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Ex-Syrian Intelligence Officer Appears in UK Court Charged with Crimes Against Humanity

A Union Jack is flown outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
A Union Jack is flown outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
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Ex-Syrian Intelligence Officer Appears in UK Court Charged with Crimes Against Humanity

A Union Jack is flown outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
A Union Jack is flown outside Westminster Magistrates' Court, in London, Britain, November 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

A former member of Syria's Air Force Intelligence attended a British court hearing via videolink on Tuesday charged with crimes against humanity and torture relating to the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in Damascus in 2011.

Salem Michel Al-Salem, 58, who now lives in Britain, appeared virtually at the hearing at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court from his home. He was wearing a breathing apparatus mask and the court was told he suffered from degenerative motor neurone disease, Reuters reported.

Al-Salem is charged with three counts of murder as a crime against humanity relating to deaths in April and July 2011 "as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population with knowledge of the attack".

He is also accused of three charges of torture relating to incidents in 2011 and 2012, and one of conduct ancillary to murder as a crime against humanity. He did not speak during the hearing and there was no indication as to how he would plead.

His lawyer Sean Caulfield told the court that Al-Salem was too unwell to confirm his name.

The seven charges were brought under a British law that allows the prosecution of serious international crimes committed abroad. The Crown Prosecution Service said it was the first time it had brought charges of murder as crimes against humanity.

In 2005, Afghan warlord Faryadi Zardad was convicted by a British court of torture that had taken place in Afghanistan.

Al-Salem, who has sought indefinite leave to remain in Britain, was a colonel in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence department with oversight of the Information Branch in the district of Jobar, to the east of central Damascus, British prosecutors say.

He is accused of leading a group tasked with quelling the demonstrations, which mostly occurred during Friday afternoon prayers. Prosecutors say he gave his men orders to open fire on protesters, which led to the deaths of some individuals.

Prosecutors say he was also present at, or took part in, the torture of men at the Information Branch building.

Al-Salem was first arrested in central England in December 2021. His lawyer had sought an order to withhold his name, arguing it could pose a risk to his safety. England's Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring rejected the application but ordered that his address not be made public.

He will next appear on Friday at London's Old Bailey court.

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World

Britain Working with Allies to Support Shipping through Strait of Hormuz

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
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Britain Working with Allies to Support Shipping through Strait of Hormuz

This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)
This handout satellite image taken by 2026 Planet Labs PBC shows damage at the military harbour in Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz on March 4, 2026. (Photo by 2026 Planet Labs PBC / AFP)

Britain is working with allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz in the face of Iranian threats, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's spokesperson said on Tuesday as the US-Israeli war with Iran roils oil prices.

US President Donald Trump has said the war could end "soon" but also said the US could escalate its attacks if Iran sought to block tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. After speaking to the leaders of Germany and Italy late on Monday, Downing Street said in a readout that they agreed on the "vital importance of freedom of navigation" through the Strait and "agreed to work closely together in the coming days in the face of Iranian threats."

"We're working with our allies on a range of options to support commercial shipping through the Strait as the threat picture develops," the spokesperson told reporters when asked about the readout.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they would not let any oil out of the Middle East until US and Israeli attacks cease. Starmer's spokesperson said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband had spoken to oil majors BP and Shell in the last few days, adding that the safety of their vessels was their primary concern.

He added that finance minister Rachel Reeves had liaised with Lloyd's of London to ensure there was "appropriate insurance cover available to operators" including cover for war, revolution and terrorism.

After meeting Reeves on Monday, the chairman of Lloyd's, Charles Roxburgh, said the insurance marketplace would work with Britain, the US and international partners on a "comprehensive response to the situation."

"In my meeting with (Reeves), I reiterated Lloyd’s confidence in our marine insurance market, which has remained open and continues to support international trade and shipping during this period of heightened risk," he said.

World

China-North Korea Trains to Resume after Six-year Halt

A passenger train crossing from North Korea to the Chinese border city of Dandong in 2019. Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
A passenger train crossing from North Korea to the Chinese border city of Dandong in 2019. Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
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China-North Korea Trains to Resume after Six-year Halt

A passenger train crossing from North Korea to the Chinese border city of Dandong in 2019. Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images
A passenger train crossing from North Korea to the Chinese border city of Dandong in 2019. Photograph: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

Passenger train services between China and North Korea will resume this week six years after their suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, rail authorities in Beijing confirmed on Tuesday.

Train journeys between the two countries were halted in 2020 as they imposed strict border closures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, AFP reported.

While China has since fully reopened its borders, North Korea has proceeded more slowly, though direct flights and train services with Russia resumed last year.

But China Railway announced on Tuesday evening that regular train services between Beijing and Pyongyang would resume on Thursday.

The services will help in "promoting personnel exchanges, economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges between the two countries," China Railway said.

Earlier on Tuesday, travel agents for an official ticketing booth in Beijing told AFP that anyone with a valid visa was now able to buy train tickets to the diplomatically isolated nation.

This would include Chinese people working and studying in North Korea, as well as North Koreans working, studying and visiting family abroad.

Another such ticketing booth in the Chinese border city of Dandong told AFP that sales would resume on Wednesday but tourists were not yet eligible to buy tickets.

"It's great to see the international train service resuming," Rowan Beard, tours manager at Young Pioneer Tours, told AFP.

He confirmed his company, one of several foreign-run firms that specialises in travel to North Korea, could also organise tickets from Thursday.

"While it isn't initially intended for tourists, it will provide another travel option once tourism to North Korea eventually returns, serving as an alternative to flying," Beard said.

The statement by China Railways said the trains would run in both directions between Beijing and Pyongyang every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Entry and exit procedures would be completed at the Dandong border crossing and at Sinuiju in North Korea, it said.

Tickets are currently available for offline purchase at several Chinese cities, the statement added.

Prior to the official announcement, South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a statement that it expected the services to resume Thursday, adding: "we will continue to closely monitor related developments".

China's foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference before the announcement that "maintaining regular passenger train services is of great significance in facilitating people-to-people exchanges between the two sides".

Despite periods of strained relations between China and North Korea over Pyongyang's nuclear program, the two neighbours have maintained close ties.

China is historically North Korea's biggest backer and a crucial lifeline for its moribund economy, though Pyongyang has drawn closer to Russia since the start of the Ukraine war.

North Korea's reclusive authorities have given mixed signals on whether further opening is on the cards.

On Monday, Koryo Tours said North Korea had cancelled an international marathon in its capital Pyongyang originally scheduled for early next month, citing an official statement with no explanation for the decision.

The cancellation was "unexpected", the company said, adding it understood the decision had been "taken at a level above the organisers of the event itself".

The marathon is the largest international sporting event in North Korea, offering visitors a rare chance to run through Pyongyang's tightly controlled streets.

World

Netherlands Moves Iran Embassy Staff to Azerbaijan

A woman walks past a national flag, the day before a general election, in Delft, Netherlands, March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman
A woman walks past a national flag, the day before a general election, in Delft, Netherlands, March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Netherlands Moves Iran Embassy Staff to Azerbaijan

A woman walks past a national flag, the day before a general election, in Delft, Netherlands, March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman
A woman walks past a national flag, the day before a general election, in Delft, Netherlands, March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman

The Netherlands will temporarily move its embassy staff in Iran to Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on Tuesday, citing safety concerns over the US-Israeli war on Iran, Reuters reported.

"Due to increasing risks to the safety of our staff, it has been decided to temporarily relocate the activities of the Dutch embassy in Iran to Baku, Azerbaijan," Berendsen wrote on X.