Elon Musk says Starlink inactive in India after second device seized

Elon Musk said Starlink satellite internet is inactive in India, his first comments since authorities seized two of the company's devices in recent weeks, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust.

Starlink is seeking approval in India to provide satellite broadband services and the Musk-owned company is trying to address any potential security concerns as part of the process.

Musk wrote on X late on Tuesday that "Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India" and were "never on in the first place."

He was responding to a post from the Indian Army about a search operation on Dec. 13 in Manipur state in India's northeast, where a communal conflict has raged since early last year.

The post included photos of seized weapons and a satellite dish and receiver with a Starlink logo.

Earlier this month, Indian police sent a legal demand to Starlink seeking purchase details of a device found when they caught smugglers at sea with $4.2 billion worth of methamphetamine, one of the biggest such Indian seizures.

The police suspect the smugglers were using the internet device to navigate.

Russia detains suspect over murder of General Igor Kirillov

Authorities in Russia have arrested a suspect over the killing of a top general and his aide in a bomb blast in Moscow.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that a national of Uzbekistan had been arrested on suspicion of having committed the attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov on Tuesday morning.

It added the 29-year-old suspect said he had been “recruited by Ukrainian special forces”.

Kirillov, 54, had been the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops since 2017. He was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off.

The bomb was triggered remotely, according to Russian reports. Images from the scene showed shattered windows and scorched brickwork.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) published footage of the interrogation of the suspect, who, it said, faces “a sentence of up to life imprisonment”. The agency said he had been promised a reward of $100,000 and permission to move to a European Union country in exchange for killing Kirillov.

Acting on instructions from Ukraine, the suspect headed to Moscow, where he picked up a homemade explosive device, according to the agency. He then mounted it on the electric scooter which he left at the entrance to the residential building where Kirillov lived.

The suspect also rented a car to monitor the location and set up a camera that livestreamed footage “to the attack organisers, in the [Ukrainian] city of Dnipro. Once Kirillov was seen leaving the building, the suspect detonated the bomb.

In its first comments about the incident, the Kremlin on Wednesday accused Ukraine of committing a “terrorist attack”.

“It is once again confirmed that the Kyiv regime does not shy away from terrorist methods,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Kirillov is the most senior Russian military officer to be assassinated inside Russia by Ukraine.

His murder is likely to prompt the Russian authorities to review security protocols for the army’s top brass.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kirillov held numerous briefings to accuse the Ukrainian military of using toxic agents and planning to launch attacks with radioactive substances – claims that Ukraine and its Western allies rejected as propaganda.

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a number of assassinations on its soil since the start of the war including missile developers, weapons designers and commanders of long-range units that have been attacking Ukrainian targets.

China, US can achieve ‘great things: Chinese FM

China’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Beijing and Washington can achieve “many great things” if they work together, ahead of next month’s inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump.

But top diplomat Wang Yi also warned against what he called the US’ “crude interference” on the issue of Taiwan.

The world’s two largest economies have butted heads on a range of issues in recent years, from trade and technology to human rights and China’s growing assertiveness towards the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

Wang said China’s policy towards the United States “has not changed” during a Tuesday address in Beijing that reflected on the country’s diplomatic work in the past year and its expectations for the future.

He said that economic working groups and cooperation on cross-border drug control “fully prove that as long as China and the United States cooperate, we can accomplish many great things”.

He also, however, repeated a warning over Taiwan, saying Beijing “resolutely opposed illegal and unreasonable suppression by the United States, especially its crude interference in China’s internal affairs” including the status of the self-ruled island.

“We must take a firm and strong response, resolutely defend our own legitimate rights and interests, and safeguard the basic norms of international relations,” Wang said.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will never renounce using force to seize it one day, while the US has a longstanding arrangement to provide Taipei with the means to defend itself.

Taiwanese officials said last week that China had held its biggest maritime drills around the island in years, deploying around 90 ships from near the southern islands of Japan to the South China Sea and simulating attacks on foreign vessels and sea route blockades.

Beijing never confirmed the drills, but a defence ministry spokesman said that “whether or not we hold exercises, and when we hold them, are decided by us alone”.

The China-US relationship may sour further after Trump is inaugurated on January 20, with the president-elect vowing more tariffs to punish what he calls unfair trade practices by China — something Beijing firmly denies.

Wang said Beijing hoped the Trump administration would “make the right choices, work with China in the same direction, eliminate disruptions, overcome obstacles, and strive for stable, healthy, and sustainable development of bilateral relations”.

‘Turbulence and change’

But Wang also used his speech to paint a darker picture of an increasingly conflict-ridden world.

“The global landscape is marked by intertwined turbulence and change, with geopolitical conflicts dragging on and escalating, and decoupling and supply chain disruptions growing increasingly severe,” he said.

“In the face of global turbulence and conflict, China will firmly remain a force for peace,” he added.

Wang highlighted Beijing’s diplomatic work over the past year, noting its mediation in July of a “national unity” deal between Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah to rule Gaza together after the conflict there ends.

On Syria, where rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham ousted longtime rule Bashar al-Assad this month, Wang said China would “continue to stand with the Syrian people (and) uphold the principles of Syrian leadership and ownership”.

“(We) oppose terrorist forces taking advantage of the situation to create chaos, and support Syria in safeguarding its sovereignty and restoring stability,” he added.

Wang also said China would maintain a “high level of strategic mutual trust” with Russia, despite widespread criticism from Western countries that Beijing has provided diplomatic and economic cover for Moscow to wage a war of aggression in Ukraine.

TikTok turns to US Supreme Court in last-ditch bid to avert ban

TikTok made a last-ditch effort on Monday to continue operating in the United States, asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law intended to force ByteDance, its China-based parent company, to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban.

TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request to the justices for an injunction to halt the looming ban on the social media app used by about 170 million Americans while they appeal a lower court's ruling that upheld the law. A group of U.S. users of the app filed a similar request on Monday as well.

Congress passed the law in April. The Justice Department has said that as a Chinese company, TikTok poses "a national-security threat of immense depth and scale" because of its access to vast amounts of data on American users, from locations to private messages, and its ability to secretly manipulate content that Americans view on the app.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington on Dec. 6 rejected TikTok's arguments that the law violates free speech protections under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

In their filing to the Supreme Court, TikTok and ByteDance said that "if Americans, duly informed of the alleged risks of 'covert' content manipulation, choose to continue viewing content on TikTok with their eyes wide open, the First Amendment entrusts them with making that choice, free from the government's censorship."

"And if the D.C. Circuit's contrary holding stands, then Congress will have free rein to ban any American from speaking simply by identifying some risk that the speech is influenced by a foreign entity," they added.

The companies said that being shuttered for even one month would cause TikTok to lose about a third of its U.S. users and undermine its ability to attract advertisers and recruit content creators and employee talent.

Calling itself one of the "most important speech platforms" used in the United States, TikTok has said that there is no imminent threat to U.S. national security and that delaying enforcement of the law would allow the Supreme Court to consider the legality of the ban, and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump to evaluate the law as well.

Trump, who unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok during his first term in 2020, has reversed his stance and promised during the presidential race this year that he would try to save TikTok. Trump takes office on Jan. 20, the day after the TikTok deadline under the law.

The law would "shutter one of America's most popular speech platforms the day before a presidential inauguration," the companies said in their filing. "A federal law singling out and banning a speech platform used by half of Americans is extraordinary."

Asked on Monday at a press conference what he would do to stop a ban on TikTok, Trump said that he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok" and that he would "take a look" at the matter.

Trump was meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida on Monday, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the meeting.

The companies asked the Supreme Court to issue a decision on its request by Jan. 6 to allow, in the event it is rejected, for the "complex task of shutting down TikTok" in the United States and to coordinate with service providers by the deadline set under the law.

The dispute comes amid growing trade tensions between China and the United States, the world's two biggest economies.

TikTok has denied that it has or ever would share U.S. user data, accusing U.S. lawmakers of advancing speculative concerns.

TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said after the filing that "we are asking the court to do what it has traditionally done in free speech cases: apply the most rigorous scrutiny to speech bans and conclude that it violates the First Amendment."

In its ruling, the D.C. Circuit wrote, "The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States. Here the government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary's ability to gather data on people in the United States."

The law would bar providing certain services to TikTok and other foreign adversary-controlled apps including offering it through app stores such as Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, effectively preventing its continued U.S. use unless ByteDance divests TikTok by the deadline.

A ban could open the door to a future U.S. crackdown on other foreign-owned apps. In 2020, Trump tried to ban WeChat, owned by Chinese company Tencent, but was blocked by the courts.

Chief of Russia’s nuclear protection forces killed in Moscow bomb blast

A senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces in Moscow has been killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter, Russia’s investigative committee said.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, was killed on Tuesday outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt.

“Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported, quoting a law enforcement official, that the explosive device “had a capacity of some 300 grams in TNT equivalent”.

Photographs posted on Russian Telegram channels showed a shattered entrance to a building littered with rubble and two bodies lying in the blood-stained snow. A criminal case has been opened.

Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defence troops are special forces who operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination.

On Monday, Ukrainian prosecutors charged Kirillov in absentia with the alleged use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine said, according to the Kyiv Independent.

In October, the United Kingdom sanctioned Kirillov and the nuclear protection forces for using riot control agents and multiple reports of the use of the toxic agent chloropicrin on the battlefield.

Chloropicrin is an oily liquid with a pungent odour known as a choking agent that was widely used during World War I as a form of tear gas. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) specifically prohibits its use.

Russia has said it no longer possesses a military chemical arsenal but the country faces pressure for more transparency over the alleged use of toxic weapons.

Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said it had recorded more than 4,800 uses of chemical weapons on the battlefield, particularly K-1 combat grenades, since February 2022.

New skills in demand visa program is a game-changer

Australia has unveiled a new visa program aimed at attracting skilled workers to address workforce shortages in key industries across the country.

The Skills in Demand (SID) visa replaces the previous Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa, offering a more streamlined and efficient pathway for professionals seeking to live and work in Australia.

The SID visa is divided into three distinct streams, each tailored to meet different workforce needs. The Specialist Skills Pathway targets top-tier professionals with exceptional expertise who can drive innovation and contribute to Australia’s economic growth.

The Core Skills Pathway is designed to address workforce shortages in priority sectors, while the Essential Skills Pathway is focused on filling industry-specific gaps through targeted agreements. Additional details regarding the Essential Skills Pathway will be announced in the near future.

One of the key features of the SID visa is the reduced work experience requirement, which has been lowered to just one year, making it easier for skilled workers to apply for permanent residency. Applicants will also need to meet English language proficiency standards, ensuring that they can effectively contribute to the Australian workforce.

In addition, the Australian government has released a Core Skills Occupation List (CSOL), which includes over 450 occupations in critical sectors such as healthcare, construction, and technology.

The salary thresholds for the SID visa vary, with a range from AUD 70,000 to AUD 135,000. Professionals earning above AUD 135,000 may qualify for the Specialist Skills Pathway, aimed at attracting high-caliber talent.

The updated visa program reflects Australia’s commitment to addressing critical skill gaps and fostering economic growth by welcoming qualified professionals from around the globe.

According to officials, more details and updates about the program will be shared in the coming weeks. The new program is expected to bolster Australia’s competitive edge in the global economy and support the continued development of its key industries.

 

Statement attributed to Assad says departure from Syria not pre-planned

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke his silence following the collapse of his government on December 8, releasing a statement detailing his account of the events that unfolded in Syria earlier in December.

“First, my departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed. On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday 8th December 2024,” a statement posted on the Telegram channel of the Syrian presidency quoted Assad as saying on Monday, Russian and Arab media reported.

The authenticity of the statement, the first since Assad left Damascus for Moscow last Sunday, could not be independently verified.

“When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose,” the statement added.

Armed militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overthrew the Assad government on December 8 following a lightening offensive that was launched in their stronghold in the northwest and reached the capital in 12 days.

“As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations. Upon arrival at the Hmeimim airbase that morning, it became clear that our forces had completely withdrawn from all battle lines and that the last army positions had fallen,” the statement said, quoting Assad.

As the security situation began to deteriorate and the Russian military base in Latakia came under attack, Assad said Moscow directed the base’s command to arrange “an immediate evacuation to Russia".

Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin had personally granted Assad asylum in Moscow.