation order for the Hollywood Hills West area has been lifted, as the fire there is shrinking
Chad’s government says 19 killed during foiled attack on presidential complex
‘Destabilisation attempt’ in N’Djamena blamed on ‘disorganised’ group of assailants armed with knives
Thu 9 Jan 2025 13.14 GMT
Eighteen assailants and one presidential guard died during a foiled attack on the presidential complex in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena, on Wednesday night, a government spokesperson has said.
The attackers attempted to storm the presidential palace while President Mahamat Déby Itno was inside, said Abderaman Koulamallah, who also serves as the foreign minister in the military-ruled, central African country.
Heavy gunfire could be heard just before 8pm (7pm GMT) on Wednesday evening in the centre of N’Djamena. A few hours later, Koulamallah appeared in a live Facebook broadcast surrounded by soldiers, saying the situation had been brought under control. “There is no fear,” he said. “The destabilisation attempt was put down.”
China accuses EU of discriminatory trade practices
China said an investigation had found the European Union imposed unfair "trade and investment barriers."
China on Thursday said that the investigations conducted by the European Union (EU) into Chinese firms constituted "unfair trade and investment barriers."
The announcement from China's Commerce Ministry followed the completion of a probe into the EU's examination of foreign subsidies.
The Chinese investigation came in response to Brussels looking into whether Chinese government subsidies hurt competition in Europe.
The two economic powers have been at loggerheads mainly due to Beijing's renewables and electric vehicle sectors.
Joseph Aoun: Lebanon’s respected army chief becomes new president
Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army chief who was elected president on Thursday, is a 60-year-old career soldier who kept his military on the sidelines of a recent war between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, earning widespread respect in a country ridden by sectarian divides.
Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun, who was elected president in a second round of a parliamentary vote Thursday, is a political neophyte but is expected to benefit from his position as head of one of the country’s most respected institutions.
Widely seen as the preferred pick of the US, as well as regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, he is perceived as being best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire and pull the country out of financial collapse.
Analysts say Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday and is considered a man of “personal integrity”, could be the right candidate to finally replace Michel Aoun – no relation – whose term as president ended in October 2022.
Yakuza leader pleads guilty in U.S. to trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar
By Kanishka Singh
The leader of a Japanese crime syndicate who was charged by U.S. authorities with trafficking nuclear materials from Myanmar pleaded guilty on Wednesday, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.
Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan, New York, to conspiring with a network of associates to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Myanmar to other countries, the Justice Department said. Ebisawa also pleaded guilty to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges, the department added.
In February 2024, U.S. authorities charged the Japanese yakuza leader with conspiring to traffic nuclear materials from Myanmar for expected use by Iran in nuclear weapons.
Death toll from Israel’s war on Gaza surpasses 46,000
- Israeli attacks have killed at least 70 Palestinians and injured 104 others across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
- More than 800 parents of Israeli soldiers and reservists have demanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu end the bloody war, saying they don’t want Gaza “to become our child’s cemetery”.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed optimism about the prospects of a ceasefire and captives release deal in Gaza, saying “we’re very close”.
- Israel’s military says it recovered the body of captive Youssef Ziyadne from an underground tunnel in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza.
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