Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has held bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang during his visit to Beijing. They discussed their close ties and plans to boost Eurasian security. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday that Beijing would "strengthen strategic cooperation" with Moscow during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.  In comments reported by the RIA Novosti news agency, Wang said Beijing and Moscow would "provide each other with strong support." The meeting took place during a two-day visit by Lavrov to China. The two powers improved their diplomatic ties since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, declaring a "no limits" partnership. The West is "implementing unlawful sanctions towards a number of states, Russia is among them of course. This policy is starting to be actively applied toward [China] as well," Lavrov said, referencing efforts by the US to restrict China's access to key US-made technologies. Plan to launch Eurasian security 'dialogue' Russia and China agreed to strengthen security cooperation across Eurasia to counter US and Western influence. Lavrov said such a move had been put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the two countries had agreed to "start a dialogue with the involvement of our other like-minded people on this issue." "For a long time, there was a Euro-Atlantic security structure in the form of NATO, of course, as well as the OSCE, but it is striking itself out from the list of relevant structures within which it is possible to conduct meaningful negotiations and agree on something based on a balance of interests," Lavrov said. Moscow and Beijing are planning on launching a "dialogue" on Eurasian security issues, but no further details were given. Wang said NATO should not extend its activities in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Russian news agencies. The two countries should "oppose hegemonism and power politics, oppose the monopoly of international affairs by a few countries," he added. What the West has said about China-Russia ties China has faced increased pressure from Western nations to leverage its influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The US has warned Beijing against providing indirect aid to Russia.  In Brussels last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that "China continues to provide materials to support Russia's defence industrial base." During a visit to China on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of "significant consequences" for any Chinese companies supporting Russia's war in Ukraine. Washington would not rule out tariffs on clean energy imports from China to protect its industry, she said. What the foreign ministers said about Putin and Xi Lavrov and Wang both stressed their support for each other's leaders, with the Chinese foreign minister praising "the strong leadership of President Putin." "China will support Russia's stable development under the leadership of Putin," he added. Lavrov pointed out that "Xi Jinping... was among the first ones to send congratulations to the president-elect Putin" after his reelection win last month, "And we are overall grateful to our Chinese friends for this support." The Russian minister had his turn at lavishing Chinese leader Xi Jinping when the two met later on Tuesday. "We would like to express our highest appreciation and admiration for the successes you have achieved over the years and, above all, over the past decade under your leadership," Lavrov told Xi, according to Reuters.  

An "alliance of authoritarian powers" is working more closely together against Western democracies, the head of Nato has warned. Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC that Russia, Iran, China and North Korea are increasingly aligned. He also said he was confident allies of the Nato military alliance would agree a long-term funding deal for Ukraine by July. But he suggested Ukraine might have to decide on some "kind of compromises". Mr Stoltenberg was speaking to Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday morning. On the Middle East conflict, he said it was "very important" that the US and other Nato countries conveyed "a very clear message to Israel" that they have to do "significantly more" to protect civilians and aid workers after the World Central Kitchen convoy attack. Mr Stoltenberg took over as the leader of Nato, the Western defence alliance, 10 years ago. Speaking to mark the 75th anniversary of the organisation, he told me the world was now "much more dangerous, much more unpredictable" and "much more violent". He said there is an "authoritarian" alliance giving each other practical support that is "more and more aligned". The Nato chief explained: "China is propping up the Russian war economy, delivering key parts to the defence industry, and in return, Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing." Russia was providing technology to Iran and North Korea in return for ammunition and military equipment, he added. Mr Stoltenberg told me that Nato had to work with other countries beyond its geography - such as Japan and South Korea - to "stand up against this stronger alliance of authoritarian powers". The Nato chief has been trying to persuade other countries to commit more money to the war effort in Ukraine in recent days in the hope of a five-year, 100bn euro (£86bn) fund. He said he was confident he would get an agreement by July, despite some countries expressing hesitation this week. Long-term support was vital now, and to rebuild the country after the conflict, he said. "Even if we believe and hope that the war will end in the near future, we need to support Ukraine for many years, to build their defences to deter future aggression," he said. However, while Mr Stoltenberg said that military support was vital to repel Russian forces from Ukraine and force Putin to give up his goals of occupation, he also suggested that Ukraine might ultimately have to make concessions too. "At the end of the day, it has to be Ukraine that decides what kind of compromises they're willing to do, we need to enable them to be in a position where they actually achieve an acceptable result around the negotiating table," he said. He said he was not calling for Ukraine to offer concessions now, and added that "real peace" would be achievable when "Ukraine prevails". But his language is notable because President Volodymyr Zelensky has always been adamant that he would never negotiate with Putin despite some calls on him to do so, including from the Pope. Mr Stoltenberg refused to be drawn on whether he was concerned about the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House, saying only that he was sure the US would continue to be an important ally, whoever was in charge. But his remarks about the way regimes around the world are working together are a reminder for Western leaders of the complicated and dangerous diplomatic jigsaw they have to piece together. More than two years into the conflict in Ukraine, our politicians must grapple with the reality that what is happening there is affected by decisions not just in Moscow and Kyiv but also in Washington DC, Brussels and London, as well as Beijing, Tehran and even Pyongyang. Meanwhile, six months into the Middle East conflict in Gaza, as Jeremy Bowen writes, solutions are affected by decisions not just by Israelis and Palestinians, but also Iranians, politicians in the US, the Gulf States and the UK. Most recently, this has centred on a row over arms sales, prompting criticism of the government from all sides. The latest intervention came on Saturday morning from one former Conservative prime minister, Boris Johnson, to another, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron. Foreign policy is rarely the overwhelming driver of votes and public opinion in the UK. This is partly because opposition parties traditionally try to avoid fights at home about battles abroad. It's also partly because voters' top priorities normally centre on their own lives and the prospects for their families. But that does not mean that the public doesn't care, or is immune from the horror they see unfolding on their screens every day, or hasn't been affected by world events - take, for instance, the huge energy price rises caused by the Ukraine conflict. And conflicts around the world in all their complexities are increasingly occupying our politicians' time, energy and effort.   Source: BBC

The country faces a decline in fisheries production amid a study conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that China has destroyed at least 21,000 acres of coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), an expert from the University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) warned yesterday. “The immediate effect of the destruction of coral reefs and the devastation of the habitats of fish is the decline in the production of our fish,” UP-MSI assistant professor Mike Atrigeneo said in a radio interview. He explained that the worst case scenario could be the extinction of fish dependent on coral reefs. “For lapu-lapu, maya-maya and other fish associated with live stones, these are the corals, they are facing extinction as they have no habitat. Many fish eat directly from the corals. If there are no longer corals, that’s the impact on fisheries, we have lower catch. That’s the economic implication,” Atrigeneo added. He was reacting to the study conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which showed that China’s activities have caused massive damage to the marine environment in the WPS. Another report – “Deep Blue Scars: Environmental Threats to the South China Sea” by Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative – has attributed the damage of coral reefs to Chinese activities such as dredging and landfills to build artificial islands, as well as clam harvesting. According to Atrigeneo, the normal fish catch is pegged between 20 and 40 metric tons per square kilometer. “You can only get 50 percent of the stocks, so around 20 metric tons per kilometer. You have to retain 50 percent so that the 50 percent will be able to replenish the stocks and there will be no overfishing,” he noted. BFAR ship to remain in Panatag A vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) would remain in the area of Panatag Shoal despite a claim by China that it intruded in what it called was their territory. The “persistent presence” of the BFAR ship BRP Datu Sanday was “consistent with the national laws and the Philippines’ position on the West Philippine Sea,” declared Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman on WPS concerns. The BFAR vessel would “ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen in the area and safeguard them from further harassment,” he wrote on Twitter last Feb. 23. It would also continue to carry out its duty of “distributing fuel subsidies to the Filipino fishing boats that are present in the area to support their prolonged fishing activities.” He was responding to the Twitter post from People’s Daily, said to be the “largest newspaper in China,” saying the BFAR ship “insisted on intruding into waters adjacent to China’s Huangyan Island despite China’s repeated dissuasion and warnings.” Huangyan Island is China’s name for Panatag Shoal, also called Scarborough and Bajo de Masinloc. It also claimed that it “took necessary measures to monitor and repel the vessel in accordance with the law.” A spokesman for the China Coast Guard warned the Philippine government to “immediately stop the infringement and noting China reserves the right to take further actions.” More joint Philippines-US patrols ahead The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will have bigger and more frequent joint maritime patrols with the United States military in the WPS in the coming months. AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said such plans are already underway and will be carried out in partnership with the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). “We are going to do those activities more; we will increase the frequency and its range,” he told delegates of the US National Defense University Capstone Pacific program who visited Camp Aguinaldo yesterday. The AFP has already conducted three Maritime Cooperative Activities in the WPS over the past few months using US naval and air assets, working hand-in-hand with the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force. “Admiral John Aquilino, commander of USINDOPACOM, committed to increase these engagements and told me that he’s ready when we are ready,” Brawner said. The AFP chief welcomed the delegates composed of US military generals and flag officers led by retired Gen. John Kelly, a former White House chief of staff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and commander of the US Southern Command. Capstone is a five-week course for newly selected generals and flag officers that will equip them with a comprehensive understanding of joint doctrine and the principles of the “Joint Operational Art.” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also met with the Capstone delegates and shared how the Philippines is strengthening itself and forging stronger alliances with other nations like the US. Source: Philstar

West Indies pacer Kemar Roach took three quick wickets to stun Australia on day two of the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday, leaving the hosts staggering on 24-4 at the first break. After reaching 311 in their first innings, the West Indies struck early to dismiss Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Travis Head, leaving the Australian reply in tatters. At dinner, Usman Khawaja was not out on six with Mitchell Marsh yet to come to the crease. The Australian experiment of moving Smith up the order to open the batting after David Warner's retirement hadn't worked in the first Test in Adelaide last week, and it failed again on Friday. After hitting a beautiful straight drive off Roach (3-13) to the boundary in the opening over, Smith was hit on the pad next ball, drawing a huge appeal from the West Indies. Umpire Nitin Menon said not out but the West Indies reviewed immediately and replays showed the ball would have crashed into middle stump, leaving Australia 6-1. It was 11-2 in the next over when Labuschagne got a thick edge to fourth slip off Alzarri Joseph, where Kevin Sinclair took a brilliant diving catch to his right. Smith's move up the order was prompted by the Australians' desire to bring Green back into the side. But Green failed in Adelaide and again on Friday, driving Roach on the up to give a simple catch to Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-off. Head, who smashed a brilliant 119 in the first Test, was out first ball, tickling a down the leg side to be caught by wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva. The West Indies resumed the day on 266-8, with debutant Sinclair on 16. The Australian bowlers would have been hoping to wrap up the innings quickly on an oppressively humid day, but Sinclair and Roach frustrated them, batting through the first hour with little difficulty. Roach was eventually run out after the drinks break but Sinclair was in great touch, bringing up his 50 with a four and six off spinner Nathan Lyon. But he played and missed to Lyon on the next ball he faced and was stumped by Alex Carey to close the innings.  

Russia's foreign minister says he believes only the West can decide when the war in Ukraine ends, given its support for Kyiv. Meanwhile, officials reported drone strikes on both sides of the border. DW has the latest. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow won't discuss nuclear arms controls with Washington while the US supports Ukraine. Lavrov said the West, not Ukraine, would decide when the war ends. He also said Moscow would not entertain the idea of Ukraine ever joining NATO as a condition of peace. There were reports of drone strikes on both sides of Russian-Ukrainian border and a Moscow airport was briefly closed. Here's a look at the latest developments in Russia's war on Ukraine on Thursday, January 18:   US: Russia could infleunce European elections over Ukraine issue The United States believes Russia could attempted to influence upcoming elections in Europe in order to shift sentiments against Ukraine.   "Russia is hoping that the number of elections in Europe this year could change what has been a remarkable coalition and disciplined opposition to its war," Jamie Rubin, special envoy and coordinator for the Global Engagement Center, told reporters on Thursday.   "We do believe that the Russians will conduct information operations throughout Europe to try to change opinion on Ukraine during this election season," he added. European Parliament elections are scheduled for June, while Austria, Georgia and the United Kingdom will also have their own elections.

A dream debut by Matthew Forde helped guide the West Indies to a series-clinching four-wicket win over England in the decisive third and final match of their One-Day International series at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday. In a rain-affected encounter, the 21-year-old Barbadian delighted the few home supporters among a majority English audience with figures of three for 29 as the tourists were restricted to 206 for nine off 40 overs after being put in. Then, with the West Indies stuttering at 135 for six in pursuit of a revised target of 188 off 34 overs, Forde (13 not out) joined Romario Shepherd (41 not out) in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 56 to take the Caribbean team to their first ODI series triumph over England for 16 years and their first at home against these opponents for 25 years. "This is a dream come true," said an overwhelmed Forde, who was named Man of the Match, in reflecting on his contribution. "The wicket was a bit tacky so it was just about bowling the right line and length. And when I came in to bat, it was just about turning over the strike and getting Sheppy on strike as often as possible." Brought into the team in place of Oshane Thomas and given use of the new ball, the hometown boy claimed wickets in his first two overs and added a third in his fifth to put England immediately on the back foot. Ben Duckett offered the only substantial resistance with a pugnacious innings of 71, getting meaningful support from Liam Livingstone (45) in a stand of 88 for the sixth wicket after they had slumped to 49 for five in the tenth over. Forde removed Phil Salt to a low catch at mid-off and then had Zak Crawley taken at second slip. He added the wicket of the other opener, Phil Jacks, two overs later via a wicketkeeper's catch. Jacks was almost the unlikely hero for England with the ball, taking three wickets for 22 runs, including topscorer Keacy Carty for 50, to seem to tilt the balance of the match in his side's favour. - A few short - However Jacks and the other slow bowling options Rehan Ahmed and Liam Livingstone could not separate the pair of Shepherd and Forde and when 24 runs were smashed off returning seamer Gus Atkinson in the 30th over, the result was effectively sealed. "We were a few short with the bat," said England captain Jos Buttler in reflecting on the loss. "We fought hard with the ball but it just wasn't enough. This is the start of a long journey for this side. Hopefully we can build something for the future." For West Indies captain Shai Hope, who took the Man of the Series award with a tally of 192 runs at an average of 96 across the three matches, both the result and the contributions of younger players were encouraging. "It's great to see these other guys chipping in with the bat and as long as we continue in this vein it can develop into a very good batting group," he said.   Source: BSS

Three people were killed in an Israeli drone strike in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israeli forces said they launched the drone strike after coming under fire from a group of people during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp.  The military said "hits were identified." The Palestinian Authority's official news agency, WAFA, reported that the drone fired at least two projectiles, citing sources in the camp. According to the health ministry, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank in clashes with Israeli forces since October 7 as the Israeli military pursues Palestinian militants in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack from Gaza.

Israeli aircraft struck the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank early on Sunday, killing two Palestinians and wounding several others, Palestinian medics said. The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance service said the strike hit an area near al-Ansar Mosque in Jenin refugee camp, a Palestinian militant stronghold in the territory. Jenin was the focus of major Israeli military operations earlier this year. According to Israel, "terror operatives" from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were planning attacks were killed in an air strike. The Israeli military said al-Ansar mosque "was used by the terrorists as a command center to plan the attacks and as a base for their execution." Violence in the West Bank has flared since Hamas gunmen carried out terror attacks on Israel on October 7. Israel has since then carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Hamas in Gaza.

A powerful earthquake has killed more than 100 people in western Afghanistan. Strong aftershocks felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces. According to Aljazeera, the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 40km (24 miles) west of the city of Herat at about 11am on Saturday (06:30 GMT).  The Afghan Ministry of Defence said on X, formerly known as Twitter, earthquake killed more than 100 people and injured more than 500.

Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Wednesday as it headed toward Florida's Gulf Coast, forcing evacuations in low-lying coastal areas, while South Carolina went into a state of emergency. Idalia grew from a tropical storm into a hurricane early on Tuesday, a day after passing west of Cuba, where it damaged homes and flooded villages. Biden may adjust schedule Later on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden said he may have to alter his schedule as a result of Idalia Biden said he had spoken with the governors of all potentially affected states and reassured them that the federal government would provide any help required. Asked if he was making contingency plans for his travel schedule for the Labor Day weekend or his planned participation in the Group of 20 leaders summit in India, Biden said, "Well I may, I just don't know yet." What is the situation in Florida? Idalia came ashore at 7:45 a.m. EDT (1145 GMT) at Keaton Beach, an ocean-front community of 13,000 people. The town is at the center of the Big Bend region, where the state's northern panhandle curves into the Florida Peninsula. "It's just ripping through Taylor County now. Hope all is safe," County Commissioner Jamie English told the Reuters news agency. "Winds gusting. Terrible power outages all over. Debris flying everywhere." Millions of the state's residents fled to higher ground on Wednesday, as Idalia intensified into a dangerous Category 3 hurricane. Any storm which reaches Category 3 or higher is considered a major hurricane. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia "an unprecedented event" since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay adjoining the Big Bend. And UBS anticipates Idalia to end up resulting in an insurance cost of some $9.36 billion (€8.57 billion), based on preliminary estimates, the brokers said Wednesday. Idalia is the fourth major hurricane to hit Florida in the last seven years, after Irma in 2017, Michael in 2018 and Ian, which peaked at Category 5, in September 2022. Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci told DW that people's response to the evacuation advice was impacted by prior experience, where previous storms were not as strong. "But the problem is, they've never experienced anything like what they will today. They have no basis of comparison and they sometimes make very poor decisions," he said before the hurricane made landfall. South Carolina declares state of emergency Meanwhile, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has issued a state of emergency, as a measure to help residents ward off the impact of Idalia. Most of Florida's residents, numbering more than 20 million, along with many in Georgia and South Carolina, were under hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge warnings and advisories. A state of emergency has also been declared in Florida. US President Joe Biden said he and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who is in the running to be the Republican candidate for president in 2024— were "in constant contact." Biden added that he had assured DeSantis that federal disaster assistance would remain in place for as "long as it takes, and we'll make sure they have everything they need." Governor DeSantis also asked people to evacuate. "You really gotta go now. Now is the time," he said. Earlier, the governor had said that residents needed to get to "higher ground in a safe structure," and not necessarily leave the state.