The United States Senate has confirmed Antony Blinken, President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of State. Blinken is a very well-known figure in Turkey as well. Under Barack Obama, he particularly had taken part in the negotiations with Syria, ISIS and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and visited Turkey after the July 15 coup attempt.

A recent report by Afghanistan Study Group (ASG), commissioned by the US Congress, recommends the new US administration to extend the deadline of US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, and any other further reduction of troops should be based on progress on peace talks and reduction of violence by the Taliban.

The FSB (Federal Security Service) detained those propagandizing the "world caliphate" in the Kaluga region. In early November, the FSB uncovered a similar unit in Kazan. They also operated under the auspices of Hizb ut Tahrir al-Islami. (Source: rbc.ru)

The newly appointed US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, has announced that the new US administration will work with ‘Israel,’ to build on regional normalization agreements. The statement came after his first telephonic communication with his counterpart Meir Ben-Shabbat on Saturday 23 January 2021, where Sullivan, “reaffirmed President Biden’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and expressed appreciation for Ben Shabbat’s contributions to our bilateral partnership.