Welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Ramin Malagard in Tokyo.
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is deepening as Israel continues airstrikes.
Israeli forces attacked Gaza again on Friday with a stated goal of destroying Hamas. More than 46,000 people have been killed in the enclave since the conflict began in October 2023. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the hunger crisis across Gaza continues to worsen amid critical food shortages and looting. Qatar based broadcaster Al Jazeera cited a northern Gaza nurse. Saying people at her hospital have had no water for several days and that they're drinking saline solution, the Israeli military announced on Friday that his fighter jest struck military infrastructure sites at a power station in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and at ports. Israeli military officials said the attacks were directed against the anti-government Houthi group, which has shown solidarity with Hamas.
Reuters news agency cited a local media outlet saying at least one person had been killed and nine wounded in the attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement the Houthis are paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression against Israel.
And emergency crews battling wildfires in Los Angeles have been held by a pause in the strong winds, but containing the flames remains far out of reach.
Officials say at least 11 people have died and more than 300,000 residents are under evacuation orders and warnings.
The wildfires have burned through an area more than twice the size of Manhattan and rank as the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles. They've destroyed more than 10,000 structures, and that figure is expected to grow.
There's still a lot of people who are unaccounted for. We don't know where they are. I think this toll is likely to go up, whether it's significant or not. Some residents are returning to areas where the flames swept through. Kelly Foster and her 11 year old son saw their dream house reduced to a pile of ash and rubble.
We found these random papers and this one was right there on the front, just like this, sitting like this on the front porch.
And it says what?
Make yourself at home.
And what's this last thing?
Enjoy the process and welcome home.
That is so crazy.
The Fosters bought the home in 2011, looking for a safe and quiet place to raise their family. But now they say that's all changed.
This was a house that was loved. And I think that that's when I first came to the house today, I just started bawling. And it's almost like I personified my house and I'm like, I hope you didn't hurt. I hope this didn't hurt. I hope this, you know, I hope this didn't hurt.
Another resident returned home to find nothing left behind, but was left with a different emotion.
I thought I was going to be sadder, you know, I thought, but I'm actually happy that everybody's safe.
The U.S. forecasting company AccuWeather says the economic costs of the fires could reach $150 billion.
And residents are suffering from another problem, air pollution. The situation has triggered health advisories and prompted school closings. The Los Angeles Times reports that the density of pollutants is highest in the downtown area.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said he has done everything he could to help Ukraine.
He's also expressed his hopesthat the United States will keep supporting Kiev under the incoming administration of Donald Trump. On Friday, just 10 days before Biden leaves office, he spoke on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The White House says Zelenskyy expressed his appreciation for U.S. support, and Biden underscored the importance of continuing to aid Ukraine in its fight for freedom. After the talks, Biden told reporters that he thinks if Western countries stay united, there's a real chance Ukrainians can prevail.
There are a significant number of Democrats and Republicans on the Hill who think we should continue to support Ukraine. It is my hope and expectation they'll speak up and not agree to President if if if Trump decides to cut off funding for Ukraine.
He also said he had decided to do everything within his power and authority to give Ukraine every advantage it could have.
Now, the U.S. government has hit Russia with fresh sanctions that targets its so-called shadow fleet. The move aims to strike Moscow's primary revenue source amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said it added major Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas to its sanctions list, along with 183 ships. The Treasury says Russia is relying more on oil-carrying ships, often called the shadow fleet. It says the ships participate in high-risk practices to evade Western sanctions. says the most most of the ships it will sanction our oil tankers in the fleet.
A senior Biden administration official says the sanctions' ultimate aim is to give Ukraine the leverage it needs to negotiate a just and lasting end to the war. The official says the sanctions leave a solid foundation that the incoming administration can build on and puts a clear choice to Russia.
Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says President Vladimir Putin is open to contact with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump. Peskov's comments on Friday come after Trump claimed the day before that a meeting is being set up. Peskov says no specific details have been decided on, but there will likely be some movement after Trump's inauguration on January 20.
Peskov also said the Kremlin welcomes Trump's readiness for dialogue. The US president-elect has said he expects the war in Ukraine to be over within six months of taking office. But Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhy Tikhy told reporters on Friday that Russia's position has not changed. He says Moscow apparently seeks to expand the war, and ending the invasion will be extremely difficult.
On Wednesday, 13 people were killed in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia when Russian forces launched an attack using glide bombs.
Ukraine's air force said on Thursday that Russia has used more than 51,000 glide bombs since it began its invasion of Ukraine, adding that about 40,000 of them were used last year alone.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduroa has been sworn in for a third term, even as the opposition camp and Western countries question the legitimacy of his presidency.
Inauguration ceremony took place on Friday in the capital, Caracas. Maduro regained office based on the results of last July's presidential election as declared by the country's electoral council. Maduro said in a speech that no one can impose a president on Venezuela.
He described his re election as a victory for Venezuelan Democracy and for people who want peace and stability, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said representatives from countries including Russia, China and Cuba attended the ceremony. But supporters of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez have refused to recognize Maduro's victory, saying that their vote tallies show Gonzalez won. Gonzalez, a former diplomat, is living in exile outside Venezuela. He posted a video on social media on Friday declaring himself president. He also condemned Maduro's inauguration as having violated the constitution and the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people expressed in the election. He said Maduro has carried out a coup d'etat. Gonzales called on the military to prepare conditions for his security to return to Venezuela and take office. Opposition members held protests on the eve of Maduro's inauguration ceremony. Western countries are also stepping up their criticism over the legitimacy of Maduro's presidency.
And those are the top stories for this hour.
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