Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – April 20, 2023

ANKARA 

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

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered preparations for launching the country's first military spy satellite as planned, as he said Pyongyang had finished building it, state-run media reported Wednesday.

Four people were killed and 27 others injured due to Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson and Kharkiv regions in the past 24 hours.

Food inflation in the UK hit a 45-year high of 19.1% in March, the Office for National Statistics said.

The latest UN data showed that India, with 1.4286 billion people, has surpassed China in population.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday discussed bilateral ties and developing integration processes in Latin America with his Bolivian counterpart Rogelio Mayta in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.

The European Parliament called for the prosecution of those responsible for the forced deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Philippines said Wednesday that it “won’t allow” the US to stockpile weapons at joint military bases in the Southeast Asian nation for use in operations against Taiwan.

The Kremlin said Wednesday that the trilateral agreements signed between Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia are “the only real basis” for resolving the situation in Karabakh.

Unite, one of the UK’s largest trade unions, has announced further National Health Service (NHS) strikes, saying its members are unhappy with the latest pay offer made by the government.

Zimbabwe's president has promised "free and fair" elections in upcoming polls later this year.

The Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) exchanged accusations Wednesday of violating a temporary cease-fire.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on the latest developments in the occupied territories.

Italy's Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida sparked a heated controversy by warning against the "ethnic replacement" of Italians with immigrants as the country's birth rate reaches new lows.

Germany has delivered the Patriot air defense system to protect Ukraine from Russian air attacks, the government said on its website.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed Wednesday to a new temporary cease-fire with the Sudanese army.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu inspected units operating air defense systems armed with Yars intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles Wednesday.

Azerbaijan said that 7,944 hectares of land previously under the Armenian occupation were cleared of mines in the first quarter of 2023.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate in the US rose for the first time in six weeks while mortgage applications saw a weekly decline, according to a report Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it had lost a drone during a mission over Syria.

NATO countries have no choice other than supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia since not doing so would mean victory for Moscow, the Czech Republic's president said.

The US announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine as that country’s war with Russia continues.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated, officially launched his bid Wednesday for the White House in 2024.

US President Joe Biden will welcome Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to the White House on May 12, spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre announced.

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said Wednesday that Egyptian troops held at Merowe Airport were transferred to the capital, Khartoum.

At least 67 million children missed out entirely or partially on vaccines between 2019 and 2021 due to lockdowns and disruptions to healthcare caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF said in a report Wednesday.

At least 78 people were killed and more than 150 were injured late Wednesday in a stampede in Yemen’s capital.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) working with Japan launched a project Wednesday to provide relief to drought-affected herders and agropastoralists in East Africa.