THE HAGUE, 31 December 2021, (TON): The new cabinet of ministers of the Netherlands will be able to start its work on January 10, 2022. The corresponding statement was released by the government of the country.

The new cabinet will have 20 ministers and 9 secretaries of state. Mark Rutte, who has been in power since 2010 and leads the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (PNDD), is expected to remain prime minister.

During the first week after the New Year, he will hold talks with each of the candidates for the post of minister or secretary of state, after which on January 10, the new government will be able to take up his duties.

According to published documents, Hugo de Jonge, who is and. O. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports and responsible, among ot-her things, for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, will leave his post.

This is due to the fact that this position will be transferred from the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDU) party to the Democrats-66 (D-66) party, which took second place (after the NPSD) as a result of the March 17 elections.

A similar situation has developed around the post of Minister of Finance. Local media claim that this position, held by Vopke Hukstroy of the CDA, will be taken over by D-66 leader Sigrid Kag. The “Democrats-66” themselves have not yet confirmed this information, but have not denied either.

PARIS, 31 December 2021, (TON): France said that it will suspend a new rule that prevents Britons from transiting through the country to reach homes elsewhere in the EU, a move that caught thousands of travellers off guard.

France's Interior Ministry said "during the year-end holidays border police will show "tolerance" for Britons returning to the European Union after trips.”

Many Britons take the Channel Tunnel from England to France, using Eurotunnel's Shuttle service, to drive from the UK to their homes in other EU countries.

For the holidays many returned to Britain to visit family and friends without knowing that France was planning the tougher rules on non-residents.

Eurotunnel said in a tweet "unless they hold French residency, British citizens are now considered third country citizens and can no longer transit France by road to reach their country of residence in the EU.”

The change had caused dismay among Britons who embarked on holiday trips "in good faith," the French Interior Ministry said, acknowledging the "difficulties in returning to their country of residence."

P&O Ferries issued a similar tweet warning that “only those with French residency will be permitted to enter France.”

A French interior ministry official said it had not changed its list of “compelling” reasons enabling Britons to travel to France, but had clarified their application this month by border police.

MOSCOW, 31 December 2021, (TON): Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law removing from military units and organizations the obligation to obtain licenses for the development, production, testing, sale, disposal of weapons, military equipment and ammunition.

The corresponding federal law is published on the official Internet portal of legal information.

Previously, the legislation did not distinguish between the requirements for military units and organizations in the implementation of such activities, and commercial organizations, the purpose of which is to derive profit from its implementation.

The law excludes from March 1, 2022 the need for licensing activities for the development, production, testing, sale, disposal of weapons, military equipment, ammunition, civilian and service weapons and ammunition for them, class IV and V pyrotechnic products carried out by military units and organizations of the Armed Forces , as well as the troops of the Russian Guard .

At the same time, the duty to obtain licenses is also removed from the military.

As you know, the main tasks of the Ministry of Defense are the development and implementation of state policy in the field of defense, as well as maintaining the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in t-he necessary readiness.

To solve these problems, the ministry is empowered to organize scientific rese-arch, operation, modernization, repair, elimination and sale of weapons, military equipment and ammunition for defense purposes.

SANAA, 31 December 2021, (TON): The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has launched a project to repair 50 housing units in Yemen’s Al-Mahra governorate.

It will help families affected by storms and flooding in the district by providing them with adequate shelter.

During the inauguration, Al-Mahra Gov. Mohammed Ali Yasser praised the humanitarian projects provided by KSrelief in Yemen.

He said that the project will “greatly alleviate the suffering of families affected by Cyclone Luban” and other hurricanes that have struck the region in recent years.

Meanwhile, KSrelief Al-Mahra office director Abdullah Al-Anqari said that the new house designs will take into account the specific needs of families.

He added that the first phase of the project will be completed within eight months.

TALLINN, 31 December 2021, (TON): The Estonian Defense Ministry intends to provide Ukraine with weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and 122 mm howitzers.

This was announced by the head of the international cooperation department of the Ministry of Defense Peeter Kuymet.

He told media “we are currently considering the possibility of providing [Ukraine] with Javelin missiles for anti-tank missile systems, as well as 122 mm howitzers and ammunition for them.”

Kuymet added “in principle, Estonia has made a decision at the level of its Ministry of Defense that we want to support Ukraine with weapons and ammunition in the current difficult security situation.”

He added that the transfer of these weapons to Ukraine is possible only with the consent of the seller. In the case of Javelin, Estonia will need the consent of the United States, in the case of howitzers – from Germany and Finland, he explained.

On December 21, Lithu-anian Defense Minister Arvydas Anushauskas, following a meeting with the heads of Latvian defense departments Artis Pabriks and Kalle Laanet, said that the Baltic countries are ready to provide Ukraine with various assistance, including military.

Ukraine does not see the threat of aggression from Russia: Ukraine at the moment does not see a great danger and a large concentration of military personnel near its borders, and also does not observe threats of “aggression” from Russia.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the Nati-onal Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said this at a briefing on Thursday.

KHARTOUM, 31 December 2021, (TON): Medics said “Sudanese security forces shot and killed four protesters as tens of thousands of demonstrators defied a security lockdown and severed communications to rally against military rule.”

Pro-democracy activists have kept up a more than two-month-long campaign of street demonstrations against a military takeover in October.

The crackdown has now seen at least 52 people killed in protest-related violence, according to the independent Doctors’ Committee, which is part of the pro-democracy movement.

On Thursday, security forces killed with live rounds four protesters in Omdurman, twin city of the capital Khartoum, and wounded dozens, they said.

They added “we call on doctors to come to the Arbain hospital in Omdurman because the putschists are using live rounds against protesters and preventing ambulances from reaching them.”

Their plea was posted on social media accounts of Sudanese living abroad as authorities had severed domestic and international phone lines.

Web monitoring group NetBlocks said mobile Internet services were also cut.

Saudi network Al-Arabiya said several of its journalists had been wounded in an attack by security forces on its Khartoum office.

KABUL, 31 December 2021, (TON): For the first time in western Farah province, 600 local classes have been set up by Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan (Wadan), providing access to education for thousands of local children.

ShafiqullahBabakarkhil, provincial director of Wadan, told media that 600 local classes had been set up by the organization in Farah province.

The local classes also have a formal aspect, which keeps the education record of a student based on his or her identity number, he said, adding that the classes enroll students from first to third grades and would be expanded in later stages considering the situation.

These classes are formed in the capital of Farah and five districts of the province, including Bakwa, Parchman, BalaBolok, Khak-e-Safid and Pushtrood, where 18,000 students, both boys and girls of ages seven to 16, have been enrolled.

He said that 600 teachers were hired for teaching these students in the classes.

WASHINGTON, 31 December 2021, (TON): The Hong Kong government’s December 29 raid and arrest of seven senior staff at Stand News have forced yet another of the few remaining bastions of free and independent media in Hong Kong to cease operations.  Journalism is not sedition. 

We call on PRC and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong’s free and independent media and to immediately release those journalists and media executives who have been unjustly detained and charged.

Freedom of expression, including media freedom, and access to information provided by an independent media are critical to prosperous and secure societies.  These freedoms enabled Hong Kong to flourish as a global center for finance, trade, education, and culture. 

SANAA, 31 December 2021, (TON): Local officials and media reports said “at least 11 Yemeni government troops were killed and 17 others wounded when an explosion caused by a Houthi missile or drone strike rocked their military base in the southern province of Shabwa.”

A local government official told media “soldiers from the Giants Brigades were regrouping inside a military base in the Markha Al-Soufla district when a large explosion ripped through the base.”

The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said “the Giants Brigades were getting ready to advance toward other areas in Markha Al-Soufla to defend them against Houthi incursions.”

Local media reports said the explosion was caused by a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis, but other sources said that an explosives-rigged, Houthi-controlled drone attacked the base.

On Tuesday night, two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis landed inside Ataq airport in the provincial capital of Shabwa, shortly after the Giants Brigades took charge of the airport from local military units.

The newly appointed governor of Shabwa, Awadh Mohammed Al-Wazer, visited the wounded soldiers in Ataq hospital.

Yemeni military analyst Khaled Al-Nasi said that the military commanders were expecting Houthi attacks on the new troops in Shabwa and had taken precautionary measures.

MOSCOW, 31 December 2021, (TON): Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban intends to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in early February 2022. This was announced by the head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry Peter Siyjarto.

Siyarto said on his Facebook page “Viktor Orban will meet with President Vladimir Putin in early February, preparations are underway.”

The Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed hope that next year, relations between the two countries will make progress on expanding the Paks nuclear power plant, producing the Sputnik V vaccine based on Hungarian production facilities, as well as cooperation in the aerospace industry.