KABUL, 08 February 2022, (TON): First Deputy of the Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, called on the government institutions to present their plans to tackle the economic meltdown and root out poverty in the country.

Speaking to a conference in Kabul, Mullah Baradar accused the previous governments of corruption, saying that the funds for Afghanistan over the last 20 years poured into the pockets of certain individuals, so the country is not self-sufficient.

He said “I instruct the officials of all ministries and departments to share their short- and long-term plans for economic development with us.”

Mullah Baradar promised that the Islamic Emirate will take significant steps to address the current crisis in the country.

He said “this is the responsibility of all of us–to work for economic progress. We should do something to reduce the level of poverty and provide work opportunities for the people in the country.”

He also emphasized that a safe environment will pave the way for investment inside Afghanistan. The Second Deputy of Prime Minister, Abdul Salam Hanafi, said administrative corruption in the government departments has been eradicated.

PARIS, 07 February 2022, (TON): Offices said “France’s President Emmanuel Macron discussed the Ukraine crisis with US counterpart Joe Biden on Sunday ahead of a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, both leaders.”

The White House said in a statement “the two leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, and affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The 40-minute phone call was part of coordination efforts, the French presidency said, before Macron travels to Moscow on Monday and on to Kyiv on Tuesday, where he is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The French leader has indicated that he is going to “discuss terms of a de-escalation” of the crisis.

US officials said the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbor Ukraine, but intelligence assessments have not determined whether President Putin has actually decided to invade.

Over the weekend, Macron also held talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg plus the leaders of Baltic nations.

PYONGYANG, 07 February 2022, (TON): A UN report briefed to media said “North Korean cyber-attacks have stolen millions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency to fund the country's missile programmes.”

Between 2020 and mid-2021 cyber-attackers stole more than $50m (£37m) of digital assets, investigators found.

They said “such attacks are an important revenue source for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programme.”

The findings were reportedly handed to the UN's sanctions committee.

The cyber-attacks targeted at least three cryptocurrency exchanges in North America, Europe and Asia.

The report also referenced a study published last month by the security firm Chainalysis that suggested North Korean cyberattacks could have netted as much as $400m worth of digital assets last year.

And in 2019, the UN reported that North Korea had accumulated an estimated $2bn for its weapons of mass destruction programmes by using sophisticated cyber-attacks.

KABUL, 07 February 2022, (TON): The head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kınık, said “the aid, worth $10 million, is from the Turkish government and 11 other organizations.”

The first shipment of the aid is expected to arrive in Afghanistan within the next four days.

Kınık said “the objective of his visit to Kabul is to assess the humanitarian situation in the country. If the people in need don’t receive aid on time, according to him, there will be a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.”

He said “if the international community doesn’t address this crisis soon, there will be further crisis, including migration.”

He added “800 tons of humanitarian assistance… (provided by Turkish) Red Crescent are coming in two shipments to Afghanistan. The first shipment will arrive on February 9th in Kabul.”

Many humanitarian aid packages have arrived in Afghanistan as the country has plunged into economic crisis, but the number of vulnerable people is still at a high-level. The citizens also complained about the unfair distribution of aid in the country.

ROME, 07 February 2022, (TON): The first batch of vehicles donated by Italy to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini said “this first vehicle delivery is a tangible sign of Italy’s closeness to Lebanon, its people and the Lebanese Armed Forces.”

He added “Rome remains committed to supporting the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, and to contributing to the country’s stability.”

He said “the bond of friendship between Italy and Lebanon has deep historical roots based on our common Mediterranean identity.”

“Our continued presence in that country since 1980 is a clear testimony to our commitment to peace and stability across the entire region.”

RIYADH, 07 February 2022, (TON): Morocco announced its support for the Kingdom’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh.

The country’s foreign ministry said on Twitter “by royal instruction, Morocco announces its support for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy file to host Expo 2030 in the city of Riyadh.”

Earlier, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita spoke to his Saudi counterpart.

During the telephone call, Prince Faisal bin Farhan thanked Bourita for Morocco's support for the Kingdom’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh, Saudi Press Agency reported.

BERLIN, 07 February 2022, (TON): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured that his country does not intend to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine. He stated this on the air of the Local TV channel before flying to the United States.

Scholz said “the German government has long had a clear course: we do not supply crisis regions and do not supply lethal weapons to Ukraine.”

“It was still followed by my predecessor [Angela Merkel], and it was and remains the right thing,” he stressed, pointing out that, according to polls, the majority of Germans share the authorities’ point of view on this issue.

Scholz added “my duty is to do what is in the interests of the German people, and what in this case is the point of view of the citizens of our country.”

The Chancellor avoided answering the question about the possibility of strengthening the German contingent in the Baltic countries. He recalled that next week [February 10] he is meeting in Berlin with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, as well as Estonian and Latvian Prime Ministers Kaja Kallas and Krisjanis Karins.

Scholz said “it’s very important to me that we stick together and coordinate our actions as friends and not through the media.”

BEIJING, 07 February 2022, (TON): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed strengthening cooperation in several areas with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

According to a statement by the Egyptian president’s official spokesman “the two presidents covered a number of issues, especially the manufacture of coronavirus vaccines and electric cars.”

Xi welcomed El-Sisi’s visit to Beijing, which, he said, would contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, and praised positive developments following from the comprehensive strategic partnership between Beijing and Cairo, especially in trade, communication and political consultation on regional and international issues.

He stressed that China attaches special importance to its relations with Egypt in view of the pivotal role the North African country plays across the continent, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean.

PARIS, 07 February 2022, (TON): French President Emmanuel Macron has said “he thinks a deal to avoid war in Ukraine is possible and that it is legitimate for Russia to raise its own security concerns.”

Before talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, he called for a "new balance" to protect European states and appease Russia.

He restated that the sovereignty of Ukraine was not up for discussion.

Russia has massed troops on Ukraine's border but denies planning to invade.

Moscow has made a string of demands, including that the Nato defence alliance rule out Ukraine becoming a member, and that it reduce its military presence in eastern Europe.

Western countries have rejected this, instead suggesting other areas of negotiation, for example talks on cutting back nuclear weaponry.

ANTANANARIVO, 07 February 2022, (TON): At least 10 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced after Cyclone Batsirai brought strong winds and rain to Madagascar.

Batsirai the second major storm in two weeks made landfall on the east coast, with gusts of 235km/h (146mph) and high waves hitting coastal areas.

Whole villages are reported to be almost completely destroyed.

The cyclone has now weakened, according to the national weather service.

Madagascar was already reeling from Tropical Storm Ana, which killed 55 people when it hit the Indian Ocean island nation last month.

Cyclone Batsirai has compounded the destruction, making landfall near the south-eastern city of Mananjary, 530km from the capital Antananarivo, at around 20:00 (17:00 GMT) on Saturday.

Electricity had not been available in Mananjary for two days and the water supply had been disrupted, according to local media. One resident told Reuters that even schools and churches due to be used as evacuation centres had had their roofs torn off.