RIYADH, 26 January 2022, (TON): Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held talks with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai, on the sidelines of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s official visit to the Kingdom.

The Saudi foreign ministry said “during the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance joint cooperation in many fields and at all levels, in addition to exchanging views on several regional and international issues to achieve the interests of the two countries.”

The statement added “the two sides also touched on the importance of intensifying bilateral consultation and coordination to push relations toward broader horizons.”

Prince Faisal said the premier’s visit aimed to converge the viewpoints of both kingdoms and consult to end outstanding issues, as well as strengthen bilateral relations.

OUAGADOUGOU, 26 January 2022, (TON): Burkina Faso’s army said that it had ousted President Roch Kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the country’s borders.

The announcement cited the deterioration of the security situation and what the army described as Kabore’s inability to unite the West African nation and effectively respond to challenges, which include an Islamist insurgency.

Signed by Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and read by another officer on state television, the announcement said “the takeover had been carried out without violence and that those detained were at a secure location.”

The statement was made in the name of a previously unheard-of entity, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, or MPSR, its French-language acronym.

It said “MPSR, which includes all sections of the army, has decided to end President Kabore’s post today.”

Kabore’s whereabouts were unknown on Monday, with conflicting accounts of his situation.

LONDON, 26 January 2022, (TON): The Prime Minister held a virtual meeting with the leaders of the US, Italy, Poland, France, Germany, the European Council, the European Commission and NATO to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

The leaders agreed on the importance of international unity in the face of growing Russian hostility.

The Prime Minister underlined the real human cost of any Russian aggression and the need to take all steps within our power to prevent that outcome.

The leaders stressed that diplomatic discussions with Russia remain the first priority, and welcomed talks that have already taken place between Russia and NATO allies.

They also agreed that the international community should not tolerate any action which undermines Ukrainian sovereignty.

The Prime Minister outlined the steps the UK has taken to increase Ukraine’s defensive capacity. He emphasised the need to support Ukraine’s defences against the full spectrum of malign Russian activity.

CAIRO, 26 January 2022, (TON): Joint training between the Saudi and Egyptian navies has begun and will last for several days.

Egyptian Army spokesman Ghareeb Abdel Hafez “the Morgan-17 exercises include “many theoretical lectures and training conferences, as well as implementing many practical activities, including the implementation of several tactical shootings by the naval special forces of both sides with various small arms, as well as the implementation of surface-to-surface artillery firing on a target, carrying out surface-to-air shooting at an air target, and executing sailing formations.”

He added “Morgan-17 “aims to enhance joint cooperation between the navies of both countries, unify the operational concepts between the two sides in the methods of carrying out naval tasks against various threats, and train crews of naval units.”

WASHINGTON DC, 26 January 2022, (TON): In the event of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States will immediately introduce the entire planned package of sanctions, their gradual expansion is a thing of the past.

This was announced to journalists on Tuesday by a senior US administration official.

He said “we are ready to impose sanctions that will have massive consequences and which we did not consider in 2014. This means that the principle of gradualism is a thing of the past. This time we will start at the very top of the escalation ladder and stay there.”

An administration official expressed the view that the Russian market is already reacting to the threat of sanctions.

He said “the accelerating sale of assets, the rise in the price of lending, the value of the ruble, the implied level of risk, all this reflects the scale of the economic consequences that will come to the Russian economy as a result of our actions in the event of an invasion.”

The administration official stressed that financial sanctions are being worked out in close coordination with European allies and have their full support.

A senior US administration official said “the US intends to introduce measures to limit high-tech exports to Russia in the event of its alleged invasion of Ukraine.”

TEL AVIV, 26 January 2022, (TON): Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog will leave on January 30 for the first ever two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he is scheduled to hold talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

This was announced on Tuesday by the office of the Duke.

The statement said “for the first time in history, the President of the State of Israel will visit the United Arab Emirates. During the visit, on January 30 and 31, 2022, the President will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.”

The office indicated that the Duke “will visit Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where he will hold official meetings.”

WASHINGTON, 26 January 2022, (TON): The Navy said “seven US sailors were injured on Monday in a Navy F-35C fighter "landing mishap" on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea.”

The US Pacific Fleet said in a statement “the accident occurred while the F-35C Lightning II, a stealth combat aircraft, was attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson during routine flight operations.”

The pilot of the aircraft was in stable condition after ejecting and being rescued by a helicopter.

Seven sailors were injured, three of whom were evacuated to Manila, Philippines for treatment, where their condition was listed as stable.

The statement said “four others were treated aboard the ship, and three have been released.”

JERUSALEM, 26 January 2022, (TON): Israel's top diplomat said “it hopes to build on its 2020 US-brokered accords with four Muslim nations and establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, but such deals would take time.”

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest two sites, and Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, have conditioned any eventual normalisation with Israel on the addressing of the Palestinians' quest for statehood on territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

On Army Radio, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israel is looking to "expand the Abraham Accords to additional countries" beyond the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

He said "if you're asking me what the important countries that we're looking at are, Indonesia is one of them, Saudi Arabia of course, but these things take time.”

Lapid added that smaller countries he did not identify could normalise relations with Israel in the coming two years.

SEOUL, 26 January 2022, (TON): North Korea fired two cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, amid rising tension over a recent series of weapons tests.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not specify the missiles' range or trajectory, but said “it was conducting an analysis together with US authorities.”

The launch was North Korea's fifth of the year, following tests of a tactical guided missile, two hypersonic missiles capable of high speed and manoeuvring after lift-off, and a railway-borne missile system.

Tension has been growing, with leader Kim Jong Un vowing last week to bolster the military and warning he could lift a self-imposed moratorium on testing atomic bombs and long-range missiles.

A spokesperson the US State Department said the United States was aware of the latest launch reports and was assessing them with South Korea and Japan. The official offered no details but reiterated that Washington remained open to dialogue with Pyongyang.

Broadly speaking, as we have said “our goal remains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. We remain prepared to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy without preconditions to make tangible progress."

WASHINGTON, 26 January 2022, (TON): Two US aircraft carrier groups have entered the disputed South China Sea for training, the Department of Defence said “as Taiwan complained of a new Chinese air force incursion at the top of the waterway including a fearsome new electronic warfare jet.”

The South China Sea and self-governing Taiwan are two of China’s most sensitive territorial issues and both are frequent areas of tension between the United States and China.

US Navy ships routinely sail close to Chinese-occupied islands in the South China Sea to challenge Chinese sovereignty claims, as well as through the Taiwan Strait, to Beijing’s anger.

The US Department of Defence said that the two US Navy Carrier Strike Groups, led by their flagships USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln, had begun operations in the South China Sea.

It said in a statement “the carrier groups will carry out exercises including anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations and maritime interdiction operations to strengthen combat readiness.”

The training will be conducted in accordance with international law in international waters, the Department of Defence added, without giving details.