News from February 19, 2025 at 2 AM

A high-level US-Russia delegation met in Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war and mending US-Russia relations. US Secretary of State Rubio, White House National Security Advisor Volz, and other US officials held a four-and-a-half-hour meeting with Russian representatives. Both sides agreed to appoint a high-level team to negotiate the end of the Ukraine war and establish a consultation mechanism to address bilateral issues. The US and Russia also explored post-conflict economic cooperation. Rubio emphasized that the war's end must be acceptable to all parties involved. Volz stated that negotiations would cover territorial and security guarantees. Lavrov described the talks as 'very useful' and confirmed both sides agreed to initiate peace negotiations. Ushakov noted progress in the talks but said the date for a summit was undecided. Ukrainian President Zelensky criticized the US for pandering to Moscow and expressed willingness to resign for peace.

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian and US officials will meet in Saudi Arabia on February 18 to discuss the Ukraine issue and US-Russia relations. The Russian delegation includes Foreign Minister Lavrov and Presidential Assistant Ushakov, while the US delegation includes Secretary of State Rubio, National Security Advisor Wolz, and Middle East Envoy Witkoff. Ukraine was not invited, but Rubio and Trump stated that Ukraine will have a place in negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine must participate in relevant talks. Trump expressed belief that Putin wants to end the war, and Rubio noted that peace negotiations require the involvement of Ukraine and European countries. Lavrov stated that Russia will not compromise on territorial sovereignty.

On July 17th, a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis, USA, experienced an accident upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada. All flights at the airport were subsequently grounded, and 15 injured individuals were transported to the hospital. Video footage showed the plane upside down with thick smoke billowing. Preliminary reports suggest severe weather as the cause. The investigation will be led by Transport Canada. All 80 people on board the aircraft have been evacuated.

On February 18, 2025, a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis crashed and flipped over while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All 80 people on board, including 76 passengers and four crew members, survived, with 18 sustaining injuries, a few of them serious. Passenger John Nelson reported no signs of anything unusual before the crash. Passengers helped each other escape the overturned aircraft, assisted by airport staff. The cause of the crash is under investigation, and two runways will remain closed for several days, leading to expected flight delays.

On January 26, 2025, Pope Francis led Holy Mass for the Jubilee of the World of Communication at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, targeting young communication professionals. The Vatican stated on Tuesday that Pope Francis, suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, remains hospitalized in Rome, presenting a 'complex picture' of his health. A follow-up CT scan of the 88-year-old pontiff revealed bilateral pneumonia, necessitating additional medications. Despite this, Pope Francis remains in good spirits. On Monday, the Vatican announced that Francis was admitted to Italy's largest hospital, Policlinico Agostino Gemelli, three days prior for bronchitis treatment, with initial tests indicating a respiratory tract infection and slight fever. Recent tests have depicted a 'complex clinical picture,' requiring an 'appropriate' hospital stay. The Vatican explained that the pope's polymicrobial infection, arising from bronchiectasis and asthmatic bronchitis, complicates his treatment with corticosteroids and antibiotics. His public audiences have been canceled, and he spends his time resting, praying, and reading, expressing gratitude for the support and requesting continued prayers.

Pope Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital last Friday for treatment and tests for bronchitis. On Monday, the Vatican announced that the pontiff has a polymicrobial infection of his respiratory tract, necessitating a change in his treatment. Currently, the Pope is in stable condition without a fever and has been conducting some work in the hospital. He expressed gratitude for the numerous messages of support and specifically thanked other hospitalized patients for their affection and prayers. The weekly general audience scheduled for this Wednesday has been cancelled. This is not the first time the Pope has been hospitalized due to health issues.

According to Ynet, Israel demands that Hamas release six hostages on Saturday instead of the three stipulated in the current agreement. Israel is also preparing to receive the bodies of several hostages who died in Hamas captivity, which will be brought to Israel two days before Saturday's handover for identification procedures. Kan radio station reported that Israel would receive the bodies of four to five hostages, with Hamas expected to announce their names on the morning of February 20. On January 15, Israel and Hamas reached an agreement to release hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire in the enclave. The three-phase deal, which took effect on January 19, involves Hamas releasing 33 Israeli hostages in the initial 42-day phase in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Israel states that 73 people remain in Hamas captivity.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that under an agreement with Hamas, six living hostages will be released from Gaza captivity on February 22. On Thursday, four deceased hostages will be returned to Israel, with four more deceased hostages expected to be returned next week. In mid-January, Israel and Hamas reached a three-phase deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US to release hostages held in Gaza and declare a ceasefire, which took effect on January 19. In the initial phase, Hamas is expected to release 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Currently, Hamas still holds 73 hostages in the Gaza Strip.

On February 17, a Lebanese official stated that Israeli troops had begun withdrawing from some border villages, following Israel's military announcement to remain in five 'strategic points' hours before a ceasefire deadline. Lebanon's president expressed concern that Israel might miss the February 18 deadline under the ceasefire with Hezbollah and urged countries to pressure Israel to honor the agreement. An Israeli military spokesman said that small amounts of troops would be temporarily deployed in five strategic points along the Lebanese border. The Lebanese army is ready to deploy in areas from which Israelis withdraw and to protect the border. Since the ceasefire began, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on Lebanon, claiming to have killed a Hamas commander on February 17. The Lebanese government stated that the state should be the sole bearer of arms and vowed to liberate all Lebanese territory.

A senior Russian official stated on Tuesday that Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian oil pipeline, which transports about 1% of global crude oil supply, potentially disrupting world market flows and harming U.S. companies. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) reported on Monday that the Kropotkinskaya station in the southern Krasnodar region was hit by several explosive-laden drones. The CPC did not identify the attackers but confirmed the station's shutdown and reduced flow rates in the Tengiz-Novorossiysk pipeline, bypassing the pumping station. Kropotkinskaya is the largest pumping station on the pipeline in Russia. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, warned that the attack could halt oil pumping, destabilize markets, spike oil prices, and directly damage U.S. companies. An official from Ukraine's SBU confirmed the drone strike. Medvedev suggested the attack, targeting a pipeline partly owned by U.S. firms, was a blow against U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts for lower oil prices, with Trump's response yet to be seen. The CPC transports oil from the Tengiz field and Russian producers over 1,500 km to the Black Sea for global supply. Russia, KazMunayGas, Chevron, Lukoil, and Exxon Mobil hold stakes in the consortium, which exported 63.01 million metric tons of CPC blend oil in 2024.

On July 17, the Caspian Pipeline Consortium reported that one of its oil pump stations was damaged by a drone attack. Currently, the pipeline system has activated an alternative route bypassing the affected station, resulting in a decrease in oil transportation volume. Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that since the early hours of July 17, Russian air defense systems had downed 90 Ukrainian drones in areas including the Azov Sea, Krasnodar Krai, Crimea, the Black Sea, and Belgorod Oblast.

On February 17, Elon Musk's AI company xAI unveiled the latest version of its chatbot, Grok 3, aiming to gain traction in the highly competitive AI sector. Musk touted Grok 3's powerful reasoning capabilities and 10 times the computational resources of its predecessor, along with self-correction mechanisms. Grok 3 will initially be available to Premium+ paid subscribers of X, formerly Twitter. The launch comes amid intensifying global AI competition, with Chinese startup DeepSeek and OpenAI's ChatGPT as key rivals. Meanwhile, Musk's role in US President Donald Trump's administration has raised conflict-of-interest concerns.

On Tuesday, Elon Musk's xAI unveiled its latest AI model, Grok 3, claiming it outperforms offerings from OpenAI and China's DeepSeek based on early testing. Grok 3 will be initially available to premium X subscribers in the United States and through separate subscriptions. Last week at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Musk described the model as 'scary smart,' surpassing all other existing models in xAI's internal tests. The xAI team stated that an early version of Grok 3 received higher ratings on Chatbot Arena than competitors. Musk emphasized that the model is still in beta and will be continuously improved. In September last year, OpenAI launched its advanced o1 model, while DeepSeek recently claimed its open-source model rivaled o1's performance.