News from January 10, 2025 at 2 AM

Wildfires in Los Angeles, California, continue to rage, resulting in at least five deaths, the destruction of 1,100 homes, and the evacuation of over 100,000 people. As of the evening of January 8, six wildfires in Los Angeles County were dangerously spreading, with four out of control. More than 1,500 firefighters are battling the blazes, supplemented by personnel from six other states. President Biden canceled his trip to Italy to focus on the crisis and visited a fire station in Los Angeles County for a briefing. Southern California regions have been declared in a state of emergency. The Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas have been severely affected, with over 100 square kilometers burned. Meteorological forecasts suggest the fires will continue to spread, with nearly 300,000 households experiencing power outages, schools closed, and the Hollywood Universal Studios shut down. Preliminary estimates put economic losses at over USD 50 billion, with three arrests made for looting.

US President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion to annex Canada, Greenland, and the Panama Canal, with the possibility of using military force, has ignited a global debate. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that Greenland is not for sale, while King Frederik X updated the royal coat of arms to emphasize Greenland. Greenlandic Prime Minister Múte Egede dismissed Trump's remarks, insisting on their independence. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz emphasized the inviolability of borders, noting Trump's comments caused confusion among EU leaders. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot affirmed the EU's stance against border threats but doubted a US invasion of Greenland. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy dismissed Trump's comments as provocative but avoided condemning the US. Panama's Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha asserted Panamanian control over the canal. Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc rejected Trump's '51st state' idea as a source of chaos. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre declared Canada would never be the 51st state. Outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's tweet rejecting the idea drew a sharp reply from Trump ally Elon Musk.

The Lebanese Parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as the new president, with 99 out of 128 votes. In his inaugural address, Aoun stated that his primary goals are to rebuild Lebanon after the war with Israel and to strengthen relations with Arab countries. He emphasized that Lebanese authorities aim to develop foreign policy relations with both Western and Eastern nations, establishing new alliances based on mutual respect. Aoun highlighted that the reconstruction efforts will address the damage caused by Israeli aggression.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away on Dec. 29 at the age of 100. His remains arrived in Washington on Tuesday to lie in state at the Capitol. Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Mike Johnson paid tribute to Carter in the Capitol Rotunda. Carter will be transported to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral on Thursday morning, where President Joe Biden will deliver a eulogy. Other living former presidents, including President-elect Donald Trump, are expected to attend. After the funeral, Carter will be flown back to Georgia for a private service at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains. He will be buried near the home he built with his wife, former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

On January 9, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was freed after being detained during a protest in eastern Caracas. Machado's detention followed her first public appearance in months, prompting her ally, former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, to demand her immediate release, with several governments condemning the incident. Machado was forced to record videos during her detention, according to her Vente Venezuela movement. Government officials, including Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, claimed her arrest was a fabrication by the opposition. Both the opposition and the ruling party claim victory in the 2024 presidential election, though detailed vote tallies have not been published. The government, accusing the opposition of plotting, has detained several prominent opposition members. Gonzalez, who met with US President Joe Biden, has vowed to return to Venezuela. Machado urged peaceful protests and called on police and military to support Gonzalez. Around 7,000 protesters gathered in Caracas, with demonstrations occurring nationwide. President Nicolas Maduro, in power since 2013, retains the support of the armed forces.

On January 9, an attack on the presidential palace in Chad's capital, N'Djamena, resulted in the death of at least 19 people, including 18 militants, as reported by the AFP news agency citing the Chadian government. Earlier, the tchadinfos news outlet reported shots fired near the presidential palace in central N'Djamena. Security officials stated that unidentified gunmen attacked the palace, but the assault was quickly subdued. The Al Arabiya TV channel quoted sources saying that the Chadian armed forces repelled an attack by the Boko Haram terrorist group on the presidential palace. Tanks and police units have been deployed to the palace, and residents of the capital are also heading there for a rally in support of Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced during the Ramstein-format contact group on military aid to Ukraine that Germany plans to train an additional 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen this year. To date, over 19,000 Ukrainian troops have already received training in Germany. As the second-largest supplier of weapons to Ukraine after the United States, Germany has allocated or pledged approximately 28 billion euros. According to its 2025 budget, Germany is expected to provide about four billion euros for military aid to Ukraine this year, though the budget has not yet been approved by the Bundestag.

Mozambique's opposition leader Venancio Mondlane has declared himself the country's president after losing the October 9 presidential election. Returning to the capital Maputo from self-imposed exile due to threats to his life, Mondlane took the presidential oath with a Bible at the airport in the presence of his supporters. He expressed readiness for dialogue with the authorities while urging continued protests against the election outcome. Legally elected President Daniel Chapo, also secretary general of the ruling Frelimo party, called for national unity and reconciliation. On December 23, the Constitutional Council confirmed Frelimo's victory and Chapo's election. Mondlane, refusing to recognize the results, called for protests that have reportedly led to over 270 deaths according to opposition sources. The authorities announced Chapo's inauguration for January 15.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) in protest of its issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over Israel's campaign in Gaza. The vote, with 243 in favor and 140 against, supported the 'Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act,' which sanctions foreigners who investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute U.S. citizens or those of allied countries, including Israel. Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans in backing the bill, with no Republican opposition. Representative Brian Mast, Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated in a speech that the U.S. is passing this law due to a 'kangaroo court' attempting to arrest Israel's prime minister. The vote highlights strong Republican support for Israel's government, now controlling both chambers of Congress. President-elect Donald Trump, set to be sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, will see the act swiftly considered in the Senate by Republican majority leader John Thune. The ICC, a permanent court prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and aggression, justified the warrants based on prosecutorial evidence and the need to prevent ongoing crimes. Congressional Republicans have denounced the ICC since it issued warrants for Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant, accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 15-month Gaza conflict, allegations Israel denies. The Republican-led House passed a similar act in June, but it was not taken up by the then Democratic-controlled Senate.

On December 25, 2024, Israeli soldiers observed the situation in Syria from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Amid growing concerns over legal risks faced by reservists abroad for alleged war crimes in Gaza, the Israeli military imposed new restrictions on media interviews with active-duty soldiers. This move followed an incident where an Israeli reservist vacationing in Brazil was forced to leave after being accused of war crimes in Gaza. The new rules require that media not display the full names or faces of soldiers ranked colonel and below, similar to existing rules for pilots and special forces. Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani stated that the guidelines aim to protect soldiers from anti-Israel activists. He noted that soldiers are already prohibited from posting war zone content on social media and that there are long-standing rules for soldiers traveling abroad. In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri over alleged war crimes in Gaza, sparking outrage in Israel. Shoshani mentioned a handful of cases where reservists abroad were targeted, all initiated by activist groups pushing for investigations.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico stated that Slovakia will impose tough measures against Ukraine if the gas transit issues are not resolved, including halting humanitarian aid, reducing support for refugees, and potentially stopping emergency power supplies to Ukraine. Fico also mentioned that Slovakia could use its veto power in the EU on Ukraine-related matters. On Monday, Fico noted that a new round of EU gas consultations scheduled for January 7 was disrupted due to the absence of the Ukrainian delegation. On January 1, transit of Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine was completely halted following Kiev's refusal to extend a previous agreement that allowed for the annual pumping of 40 billion cubic meters. Earlier, Gazprom reported that Kiev's refusal deprived the Russian company of the technical and legal ability to supply fuel via this route. Data from European gas transportation operators confirm that supplies to Austria, Italy, Moldova, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have been stopped.

On January 8, 2025, Takeshi Ebisawa, a leader of the Japanese organized crime syndicate yakuza, pleaded guilty in a New York federal court to charges of trafficking nuclear materials and conspiring to traffic narcotics and heavy weapons. Prosecutors stated that Ebisawa admitted to conspiring to purchase U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles and other heavy weaponry intended for armed ethnic groups in Myanmar, and to accept large quantities of heroin and methamphetamine as partial payment for the weapons. The 60-year-old Ebisawa faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.

Due to an overflow of tourists, the Kyoto City Government plans to raise the accommodation tax from the current 1,000 yen per person per night to a maximum of 10,000 yen. The Japan Kyodo News reported this measure. Kyoto's new fee is the highest among 11 local governments with a fixed tax system. The city is expected to submit a revision bill to the city council next month, which requires the approval of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications to be implemented. Kyoto introduced the accommodation tax in 2018, currently in three tiers; the new tax will be divided into five tiers, with the highest tax applicable to stays over 100,000 yen per night. The plan is to implement the new tax from next spring, with expected revenue exceeding 10 billion yen. Mayor Daisaku Matsumoto stated this move aims to balance tourism and residents' lives.

Recently, multiple European countries have been experiencing severe cold weather. The UK Met Office stated that the UK will continue to be covered in snow and ice in the coming days, with temperatures in Scotland's snowfields dropping to as low as -16 degrees Celsius. Sub-zero temperatures have also been observed in northern France and Germany, while Belgium and the Netherlands have issued orange alerts for snow and ice. Brussels, the capital of Belgium, experienced heavy snowfall on January 9th. Satellite service company Maxar reported that a cold front is sweeping through Northern Europe, with the average temperature in Oslo, the capital of Norway, expected to reach -11.3 degrees Celsius on January 12th.