World
23 killed in Libya’s Tripoli as fears grow of a wider war
Clashes between militias backed by Libya’s rival governments have killed not less than 23 individuals and wounded dozens extra, based on the nation’s well being ministry.
The combating in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, on Saturday was the worst there in two years and has raised fears the nation may plunge again into full-blown struggle.
Among the many fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comic recognized for his social media movies mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, stated Malek Merset, an emergency companies spokesman.
Merset stated emergency companies had been nonetheless attempting to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped within the combating, which erupted in a single day and continued into Saturday night.
In an up to date demise toll, the well being ministry stated 140 individuals had been wounded whereas 64 households needed to be evacuated from areas across the combating. It stated hospitals and medical facilities within the capital had been shelled, and ambulance groups had been barred from evacuating civilians, in acts that “quantity to struggle crimes”.
Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina reported a cautious calm in Tripoli on Saturday night. “Issues have calmed down because the combating started. However individuals right here nonetheless concern that Libya could also be on the verge of a full scale battle,” he stated from the Libyan capital.
The standoff for energy in Libya has pitted the Tripoli-based Authorities of Nationwide Unity (GNU) below Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in opposition to a rival administration below Fathi Bashagha that’s backed by the eastern-based parliament.
Dbeibah’s GNU, put in as a part of a United Nations-led peace course of following a earlier spherical of violence, stated the newest clashes in Tripoli had been triggered by fighters aligned with Bashagha firing on a convoy within the capital whereas different pro-Bashagha models had massed exterior the town.
It accused Bashagha of backing out of talks to resolve the disaster.
Bashagha, who’s backed by Libya’s parliament and eastern-based army strongman Khalifa Haftar, says the GNU’s mandate has expired. However he has up to now been unable to take workplace in Tripoli, as Dbeibah has insisted on solely handing energy to an elected authorities.
Bashagha’s administration stated in an announcement that it had by no means rejected talks and that its personal overtures had been rejected by Dbeibah.
It didn’t instantly reply to the assertion that it was linked to the clashes.
Witnesses informed the Reuters information company that forces aligned with Bashagha tried to take territory in Tripoli from a number of instructions on Saturday, however his fundamental army convoy turned again in direction of the coastal metropolis of Misrata earlier than reaching the capital.
Dbeibah later posted a video on-line exhibiting him visiting fighters within the metropolis after clashes stopped.
Turkey, which has a army presence round Tripoli and helped forces within the metropolis combat off an japanese assault in 2020 with drone assaults, referred to as for a direct ceasefire and stated “we proceed to face by our Libyan brothers”.
The US’s ambassador to Libya, Richard Norland, stated in an announcement that Washington “condemns” the surge in violence, urging an “rapid ceasefire and UN-facilitated talks between the conflicting events”.
Emadeddin Badi, a senior fellow on the Atlantic Council, warned that the violence may shortly escalate.
“City warfare has its personal logic, it’s dangerous each to civilian infrastructure and to individuals, so even when it isn’t a protracted struggle, this battle shall be very harmful as we now have already seen,” he informed AFP.
He added that the combating may strengthen Haftar and people near him.
“They stand to learn from western Libya divisions and have a greater negotiating place as soon as the mud settles.”
The municipal council of Tripoli blamed the ruling political class for the deteriorating state of affairs within the capital, and urged the worldwide neighborhood to “shield civilians in Libya”.
“Civil society establishments in Tripoli strongly condemn the armed clashes within the metropolis of Tripoli and maintain the collaborating events answerable for shedding civilian blood, intimidating safety, and destroying personal and public property,” stated Omar Weheba, a metropolis official.
Libya has had little peace because the 2011 NATO-backed rebellion that ousted Muammar Gaddafi and it cut up in 2014 between rival japanese and western factions, dragging in regional powers.
World
What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry
BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels.
The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company.
Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry.
An industry shakeup
The ascent of Chinese automakers is rattling the industry at a time when manufacturers are struggling to shift from fossil fuel-driven vehicles to electrics. Relatively inexpensive EVs from China’s BYD, Great Wall and Nio are eating into the market shares of U.S. and Japanese car companies in China and elsewhere.
Japanese automakers have lagged behind big rivals in EVs and are now trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.
Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they will share components for electric vehicles like batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes in the auto industry centered around electrification. A preliminary agreement between Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, and Nissan, third largest, was announced in March.
A merger could result in a behemoth worth about $55 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.
Joining forces would help the smaller Japanese automakers add scale to compete with Japan’s market leader Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany’s Volkswagen AG. Toyota itself has technology partnerships with Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.
What would Honda need from Nissan?
Nissan has truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda doesn’t have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, said Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions.
Nissan also has years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.
“Nissan does have some product segments where Honda doesn’t currently play,” that a merger or partnership could help, said Sam Abuelsamid, a Detroit-area automotive industry analsyt.
While Nissan’s electric Leaf and Ariya haven’t sold well in the U.S., they’re solid vehicles, Fiorani said. “They haven’t been resting on their laurels, and they have been developing this technology,” he said. “They have new products coming that could provide a good platform for Honda for its next generation.”
Why now?
Nissan said last month that it was slashing 9,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global work force, and reducing global production capacity by 20% after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).
Earlier this month it reshuffled its management and its chief executive, Makoto Uchida, took a 50% pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes, saying Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.
Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s credit outlook to “negative,” citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).
Nissan’s share price has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain. A report in the Japanese financial magazine Diamond said talks with Honda gained urgency after the Taiwan maker of iPhones Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, began exploring a possible acquisition of Nissan as part of its push into the EV sector.
The company has struggled for years following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He eventually was released on bail and fled to Lebanon.
Honda reported its profits slipped nearly 20% in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.
More headwinds
Toyota made 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, while Honda rolled out 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million. Even after a merger Toyota would remain the leading Japanese automaker.
All the global automakers are facing potential shocks if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on threats to raise or impose tariffs on imports of foreign products, even from allies like Japan and neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. Nissan is among the major car companies that have adjusted their supply chains to include vehicles assembled in Mexico.
Meanwhile, analysts say there is an “affordability shift” taking place across the industry, led by people who feel they cannot afford to pay nearly $50,000 for a new vehicle. In American, a vital market for companies like Nissan, Honda and Toyota, that’s forcing automakers to consider lower pricing, which will eat further into industry profits.
____
AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher contributed to this report from Detroit.
World
US military conducts successful airstrikes on Houthi rebel forces in Yemen
The U.S. military confirmed it conducted airstrikes in Yemen, saying it targeted a missile storage site and a command-and-control center operated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the successful strikes in a release Saturday, saying they were meant to “disrupt and degrade” Houthi operations.
“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said in a news release.
DISAPPROVAL MOUNTS BOTH AT HOME AND ABROAD AS US AVOIDS DIRECT ACTION AGAINST HOUTHI REBELS
Footage from CENTCOM showed F/A-18’s taking off. The agency said it also used assets from the Navy and the Air Force.
US NAVY SHIPS REPEL ATTACK FROM HOUTHIS IN GULF OF ADEN
“The strike reflects CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment to protect U.S. and coalition personnel, regional partners and international shipping,” it said.
The attacks against shipping are ongoing, and Houthi militants have vowed to continue until Israel ends its campaign in Gaza.
The terrorist group has targeted more than 100 merchant vessels since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.
World
Fact check: How deadly was 2024 for journalists?
An estimated 104 journalists lost their lives in 2024, with Palestine the most dangerous territory.
An estimated 104 journalists were killed worldwide over the past year, according to data shared earlier this month by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Another report by NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) puts the figure at 54, but its methodology means it only includes killings that are considered “directly related” to journalists’ professional activity.
Both organisations say that Palestine is the deadliest place on earth for journalists. More than half (55) of the 104 killings reported by IFJ were Palestinian media professionals in Gaza, while a further six were killed in Lebanon.
At least 138 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on 7 October 2023, making the country one of the “most dangerous in the history of modern journalism, behind Iraq, the Philippines and Mexico,” according to the IFJ.
Reporters without Borders has described the number of killings in Gaza as “an unprecedented bloodbath”.
Israel firmly denies it has intentionally targeted any journalists, but has recognised some that have been killed in its airstrikes on Gaza.
The 104 total killings reported by the IFJ is a slight decrease on the 129 they reported on in 2023, which is considered the bloodiest year for journalists since 1990.
How do other world regions fare?
Asia Pacific is the world’s second most dangerous region for journalists, after the Middle East, according to the IFJ.
It recorded 20 deaths in the region in 2024, of which 70% happened in the southern Asian countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The region has seen an “upsurge” in violence, according to the IFJ, with deaths increasing sharply from the 12 recorded in 2023.
Africa was the third most dangerous region for journalists at eight deaths, five of them in war-torn Sudan.
The number of journalists killed in south, central and north America has dropped sharply over the past two years, from 30 in 2022 to six in 2023, and another six in 2024. Mexico, considered to be one of the deadliest places in the world to do journalism, continues to see “threats, intimidation, kidnappings and murders” against journalists, particularly due to reporting on drug trafficking.
Number of journalists behind bars on the rise
According to IFJ estimates on 10 December, there were 520 journalists in prison across the world, considerably more than in 2023 (427) and 2022 (375).
China, including Hong Kong, accounts for most of journalists behind bars, followed by Israel and Myanmar.
The IFJ says the figures show how “fragile” the independent press is and how “risky and dangerous” the profession of journalism has become.
-
Politics1 week ago
Canadian premier threatens to cut off energy imports to US if Trump imposes tariff on country
-
Technology1 week ago
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Supreme Court will decide if oil industry may sue to block California's zero-emissions goal
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta asks the US government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
-
Business1 week ago
Freddie Freeman's World Series walk-off grand slam baseball sells at auction for $1.56 million
-
Technology1 week ago
Meta’s Instagram boss: who posted something matters more in the AI age
-
News1 week ago
East’s wintry mix could make travel dicey. And yes, that was a tornado in Calif.
-
Technology2 days ago
Google’s counteroffer to the government trying to break it up is unbundling Android apps