US must not act on fabricated pretexts in Syria: Moscow

Moscow today warned the United States against carrying out a "military intervention on fabricated pretexts" in Syria, insisting that the Damascus regime did not use chemical weapons on an opposition holdout in Eastern Ghouta.

"We must once more warn that a military intervention under far-fetched and fabricated pretexts in Syria, where there are Russian soldiers at the request of the legitimate Syrian government, is absolutely unacceptable and could have the most dire consequences," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Released before Donald Trump called Syrian President Bashar al-Assad an "animal" and warning that there would be a "big price to pay" for what the US president called a "mindless chemical attack", the ministry called the allegations "provocations".

The rebel holdout of Douma in eastern Ghouta near Damascus was pounded Friday and Saturday by renewed airstrikes that killed at least 80 people, with first responders accusing forces loyal to Assad of using poisonous chlorine gas in the attacks, claims denied by state media.

Syria attacks: Atleast 20 civilians killed in Damascus

At least 20 civilians were killed in attacks coordinated by the Syrian regime in Eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus on Sunday.

According to the Anadolu Agency, the attacks were targetted at the Opposition-held residential neighbourhoods of Douma, Misraba, Ein Tarma, Medeira and Harasta.

The sources said 13 civilians, including three children, were killed in Misraba, five people, including a child, were killed in Medeira and two others in Douma.

However, the death toll may rise as scores of people got injured in the attacks.

Last week, at least 12 civilians were killed in shelling by the Assad regime forces in Damascus on Saturday.

According to a Syrian civil defense source, Madyara, Haresta, Arbin, Hamuriyyah, Zamalka and Hazze regions were hit in the shelling.

A number of people also got injured, who were later rushed to the nearby medical facility.

A civil defence report has claimed that at least 45 civilians have lost their lives due to Syrian regime's intense attacks on Eastern Ghouta between November 14-17.
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These cities from our neighbourhood are the world's worst for living

Pakistan's Karachi city and Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka have been named among the least liveable cities of the world, says a survey.

According to Global Liveability Report compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Karachi maintains its 134th rank in the listing of 140 cities, only managing to fare better than Port Moresby, Dhaka, Tripoli, Lagos and Damascus.

The survey says that Melbourne is the most liveable city in the world, followed by Austrian capital Vienna and Canada's Vancouver in the second and third place respectively.

However, no Indian city was ranked in the top ten or bottom ten in the most liveable city ranking.

The ranking is based on the qualitative and quantitative factors falling broadly in the categories of stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.

The survey only includes cities which people might want to live in or visit. Therefore, it excludes cities like Kabul or Baghdad, where conflict is ongoing.

However, cities like Damascus, which were in the near past relatively unstable, have been included.

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Russia signs deal to use Syria air base for 49 years

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a protocol to an agreement with Syria to deploy a Russian Air Force group at a Syrian military base.

The protocol was signed into law on Wednesday and ratifies the agreement signed by Russia and Syria which allows the Russian air group to use Syria's Hmeymim air base free of charge for 49 years with possible extension for another 25-year period, Xinhua news agency reported.

The document was posted on the Russian government's legal information portal.

The protocol to the 2015 Russian-Syrian agreement "aimed at establishing the international legal framework governing the conditions for the location of the Russian air force group" was signed in Damascus on January 18, 2017.

Prior to being signed into law by Putin, the protocol was ratified by both chambers of the Russian Parliament.

The Russian air group was deployed at Hmeymim from the end of September 2015 to help Syria fight the Islamic State (IS) and other terrorist groups at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
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