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Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has blamed the US, Israel and Turkey for the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, after a lightning offensive by rebels toppled the regime.
In comments reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency, Khamenei identified Turkey as a lesser “conspirator” to the developments in Syria, instead focusing on the alleged role of the US and Israel: “There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria is the product of a joint American and Zionist plan,” he said.
He went on to claim that “everyone sees” that “a neighboring government of Syria plays, has played, and is playing an obvious role” but alleged that the “mastermind and command center” are in the US and Israel. He claimed to have conclusive “evidence”.
The comments by the Iranian leader, an ally of Assad, came after Syria’s leading rebel group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), named a new prime minister to head the country’s transitional government. Mohammed al-Bashir, who previously ran an administration in Idlib under the control of HTS, said he would stay in post until 1 March and urged calm.
How is HTS being received? It remains on the UN’s list of designated terrorist groups – but the organization said it would consider removing HTS from the list if it forms an inclusive transitional government.
Suspect in CEO shooting to plead not guilty and fight extradition, lawyer says
Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, will plead not guilty and fight his extradition to New York, where he faces murder charges.
Mangione, 26, shouted: “This is completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people,” as he was led to the courthouse on Tuesday. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, said she would sign a governor’s warrant to force an extradition “to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable.” Mangione has been denied bail.
One area of focus in the case has been that Mangione appears to have suffered chronic back problems since childhood – and investigators may explore whether he had been denied insurance coverage for the condition.
What charges does he face? In Pennsylvania, he faces the charges of carrying a gun without a license, forgery, falsely identifying himself to the authorities and possessing “instruments of crime”. Authorities in New York have charged him with second-degree murder, forgery and three gun charges.
Malibu wildfire forces mass evacuations
More than 1,500 firefighters are battling to contain a fast-moving wildfire that has torn through Malibu in southern California.
The fire, which started Monday night, had spread to more than 2,800 acres, leading authorities to place 20,000 residents under evacuation orders. City officials and firefighters on Tuesday said the fire was at 0% containment, while the Los Angeles county fire chief, Anthony Marrone, said authorities were investigating possible arson, though the blaze’s cause remained unknown.
Have there been any casualties? No deaths or injuries have been reported. At least seven homes were destroyed and eight have been damaged, fire officials said on Tuesday evening.
In other news …
North Korea’s state media criticized the South Korean president for imposing a “dictatorship on the people”, in remarks apparently free of irony.
Women in Iran could face the death penalty for breaking new compulsory morality laws set to come into force this week.
A US bankruptcy judge prevented the parody site the Onion from buying conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s Infowars site, ruling that the auctioneer should have encouraged more back-and-forth bidding to secure a higher price.
Stat of the day: Malaria infections rise for fifth year, reaching 263m cases in 2023
Malaria cases rose in 2023 for the fifth year running to 263m infections globally, with 11m more infections recorded than the year before, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The insect-borne disease killed almost 600,000 people in 2023. The rise in cases is being driven by rising resistance to drugs and insecticides, and climate and humanitarian disasters.
Don’t miss this: I was forced to give my baby away – and it was 40 years before I saw him again
As an unmarried 18-year-old in a border county in Northern Ireland, Maria Arbuckle was sent over the border to a mother and baby home in Dublin, where she was coerced into giving her baby up for adoption. She was one of tens of thousands of women – mostly from the Republic, but some, like Arbuckle, from Northern Ireland – to be sent to the homes, which were run by religious institutions and funded by the state. The last institution only closed in 1998. Four decades later, Arbuckle was reunited with her son. She shares her story here.
Climate check: Global food production at increased risk from excess salt in soil, UN report warns
Rising temperatures and poor agricultural practices are increasing salinity in large swathes of the world’s land, with potentially devastating impacts on food production, research has found. About 10% of global land is affected, with potential crop yield losses of up to 70%. If current trends continue, global heating could lead to between a quarter and a third of all land become affected by 2100.
Last Thing: Scrabble star wins Spanish world title – despite not speaking Spanish
Nigel Richards, a Malaysia-based New Zealander who does not speak Spanish, has won the Spanish Scrabble world title. While his victory was described in Spanish media as “the height of absurdity”, it will come as less of a surprise to those who know that Richards, 57, is lauded as the Tiger Woods of Scrabble. He has previously clinched a title in another language he doesn’t speak – French – after he reportedly memorized the entire dictionary in nine weeks.
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