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New York, Feb 18 (IANS) The Central American country of Costa Rica has agreed to accept illegal Indian migrants deported from the US, creating a bridge for working out their eventual fate.

The deportations will start on Wednesday under a US-funded programme and the migrants will be detained in a temporary centre near the border with Panama, the office of President Rodrigo Chaves Robles has announced.

Neither Costa Rica nor the US has said what would happen to the migrants after their detention in Costa Rica.

The deal helps the US avoid setting up massive detention facilities within the country for migrants waiting to be deported and avoid the negative optics,

"The Government of Costa Rica agreed to collaborate with the United States in the repatriation of 200 illegal immigrants to their country," the President's office said, adding that the deportees would include those from India and Central Asia.

India has agreed to take back at least 18,000 illegal migrants in the US and Washington began deporting them directly to India.

The third plane carrying 112 illegal migrants landed in Amritsar on Monday.

During his visit to Washington last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India will take back any verified Indian illegal migrant in the US and will also crack down on human traffickers exploiting the vulnerable.

The arrangement with Costa Rica followed a visit there by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to get the country to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal migration.

Under similar deals, El Salvador, Panama, and Guatemala are also receiving deported migrants.

Illegal migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China were sent to Panama last week.

The Trump administration also set up a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, where terrorists involved in the 9/11 al-Qaeda attack on the US are housed.

Guantanamo Bay is technically in Cuba, but the area had been leased to the US for a naval base, limiting the application of some aspects of US laws as an external territory.

Costa Rica is on the path of illegal migrants coming through from elsewhere in South America, travelling through the notorious Darien Gap jungles in Panama, to head onwards to the US.

Some videos on social media promoting illegal migration from India, show the "Donkey Route" taking this path.

At his news conference in Washington on Thursday with Trump at his side, PM Modi said, India and the US "have always been of the same opinion, and that any verified Indian who is in the US illegally, we are fully prepared to take them back to India".

He called for cooperation between the US and India to root out traffickers exploiting "the young, vulnerable, poor people of India" who "are fooled into coming over as illegal immigrants".

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New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Monday that he is confident that talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani will deepen the close friendship between India and Qatar.

“Honoured to call on H.H. @TamimBinHamad, Amir of Qatar on his arrival in New Delhi for a State Visit. Value his guidance on advancing our cooperation in many domains. Confident that his talks with PM @narendramodi tomorrow will deepen our close bonds of friendship,” EAM Jaishankar wrote on X.

Earlier, PM Modi received the Qatar Amir at the Air Force Station in Palam. The two leaders met with a warm embrace, signifying the special relationship between both countries.

"A special gesture for a special friend! PM Narendra Modi welcomed HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, at the airport, as he arrived in New Delhi on his second State visit to India. The visit will further strengthen the bonds of India-Qatar partnership," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted on X.

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani is paying a two-day State Visit to India - his second to the country after March 2015 - at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.

The Amir of the State of Qatar is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and a business delegation.

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on Tuesday before holding talks with PM Modi on various aspects of the bilateral relations at the Hyderabad House.

During the visit, he will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu who will also host a banquet in his honour.

"​India and Qatar have deep-rooted historical ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect. In recent years, the ties between the two countries including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, technology, culture and people-to-people ties have continued to strengthen," read a statement issued by the MEA before Amir's India arrival.

"The Indian community residing in Qatar forms the largest expatriate community of Qatar, and is appreciated for its positive contribution in the progress and development of Qatar. The visit of His Highness the Amir will provide further momentum to our growing multifaceted partnership," it added.

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Kyiv, Feb 17 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv would not participate in the upcoming US-Russia negotiations set to take place in Saudi Arabia this week, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

"Ukraine will not take part. Ukraine knew nothing about this," Zelensky was quoted as saying, emphasising that Kyiv will not accept the results of the negotiations that do not involve Ukraine.

"We cannot recognise anything or any agreements about us without us. And we will not recognise such agreements," he emphasised.

Zelensky added that his official visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday "has no connection with the things that are happening in Saudi Arabia at the level of representatives of the United States and Russia," Xinhua news agency reported.

The US and Russian delegations are set to meet on Tuesday to discuss a possible solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to local media reports.

Russian and US envoys will prepare possible talks on Ukrainian settlement and organise a meeting of their Presidents during the Tuesday meeting, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Peskov said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Aide to the President of Russia Yuri Ushakov on Monday were flying to Riyadh on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that they will meet with US representatives on Tuesday.

Lavrov and Ushakov will report to Putin on the results of the talks there, he said.

The representatives from the US side will be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, NBC News reported.

Putin and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on February 12, during which the two leaders agreed to keep personal contacts, including arranging a meeting in the future.

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Beirut, Feb 17 (IANS) Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday voiced concerns over whether Israel would completely withdraw from southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

"We fear that the complete withdrawal may not be achieved tomorrow, and Lebanon's response will come through a unified national stance," he said.

"War is not a viable option," Aoun affirmed in a statement released by Lebanon's Presidency, adding that diplomatic channels will be prioritised since Lebanon cannot endure another conflict. He also confirmed that the Lebanese army is ready to deploy in villages and towns vacated by Israeli forces.

Also on Monday, the Lebanese President met with the five-member committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire agreement, Xinhua news agency reported. The committee confirmed its ongoing diplomatic efforts to finalize the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as soon as possible.

Israeli forces are scheduled to pull out from southern Lebanon by February 18 after an already extended deadline but expressed intention to maintain positions at five key strategic locations in the area, which was roundly rejected by the Lebanese government.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the possibility of the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing post-war Gaza.

In a response to media reports that Hamas had expressed willingness to relinquish control of the enclave to the PA, Netanyahu said in a statement: "As I promised -- the day after the war in Gaza, there will be no Hamas and no Palestinian Authority."

He reiterated his support for US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, which includes the transfer of the enclave's Palestinian population to neighbouring countries. Arab leaders have rejected the proposal.

"I am committed to President Trump's plan for creating a different Gaza," Netanyahu said.

Israel objects to Palestinian sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, territories it seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

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Moscow, Feb 17 (IANS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov are heading to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to meet a US delegation comprising Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Tuesday to prepare the ground for the much-anticipated meeting between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"At President Putin's request, Lavrov and Ushakov are flying to Riyadh today. They will meet with their American counterparts to discuss, first and foremost, restoring the full scope of the US-Russia relations," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov while addressing a press briefing in Moscow on Monday.

Supporting the decision to keep the European Union away from the scheduled meeting, the Russian Foreign Minister stated that he saw no reason for European leaders to take part in negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine and accused Brussels of wanting to prolong the conflict.

"I don't know what they (European officials) would do at the negotiating table. If they are going to sit at the negotiating table with the aim of continuing war, then why invite them there," Lavrov said while speaking to the media in Moscow on Monday.

Meanwhile, Germany has expressed its unhappiness for not being invited to the negotiation table on the Russian-Ukraine conflict. The Russian media quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying that Germany should look for the reasons for this decision in its own country.

The recent turn of events at the Munich Security Conference gives a clear indication that the US will not allow Europe to piggyback in resolving the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine conflict. The European leaders have also openly expressed their unhappiness for being excluded from talks.

Lavrov and Rubio held a telephonic conversation on Saturday to discuss a range of issues, including the planned meeting between President Putin and President Trump. Both agreed to maintain a channel of communication to resolve the accumulated problems in US-Russian relations and "for removing unilateral barriers, inherited from the previous administration, to mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation," stated the Russian Foreign Ministry.

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Muscat, Feb 16 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar held a series of meetings with his counterparts from the neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Conference in Muscat, on Sunday.

"Met Foreign Affairs Advisor Md. Touhid Hossain of the Interim Government of Bangladesh. Conversation was focused on our bilateral relationship, as also on BIMSTEC," the EAM posted on X after his meeting with Hossain, the Foreign Affairs Advisor to the interim government in Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus.

The EAM also held discussions with Nepal Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, Lankan FM Vijitha Herath, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel and Mauritius FM Dhananjay Ritish Ramful.

The 8th Indian Ocean Conference is being organised by the India Foundation in association with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman on February 16-17 in Muscat, Oman. The theme for this year of the conference, which serves as a key platform for regional dialogue, is 'Voyages to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership'.

EAM Jaishankar and Hossain had last met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September, marking the first high-level engagement between India and Bangladesh's interim government after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster in August 2024.

Even though India continues to bat for normalisation of relations between the two neighbouring countries, the current regime in Dhaka has faced massive criticism for making groundless accusations and also targeted the Hindu community in Bangladesh since the mass uprising of students and the dramatic fall of Hasina's Awami League government on August 5, last year.

In December, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Dhaka on a day-long visit, conveying New Delhi's concerns, especially those related to the safety and welfare of minorities in Bangladesh, to the top leadership of the interim government.

The 6th Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit is scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from April 2-4, later this year.

Bangladesh will take as the next chair of BIMSTEC at the summit.

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Busan, Feb 16 (IANS) Authorities on Sunday began a joint on-site investigation into a fire at a hotel construction site in the southeastern port city of Busan that killed six workers and injured 27 others.

The fire at the Banyan Tree hotel under construction started on Friday morning, presumably from insulating material loaded near a swimming pool on the first floor of one of the three buildings on the site, according to authorities.

Officials said the joint probe is expected to focus on figuring out the reason that the six victims on the first floor died, reports Yonhap news agency.

The officials were also expected to seek to confirm the possibility the blaze may have been caused after inflammable materials caught fire during welding work.

Construction for the luxury resort hotel began in April 2022, and its opening was scheduled for the first half of this year.

In the wake of the fire at the hotel construction site in Busan, the labour ministry ordered safety checks at some 1,000 construction sites.

The ministry said it will conduct on-site inspections into such building sites where the last stages of construction involving insulation materials are under way.

The deceased were found at the location where the fire broke out, and it's presumed they weren't able to escape because there was a lot of flammable material near the exit.

Firefighters rescued those trapped inside using helicopters, but six were later pronounced dead. Fourteen others were safely rescued from the roof, while more than a hundred workers were evacuated.

Earlier, authorities raised the fire response level to Level 2 of the three-tier system amid concerns over rising casualties. Hundreds of workers were reportedly near the site when the fire broke out.

South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered the mobilisation of all available personnel and equipment to assist in the rescue efforts.

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Munich, Feb 16 (IANS) Security scenarios in the Indo-Pacific and North Korea were discussed by the United States, Japan, and South Korea on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference 2025.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul stressed their shared commitment to ensure the safety, security, and prosperity of the three countries and the Indo-Pacific region, a joint statement issued by the US State Department said.

Expressing their serious concerns over and the need to address together the DPRK's nuclear and missile programmes and malicious cyber activities, they reaffirmed their resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs).

Condemning the gross violations of human rights in North Korea and its nuclear and missile programmes, the trilateral cooperation pledged to take decisive actions to counter threats, enhance economic resilience, and advance shared interests.

Reaffirming their commitment to bolstering defence and deterrence, they emphasised their shared commitment to the safety, security, and prosperity of their three countries and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

Opposing any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the waters of the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea, they emphasised their commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensuring international law prevails.

The partnership mainly aims to counter China's aggressive policy in the Indo-Pacific and nuclear threats from North Korea.

In the North China Sea, China and Japan are at loggerheads for the territorial sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands. The trilateral cooperation collaborates to advance its security infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific to counter the assertiveness of China and maintain peace and stability in the region.

Last week, President Donald Trump and Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met in Washington, DC during which they affirmed their determination to pursue a new golden age for the relations between the two nations that uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific and ensures peace and prosperity.

Notably, North Korean President Kim Jong Un never shied away from issuing nuclear threats against the United States and South Korea in case of a conflict.

In October 2024, Kim threatened to destroy South Korea permanently with nuclear weapons if provoked.

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Kyiv, Feb 16 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that we have begun collaborating with US President Donald Trump’s team and are seeing progress towards achieving peace and stopping the war with Russia.

"We have begun working with President Trump’s team and can already see that success is attainable. Right now, the world is looking up to America as the power that has the ability to not only stop the war but also help ensure the reliability of peace afterward. Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, I had a good call with the President of the US, as well as a substantive meeting with Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio,” Zelensky posted on X.

“We are also expecting General Kellogg to visit Ukraine soon to further assess the situation and explore pathways to President Trump’s strong solutions, which can be truly peacemaking. Our teams are working throughly and in detail on a special agreement between our countries — one that will certainly strengthen both America and Ukraine. We are committed to making it a real success, exactly as we agreed," Zelensky added.

Earlier, speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he said, “I hope that we can count that, really, President Trump will help us. I really count on him because he is the president of the US."

However, according to media reports, Zelensky also warned of guaranteed US support for Europe are over. While delivering the speech he cautioned, “The old days are over – when America supported Europe just because it always had.”

In a separate development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday held telephonic conversation and discussed on a range of issues, including the planned meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump.

According to media reports, Lavrov and Rubio agreed to maintain a channel of communication to resolve accumulated problems in US-Russian relations "for removing unilateral barriers, inherited from the previous administration, to mutually beneficial trade, economic and investment cooperation," stated the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The much anticipated Ukraine peace talks between Trump and Putin are expected to be held in Saudi Arabia soon.

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Addis Ababa, Feb 16 (IANS) Officials and experts from African countries and the African Union (AU) reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the continent's reparatory justice agenda, urging concrete steps to ensure full accountability for historical injustices against Africans and people of African descent.

They made the call during a high-level pre-launch meeting of the AU's 2025 theme, "Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations," held on the sidelines of the ongoing 38th AU summit, which is taking place from February 12 to 16 at its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

Speaking at the meeting, Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa emphasised the significance of dedicating 2025 to the cause of reparatory justice. He emphasised that Ghana, as an AU champion on reparations, supports this "landmark decision," which aligns with the broader objectives of Agenda 2063, the continent's 50-year development blueprint focused on liberation, unity, and socioeconomic empowerment.

"This moment marks a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of justice, equity, and the long overdue recognition of historical injustices that continue to shape the lives of Africans and people of African descent worldwide," Ablakwa said.

Ablakwa said the consequences of these injustices persist today in the form of economic disparities, social inequalities, systemic discrimination, and racial prejudices. "Addressing these challenges requires more than acknowledgement. It demands action. The 2025 AU theme of the year is, therefore, a call to galvanise efforts toward reparatory justice. It is an appeal to ensure that the dignity, rights, and well-being of Africans and their descendants are fully restored," he stressed.

The pre-launch event set a powerful tone ahead of the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, where African leaders are expected to formally launch the 2025 theme and outline concrete steps to advance the reparations agenda.

AU Commission Deputy Chairperson Monique Nsanzabaganwa stressed that the "devastating consequences of the deliberate and institutionalised acts" of historical injustices, stemming from enslavement, colonial exploitation, racial discrimination, and systemic economic marginalisation, have affected Africans and their descendants for centuries.

Noting that the historical injustices have deprived the dignity, sovereignty, and rightful opportunities of generations of Africans, Nsanzabaganwa said the theme of the year is "a continuation of a long-standing struggle grounded in the resilience of our ancestors and the unwavering advocacy of today's leaders."

--IANS

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