Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

ANKARA

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

Brazilian football legend Pele lost his fight against colon cancer and died at the age of 82, his daughter, Kely Nascimento, announced on Instagram.

Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power as Israel's prime minister for the sixth time after being sworn in at parliament, also known as the Knesset.

Kosovo Serbs began removing barricades set up amid recent tensions after being assured by the US and EU that there will be no arrests.

Authorities from Türkiye and France discussed recent violence in Paris since last week, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

Türkiye successfully executed its first payment transactions on the Digital Turkish Lira Network, said the central bank.

G-7 countries urged Afghanistan’s de facto leaders, the Taliban, to “urgently reverse” a ban on women working with national and international nongovernmental organizations.

The ebb in ties between Türkiye and China comes from Beijing’s “unease” about Ankara’s support for the Uyghurs of Xinjiang in northwestern China, according to Türkiye’s top diplomat.

The US lost its balanced policy on issues related to the Greece and Cyprus dispute, with Washington's weapons supplies to Athens being a "clear indication," said the Turkish foreign minister.

Kyiv's initiative to deprive Moscow of UN Security Council permanent membership and to exclude it from the UN is built on a "completely perverted logic," according to a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Coronavirus requirements being imposed by countries on travelers from China should be based on science, said the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Ukraine’s foreign minister dubbed as "senseless barbarism" the latest Russian missile strikes.

The Chinese military called Beijing’s decision to cancel high-level exchanges with Washington a “necessary countermeasure” against US moves that it said stoked tension in the region.

Türkiye again drew a red line against any expansion of Greek territorial waters in the Aegean Sea. "We will not allow the expansion of (Greek) territorial waters by even 1 mile in the Aegean, let alone 12," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at an end-of-year news conference in the capital Ankara, responding to reports that Athens plans to extend territorial waters around the island of Crete to 12 nautical miles.

Turkish, Russian and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow and discussed counterterrorism efforts in the region, according to Türkiye's defense chief.