Messi sparks disorder in India – Weekend

India unveiled what was described as the country’s largest statue of Lionel Messi. However, during the football star’s visit, some fans caused disturbances.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly kept Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif waiting for 40 minutes. Footage circulating online appeared to show Sharif entering the room where Putin was meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Three Americans were reported killed in Syria, and US President Donald Trump said he wants retaliation.

Read details of the week’s major global developments in QALAMPIR.UZ’s WEEKEND program.

Did Shehbaz Sharif interrupt Putin–Erdogan talks?

On December 12, an international forum was held in Ashgabat to mark the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality, the International Day of Neutrality, and the proclamation of 2025 as the “International Year of Peace and Trust.” The event, chaired by Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, was attended by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other leaders, heads of governments, and representatives of international and regional organizations.

While the speeches and initiatives at the forum proceeded as planned, one incident sparked widespread discussion. The controversy centered on videos suggesting that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif entered a closed-door meeting between Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan without authorization.

Sharif was scheduled to meet Putin in Turkmenistan. In a video circulated that day by RT India, he was seen waiting with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, with a caption claiming the wait lasted 40 minutes. In a nearby room, Putin was holding talks with Erdogan.

The footage appeared to show Sharif, seemingly out of patience, entering the room where the Putin–Erdogan meeting was taking place. It was reported that Sharif hoped to have at least a brief conversation with Putin. However, he left the room about 10 minutes later.

Social media users sharply criticized Sharif, with comments describing the situation as a “global embarrassment” and alleging that “Putin knows how to play this game.”

At the same time, some commentators questioned the framing of the incident, pointing out that the video was distributed by RT India, a channel launched on December 5 during Putin’s widely covered visit to India. Online, there were also claims accusing RT India and, more broadly, some Indian media of spreading disinformation or deliberately misrepresenting the event.

Several hours after the video circulated, RT India deleted it, saying it may have reflected a “misinterpretation” of events.

Pakistani media, however, reported that Sharif did speak with Putin and Erdogan and discussed bilateral and regional issues.

RIA Novosti reported that after members of the Russian and Turkish delegations left the room, the leaders continued their talks in a narrower format. After some time, Pakistan’s prime minister, who had been waiting for a meeting with Putin, joined the discussion.

Putin and Erdogan spoke for a total of around 90 minutes. After the meeting ended, Erdogan left first, followed by Putin, who exited the hall while speaking with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

One senior Pakistani official said the government viewed the situation as inconsistent with protocol.

Russia has issued no official statement. Sources close to the Kremlin said Putin’s schedule was “very tight and changeable,” and that several bilateral meetings were being held simultaneously. Pakistan, however, reportedly did not view this as a routine delay, noting that its delegation had not been informed of changes and suggesting that the situation may indicate deeper reasons than scheduling constraints.

Days earlier, Putin had made a high-profile visit to India and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reaffirming strategic partnership. Analysts have contrasted the extensive ceremonial reception and lengthy talks in New Delhi with Sharif’s reported wait.

Historically, Pakistan–Russia relations have remained cautious and often complex, shaped by Cold War-era alignments and Moscow’s long-standing defense and energy ties with India.

Messi in India

In Kolkata, India, a 21-meter iron statue honoring Argentine football legend Lionel Messi was completed and described by organizers as the largest of its kind. The statue depicts Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy. West Bengal minister Sujit Bose said it was built in just 40 days.

The unveiling ceremony took place on December 13. Messi was in India at the time, but did not attend the event in person due to security concerns, and the ceremony was reportedly held virtually.

Messi arrived on a three-day visit to Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata along with Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. In Kolkata, he also met Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan at the Sri Bhumi Sports Club.

However, the visit did not go entirely as planned. Disorder reportedly broke out after Messi’s appearance at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium ended quickly.

According to reports, Messi came onto the pitch, waved to spectators, played for a few minutes, and then left the stadium immediately. This reportedly angered some fans, who accused stadium management of poor organization. Many fans said they had paid more than $100 for tickets, which for some amounted to roughly a month’s wages.

“Messi came for only about 10 minutes. All the VIP guests and ministers surrounded him. We saw nothing. All that money, emotion, and time were wasted,” one fan was quoted as saying.

Trump signals retaliation after Syria incident

Syrians marked December 8 as the first anniversary of the end of dictator Bashar al-Assad’s rule. In a country still struggling for stability and recovery after years of conflict, commemorative events were held, including military parades.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, described as a former Al-Qaeda commander, is portrayed as having initiated major reforms that reshaped Syria’s foreign relations. The text says he restored ties with the United States, gained moral and political support from Gulf Arab states and Turkey, and began distancing Damascus from Iran and Russia, which had been key backers of Assad. It also states that Western sanctions were largely lifted.

Al-Sharaa has pledged to replace Assad’s repressive police state with inclusive and just governance. However, clashes in different parts of the country have reportedly killed hundreds, triggering new displacement and fueling skepticism and mistrust among minority communities. The government is said to be struggling to reassert control nationwide.

This week, two American service members and an American interpreter were reported killed in Syria after falling into a trap set by a lone Islamic State (ISIS) militant. The militant was also killed.

US President Donald Trump threatened “response measures.” He wrote on December 13 on Truth Social that the attack occurred “in a very dangerous part of Syria that is not fully controlled by transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces.” Trump also said al-Sharaa was “very angry and concerned” about what happened.

“Yes, we will strike back. Very serious retaliation measures will be taken,” the White House chief said in response to a journalist’s question.

The United States leads an international coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. According to official statements, the group has been militarily defeated, but some ISIS militants are still believed to be operating covertly in Iraq and Syria and continue to carry out attacks.

On November 10, Trump met Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington. The text also reports that Syria joined the US-led coalition against ISIS that day.

CENTCOM and Syria’s Interior Ministry forces reportedly conducted air and ground strikes on November 24–27 against 15 locations in the Damascus countryside said to contain ISIS weapons caches.

Russia sentences Karim Khan to 15 years in prison

Karim Khan, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague who sought an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, was sentenced in absentia in Russia. On December 12, a Russian court convicted Khan and eight judges of allegedly persecuting Russian citizens. They were sentenced in absentia to terms ranging from 3.5 to 15 years. Khan received a 15-year sentence, with the first nine years to be served in a general-regime penal colony and the remainder in a maximum-security colony.

Khan’s office had supported ICC arrest warrants for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, neither Russia nor Israel is a member of the ICC. Both countries do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction and reject the allegations.

Following these moves, Khan himself came under scrutiny. Some women reportedly began filing complaints about alleged sexual assaults said to have been committed by Khan around 15 years ago, with some claims emerging after the warrants were issued.

The United States, Israel’s main ally, imposed sanctions on the ICC. Trump accused the court of unlawfully targeting the United States and its closest allies, especially Israel, and signed an order imposing sanctions. Khan became the first individual to face US economic and travel sanctions under the measure.

This week, the United States reportedly warned it could sanction the ICC as a legal entity. For now, restrictions reportedly apply only to specific individuals.

Meanwhile, a Washington court is said to be concerned about potential measures against Trump after his term ends, although the legal basis for such steps remains unclear in the text.

The Trump administration reportedly demanded that the ICC amend its founding document, the Rome Statute, to strictly prohibit any investigations into Trump and senior US officials. If the ICC fails to meet this and two other demands, sanctions could reportedly be expanded beyond individual officials to the institution itself. The other reported demands include halting the ICC investigation into Israel’s leadership over the war in Gaza and formally closing a previous investigation into US actions in Afghanistan.

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court is ready to withstand US pressure.