Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports

Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports
The Assad regime was overthrown in early December. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2025
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Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports

Russia, Syria to hold further talks on Russian military bases in Syria, TASS reports

DAMASCUS: Russia and Syria will hold further talks regarding Russian military bases in Syria, Russia’s news agencies reported late on Tuesday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as telling journalists after his talks with Syrian officials.
“This issue requires additional negotiations,” TASS news agency cited Bogdanov as saying. Bogdanov is heading Russia’s delegation to Damascus for the first time since Moscow’s ally President Bashar Assad was toppled.
He added that so far there have been no changes to the presence of Russian military bases in the country.

 

 


Pakistan heightens security measures in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of Champions Trophy 

Pakistan heightens security measures in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of Champions Trophy 
Updated 18 sec ago
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Pakistan heightens security measures in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of Champions Trophy 

Pakistan heightens security measures in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of Champions Trophy 
  • Pakistan will host eight-nation Champions Trophy cricket tournament from Feb. 19-Mar. 9 
  • Police in Lahore, Karachi and twin cities have deployed over 20,000 troops for security 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have started implementing sweeping security measures in the southern port city of Karachi and Punjab’s Lahore and Rawalpindi ahead of the Champions Trophy tournament, the first multi-country cricket event in nearly 30 years to take place in the country. 

The South Asian nation hopes to erase worries of instability in the country and restore confidence in it as a tourism and investment destination despite its security challenges. Pakistan has suffered a surge in militant attacks in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since November 2022 after a fragile truce between militants and the state broke down. 

A near fatal militant attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 in Lahore scared away international teams from touring Pakistan for several years. For the Champions Trophy, police in Lahore, Karachi and the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have deployed over 20,000 troops, including snipers on rooftops along key routes. Hotels where players will stay, stadiums and airports will be heavily guarded as will the roads connecting these locations.

“My team and all the members of all the relevant forces are engaged in this, and from the police side 5000 plus police officers will be deployed,” Maqsood Ahmed, the deputy inspector general of security in Karachi, told Reuters. “They will be doing the traffic duties, the rout protection, the venue protection, the crowd management and other duties along with the intelligence gathering and the operations before the event.”

Pakistan's para-military soldiers stand guard at the National Stadium in Karachi on February 17, 2025. (AFP)

Karachi police said they have set up an additional SWAT unit to respond to emergencies and conducted preventive intelligence operations to identify potential threats. Ahmed said other law enforcement agencies such as Rangers and the Pakistan Army will cover emergency situations as a secondary reaction force.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police have updated surveillance systems and installed around 10,000 AI-powered facial recognition cameras and additional CCTV cameras across the two cities.

Mohammad Taha, a Karachi resident, pointed out that in the past, authorities would not only block the main thoroughfare but all streets surrounding the National Stadium in the city when international cricket newly returned to Pakistan.

“Now the situation is different,” he told Reuters. “Yes, the main thoroughfare Shahrah-e-Faisal will be closed but the traffic will keep flowing on other roads and flyovers surrounding the stadium.”

Pakistan's police commandos stand guard outside the National Stadium in Karachi on February 17, 2025. (AFP)

Mohammad Munaf, another Karachi resident, agreed. 

“This time the planning seems to be good that the matches are going on and there is no hindrance in traffic flow,” Munaf told Reuters. “The security is also very good. We can easily go to watch matches. We can go toward stadium or anywhere near it anytime. So, we don’t face these issues.”
 


North Korea slams US and Asian rivals for pursuing ‘absurd’ plans to denuclearize Pyongyang

North Korea slams US and Asian rivals for pursuing ‘absurd’ plans to denuclearize Pyongyang
Updated 17 min 48 sec ago
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North Korea slams US and Asian rivals for pursuing ‘absurd’ plans to denuclearize Pyongyang

North Korea slams US and Asian rivals for pursuing ‘absurd’ plans to denuclearize Pyongyang
  • It was the latest North Korean statement accusing the US of maintaining hostile policies against Pyongyang
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met three times in 2018 and 2019 during Trump’s first term, but their diplomacy quickly collapsed

SEOUL: North Korea on Tuesday criticized the United States and Asian neighbors for pursuing the “absurd” goal of denuclearizing the North and said it will push to expand its nuclear forces under the direction of its authoritarian leader Kim Jong Un.
The statement by Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry came after the top diplomats of the US, South Korea and Japan met at a security conference in Germany and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military cooperation and reinforcing an international sanctions regime to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
The North Korean ministry accused the US of trying to realize an “outdated and absurd plan” of denuclearizing the North and warned of “overwhelming and decisive counteraction” against its rivals if it perceives its security is under threat. It said the North will “consistently adhere to the new line of bolstering the nuclear force” established by Kim and “thoroughly deter the US and its vassal forces” from threats and blackmail against the North’s sovereignty.
It was the latest North Korean statement accusing the US of maintaining hostile policies against Pyongyang, though state media has so far avoided directly naming US President Donald Trump, who, during his first term, engaged in unprecedented summits with the North Korean leader.
US Secretary of State Mark Rubio held a three-way meeting with the South Korean and Japanese foreign ministers in Munich, Germany, on Saturday and reaffirmed their commitment to the North’s “complete denuclearization” and maintaining an effective sanctions regime targeting the country’s weapons program. The countries also agreed to bolster defense and deterrence, including by expanding three-way military exercises and strengthening Japan and South Korea’s military capabilities, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.
Likely no quick fix under Trump
Trump and Kim met three times in 2018 and 2019 during Trump’s first term, but their diplomacy quickly collapsed over disagreements about exchanging the release of US-led sanctions for North Korean steps to wind down its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has since suspended any meaningful talks with Washington and Seoul as Kim ramped up his testing activity and military demonstrations to counter what he portrayed as “gangster-like US threats.”
Kim’s foreign policy priority is now Russia, which he has supplied with weapons and troops to help prolong Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Seoul fears that Kim may receive economic assistance and advanced technology to develop his arsenal in exchange for its military supporting Russia.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said a diplomatic delegation led by Kim Ik Song, director of the Bureau for Affairs with Diplomatic Corps, departed for Russia on Monday in the latest diplomatic activity between the countries. The agency didn’t specify what will be discussed during the meetings.
Trump’s election win has touched off speculation about a possible resumption of summit-driven diplomacy with Kim, but analysts say a quick return to 2018 is unlikely, given the significant changes in the regional security situation and broader geopolitics since then.
North Korea’s nuclear program is no longer an independent issue but connected with broader challenges created by Russia’s war on Ukraine and further complicated by weakened sanctions enforcement against Pyongyang.
Kim’s efforts to boost North Korea’s presence in a united front against Washington could also gain strength if Trump’s efforts to increase tariffs and reset global trade rekindles a trade war with China, the North’s main ally and economic lifeline, according to some experts.


Kohli, Rohit near endgame as India chase Champions Trophy glory

Kohli, Rohit near endgame as India chase Champions Trophy glory
Updated 26 min 22 sec ago
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Kohli, Rohit near endgame as India chase Champions Trophy glory

Kohli, Rohit near endgame as India chase Champions Trophy glory
  • Both superstars have been mired in long lean patches in Tests, have already retired from T20 cricket
  • Superstars failed to impress when India’s board ordered contracted players to play domestic cricket

DUBAI: India captain Rohit Sharma and superstar batsman Virat Kohli enter the Champions Trophy this week with intense focus on their dwindling powers and speculation over when they will retire.

The 37-year-old Rohit and Kohli, 36, got back among the runs to some degree in India’s 3-0 ODI home sweep of England last week.

But both have been mired in long lean patches in Tests and have already retired from T20 cricket following last year’s World Cup triumph.

Age is clearly catching up with the duo ahead of India’s first match of the 50-over Champions Trophy, against Bangladesh on Thursday in Dubai.

Neither player — both mainstays of a formidable India team for more than 15 years — has said what their plans are.

But one Indian media report, citing anonymous sources at the cricket board, said opener Rohit had been pressed to make a decision on his future by the time the tournament ends.

Rohit’s Test career already looks over, the skipper having “rested” for the decisive, final Test against Australia.

“Hopefully they know when the right time to play is,” India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev said.

“When they think it is not, they will call it off.”

Following the bruising 3-1 Test defeat in Australia, India’s board ordered contracted players to play domestic cricket.

But both flopped, with Rohit scoring three and 28 in his first and second innings for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and Kohli scoring six off 15 balls for Delhi.

If the idea was to help them play their way back into form, it did not work.

Despite intense conjecture about their futures India head coach Gautam Gambhir said the two stalwarts will have “massive roles” to play at the Champions Trophy.

India, who will play their games in Dubai after refusing to visit neighbors and hosts Pakistan, are favorites to win the title for a third time.

Rohit came into the England ODIs with just 31 runs in three matches in the Australia Test series defeat.

He scored two in the first ODI against England before rolling back the years in the second with a 90-ball 119.

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar was skeptical that Rohit could push on from there.

“He wanted a big hundred and he finally got it,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.

“Whether he can hit a few more... we will have to wait. I am not confident.”

Rohit then got out for one in the final match against England.

It was in that match that Kohli finally came good with his 52 — his 73rd half-century in 297 ODIs.

Kohli started tentatively before finding his groove in Ahmedabad to finish with seven fours and one six in his 55-ball innings.

No matter what happens at the Champions Trophy, the expectation in India is that Kohli will continue to play Test cricket.

Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen warned India against discarding the duo prematurely.

“You can’t write these guys off because of the aura they have when they walk out to bat,” said Pietersen in his role as a television pundit.

Pietersen said that Kohli in particular had earned the right to go out on his own terms.

“The question mark doesn’t come down to me, you, the selectors, the coaches, and the other players,” he said.

“Virat Kohli can only answer the question in terms of how long he wants to continue and how much fight he has to get better and to create those high standards that everybody expects from him.”


‘Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of US following deadly weekend flooding

‘Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of US following deadly weekend flooding
Updated 18 min 36 sec ago
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‘Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of US following deadly weekend flooding

‘Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of US following deadly weekend flooding
  • The National Weather Service is warning of life-threatening cold as wind chills drop to minus 60 Fahrenheit in parts of North Dakota
  • Extreme cold warnings have been issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canada border to Oklahoma and central Texas

BISMARCK: Harsh cold descended on the nation’s midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummeled the Eastern US with floods, killing at least 14 people.
The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit (minus 51 Celsius) in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 50 F (minus 46 C) in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder.
Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the US stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek.
Meteorologists had predicted that parts of the US would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are pushing chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the US and Europe.
Kentucky, Appalachia battered by flooding with at least 13 dead

The death toll in flood-battered Kentucky rose to 12, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday night. Two fatal vehicle crashes were connected to the severe weather, he said, and at least 1,000 people stranded by floods had to be rescued.
Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.
In West Virginia, where there was one confirmed fatality with several people still missing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for a 13-county region ravaged by flooding.
Near Logan, West Virginia, authorities responded Monday night to the spill of acidic water from an abandoned coal mine. The mine blowout damaged a road, making it impassable, fire officials said.
In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early Sunday.
Flood warnings were extended Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.
Rockies, Midwest, Northeast hit with snow storms
In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather advisory, a state trooper was killed Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The trooper’s name and further circumstances of the fatality were not immediately released.
Ice and snow made travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon.
Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to be cautious.
Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning Monday for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Two ice climbers were rescued in the White Mountains on Sunday after triggering an avalanche that partially buried one of them, officials said.
Part of Detroit is submerged in water after pipe burst
Parts of a southwest Detroit neighborhood were submerged after a nearly century-old water main burst Monday, flooding streets, sidewalks and yards under several feet of water.
Firefighters used a ladder to help one person from the roof of a car in waist-deep water and a bulldozer was used to navigate a flooded street and help people leave a home, according to the fire department.
The 54-inch (137-centimeter) transmission main was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority.
Crews were attempting to isolate the break. It was not clear what caused it, but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing. No injuries have been reported.
Mayor Mike Duggan says people impacted by the flooding can shelter in place if they have power and feel safe. Those who want to leave can call 911 and fire crews will help them from their homes and take them to a temporary shelter.
Extreme cold gives the US a taste of the Arctic
This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record lows in some areas, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Anglin in Bismarck.
People should cover exposed skin and limit time outside to avoid frostbite, which can happen in minutes in such low temperatures, Anglin said. Neighbors should check on each other and those who are vulnerable and monitor heater vents to make sure they don’t ice up.
Due to the frigid conditions and a “lack of adequate heating fuel,” North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Monday waived hours-of-service requirements for commercial-vehicle drivers hauling propane and petroleum products. The waiver is for 30 days.
The cold snap in North Dakota was expected to reduce oil production by about 5 percent, or about 50,000 to 80,000 barrels a day — pretty typical for such conditions, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. It takes about a week once temperatures warm up for volumes to rebound, he said.
Death can happen in minutes for animals in such cold, said Julie Schirado, a founder of the Bismarck-based Furry Friends Rockin’ Rescue animal shelter. The shelter works with other rescues, and uses floor kennels, heated garages and basements to house animals, she said.
“We see death a lot but when the cold temperatures hit, then it’s jumped up some more. We lose kittens, puppies that are out in this weather ... Frostbite can be wicked,” Schirado said. People should bring their pets indoors in extreme cold.
At the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, which closed last weekend due to cold, critters such as bison, elk and bighorn sheep don’t mind the temperatures as they munch food to stay warm and have shelters to enter, Director Terry Lincoln said. And staff are still out, breaking through ice for their water, he said.
Lincoln, who lives at the zoo, said he walked to his office on Monday morning “and I had an ice-cream headache halfway there. You know it’s cold when you have an ice cream headache without eating ice cream.”


Syrians return to Homs, ‘capital of the revolution’

Syrians return to Homs, ‘capital of the revolution’
Updated 35 min 13 sec ago
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Syrians return to Homs, ‘capital of the revolution’

Syrians return to Homs, ‘capital of the revolution’
  • It was in Homs that rebels first took up arms to fight Assad’s crackdown on protests in 2011
  • Since Assad’s ouster, people have started returning to neighborhoods they fled

HOMS, Syria: Once dubbed the capital of the revolution against Bashar Assad, Homs saw some of the fiercest fighting in Syria’s civil war. Now, displaced people are returning to their neighborhoods, only to find them in ruins.
It was in Homs that rebels first took up arms to fight Assad’s crackdown on protests in 2011.
The military responded by besieging and bombarding rebel areas such as Baba Amr, where US journalist Marie Colvin and French journalist Remi Ochlik were killed in a bombing in 2012.
Since Assad’s ouster, people have started returning to neighborhoods they fled following successive evacuation agreements that saw Assad take back control.
“The house is burned down, there are no windows, no electricity,” said Duaa Turki at her dilapidated home in Khaldiyeh neighborhood.
“We removed the rubble, lay a carpet” and moved in, said the 30-year-old mother of four.
“Despite the destruction, we’re happy to be back. This is our neighborhood and our land.”
Her husband spends his days looking for a job, she said, while they hope humanitarian workers begin distributing aid to help the family survive.
The siege of Homs lasted two years and killed around 2,200 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
During the siege, thousands of civilians and rebels were left with nothing to eat but dried foods and grass.
In May 2014, under an evacuation deal negotiated with the former government, most of those trapped in the siege were evacuated, and two years later, Assad seized the last rebel district of Waer.
“We were besieged... without food or water, under air raids, and barrel bombings,” before being evacuated to the rebel-held north, Turki said.
AFP journalists saw dozens of families returning to Homs from northern Syria, many of them tearful as they stepped out of the buses organized by local activists.
Among them was Adnan Abu Al-Ezz, 50, whose son was wounded by shelling during the siege and who later died because soldiers at a checkpoint barred him from taking him to hospital.
“They refused to let me pass, they were mocking me,” he said with tears in his eyes.
“I knew my house was nearly destroyed, but I came back to the precious soil of Homs,” he said.
While protests and fighting spread across Syria over the course of the 13-year war, Homs’s story of rebellion holds profound symbolism for the demonstrators.
It was there that Abdel Basset Al-Sarout, a football goalkeeper in the national youth team, joined the protests and eventually took up arms.
He became something of a folk hero to many before he joined an Islamist armed group and was eventually killed in fighting.
In 2013, his story became the focus of a documentary by Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki named “The Return to Homs,” which won international accolades.
Homs returnee Abu Al-Moatasim, who remembers Sarout, recounted being detained for joining a protest.
When he saw security personnel approaching in a car, he prayed for “God to drop rocket on us so I die” before reaching the detention center, one of a network dotted around the country that were known for torture.
His father bribed an officer in exchange for his release a few days later, he said.
In Baba Amr, for a time early in the war a bastion of the rebel Free Syrian Army, there was rubble everywhere.
The army recaptured the district in March 2012, following a siege and an intense bombardment campaign.
It was there that Colvin and Ochlik were killed in a bombing of an opposition press center.
In 2019, a US court found Assad’s government culpable in Colvin’s death, ordering a $302.5 million judgment for what it called an “unconscionable” attack that targeted journalists.
Touring the building that housed the press center, Abdel Qader Al-Anjari, 40, said he was an activist helping foreign journalists at that time.
“Here we installed the first Internet router to communicate with the outside world,” he said.
“Marie Colvin was martyred here, targeted by the regime because they did not want (anyone) to document what was happening,” he said.
He described her as a “friend” who defied the “regime blackout imposed on journalists” and others documenting the war.
After leaving Homs, Anjari himself became a rebel fighter, and years later took part in the offensive that ousted Assad on December 8, 2024.
“Words cannot describe what I felt when I reached the outskirts of Homs,” he said.
Now, he has decided to lay down his arms.
“This phase does not call for fighters, it calls for people to build a state,” he said.