*) Biden warns Kiev of 'distinct possibility' of Russian invasion next month

US President Joe Biden warned Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that there is a “distinct possibility” Russia could take military action against Ukraine in February.

Biden warned that the US believed there was a high degree of likelihood that Russia could invade when the ground freezes and Russian forces could attack Ukrainian territory from north of Kiev.

Biden reiterated American and allied support, including recent deliveries of US military aid, and told Zelenskyy he was “exploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine’s economy”.

The recent Russian build-up of tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's borders has sparked fears of an invasion.

*) N Korea confirms missile tests, Kim praises 'important' munitions factory

North Korea has test-fired two different weapons systems this week, part of a record-breaking streak of launches, state media confirmed.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday’s launch involved long-range cruise missiles flying over the East Sea, and hitting "the target island 1,800 km away".

Pyongyang has conducted six weapons tests in January, including hypersonic missiles, as it doubles down on Kim's military-boosting plans and ignores US offers of talks.

*) Turkish Cypriot govt slams UNSC for extending Cyprus mission

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has blasted the UN Security Council for extending the international peacekeeping mission on the long-divided island for six more months.

The Prime Ministry of the TRNC called the UN decision a "violation of the UN's own principles and rules" because the international body failed to obtain the consent of the Turkish Cypriots.

Turkiye also called the UN decision "contrary" to the world body's rules.

*) Military promises normalcy in Burkina Faso when 'conditions are right'

Burkina Faso's new military leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba has claimed that the West African country will return to constitutional order "when conditions are right".

Damiba also promised to retake control of areas witnessing years of uprising while speaking for the first time on national television since leading a mutiny that ousted President Roch Marc Kabore earlier this week.

"When the conditions are right, according to the deadline that our people will define in all sovereignty, I commit to a return to a normal constitutional order," Damiba said.

And finally …

*) Qatar, Turkiye, Taliban agree on 'key issues' over Kabul airport management

Qatar, Turkiye, and the Taliban-led interim government in Afghanistan have agreed on "several key issues" over how to manage and operate Kabul's international airport, the landlocked country's main air link to the world.

The meeting in Doha came as a continuation of previous talks, the latest round of meetings which took place in Kabul last week. The sides will have a final round of negotiations next week.

In late December, Turkiye and Qatar had agreed to jointly operate the Kabul International Airport in Afghanistan on the basis of equal partnership.