Morning Briefing: July 3, 2023

ISTANBUL

Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including, Israel’s air raids on Palestinians, Emmanuel Macron’s appeals for order in France, and Sweden’s stricter border entry plans.

TOP STORIES

In a deadly airstrike and raid early Monday, the Israeli army killed at least three Palestinians and injured 13 others in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Three of the injured are in critical condition, said the Palestinian Health Ministry. Israeli warplanes targeted a home in Jenin with three missiles, according to Anadolu.

Following the airstrike, the Israeli army conducted a raid on the city with the assistance of armored military bulldozers and imposed a blockade on the Jenin refugee camp.

Following massive protests and violence sparked by the killing of a teenager last week by the police, French President Emmanuel Macron urged the government to take all necessary measures to restore order in the country.

In a meeting with top officials, he asked the ministers to “continue to do everything in their power to restore order and guarantee a return to calm.”

On the fifth night of the protests, 577 vehicles and 74 buildings were set on fire and 871 fires were recorded in streets and other public spaces, according to the Interior Ministry.

The Swedish government said Sunday that it wants to stop those people “who seek to come to Sweden and commit crime,” after a 37-year-old man of Iraqi origin burnt a copy of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in Stockholm last week.

The government decided to reintroduce border controls in May primarily due to elevated threat to Sweden linked to events such as previous demonstrations at which copies of the Quran were burned.

The incident drew widespread condemnation from across the world.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemned the burning of the Quran last week in Sweden and called for measures to prevent the recurrence of such provocative acts.

• Two were killed and 28 others were injured on Sunday in a “mass shooting incident” in Baltimore, Maryland, the US, said the local police, as search for the shooter continues.

• Saudi Arabia summoned Sweden’s ambassador to protest the decision by authorities to grant an extremist permission to burn a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week.

• Poland will deploy 500 more police officers at the border with Belarus “due to tense situation,” Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said. The additional officers will join 5,000 border guards and 2,000 soldiers guarding the border.

• Iran said it would not be sending its newly appointed ambassador to Sweden after the term of the previous envoy ended following the desecration of the Quran by a far-right extremist in Stockholm.

• Greece’s main opposition SYRIZA party on Sunday elected a temporary leader after Alexis Tsipras stepped down on Thursday following the party’s defeat in last month’s elections.

• Israel has approved the purchase of 25 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets from the US in a deal worth $3 billion, said its Defense Ministry. The number of F-35s in the Israeli Air Force inventory will now increase to 75.

• More than a dozen people, who were abducted over a month ago by members of the Allied Defense Forces (ADF) rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, managed to escape, according to local sources.

SPORTS

The 2023 Wimbledon Championships will kick off on Monday, one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the oldest one in the world. The sporting event will come to an end with the men’s singles final on July 16.

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic and Kazakh player Elena Rybakina were crowned singles champions in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, last year.

Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen won Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, Round 10 of the 2023 Formula One season.

Verstappen, who started the race on the pole, saw the checkered flag first, completing the 71-lap race in one hour, 25 minutes and 33.607 seconds at Spielberg’s 4.318-kilometer (2.68-mile) Red Bull Ring.


BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit Beijing, China on July 6-9 for meetings with senior Chinese officials, the Treasury Department said Sunday.

She will be the second member of the Biden administration’s Cabinet to travel to China after Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who paid a visit there in June.

In Beijing, Yellen will discuss with PRC officials the importance for the countries – as the world’s two largest economies – to responsibly manage relationship, communicate directly about areas of concern, and work together to address global challenges, the ministry statement said.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.