Anadolu Agency’s Morning Briefing - April 6, 2023

NEW YORK 

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

Türkiye on Wednesday denounced Israeli police raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and the subsequent arrest of Palestinians.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan on Wednesday also denounced the Israeli police raids at Al-Aqsa Mosque.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "appalled" by the violence from Israeli forces against worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, his spokesman said Wednesday.

The US is "extremely concerned" about tensions around Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and urged “all sides” to exercise restraint.

Iraq will reopen its embassy in Libya nine years after the mission was closed for security reasons, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said late Tuesday.

China on Wednesday began what it called a “special inspection operation” in the Taiwan Strait which will feature a joint patrol by Chinese armed forces. The announcement came hours ahead of a meeting between Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Beijing on Wednesday on a three-day state visit to China, state media reported.

As part of NATO's open door policy and enlargement, Finland has become the 31st member of the alliance, which marked its 74th anniversary.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that Finland’s membership in NATO does not strengthen the stability and security of Europe.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday discussed the safety and security measures for Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant currently held by Russian forces with the head of Russia's Rosatom.

The US and UK walked out of a meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday when Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC), began to speak via video conference.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia are set to meet in the Chinese capital Beijing on Thursday in the first such meeting in more than seven years as the two sides advance their normalization.

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in the state of California amid threats from China.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned the Taliban's decision to ban Afghan women from working with the global body in Afghanistan, according to a statement by his spokesman.