World

Damascus, Dec 18 (IANS) The United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, said Wednesday that he sees hope for a "new Syria" developing in the aftermath of the country's recent political upheaval while acknowledging the formidable challenges that remain.

Speaking to reporters in Damascus after days of meetings, Pedersen noted that he had conferred with leaders from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), other armed factions, representatives of the Syrian National Coalition, as well as families of the detained and missing, civil society figures, and women activists.

"It's only been 11 days since HTS and other groups entered Damascus, so it's early days," Pedersen said, Xinhua news agency reported.

"But there is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria -- one that, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, adopts a new constitution ensuring a social contract for all Syrians and eventually holds free and fair elections after a transitional period," he remarked.

Pedersen underscored that the conflict is not over. While Damascus is relatively stable, some areas remain unsettled, particularly in Kurdish-controlled areas in the northeast. He welcomed the recent renewal of a truce there, urging a political solution and warning that the region's issues must be addressed to secure lasting peace.

The envoy also cited Syria's steep economic challenges as a major concern, calling for immediate humanitarian assistance, steps toward reconstruction, and the potential easing of sanctions. "We need to see economic recovery and hopefully start a process to end sanctions," he said.

Pedersen emphasized that a credible and inclusive political transition involving a broad range of Syrian society is crucial.

The UN, he stressed, stands ready to assist and cooperate with Syria's new authorities. "I look forward to continuing this dialogue," he said, pledging to work closely with the administration on critical issues facing the country.

--IANS

int/as

New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on a three-day State visit, on Tuesday visited a Jan Aushadhi Kendra at AIIMS here to gain insights into the country's quality and affordable medicine distribution system, an official said.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "President @anuradisanayake of Sri Lanka visited the Jan Aushadhi Kendra at AIIMS in Delhi today, to get a first-hand experience of India's quality and affordable health care system."

"Mutual sharing of experiences and learnings for the benefit of the people of our two countries is a key feature of India-Sri Lanka multifaceted relationship," he said.

On Tuesday morning, Dissanayake visited Bodh Gaya in Bihar's Gaya district and prayed at the Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The MEA spokesperson in a post on X said: "A relationship rooted in civilisational and spiritual ties! President @anuradisanayake of Sri Lanka visited the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya to seek blessings and offer prayers. Our shared values and common cultural heritage are the foundation and guiding force of our ever expanding partnership!"

The Sri Lanka President in a post on X wrote: "This morning (December 17), I had the privilege of visiting Bodh Gaya, the sacred site where Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment. I paid homage to the Mahabodhi Temple and Sri Maha Bodhi tree and offered floral tributes to the statue of Anagarika Dharmapala. Grateful for the blessings received by the General Secretary of the Maha Bodhi Society of India, Venerable Pelwatte Seewalee Thero and the Head of the Sarnath Centre, Venerable Rathmalwala Sumiththananda Thero."

After arriving at the Gaya International Airport, Dissanayake went straight to the 1,500-year-old Mahabodhi Temple, one of the four holy sites related to the life of Lord Buddha, and particularly to the attainment of Enlightenment. The Sri Lankan President was received by Bihar Ministers Prem Kumar and Santosh Kumar Suman and senior officials of the district administration at the airport.

During his bilateral discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House here on Monday, Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanked India for its support through the provision of a Dornier aircraft for maritime surveillance and the establishment of the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka, among other assistance vital for Sri Lanka to enhance its maritime domain awareness.

--IANS

khz/

Moscow, Dec 17 (IANS) Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defence Forces chief, Lt General Igor Kirillov, was killed in a bomb blast in southeastern Moscow early on Tuesday, with top Russian leaders blaming Ukraine for the crime, reports said.

Russian authorities reacted strongly to the incident, saying that he had constantly exposed the West's "crimes" in Ukraine and elsewhere.

The blast occurred around 6 a.m. outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in southeastern Moscow as Kirillov and his aide were leaving the premises to board an official vehicle, RT reported.

Russian investigators said an IED, containing TNT, was likely attached to an electric scooter near the building’s entrance and was most probably detonated remotely, by a radio signal or mobile phone, it added,

The blast shattered windows, damaged the building’s entrance, and destroyed the vehicle.

A criminal investigation under charges of murder, terrorism, and illegal weapons trafficking has been launched and Investigative Committee chief, Aleksandr Bastrykin, is personally supervising the case.

Investigators suspect Ukrainian special services were behind the attack, as per daily Kommersant, citing Kirillov’s regular military briefings, where he accused Kiev and the US of operating bio-laboratories and using chemical weapons.

As per local media, the murder was carried out on the orders of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), which had termed Kirillov as an "absolutely legitimate target".

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Lt Gen Kirillov had "for years systematically and fearlessly exposed Western crimes involving chemical weapons"

Throughout his career he had repeatedly exposed the crimes of the "Anglo-Americans" such as "NATO provocations with chemical weapons in Syria, Britain’s manipulations with prohibited chemical substances and provocations in Salisbury and Amesbury, the deadly activities of American biolabs in Ukraine, and much more", she said.

Former President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council, termed the attack Ukraine's "last agony".

"With its last strength, it is trying to justify its worthless existence before its Western masters, to prolong the war and death, to justify the catastrophic situation at the front. Realising the inevitability of its military defeat, it is inflicting cowardly and vile blows in peaceful cities," he said.

State Duma Defence Committee Chairman Andrey Kartapolov described Kirillov as a "worthy Russian general" and a "real officer", stating that had done “a lot to bring the US to justice,” particularly with regard to Washington’s activities in setting up laboratories around the world, including in Ukraine.

He added that Kirillov’s revelations have “caught too many people” and that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if figures outside of Kiev also had a hand in his assassination.

Kartapolov stressed that those who organised and carried out Kirillov’s murder will be found and punished, "whoever they are and wherever they are".

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin also condemned Kirillov’s assassination, stating that it once again highlights "the criminal nature of the Kiev regime".

--IANS

vd

Sanaa, Dec 17 (IANS) A US military warplane made an airstrike on the Defence Ministry building in the Houthi rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa late on Monday night.

The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said the 'US aggression' took place overnight, noting that the group vowed to retaliate by targeting "US interests and shipping in the Red Sea."

Local residents reported seeing several ambulances entering the facility late on Monday night as Houthi fighters cordoned off the area in downtown Sanaa until dawn on Tuesday.

The US Central Command confirmed in a statement that it conducted a "precision airstrike against a key command and control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sanaa, Yemen."

"The targeted facility was a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," it said.

The US airstrike came just hours after the Houthi group claimed responsibility for launching a 'hypersonic missile' at the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Monday, saying it hit a 'military target' there and vowing to launch more attacks.

Israeli media on Monday reported that sirens were activated in Tel Aviv after a rocket was detected launched from Yemen over the region's sky, Xinhua news agency reported.

Also on Monday, al-Masirah TV reported a US strike on the southern edge of the Midi district in Yemen's northwestern Hajjah province. According to two Yemeni government military sources, the strike targeted a mobile rocket launcher belonging to the Houthi group near the Red Sea. The US military has not commented on the alleged airstrike.

Since November 2023, the Houthi group has been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities, and disrupted 'Israeli-linked' shipping in the Red Sea.

In response, the US-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.

--IANS

int/jk/rad

Juba, Dec 17 (IANS) The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Tuesday called on authorities in South Sudan's Jonglei State and Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) to redouble efforts to reduce tensions between youth from both sides.

Nicholas Haysom, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for South Sudan and head of UNMISS, said immediate and targeted interventions by authorities and communities are needed to ensure clashes do not erupt.

"UNMISS condemns repeated criminal activity in these areas and urges all parties to refrain from further confrontation," Haysom said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The statement followed allegations of attempted cattle raids in Gumuruk County and along the west bank of the Nanaam River on December 14, as well as persistent reports of youth mobilisation.

Officials of the GPAA said youth from Jonglei attacked villages and raided thousands of cattle before fleeing across the Gadiang border. The Jonglei government, however, has since denied the allegations that state youth were involved in the Saturday attack and cross-border mobilisation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Haysom said these reports of youth mobilisation in Jonglei and GPAA and the consequent potential for widespread conflict are alarming, noting that despite the UN mission's efforts to engage communities, these cycles of mobilisation for violence persist.

"We have intensified our patrols and continue to encourage relevant stakeholders in both Jonglei and Greater Pibor to de-escalate the situation. But our peacekeepers cannot be everywhere," said Haysom, calling on the authorities, security actors, political parties, faith-based and traditional leaders, youth, and community members to find dialogue-based ways to resolve issues collectively.

The UN official lauded the ongoing efforts by both sides to restore calm, adding that the mission has reinforced its troops in the region and is patrolling the known conflict hotspots to shore up community confidence and deter violence.

--IANS

int/jk/

Lilongwe, Dec 17 (IANS) The death toll from Tropical Cyclone Chido's remnants in Malawi rose to seven, with nearly 35,000 people stranded, the African country's Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) said on Tuesday.

DoDMA Commissioner Charles Kalemba said in a statement that a total of seven deaths have been recorded in five districts, while approximately 34,741 people from 7,721 households have been affected, marking a sharp rise from Monday's report of 1,800 affected families.

According to the statement, the department also registered 16 injuries, and at least 20 councils in the southern and central regions, including the national capital of Lilongwe, have experienced "mild to severe damages".

The cyclone left a trail of destruction as it blew off roofs of dwelling houses and public infrastructure on the way.

The Malawian government, through the DoDMA, Malawi Red Cross Society, and other agencies, has deployed standby resources for search and rescue exercises. Schools in southern Malawi, which were suspended Monday, reopened Tuesday after the authorities decided that it was safe to do so.

The Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services said in a statement on Monday that Cyclone Chido, which made its landfall in neighbouring Mozambique on Sunday, has exited Malawi and is no longer a threat to the southern African country.

The DoDMA has since decommissioned the search and rescue operations teams, which were earlier deployed to risk areas in anticipation of emergency in the wake of Cyclone Chido.

The government, through the Department of Disaster Management Affairs, the Malawi Red Cross Society, and other agencies, has deployed standby resources for search and rescue operations.

Chido originated as a tropical depression in the southeastern Indian Ocean basin between December 7 and 8.

A tropical depression is characterised by a region of low atmospheric pressure over an ocean, accompanied by a circular wind pattern generated by thunderstorms. These systems exhibit maximum sustained wind speeds of 61 km/h or lower.

Should a tropical depression strengthen, it can evolve into a tropical storm, which is defined by wind speeds ranging from 62 km/h to 119 km/h. Winds exceeding this threshold classify the system as a tropical cyclone.

The terminology surrounding these systems can be somewhat confusing. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and northeastern Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclones are referred to as hurricanes. Conversely, in the western Pacific Ocean, they are known as typhoons, while in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, the term cyclone is used.

--IANS

int/jk/

Jerusalem, Dec 17 (IANS) Forces in Yemen launched a missile toward central Israel, triggering sirens in Tel Aviv and other cities, Israel's military said.

Israel's air defence systems intercepted the missile, and "sirens sounded due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," the military said on Monday in a statement.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said no injuries have been reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Since November last year, the Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been conducting missile and drone attacks on targets in Israel, allegedly to show solidarity with Palestinians amid their conflict with Israelis in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Monday, Israel's military reported intercepting a drone and a missile launched from Yemen.

Although the missile was intercepted, Israeli emergency services confirmed that five people were injured while seeking shelter in Tel Aviv and other central areas of the country.

Since the beginning of 2024, a coalition led by the US has been conducting air strikes that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group in the Red Sea. The counter-attacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.

In solidarity with Gaza, which has been facing an Israeli war since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have targeted Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, expressing determination to continue operations until the end of the onslaught on the enclave.

With the intervention of Washington and London and an escalation of tensions, the Houthis announced that they now consider all American and British ships as military targets.

On December 9, a drone claimed by Houthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.

In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen's population centres, have also frequently targeted ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

--IANS

int/khz

Moscow, Dec 17 (IANS) The West is pushing Russia towards its red line, leaving Moscow no choice but to respond, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an expanded meeting of the collegium of the Russian Defence Ministry.

Western countries are using a false Russian threat to scare their populations while pushing Moscow to its red line and forcing a response, said Putin on Monday, adding that the West wages hybrid wars and pursue a policy of containment concerning states they oppose, including Russia.

He said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is ramping up military spending, deploying strike groups near Russia's borders, and increasing the number of US troops in Europe, with the total now exceeding 100,000, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the bloc is also strengthening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region while forming US-led military alliances that weaken the region's long-standing security architecture.

"US efforts aimed at creating and preparing high-precision ground-based weapons with a range of up to 5,500 km for deployment in forward zones are concerning," Putin said, warning that if the US moves forward with the deployment of such missiles, Russia will lift its own unilateral restrictions previously imposed within the framework of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

At the same time, he noted that the Russian army and navy are being modernised, and 95 per cent of the country's strategic nuclear forces are now equipped with modern weapons.

Putin said the mass production of the country's new Oreshnik intermediate-range missile systems will begin in the near future.

He added that Russia's strategic nuclear forces are crucial in maintaining sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that it is also "important to keep non-strategic nuclear forces in constant combat readiness and continue ... conducting exercises to practice their use".

He warned that if the US proceeds with the deployment of such missiles, Russia would respond by lifting all voluntary restrictions it has imposed on its own missile deployments.

The Russian president further emphasised that the country's nuclear arsenal is intended solely for deterrence, underscoring its strategic value in maintaining balance.

Putin also highlighted the continued progress of Russian forces in Ukraine, claiming that 189 settlements had been brought under Russian control this year.

--IANS

int/khz

Beijing, Dec 16 (IANS) National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will meet and hold discussions with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on December 18 in Beijing for the 23rd Special Representatives meeting.

“As agreed by China and India, China's Special Representative on the China-India boundary question, Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi and India's Special Representative and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will hold the 23rd meeting of Special Representatives for China-India Boundary Question in Beijing on December 18,” Chineses Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian announced on Monday.

Earlier, PM Modi and Chinese President Xi had decided during their meeting to revive several mechanisms, including meetings of the Special Representatives, to address the border issue and normalise bilateral relations.

Since then, the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on India-China border affairs met in New Delhi on December 5 and agreed on maintaining peace and tranquillity on the disputed frontier in line with bilateral agreements and protocols.

The Special Representatives mechanism was created in 2003 to explore the “framework of a boundary settlement”.

Since then, 22 formal rounds of talks have been held under the mechanism, the last being in 2019.

During the military standoff on the LAC that began in April-May 2020, the Special Representatives held talks several times to find ways to end the face-off.

The standoff, and a brutal clash at Galwan Valley in June the same year that killed 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops, had taken bilateral ties to their lowest point since the 1962 border war.

--IANS

dan/

Istanbul, Dec 16 (IANS) Since the beginning of November, 37 people have died from poisoning due to consuming counterfeit alcohol in Turkey's Istanbul, the Istanbul Governor's Office said in a statement on Monday.

According to the statement, 73 individuals have been poisoned by counterfeit alcohol during this period, while 17 individuals are still receiving treatment in hospitals.

"In the investigations related to alcohol poisoning incidents, proceedings have been initiated against 36 suspects who provided counterfeit alcohol," the office noted, adding that 14 of them have been arrested, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Anti-Smuggling and Organised Crime Branch of the Istanbul Police Department has been cracking down on the production and sale of counterfeit alcohol. The policemen confiscated significant amounts of fake alcoholic drinks, as well as banderoles, labels, and other materials used for producing counterfeit alcohol.

As a result, thirty-two businesses received fines for participation in the illegal production and sale of these counterfeit products.

The news comes as Turkey's tourism sector is set for a record-breaking year in 2024, with industry experts predicting unprecedented growth in both visitor numbers and revenue.

In the first nine months of 2024, Turkey hosted 49.2 million visitors, generating 46.9 billion US dollars in revenue. This marks a nine per cent increase in visitor numbers and a seven per cent rise in revenue compared to the same period last year, according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The figures for the initial three quarters are the highest in Turkey's history, according to Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in a press briefing in Istanbul on October 31.

"We are on track to surpass our year-end target of 60 million visitors," he said.

Turkish travel agencies have developed low-season travel packages to break the seasonality barrier in tourism, especially for Mediterranean resorts during the winter months.

Antalya, a Mediterranean tourist hotspot, attracts over 30,000 tourists daily, many of them European pensioners. Its year-round mild climate and competitive prices make it an attractive destination.

--IANS

int/as