* The World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of stocks in northwest Syria and called to open more border crossings from Turkey after both countries were ravaged by earthquakes, the U.N. food aid organisation said on Friday.
* The death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria has surpassed 21,000, according to latest data released by authorities and rescuers.
* Syria's health minister said Thursday that the Syrian health sector is reeling under pressure from the US sanctions.
* Moldova's pro-Western president on Friday nominated her defence adviser Dorin Recean to be prime minister, hours after the resignation of the previous government.
* Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso on Thursday reshuffled his governing team and appointed four new provincial governors after the ruling party got poor results in the nationwide local elections.
* Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Thursday deepening collaboration to hasten economic recovery.
* The Cabinet of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Friday officially endorsed a policy permitting nuclear reactors to be operated beyond their 60-year maximum lifespan and for new reactors to be built under the government's broader "green transformation" policy.
* Finnish parliamentary groups said on Friday they may ratify NATO's founding treaties in the coming weeks, a key step that could lead the country to proceed with membership of the Western military alliance ahead of neighbouring Sweden.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual address to the federal assembly - a joint meeting of Russia's two houses of parliament - on February 21, the Kremlin said on Friday.
* There must be a stronger "international response" to the threat posed by Iran's ballistic missiles program, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told her US counterpart Anthony Blinken, France's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
* French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna spoke about several issues, including Iran, with her US counterpart Anthony Blinken during which they reiterated their "full support" to Ukraine, France's Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
* Russian officials and a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held a new round of consultations in Moscow on Thursday on cooperation in ensuring the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (NPP).
* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday assured Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky of the European Union's (EU) continued support and she said that preparations are underway for a 10th round of sanctions against Russia.
* Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that the European Council had discussed regulating the activities of charity vessels rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean Sea and run by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).
* The United States on Friday exempted Britain and New Zealand from its foreign investment screening program, the Treasury Department said, having determined that those countries' own screening programs are robust enough.
* Switzerland said on Friday it has rejected a request from Madrid to allow Spain to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. Spain made the request in January to allow it to send two 35mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
* The Republic of Korea plans to resume issuing short-term visas for travellers from China on Saturday after China improved its COVID-19 situation, Seoul officials said on Friday.
* International cruise ship operations have resumed in the Philippines for the first time after a three-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said on Friday.
* Turkey has postponed a natural gas summit due to be held on February 14-15 until March 22, an energy official said on Friday, after a major earthquake hit its southeastern region.
* Russian gas company Gazprom GAZP.MM has sought compensation payments from Bulgaria following Sofia's refusal to pay in roubles for gas last year, Bulgaria's interim energy minister said on Friday.
* Poland might close further border crossings with Belarus, the Polish prime minister said on Friday, after Warsaw decided to close another checkpoint between the countries.
* Britain and its former Mediterranean colony Malta signed a wide-ranging cooperation agreement on Friday covering areas including security and defence, migration, education, health and trade.
* The Indian government said Friday that it has decided to offload 3 million metric tons of wheat under Open Market Disposal Scheme (OMSS) to cool down prices of wheat and wheat flour.
* The number of individuals in the United States who applied for jobless benefits early this month climbed to 196,000, an increase of 13,000, according to US government figures released Thursday. New unemployment applications edged up from 183,000 in the previous week.
* Russia's central bank decided on Friday to keep its key interest rate at 7.5 percent per annum. The bank said in a statement that "current price growth rates were increasing," while "inflation expectations of households and businesses edged down but remain elevated."
* Revenue-raising measures will likely be among prior actions that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) requires before releasing the next tranche of financing to Pakistan, Moody's Investors Service said in a statement on Friday.
* The leaders of the European Union (EU) member states decided to take pragmatic steps to advance work on the bloc's Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said on Friday.
* Thailand's consumer confidence index (CCI) recorded a 26-month high in January, mainly driven by government stimulus measures and a resurgence in tourism, a survey showed on Thursday.
* Malaysia's foreign direct investment (FDI) position rises 14.4 billion ringgit (3.3 billion USD) from the third quarter of 2022 to reach a record 875.1 billion ringgit at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022.
* Britain's economy showed zero growth in the final three months of 2022 - enough for it to avoid entering a recession for now - but faces tough prospects in 2023 as households continue to wrestle with double-digit inflation.
* Denmark's government has agreed with parliament to spend 2.4 billion Danish crowns ($346.12 million) on an aid package aimed at easing the blow from higher prices on vulnerable Danes, the country's finance ministry said on Friday.
* South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster on Thursday evening to address the country's electricity crisis.
* The Ethiopian government on Thursday disclosed the signing of the first Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement (ERPA) with the World Bank.
* The high level of threat posed by the Islamic State (IS), also known as Da'esh, underscored the need for multidimensional approaches beyond security-centered responses, the United Nations counter-terrorism chief said on Thursday.
* Sixteen security forces were killed in an ambush in Burkina Faso's insurgent-hit north on Wednesday, three security sources said on Friday.
* The New Zealand government has urged people to prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle after severe flooding hit the country's largest city Auckland and claimed four lives two weeks ago.
* Heavy snow across much of Japan on Friday grounded 100 flights, blocked dozens of roads and disrupted train services, government authorities and operators said.
* Africa is witnessing an exponential rise in cholera cases amid a global surge, as cases recorded on the continent in the first month of 2023 alone have already risen by more than 30 percent of the total caseload recorded in the whole of 2022, said the World Health Organization (WHO) in a statement released Thursday.
