World Briefing: February 9, 2025

North Korea is expected to start producing drones this year that will be co-developed with Russia. Multiple sources familiar with Russia-North Korea relations told NHK that the two countries reached an agreement under which the North receives technical help from Russia to develop multiple types of drones to be mass manufactured. The likely deal comes as Moscow and Pyongyang have been strengthening military ties. Last year, they signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. The sources say the accord on drone development is in return for North Korea’s deployment of soldiers to aid Russia, which is continuing its invasion of Ukraine.

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, was paid $25,000 last year by a film company owned by a Russian national who also holds U.S. citizenship and has produced programs promoting “deep state” conspiracy theories and anti-Western views advanced by the Kremlin, according to a financial disclosure form Patel submitted as part of his nomination process and other documents. Documents obtained by The Washington Post show that Patel received the money from Global Tree Pictures, a Los Angeles-based company run by Igor Lopatonok, a filmmaker whose previous projects include a pro-Russian influence campaign that received money from a fund created by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The payment to Patel came as he participated in a documentary that Lopatonok produced depicting Patel and other veterans of the first Trump administration as victims of a conspiracy that “destroyed the lives of those who stood by Donald Trump in an attempt to remove the democratically elected president from office.” - Washington Post

Saudi Arabia has accused the Israeli government of pursuing an ‘extremist, occupying mentality’ amid a growing row over the claim it could house millions of Palestinians on its land. In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, its Foreign Ministry accused Israel of “continuous crimes” and “ethnic cleansing” of the Palestinian people. It followed comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to an Israeli TV channel, saying: “The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there.” The Saudi statement on Sunday mentioned Mr Netanyahu’s name but did not directly refer to the comments about establishing a Palestinian state in Saudi territory. The UAE and Egypt are among the Arab states to condemn Mr Netanyahu’s suggestion. “The kingdom stresses its categorical rejection to such statements that aim to divert attention from the continuous crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian brothers in Gaza, including the ethnic cleansing they are subjected to,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry statement said - The National

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he will skip Group of 20 (G20) talks in South Africa amid an escalating spat between Washington and Pretoria over a controversial land expropriation law. Rubio’s announcement came days after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut aid to South Africa over its passage of legislation allowing the seizure of land without compensation in certain circumstances. South Africa, which holds the G20 presidency until November 2025, is set to host a meeting of foreign ministers from February 20-21 in Johannesburg - Al Jazeera

Azerbaijan is proving it is unbiased in its disdain of outside interference, announcing on the same day the official closures of the offices of USAID and Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s main soft power agency. The shut-down of USAID’s operations in Azerbaijan does not come as a surprise. Azerbaijani officials have long complained the organization’s activities and funding strategy sought to undermine Ilham Aliyev’s authoritarian-minded administration. A more an unexpected development was the kneecapping of Russia’s “aid” agency, given that Azerbaijan and Russia, at least until very recently, could be considered strategic allies. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry took action after it determined that the Russian House, the representative office of Rossotrudnichestvo in Azerbaijan, was “not registered as a legal entity and the organization seriously violates the legislation of Azerbaijan,” according to a report by Caliber.az, a news website closely connected to officialdom. Though seemingly coming out of the blue, Baku’s move against Rossotrudnichestvo can be seen as a signal of Baku’s displeasure with Russia’s ongoing reluctance to take responsibility for the crash of an Azeri jetliner in December. A preliminary report issued February 5 by investigators generally supported Azerbaijan’s assertion that the plan was accidentally shot down by Russian anti-aircraft fire. The reason given by Azerbaijan for shuttering Russian House, improper documentation, would seem to allow room for a quick restoration in the event the two countries settle their differences over the jet crash. In another diplomatic dart sent Moscow’s way, Aliyev issued a decree on February 5 approving $1 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Under the decree, Azerbaijan is providing mainly electrical equipment for heating - The Guardian

Sudan’s military says it has regained control of nearly all of Khartoum North as it intensified its offensive aimed at reclaiming full control of the capital from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The army, at war with the RSF since April 2023, has in recent weeks won back large swaths of the capital and its surrounding areas from the paramilitaries. On Saturday, the military said it had recaptured Kafouri, a key district in Khartoum North, after pushing the RSF to the outskirts of the city which is also known as Bahri. The district, one of greater Khartoum’s wealthiest, had been a key base for the paramilitary group, housing properties linked to senior RSF leaders, including Abdel Rahim Daglo, the brother and deputy of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. On Friday, the Sudanese army announced it regained control of Abu Quta in northwestern Gezira State from RSF - Al Jazeera

Hong Kong is about to become one of the first jurisdictions in the world to ban the possession and use of e-cigarette cartridges. The possession and use of the devices in public places are expected to be banned starting from mid-2026, Hong Kong’s health minister has said, with the government aiming to submit the relevant bill to the legislature in two months. It is part of phased efforts to stop vaping and reduce the smoking rate to 7.8 per cent, the South China Morning Post reported.

The City of Miami Beach is continuing its public messaging campaign that aims to crack down on spring break partying and the arrests that follow. It started last year, when the city launched an expensive ad campaign telling spring breakers that the party was over and announcing new curfews and fines, as well as heavier law enforcement. This time around, there’s a reality TV show spoof that warns of potential drama, including $100 parking, DUI sobriety checkpoints and increased towing rates. It’s a move that Miami Beach Commissioner Alex Fernandez told NPR in 2024 was needed for a community that had become unsafe. “Over the past 10 years, [there were] 33 shootings alone during the spring break period,” he said. “Last year, 16 stampedes on a small stretch of Ocean Drive, on that beautiful, iconic Art Deco postcard that should bring joy and happiness to tourists of our city.” - NPR

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