Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a downtown curfew Tuesday in response to looting and vandalism during protests against U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

The curfew extends from local time 20:00 to 06:00 and may continue for several days, Bass said. The move comes after Trump's mobilization of troops escalated tensions across the second-largest city in the U.S.

She said that the local authorities imposed the limited curfew in response to looting and vandalism that occurred downtown Monday night, following largely peaceful daytime protests.

The curfew exempts residents of the designated area, homeless individuals, credentialed media and public safety or emergency officials, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Bass announced the curfew as protests against raids by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stretched into the fifth day, with local media reporting demonstrators surged onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions, shortly before the order was issued.

California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an emergency motion with a court to prevent Trump's deployment of National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles to quell protests against immigration raids there.

According to Newsom, "the federal government is now turning the military against American citizens. Sending trained warfighters onto the streets is unprecedented." He asked the court to immediately block the actions, which he called unlawful.

Bonta argued the Trump administration's use of troops poses imminent harm to state sovereignty, deprives the state of vital resources, escalates tensions and promotes rather than quells civil unrest.

A U.S. federal judge denied the emergency request and granted the Trump administration additional time to respond. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies raided multiple locations in Los Angeles and arrested illegal immigrants on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in clashes and sparked mass protests.

Trump took extraordinary action on Saturday by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in the Los Angeles region, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of California Governor Newsom.

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Los Angeles imposes curfew in downtown area to stem chaotic protests

Transitioning from the role of Djiboutian foreign minister to the African Union (AU) commission chairperson was challenging but meaningful, said Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Jan 9.

Youssouf was elected as AU Commission Chairperson in Feb 2025, emerging victorious in the leadership race against Kenyan former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and Madagascan former Foreign Minister Richard Randriamandrato.

He said he was honored to take the job, which gave him an opportunity to serve more people.

"So many work, many crises. And I mean it's a continental job. It's not something, you know, just restricted to a country. So, it's very tough. If I can serve more people, you know, from this position of our continent and throughout the world, and I think I will be very much, you know, honored to do it. And I think it's a very interesting position, very tough and challenging. I accept to, you know, shoulder it," said Youssouf.

Youssouf was born in Feb 1965. In 1990, he obtained a master's degree in management at the University of Laval before participating in an educational training program in public management, also in Canada.

Youssouf is fluent in five languages, namely French, English, Arabic, Afar and Somali, which means he speaks at least three official working languages of the AU for effective communication across diverse diplomatic settings.

AU Commission chief describes role as challenging yet meaningful