*) Myanmar activists plan new street protests after silent strike

Myanmar’s anti-coup activists plan to resume street demonstrations a day after silent strikes left towns deserted across the country.

The junta is facing fresh outrage after a seven-year-old girl was shot dead by police raiding her home.

The regime is struggling to quell nationwide protests against the February 1 ouster and arrest of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

*) UN confirms report on Saudi threat against Khashoggi investigator

The United Nations has confirmed the accuracy of published remarks of Agnes Callamard that she was threatened by a senior Saudi official.

Callamard said a Saudi official had threatened she would be "taken care of" if she was not reined in following her investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The UN human rights office said it had informed Callamard about the threat as well as UN security and authorities.

*) Haftar militia commander wanted by ICC shot dead in Libya

In Libya, gunmen have assassinated a mid-tier leader of the militia of warlord Khalifa Haftar. He was wanted by the ICC for war crimes.

Military sources said Mahmoud al Werfalli was shot on Wednesday from a car outside a hospital in Benghazi.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack that comes after a transitional government took power last week with the job of leading the country.

*) Cavusoglu, Blinken plan broader talks after first in-person meeting

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that he and his US counterpart Antony Blinken plan to hold a more comprehensive meeting in either the US or Turkey.

Cavusoglu's remarks come after a brief huddle with Blinken on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.

Describing the meeting as constructive, Cavusoglu said they extensively discussed Afghanistan, eastern Mediterranean, Syria, Iraq and the fight against terrorism.

And finally …

*) Biden's rescue pet returns to White House after more training for life as a first dog

US President Joe Biden's pet dog Major is back to the White House after an incident prompted a round of training to help acclimate him to life as a first dog.

"Champ and Major are here at the White House," said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki referring to the president's two German Shepherds.

The president adopted Major from the Delaware Humane Society in 2018 after serving as vice president under former president Barack Obama.