Russia yesterday kept up its military buildup in Syria with a fresh transport flight into a new airbase in the heartland of its regime ally, a Syrian military source said.
It was the 15th straight day that a Russian transport aircraft flew in troops and equipment to the Hmeimim base in Latakia Province on the Mediterranean coast, the source said on condition of anonymity.
“For the past two weeks and again today a Russian cargo plane has landed every morning at Hmeimim,” the source said, adding that they all had fighter escorts.
US satellites have recorded increased activity by Russian forces at the base inside the Bassel al-Assad civil and military airport.
Washington and NATO say that recent spottings of helicopters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, tanks and soldiers prove that Russia is building an airbase.
If such a buildup is officially verified — and more importantly deployed — it would be the Russia’s first military engagement in a distant theater of war since the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979.
One senior Syrian official said Russia’s military involvement was a “turning point” in more than four years of devastating civil war.
A humanoid robot that won a half-marathon race for robots in Beijing on Sunday ran faster than the human world record in a show of China’s technological leaps. The winner from Honor, a Chinese smartphone maker, completed the 21km race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, said a WeChat post by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, where the race began. That was faster than the human world record holder, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, who finished the same distance in about 57 minutes in March at the Lisbon road race. The performance by the robot marked a significant step forward
Four contenders are squaring up to succeed Antonio Guterres as secretary-general of the UN, which faces unprecedented global instability, wars and its own crushing budget crisis. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Senegal’s Macky Sall are each to face grillings by 193 member states and non-governmental organizations for three hours today and tomorrow. It is only the second time the UN has held a public question-and-answer, a format created in 2016 to boost transparency. Ultimately the five permanent members of the UN’s top body, the Security Council, hold the power, wielding vetoes over who leads the
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 off northern Japan on Monday prompted a short-lived tsunami alert and the advisory of a higher risk of a possible mega-quake for coastal areas there. The Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency said there was a 1% chance for a mega-quake, compared to a 0.1% chance during normal times, in the next week or so following the powerful quake near the Chishima and Japan trenches. Officials said the advisory was not a quake prediction but urged residents in 182 towns along the northeastern coasts to raise their preparedness while continuing their daily lives. Prime
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