International News Briefs for Friday January, 10th
HAVANA TIMES – Here are the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Friday January 10, 2025.
Death Toll in Los Angeles Wildfires Reaches 10 as Largest Blazes Remain Uncontained
Jan 10, 2025
Image Credit: L.A. County Fire Department
In Southern California, firefighters are continuing to battle multiple wildfires raging around Los Angeles, which have now claimed at least 10 lives, though officials warn the death toll could continue to climb. This is L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna.
Sheriff Robert Luna: “Based on the devastation, that is clear — looks like a bomb, an atomic bomb, dropped in these areas — I don’t expect good news, and we’re not looking forward to those numbers.”
A new fire, the Kenneth fire, exploded Thursday evening in the West Hills north of Calabasas, quickly spreading to 1,000 acres. Meanwhile, the two largest fires — the Palisades and the Eaton fires — were just 6% and 0% contained as of early this morning. Experts say the wildfires are not only the most destructive in U.S. history, but likely will be the most costly disaster, as well. Over 10,000 homes and other structures have been damaged or destroyed, and at least 180,000 residents are under evacuation orders. This is Alita Johnson, lifelong Altadena resident, who lost her home in the Eaton blaze.
Alita Johnson: “But nothing prepares you for this amount of destruction. I mean, there’s no manual. There’s no book. That night when we left, it was so frightening. You could barely see two — you could barely — I could barely see my hand in front of me, because the visibility was so bad and the winds were whipping just ferociously.”
Boil water advisories have been issued in much of the affected areas, with only bottled water recommended for drinking. Meanwhile, health experts warn children, the elderly and those with certain medical conditions are particularly vulnerable to health complications from inhaling wildfire smoke, which is filled with fine particulate matter. Red flag fire weather warnings are continuing today, and forecasters warn gusty dry winds could return to the region as early as Sunday.
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As Historic Fires Tear Through L.A., Scientists Confirm 2024 Was Hottest Year Ever Recorded
Jan 10, 2025
President Biden linked the historic L.A. wildfires to the climate crisis as he vowed federal aid to cover 100% of disaster assistance costs over the next 180 days. This comes as new data from Europe’s climate monitor confirms 2024 was the hottest year in human history, with the average global temperature rising by 1.6 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. That’s more than the 1.5-degree limit set by the United Nations’ 2015 Paris climate accord.
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The Lancet Says Gaza Genocide Death Toll Likely 40% Higher Than Official Estimates
Jan 10, 2025
In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed tents housing displaced Palestinians west of Khan Younis overnight. It was one of several attacks that killed 70 people within 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. This comes as a new study in the medical journal The Lancet finds the true death toll in Gaza may be 40% higher than official figures, which now stand at more than 46,000 Palestinians killed and nearly 110,000 wounded.
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House Votes to Sanction International Criminal Court over Arrest Warrants for Israeli Leaders
Jan 10, 2025
Here in the U.S., the House of Representatives voted to sanction the International Criminal Court after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Forty-five Democrats joined 198 Republicans to approve the “Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act.”
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NYU Suspends 11 Students over Peaceful Antiwar Protest
Jan 10, 2025
Image Credit: X/@NYUFJPalestine
In New York, 11 students have been suspended by New York University for one year for participating in nonviolent antiwar protests last month. In a statement, NYU Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine called the suspensions “a draconian case of collective punishment.”
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“We Are Documenting Our Genocide”: Gaza Journalists Demand Int’l Media Defend Palestinian Colleagues
Jan 10, 2025
Palestinian journalists in Gaza gathered for a press conference outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where they decried the hypocrisy and neglect of international media organizations. This is reporter Abubaker Abed.
Abubaker Abed: “We are just documenting a genocide against us. It’s enough, after almost a year and a half. We want you to stand foot by foot with us, because we are like any other journalists, reporters and media workers all across the globe, no matter the origin, the color or the race. Journalism is not a crime. We are not a target.”
Click here to see our interview with Abubaker Abed. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate reports nearly 200 journalists have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023. Over 400 others have been wounded or arrested.
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NYT “Chooses Silence Over Accountability” as It Refuses to Run Quaker Ad Condemning Gaza Genocide
Jan 10, 2025
Image Credit: Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
In more media news, The New York Times has come under fire after it refused to run a paid ad by the the American Friends Service Committee that referred to Israel’s war on Gaza as a genocide. The ad read in part, “Tell Congress to stop arming Israel’s genocide in Gaza now!” Joyce Ajlouny, general secretary for AFSC, called the move “an outrageous attempt to sidestep the truth,” adding, “Palestinians and allies have been silenced and marginalized in the media for decades as these institutions choose silence over accountability.” The AFSC is a Quaker organization.
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Jimmy Carter Buried in Georgia After State Funeral at Washington National Cathedral
Jan 10, 2025
President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral was held Thursday at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. All five living presidents were in attendance. President Biden delivered a eulogy.
President Joe Biden: “Throughout his life, he showed us what it means to be a practitioner of good works and a good and faithful servant of God and of the people. And today, many think he was from a bygone era. But in reality, he saw well into the future.”
Following the ceremony, Carter’s body was returned to his hometown of Plains, Georgia, so he could be buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter. After headlines, we’ll continue our look at the presidency and legacy of Jimmy Carter.
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M23 Rebels Seize Town in Eastern DRC, Advance on Goma
Jan 10, 2025
The Democratic Republic of Congo has banned Al Jazeera after it published an interview with the leader of the M23 rebel group, which recently seized territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo. M23, which has been accused of widespread, indiscriminate violence, took control of the town of Masisi last week, which is roughly 50 miles from the city of Goma. The U.N. said recent fighting in the eastern DRC had displaced over 100,000 people in around a week.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who’s long been accused of backing the M23, called on Congolese officials to start negotiating with the rebel group. Planned peace talks between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame were called off last month after Congo’s presidency said the Rwandan delegation refused to take part.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International is calling on President Tshisekedi to immediately halt plans to execute 170 Congolese prisoners convicted of armed robbery, and to abolish the death penalty.
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Elon Musk Accused of Election Meddling over Interview with German Far-Right Leader
Jan 10, 2025
A number of European leaders are calling on the European Union to stop Elon Musk from meddling in national elections, after the billionaire CEO hosted the head of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Deutschland party on his social media platform X. During Thursday’s 75-minute virtual live encounter, Musk heaped praise on Alice Weidel and her far-right, anti-immigrant party as it campaigns for German elections on February 23.
On Thursday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez made a clear reference to Musk during a speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of the Spanish fascist dictator Francisco Franco.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: “The international far right that we have been opposing in Spain for years, led in this case by the richest man on the planet, openly attacks our institutions, incites hatred and openly supports the heirs of Nazism in Germany in the next elections to be held in the most important country in the European economy.”
Meanwhile, in Austria, tens of thousands of people held protests in Vienna and other Austrian cities Thursday as the ultranationalist Freedom Party and its leader Herbert Kickl began talks to form a coalition government.
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Supreme Court Denies Trump’s Request to Halt Sentencing in Hush Money Case
Jan 10, 2025
President-elect Trump is being sentenced by a New York court today over his 34-count hush money and 2016 election subversion conviction, making him the first felon who will serve as U.S. president. This comes after the Supreme Court denied Trump’s request to halt the sentencing.
Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Justice Department can release part of its report on Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Trump could still ask the Supreme Court to block the report’s release.
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Federal Judge Rejects Biden’s Expansion of Title IX to Include LGBTQ+ Students
Jan 10, 2025
Image Credit: Facebook/ACLU
A federal judge in Kentucky threw out the Biden administration’s expanded Title IX rules, handing a win to Republican-led states as they carry out more attacks on transgender youth. The Education Department had sought to expand the longstanding federal policy protecting against sex-based discrimination in schools to include LGBTQ+ and transgender students, as well as pregnant people and survivors of sexual assault.