Russian warplanes have carried out dozens of air strikes on the Islamic State (IS) group’s positions in the Syrian Desert, activists say. The jets are supporting an operation by Syrian pro-government forces to secure the road between Homs and Deir al-Zour, according to a monitoring group. IS militants have carried out a string of deadly ambushes and hit-and-run attacks in the region recently. The latest, on Wednesday, reportedly killed nine soldiers and militiamen. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria via a network of sources, said three others had died on Tuesday when a landmine planted by IS exploded in the desert near al-Mayadeen, in south-eastern Deir al-Zour province.Russian air strikes on Tuesday killed at least 10 IS militants in Deir al-Zour and eastern Hama province, while there were no immediate reports of casualties from Wednesday’s strikes in the al-Shawla area and what it described as “the Aleppo-Raqqa-Hama triangle”, it added.(BBC)…[+]

Customs authorities in Germany and Belgium have seized a record amount of cocaine – more than 23 tonnes – that was destined for the Netherlands. German officials discovered 16 tonnes in five shipping containers that had arrived in the port of Hamburg from Paraguay earlier this month. Police in the Netherlands were notified and a further 7.2 tonnes of cocaine was seized at the Belgian port of Antwerp. German officials said the cocaine had a street value of billions of euros. A 28-year-old man suspected of involvement in the trafficking of the drugs has been arrested in the Netherlands, Dutch police said on Wednesday. Is the Netherlands becoming a narco-state? The two raids, which took place earlier this month, resulted in the seizure of an “enormous amount of cocaine”, customs officials said.(BBC)…[+]

The wife of jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has been arrested in the US on suspicion of drug trafficking, US authorities say. Emma Coronel Aispuro, 31, was detained at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC. She is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana. Guzmán is currently serving a life sentence in New York for drug trafficking and money laundering. The 63-year-old is a former head of the Sinaloa cartel, which officials say was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US. His trial in 2019 heard shocking revelations about his life, from drugging and raping girls as young as 13 to carrying out the cold-blooded murders of former cartel members and rivals.(BBC)…[+]

Police in Georgia have arrested the country’s main opposition leader, Nika Melia, in a violent raid on his party’s headquarters. They used tear gas to disperse his supporters, some of whom had barricaded themselves inside with their leader. Mr Melia was eventually dragged out of the building in the capital Tbilisi by riot police. The case against him dates back to anti-government protests in 2019, but comes amid a wider political crisis.

Georgia has been rocked by protests since parliamentary elections in October, with the opposition accusing the ruling Georgian Dream party of rigging the poll and intimidating voters. Last week, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia resigned over the court order to arrest Mr Melia, saying such a move could risk “political escalation” in the South Caucasus country.(BBC)…[+]

South Korean troops failed to notice a North Korean man who crossed the heavily fortified border this month even though he appeared on TV cameras eight times and triggered alarms. South Korea’s army said it would take this moment to make necessary changes. The man swam in from the sea in a wet suit, walked 5km and spent three hours undetected before troops finally took action on his ninth TV appearance. It is unclear why he made the crossing via such a dangerous route. At one point the man passed through a drainage tunnel in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) the South Korean military did not even know existed, the Yonhap news agency reported.This is despite the zone being one of the most heavily fortified and sensor-dominated in the world.(BBC)…[+]

Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in an attack in the east of the country, its foreign ministry has said. Luca Attanasio, 43, died in hospital on Monday after the United Nations convoy he was travelling in came under fire near Goma, a statement said. The convoy reportedly belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). An Italian military police officer travelling with the envoy and a Congolese driver were also killed. “It is with deep sadness that the foreign ministry confirms the death, today in Goma, of the Italian ambassador,” the ministry’s statement said. On patrol: Night vision in DR Congo. The attack in North Kivu province is believed to have been an attempted kidnapping, according to officials at the nearby Virunga National Park. Mr Attanasio was a passenger in one of two vehicles travelling about 15km (nine miles) north of Goma when the attack happened on Monday morning. The vehicles were “ambushed by a group of six attackers, who fired warning shots before taking all the passengers into the Virunga National Park”, the governor of North Kivu province, Carly Nzanzu, told the BBC.(BBC)…[+]

Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Myanmar in one of the largest demonstrations yet against the country’s military coup. Businesses closed as employees joined a general strike, despite a military statement that said protesters were risking their lives by turning out.  The statement prompted fears the protests could turn violent, but they remained peaceful throughout Monday. Myanmar has seen weeks of protest following the coup on 1 February. Military leaders overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government and have placed her under house arrest, charging her with possessing illegal walkie-talkies and violating the country’s Natural Disaster Law.  Protesters are demanding an end to the military’s rule and want Ms San Suu Kyi released, along with senior members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. “We don’t want the junta, we want democracy. We want to create our own future,” one protester, Htet Htet Hlaing, told the Reuters news agency in Yangon. A statement from the military carried on state-run broadcaster MRTV said that protesters were “now inciting the people, especially emotional teenagers and youths, to a confrontation path where they will suffer the loss of life”.(BBC)…[+]

Donald Trump has been ordered by the US Supreme Court to hand over his tax returns and other financial records to prosecutors in New York. The former US president has been refusing to release the documents for several years, despite a precedent that presidential candidates should do so.  A lower court had earlier ruled that the records were pertinent to a criminal investigation. The ruling does not necessarily mean the files will be made public. The financial documents should be provided as evidence to a grand jury to be scrutinised in secret, and might only later become public as part of an indictment. A grand jury is set up by a prosecutor to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue a prosecution. The jury is given investigative powers and can issue subpoenas to compel people to testify. The US Supreme Court’s decision is a blow to Mr Trump, who has been in a legal battle to protect his records from a grand jury for months.(BBC)…[+]

Israel is easing lockdown restrictions as studies there reveal the Pfizer vaccine is 95.8% effective in preventing hospitalisations and death. From Sunday, shops, libraries and museums can open but social distancing and masks are still required. The health ministry says it is the first stage of returning to normal life. Israel has the highest vaccination rate in the world. More than 49% of people have received at least one dose. The country entered its third lockdown on 27 December after a resurgence of the virus. Under the easing measures, people are now able to enter shopping malls and tourist attractions such as zoos.A number of other facilities are now able to reopen including gyms, hotels and synagogues. However they require a “green passport”, a certificate that can only be obtained once you have been vaccinated. A small number of people who have recovered from the virus and are not currently eligible for the vaccine are also able to obtain the certificate.(BBC)…[+]

Huge crowds have turned out in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw for the funeral of a young woman killed in protests against a military coup. Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing was shot in the head just before her 20th birthday, the first of at least three people to die in the protests. Thousands lined the streets to honour her, some making the three-fingered salutes used by demonstrators. The military overthrew the elected government earlier this month. Promises to hold early elections have failed to satisfy protesters, who are also seeking the release of the elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. The military allege the NLD’s landslide election win last year was fraudulent but have not provided proof.