News from February 20, 2025 at 2 AM

US President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on his social media platform for refusing to hold presidential elections, calling him a 'dictator without elections' and warning that he needs to act fast or risk losing his country. Trump also stated that the US is 'successfully negotiating' with Russia, unlike Europe, which has 'failed to bring peace.' On February 12, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation discussing the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, bilateral relations, and other issues, agreeing to continue contacts and arrange a face-to-face meeting. On February 18, Russian and US delegations met in Riyadh for talks lasting about 4.5 hours, covering various issues including the rapprochement of Russian and US positions and contacts on Ukraine.

Hamas announced it will hand over the bodies of four hostages, including those of the Bibas family members Shiri and her young children Kfir and Ariel, on February 20. Hamas claims the three were killed in Israeli bombardment, which Israel has not confirmed. Additionally, Hamas plans to release six living hostages on Saturday, in exchange for Israel freeing all women and those under 19 arrested since last October and allowing some rubble-clearing equipment into Gaza. The Bibas family stated they are aware of the reports but have not received official confirmation. Currently, 73 hostages are held in Gaza, including Israeli soldiers and civilians, as well as Thai and Nepalese nationals. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel could extend the ceasefire if talks are productive.

A Delta Air Lines CRJ900 flight operated by Endeavor Air crashed and overturned upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17, injuring 18 people, three of whom were seriously hurt, including a child. The plane had 76 passengers and four crew members. Passenger Nelson posted a video on Facebook showing firefighters extinguishing the flames, with the tarmac covered in snow. Passenger Kukov described being flipped sideways and hanging upside down in the cabin. The airport suspended all flights for two hours following the incident, having canceled some flights due to a snowstorm the previous day. The runway was dry and there was no crosswind at the time of the accident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

Pope Francis has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, with his condition described as 'complex'. The 88-year-old had been suffering from a respiratory infection for over a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday. A follow-up chest CT scan revealed the onset of pneumonia, necessitating additional drug therapy. Despite this, the Pope remains in good spirits, spending his day reading, resting, and praying, and expressed gratitude to well-wishers. Previously experiencing bronchitis symptoms, he has cancelled all public events through Sunday. Doctors have adjusted his medication twice during his hospital stay. Pope Francis, who had part of a lung removed at age 21 and developed pleurisy as an adult, is prone to lung infections. During his 12 years as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, he has been hospitalized several times, including a three-night stay for bronchitis in March 2023.

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was charged on Tuesday with leading a coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss. The charges follow a two-year police investigation that culminated in riots by his supporters in Brasilia in early 2023. Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and his running mate, General Walter Braga Netto, of leading a 'criminal organization' aiming to establish a new order, including plans to poison President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. A total of 34 people, including several military officials, were charged. Bolsonaro's lawyers denied the allegations, and analysts believe it is unlikely he will be arrested before trial. The case resembles the charges faced by former U.S. President Donald Trump over his 2020 election loss.

This year's German election differs from previous ones, with intense campaigning and increased social divisions. The election, moved up to February 23, saw fierce debates among party candidates and campaign slogans随处可见 on the streets. Immigration became a key issue, with controversy over the coalition's collaboration with the AfD. Statements from some U.S. politicians added complexity. Polls indicate the CDU/CSU leading but likely needing a coalition. German politicians are actively using social media to attract young voters.

A group of migrants deported from the US to Panama last week were moved on the night of February 18 from a hotel in the capital to the Darien jungle region in the south of the country. Panamanian migration lawyer Susana Sabalza stated that the family she represents, along with other deported migrants, were transferred to Meteti, a town in the Darien. Local daily La Estrella de Panama reported that 170 of the 299 migrants initially housed in the hotel were relocated to the Darien. The Panamanian government did not respond to requests for comment. The migrants, including individuals from Afghanistan, China, and other nations, had been staying in a hotel in Panama City under local authority protection and financial support from the US through the International Organisation for Migration and the UN refugee agency. Human rights groups have criticized the process, fearing mistreatment and the safety of migrants if returned to violent or war-torn countries. Sabalza, who has been unable to see her clients, is seeking permission to visit them at their new location and said the family will seek asylum in Panama or any other country. Panama's security minister noted that over half of the recently deported migrants have accepted voluntary repatriation to their home countries.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on the 19th that over 150 false killer whales stranded on a beach in the northwest of Tasmania, including both adults and calves. They had been stranded for 24 to 48 hours when discovered. Due to the remote location and harsh sea conditions, rescue efforts were challenging. After assessment, the Tasmanian Government decided to euthanize 90 whales that were still alive but in severe pain. Marine biologist Chris, responsible for the rescue, stated that the situation was not optimistic and euthanasia might be the best option. The cause of the mass stranding remains unclear, but it is speculated to be related to their social behavior.

NASA released new calculations on February 18, indicating that asteroid '2024 YR4' has a 3.1% chance of hitting Earth on December 22, 2032, with enough power to flatten a city. The European Space Agency's head stated that while the event is rare, it does not constitute a crisis, posing a threat to at most one city. The asteroid, measuring 40 to 90 meters in width, could impact at speeds near 40,000 miles per hour, with an airburst equivalent to 8 million tons of TNT. If its size approaches the upper limit, it could create a massive crater on impact. The predicted impact areas include the eastern Pacific, northern South America, the Atlantic, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia. Experts advise against panic, noting ample time and existing scientific countermeasures.

On February 19, 2025, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the ADNEC Centre in Abu Dhabi. Nahyan stated that the UAE opposes the U.S. proposal to relocate Palestinians from their land. This follows U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion to take over Gaza and resettle its Palestinian inhabitants in Jordan and Egypt, which has faced widespread opposition from Arab countries and Western allies. Nahyan emphasized the importance of linking Gaza's reconstruction to a path leading to a comprehensive and lasting peace based on the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The UAE's stance is significant as it is one of the four Arab countries that normalized ties with Israel during the first Trump administration and has financed reconstruction efforts after previous conflicts. Arab diplomacy aims to develop an alternative to Trump's plan for Gaza, which lies in ruins after Israel's 15-month military campaign against Hamas, leaving nearly all of its 2.3 million inhabitants homeless. Leaders from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the UAE, and Qatar are expected to discuss the plan in Riyadh this month before presenting it at an Arab League summit in Cairo in March.

On February 4, 2025, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves announced during a press conference at the presidential palace in San Jose that migrants deported from the U.S. could be held in Costa Rica for up to six weeks before being sent to their home countries. Costa Rica has agreed to receive 200 migrants from countries such as Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and India, starting on February 5, Chaves said. He stated that this move is to assist their powerful economic ally in the north, the U.S., to avoid tariffs on Costa Rica's export zones. Since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on several regional countries, demanding cooperation on issues like migration and drug trafficking. Chaves noted that the U.S. will cover the costs of receiving the deportees, who will stay at a migrant shelter and be unable to leave until they are flown to their respective countries.

The Dutch embassy in Abuja announced on Wednesday that the Netherlands has agreed to return more than 100 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, becoming the latest European country to repatriate cultural artifacts to Africa. These bronzes were looted by British soldiers during a raid on the then-independent Kingdom of Benin, now located in southwestern Nigeria, in 1897. The Dutch embassy stated that the Netherlands will return 119 artifacts following an agreement signed between its education minister and the head of Nigeria's National Commission for Museums and Monuments. The artifacts are expected to arrive in Nigeria later this year. The collection includes 113 bronzes from the Dutch State Collection, while the remainder will be returned by the Municipality of Rotterdam. The embassy statement noted that the Netherlands is returning the Benin Bronzes unconditionally, acknowledging that the objects were looted during the British attack on Benin City in 1897 and should never have ended up in the Netherlands. Olugbile Holloway, director general of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, said this would represent the single largest return of ancient antiquities.

Billionaire Elon Musk's AI company, xAI, launched the Grok-3 AI model on February 17, claiming it to be the 'world's smartest' AI chatbot. Grok-3 outperformed Google Gemini, DeepSeek V3, Anthropic Claude, and OpenAI GPT-4o in math, science, and coding benchmarks. Musk stated that Grok-3's computing power is over ten times that of its predecessor and has completed pre-training, aiming to understand the universe. xAI plans to release a voice-enabled chatbot and a new subscription service, SuperGrok. Grok-3 is already available to X platform Premium+ subscribers. Musk expects Grok-3 to be fully developed in a few months, intensifying competition with OpenAI. xAI is in talks to raise $10 billion, valuing the company at $75 billion.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani called on October 4 for the arrest of a group of Yemeni Houthi leaders planning to attend the funeral of Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah, who was killed on September 27 amid increased Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, is scheduled to be buried on February 23. Eryani demanded that the Lebanese government arrest the Houthi leaders and hand them over to the internationally recognized rival government. The Houthis have not officially announced a delegation for the funeral, but Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a Yemeni delegation would participate. Eryani stated that the movement of these terrorist leaders is not merely to attend the funeral but to use it as a cover to gather Iranian-axis leaders and assess the situation after recent setbacks. The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have conducted over 100 attacks on ships off Yemen's shores since November 2023, disrupting global shipping.