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Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
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Meet Fahad Toonsi, Secretary-General of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.
Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi.

Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Toonsi was chosen as secretary-general of the Saudi Secretariat for the G20 for his prestigious career in the Royal Court.

Coming from a background in economy, management and engineering, he has been tasked with organizing the G20 in Saudi Arabia, the world’s premier economic event that brings together the leaders of the globe’s top economies.

Toonsi has been an adviser at the Royal Court since December 2018. His appointment as secretary-general did not come out of the blue, but it is based on his experience in overseeing the implementation of various initiatives and programs that are part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

In 2011, he graduated with a bachelor’s in production engineering and mechanical systems design from the College of Engineering at King Abdul Aziz University. He then earned a master’s degree in international business management from London’s prestigious King’s College. He obtained a doctorate in financial economics and corporate governance from the same university in 2008.

Toonsi has presented several researches and studies on global governance. One tackled global governance in wake of the 2011 financial crisis and another in 2010 covered the application of governance systems in companies operating in the Middle East and North Africa. Toonsi has participated in numerous seminars and scientific conferences, including one on governance solutions held in the United States in 2014.

Toonsi has been the secretary-general of the Strategic Management Office of Vision 2030 and the secretary-general of the boards of directors for megaprojects which have been launched by the Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund: Qiddiya, Neom, AMAALA and the Red Sea Project.

From 2013 to 2015, Toonsi worked at the Saudi Crown Prince’s diwan as an advisor on governance in tackling affairs at councils and committees. He has been active in contributing to the development of projects chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the MiSK Foundation and Ministry of Defense.

Toonsi’s work has not been limited to Saudi Arabia, but he has been involved as manager on international corporate governance projects in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Toonsi was the first to reveal Crown Prince Mohammed’s idea to develop a logo for Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20.

In February, he revealed that the general secretariat of the G20 had approached various global companies for the design and many proposals were rejected. He said that he then met with the Crown Prince to discuss what feature really represents Saudi Arabia and the idea to host a local competition in Saudi Arabia to come up with the design was born.

Ultimately, a design presented by Saudi Mohammed al-Hawas won and is now the G20 2020 logo. The logo features the al-Sadu, or an embroidery form common in the Arabian Peninsula.

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Varieties

French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
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French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)

Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from France to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.

Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the financial hub's distinctive skyline glittering in the background.

Voisot and Humblot set off from Annecy in September 2024.

"We were thinking about this moment almost every day for more than a year now, so it's a really strong feeling," Humblot said of reaching their destination.

Hanging out after work one day, the two friends realized they both yearned for a "great adventure".

They wanted to visit China -- but without flying, which they believe is too harmful to the environment.

A plan to set out on foot was hatched, and except for a stretch in Russia which was done by bus for safety reasons, 518 days and around 12,850 kilometers (7,980 miles) later they took the last steps to completing it.

Around 50 people gathered at the start point for the last 10km stretch of their odyssey, many local people who have been following them on social media.

Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined.

"If your dreams are crazy, just take it step by step and sometimes you will not succeed, but sometimes you will," said Voisot.

Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, he joked: "Sleep a lot!"

World

Zelenskyy Says US Gave Ukraine and Russia a June Deadline to Reach Agreement to End War

05 February 2026, Ukraine, Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after their meeting. (Ukrainian Presidency/dpa)
05 February 2026, Ukraine, Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after their meeting. (Ukrainian Presidency/dpa)
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Zelenskyy Says US Gave Ukraine and Russia a June Deadline to Reach Agreement to End War

05 February 2026, Ukraine, Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after their meeting. (Ukrainian Presidency/dpa)
05 February 2026, Ukraine, Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after their meeting. (Ukrainian Presidency/dpa)

The US has given Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to reach a deal to end the nearly four‑year war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters, as Russian strikes on energy infrastructure forced nuclear power plants to cut output on Saturday.

If the June deadline is not met, the Trump administration will likely put pressure on both sides to meet it, he added.

“The Americans are proposing the parties end the war by the beginning of this summer and will probably put pressure on the parties precisely according to this schedule,” Zelenskyy said, speaking to reporters on Friday. Zelenskyy’s comments were embargoed until Saturday morning.

“And they say that they want to do everything by June. And they will do everything to end the war. And they want a clear schedule of all events,” he said.

He said the US proposed holding the next round of trilateral talks next week in their country for the first time, likely in Miami, Zelenskyy said. “We confirmed our participation,” he added.

Zelenskyy said Russia presented the US with a $12 trillion economic proposal — which he dubbed the “Dmitriev package” after Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bilateral economic deals with the US form part of the broader negotiating process.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued with over 400 drones and about 40 missiles launched overnight Saturday, Zelenskyy said in a post on X. Targets included the energy grid, generation facilities and distribution networks.

Ukrenergo, the state energy transmission operator, said the attack was the second mass strike on energy infrastructure since the start of the year, forcing nuclear power plants to reduce output. Eight facilities in eight regions came under attack, it said in a statement.

“As a result of missile strikes on key high-voltage substations that ensured the output of nuclear power units, all nuclear power plants in the territories under control were forced to reduce their load,” the statement said.

It said the power deficit in the country has increased “significantly” as a result of the attacks forcing an extension of hourly power outages in all regions of Ukraine.

The latest deadline follows US-brokered trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi that produced no breakthrough as the warring parties cling to mutually exclusive demands. Russia is pressing Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas, where fighting remains intense — a condition Kyiv says it will never accept.

“Difficult issues remained difficult. Ukraine once again confirmed its positions on the Donbas issue. ‘We stand where we stand’ is the fairest and most reliable model for a ceasefire today, in our opinion,” Zelenskyy said. He reiterated that the most challenging topics would be reserved for a trilateral meeting between leaders.

Zelenskyy said no common ground was reached on managing the Russian‑held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and expressed skepticism about a US proposal to turn the Donbas region, coveted by Russia, into a free economic zone as a compromise.

“I do not know whether this can be implemented, because when we talked about a free economic zone, we had different views on it,” he said.

He said in the last round of talks the negotiators discussed how a ceasefire would be technically monitored. He added that the US has reaffirmed it would play a role in that process.

Repeated Russian aerial assaults have in recent months focused on Ukraine’s power grid, causing blackouts and disrupting the heating and water supply for families during a bitterly cold winter, putting more pressure on Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said the US again proposed a ceasefire banning strikes on energy infrastructure. Ukraine is ready to observe such a pause if Russia commits; but he added that when Moscow previously agreed to a one-week pause suggested by the US, it was violated after just four days.

Sports

By the Numbers: A Look the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

A general view of a screen showing the Olympic flame in the Olympic cauldron designed by Marco Balich, next to the Olympic Rings during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of a screen showing the Olympic flame in the Olympic cauldron designed by Marco Balich, next to the Olympic Rings during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
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By the Numbers: A Look the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics

A general view of a screen showing the Olympic flame in the Olympic cauldron designed by Marco Balich, next to the Olympic Rings during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of a screen showing the Olympic flame in the Olympic cauldron designed by Marco Balich, next to the Olympic Rings during the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics officially started on Friday, with the opening ceremony and the lighting of the cauldrons.

And these Games are particularly supersized.

These are the first Olympics to fully embrace cost-cutting reforms installed by the International Olympic Committee, and use mostly existing venues — which has meant scattering the Games all over northern Italy.

Here’s a look at some of the key numbers ahead of the opening ceremony:

1 The number of new sports at these Games. Ski mountaineering — also know as skimo — is making its Olympic debut. The sport combines uphill sprinting (on boots and on skis) and downhill skiing.

2 That's how many times Italy has hosted the Winter Olympics previously: in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006. Italy has held the Summer Games once, in Rome in 1960.

8 The number of locations for events in the most spread-out Winter Games ever. Ice sports will take place in Milan and women’s Alpine skiing, curling and sliding events in Cortina — the two main hubs. But there will also be competition in Bormio, Livigno, Predazzo, Tesero and Anterselva, and the closing ceremony will take place in Verona.

13 Number of Russian athletes set to compete as neutral individuals along with seven Belarusians. They are not allowed to compete under their national flag or anthem and cannot take part in the opening ceremony athlete parades.

19 The number of days of competition.

39 The age difference (in years) between Team USA's oldest athlete at the Games and its youngest. Curler Rich Ruohonen will set a Team USA Winter Olympic record at age 54, while the youngest member of the team is 15-year-old freeskier Abby Winterberger.

41 Lindsey Vonn's age at her fifth Olympics after making a sensational return to ski racing. If she wins what would be a fourth Olympics medal she would edge France’s Johan Clarey — who was also 41 when he claimed downhill silver in 2022 — to become the oldest Olympic Alpine skiing medalist ever.

100 How old San Siro turns this year. The stadium that will host the opening ceremony will be knocked down in the next few years after a new arena is built next to it.

116 The number of medal events at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. If that sounds like a lot, it's not even close to the Summer Games. There will be more than 350 medal events at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

2,900 The number of athletes competing at the Milan Cortina Games. The United States will have the largest presence with 235 athletes — the largest ever US Winter Olympics team. Host nation Italy will have 196.

18,000 That's how many volunteers will be helping out at the Games. About 900 of them will be working behind the scenes at the opening ceremony.