February 8, 2022

*) International efforts to ease Russia-Ukraine tensions intensify World leaders have been speeding up efforts to ease the Russia-Ukraine tensions. French President Emmanuel Macron called for de-escalation as he held talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Monday. Putin hailed France’s role in shaping European security. He added that he appreciates Macron's efforts to broker a settlement in the Ukraine crisis. *) Europe in ‘most dangerous’ moment since Cold War Europe is facing its most serious security threat since the Cold War, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has warned. He was speaking at a joint news conference in Washington on Monday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Borrell said they shared "a strong concern" about the situation on Ukraine's borders. He also voiced hope for a diplomatic resolution to the Ukraine standoff with Russia. *) Iraq presidential vote postponed indefinitely amid political deadlock Iraq's parliament has indefinitely postponed a vote for the president after most major political blocs boycotted the session. On Monday afternoon, only a few dozen MPs were in the chamber. The vote had been set for noon. The sweeping no-show deepens a political crisis in the war-scarred country. Almost four months after a general election, it still hasn't chosen a new prime minister. It is the task of the president to formally name a prime minister from the largest bloc in parliament. *) ‘The son of us all’: Morocco bids farewell to Rayan Rayan Oram, a five-year-old Moroccan boy who spent five days trapped down a well, has been laid to rest. Hundreds arrived at a cemetery near Rayan’s village in Chefchaouen province for his funeral on Monday. "I am over 50 years old and have never seen as many people at a funeral. Rayan is the son of us all," a villager said. The boy had fallen down a dry well last Tuesday, sparking a complex rescue operation. On Saturday night. rescuers reached him as crowds cheered. But the joy turned to grief when authorities announc