*) Türkiye agrees to move ahead with Sweden's NATO bid: Stoltenberg

Türkiye has agreed to forward to parliament Sweden's bid to join the NATO military alliance, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said on the eve of a NATO summit in Vilnius.

Türkiye's approval came after Stockholm agreed to establish a bilateral security mechanism with Ankara, Stoltenberg said. Sweden will also support Türkiye's EU process, visa liberalisation and efforts to update Customs Union, he added.

He said NATO was establishing, for the first time, the post of Special Counter-Terrorism Coordinator.

Sweden reiterated it will not support terrorist organisations YPG/PYD and FETO, a joint statement said after the meeting between Türkiye, Sweden, and the NATO chief.

*) Key aid route to Syria closes as UN fails to extend authorisation

A UN-brokered agreement that allows for the delivery of aid overland from Türkiye into Syria has expired after the United Nations Security Council failed to hold a vote to reauthorise it.

The 15 members of the council had been trying for days to find a compromise to extend the deal, which since 2014 has allowed for food, water and medicine to be trucked to northwestern Syria.

But the vote, first scheduled for Friday, was postponed to Monday - and then again to Tuesday morning, a source in the British mission to the UN, which holds the presidency of the Security Council, said.

This means that as humanitarian convoys wrapped up their operations on Monday night, the future of the aid corridor was in doubt - it cannot resume operations until the United Nations reauthorises it.

*) Turkish President, EU Council chief agree to 're-energise' ties

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, in Vilnius, Lithuania as he was visiting to attend a NATO leaders’ summit.

Michel on Twitter said they “explored opportunities ahead to bring EU-Türkiye cooperation back to the forefront & re-energise our relations."

He added that the Council has asked the high representative, Josep Borell, and the European Commission to submit a report "with a view to proceed in a strategic & forward-looking manner."

*) Last week hottest on record worldwide: UN

The beginning of July has been the hottest week on record for the planet, according to early findings from the United Nations' weather agency, after a series of scorching days saw global temperature records tumble.

"The world just had the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data," the World Meteorological Organization said in a statement on Monday, after the climate crisis and the early stages of the El Nino weather pattern drove the warmest June on record.

It's the latest in a series of records halfway through a year that has already seen a drought in Spain and fierce heat waves in China as well the United States.

*) Meta's Threads hits 100 million users as Twitter struggles

The Threads app launched by Instagram as a rival to Twitter has signed up more than 100 million users in less than five days, data tracking websites said on Monday, smashing the record of AI tool ChatGPT for fastest-growing consumer app.

While ChatGPT took two months to hit the 100 million user mark and video-sharing app TikTok took nine months, Instagram itself took two and a half years to reach that mark after its 2010 launch.

Threads went live on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries late on Wednesday, though it is not available in Europe because parent company Meta is unsure how to navigate the European Union's data privacy legislation.

*) UN condemns Israel's Jenin raid, urges to respect international law

The head of the UN has strongly condemned Israeli violence and its excessive use of force in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

"Israel's air strikes and ground operations in a crowded refugee camp were the worst violence in the West Bank in many years," Antonio Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

Guterres demanded that Israel abide by its obligations under international law, including a duty to exercise restraint and use proportional force.

*) Türkiye urges Sweden to put its anti-terror law into practice

Sweden's legislative changes in line with a memorandum signed in Madrid last year should be reflected in practice, the Turkish foreign minister said.

Following the fifth meeting of a permanent joint mechanism between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden in Belgium, Hakan Fidan said "It is imperative that countries wishing to join NATO take a firm stand on the fight against terrorism."

Sweden could not prevent provocations, which affects Ankara's stance, he said, referring to the recent desecration of the Quran in Stockholm.

*) DRC mulls security pact with South Africa to counter militias

Democratic Republic of the Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi said that he was planning to sign a security agreement with South Africa.

In a news conference with the South African President, in the capital Kinshasa, Tshisekedi explained that the accord could take the form of a mutual-defence pact.

The Congolese president highlighted the mutual defence pact of the Southern African Development Community as a potential model.

*) Zelenskyy says Ukraine's offensive 'not fast' but 'we advance'

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that Kiev wanted "honesty" in ties with NATO as he spoke ahead of a key summit of the Western military bloc.

"We need honesty in our ties," Zelenskyy told reporters alongside Czech President Petr Pavel, speaking ahead of a key summit in Vilnius.

He said it was time to demonstrate "the courage and strength of this alliance."

And finally…

*) Turkish wunderkind Arda Guler joins Real Madrid on 6-year contract

18-year-old Arda Guler has moved to Real Madrid from Turkish football club Fenerbahce on a six-year contract, the Spanish club confirmed.

The Spanish powerhouse also said that the player would be introduced to the media on Friday at Real Madrid City, the club's training ground in Valdebebas.

Fenerbahce stated on the Turkish Public Disclosure Platform that Real Madrid would pay a 21.7 million dollars transfer fee to buy Guler.

*) Fury in Israel after 'lenient' police chief is ousted by Netanyahu ally

Thousands of protesters have blocked Tel Aviv's main highway and intersections across Israel in an outburst of anger following the forced resignation of the city's popular police chief.

Ami Eshed announced on late Wednesday that he was leaving the Israeli police force under what he said was political pressure.

Eshed has regularly clashed with the country's hardline National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has demanded that police take a tougher stance against months of anti-government protests.

*) Azerbaijani leader urges Macron to apologise over French colonialism

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused France of being one of the countries which continue their neocolonial policy.

Aliyev urged French President Emmanuel Macron to apologise to the countries affected by French colonialism.

He also said racist and discriminative rhetoric has become common in France, including in the media.

*) Children in conflict zones faced over 27,000 'grave violations' in 2022

Children experienced the highest number of "grave violations" in conflicts verified by the United Nations in 2022, the UN children’s agency has said.

Omar Abdi, UNICEF’s deputy executive director, told the UN Security Council more than 27,000 grave violations, the highest number verified by the UN since its monitoring reports began in 2005.

UNICEF expressed particular concern about their plight in Palestine, Somalia, Haiti, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Ukraine.

*) Dozens dead as bus careens into gulch in southern Mexico

A bus travelling through the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca (Woahaka) has crashed into a ravine, killing 27 people, authorities said.

The accident left 13 men, 13 women and an infant boy dead, state’s Interior Minister said in a press conference.

Another 21 people were injured, of whom 12 are in critical condition, the minister added.

*) Meta launches Threads, its answer to Twitter

Meta has officially launched Threads, its text-based Twitter rival, but its release in Europe has been delayed over regulatory concerns.

"Let's do this. Welcome to Threads," wrote Meta chief executive and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in his first post on the new platform.

Threads is the biggest challenger yet to Elon Musk-owned Twitter, which has seen a series of potential competitors emerge but not yet replace one of the social media's most iconic companies, despite its epic struggles.

*) Gaza under fire after Israeli raid in Jenin

Israel has carried out air strikes on blockaded Gaza in what it says was a response to rockets fired from the Palestinian coastal enclave, the army said.

The developments came after the Israeli military said it was withdrawing troops from Jenin city in the occupied West Bank late on Tuesday, winding down an intense two-day incursion that killed at least 13 Palestinians, wounded more than 100, drove thousands from their homes and left a wide swath of damage.

*) Sudan's army tries to cut off RSF supply lines

Fierce battles have broken out across Omdurman, the western part of Sudan's wider capital, as the army tried to cut off supply routes used by its paramilitary rivals to bring reinforcements into the city.

The army launched air strikes and heavy artillery, and there were ground battles in several parts of Omdurman, witnesses said.

The Rapid Support Forces said it had shot down a fighter jet, and residents posted footage that appeared to show pilots ejecting from a plane.

*) China says it resolutely opposes US military sales to Taiwan

China resolutely opposes US arms sales to Taiwan and has lodged stern representations to Washington, China's defence ministry said.

Spokesperson Tan Kefei said in a statement that the US has ignored China’s core concerns, violently interfered in China's internal affairs and deliberately pushed up tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

The US State Department approved earlier the potential sale of ammunition and logistics support to Taiwan in two separate deals valued at up to $440 million, the Pentagon said.

*) Taliban bans women's beauty salons in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have ordered beauty parlours across the country to shut within a month.

Mohammad Sadeq Akif Muhajir, spokesperson for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, would not say why the order had been given.

He said the businesses had been given time to close their affairs so they could use up their stock without incurring losses.

*) World records hottest day ever on Monday

Monday was the world's hottest day on record, exceeding an average of 17 degrees Celsius for the first time, according to initial measurements taken by US meteorologists.

The average daily air temperature on the planet's surface on July 3rd was logged at 17.01C by an organisation attached to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This measurement taken on Tuesday surpasses the previous daily record [16.92C] set on July 24 last year.

*) International office probing Ukraine war crimes begins

An international office to investigate Russia over its assault on Ukraine opens in The Hague, in the first step towards a possible tribunal for Moscow's leadership.

The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA) features prosecutors from Kiev, the European Union, the United States and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

It will investigate and gather evidence in a move seen as an interim step before the creation of a special tribunal that could bring Kremlin officials to justice for starting the Ukraine conflict.

*) Israeli strike kills, injures Palestinians in occupied West Bank's Jenin

Israeli forces killed at least four Palestinians and wounded 27 others in a nighttime operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.

Seven of the injured are in critical condition, the ministry said on Monday.

According to reports, Israeli warplanes targeted a home in Jenin with three missiles in what the army said was an "extensive counterterrorism effort".

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

*) Mayor's home attacked as violent protests continue in France

The home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was attacked with a burning car in a new eruption of violence in protest against the killing of a teenager.

Protesters rammed a burning car into the home of Vincent Jeanbrun, the right-wing mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses outside Paris, on Sunday with the aim of setting it on fire, prosecutors said.

The government of President Emmanuel Macron has been battling five nights of violent protests since 17-year-old Nahel M. was shot dead in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday by an officer during a traffic check.

The killing of Nahel M, who was of Algerian origin, has revived long standing accusations of institutional racism within the French police, which rights groups say single out minorities during stops.

*)Islamic body OIC calls for action to prevent Quran burnings

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called for collective measures to prevent future Quran burnings, days after a copy was torched outside a Stockholm mosque.

OIC urged member states to "take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the" Quran.

In a statement, the body's secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha, stressed "the need to send a clear message that acts of desecrating the Quran are not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents."

*) Türkiye beats US, ranks 3rd at FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023

The Turkish Under-19 Men's National Basketball Team has beaten the United States 84-70 in the FIBA World Cup, scoring third place.

In the tournament in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sunday, Türkiye faced the US - the most successful team of the organisation with 8 championships.

Türkiye won the bronze medal with this result for the second time in the history of the tournament, after first scoring third place in 2015.

*) Russia officially dropping charges against Wagner, Prigozhin

Russia's FSB security services has announced that it was dropping a case against fighters of the Wagner mercenary group accused of staging an armed mutiny to topple the country's military leadership.

Over the weekend, the Kremlin had also pledged not to prosecute Prigozhin and his fighters after he stopped the revolt on Saturday, even though President Vladimir Putin had branded them as traitors.

Legally, the charge of mounting an armed mutiny in Russia carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

*)Erdogan, Mitsotakis voice hope for new era in Turkish-Greek ties

The Turkish president and Greek prime minister have voiced hope that the new era following recent elections in both countries is auspicious for improved bilateral ties.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a phone call on Monday after he was sworn in again as Greek premier, according to a Turkish Communications Directorate statement.

During their talk, it was emphasised that the presence of strong governments, having gained the trust of their respective peoples in both countries, presents an opportunity for the future of bilateral relations.

*)Türkiye lambasts Reuters over baseless allegations about Erdogan's son

Türkiye's communications director has condemned Reuters for reporting baseless allegations about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's son, crying foul at the news agency for spreading disinformation.

Fahrettin Altun called the allegations against Bilal Erdogan baseless, saying that the news agency was not even able to independently confirm whether President Erdogan and his son Bilal were aware of or had involvement in a Swedish firm’s alleged kickback scheme.

*)'Absolute necessity': US to spend $42B to make internet access universal

US President Joe Biden has said that high-speed internet is no longer a luxury but an "absolute necessity," as he pledged that every household in the nation would have access by 2030 using cables made in the United States.

"These investments will help all Americans," he said. "We’re not going to leave anyone behind," Biden said in a White House address .

Biden announced that more than $40 billion would be distributed across the country to deliver high-speed internet in places where there's either no service, or service is too slow.

And finally…

*) Ilkay Gundogan leaves Manchester City to join FC Barcelona on free transfer

Ilkay Gundogan has ended his trophy-laden seven-year stay with Manchester City by agreeing to join Barcelona on a free transfer.

The Turkish-German midfielder's last act as a City player — and as the team's captain — was to lift the Champions League trophy, which completed a treble of major titles for the English club.

Now, he is heading to Spain on a two-year contract for a new experience, even though Pep Guardiola wanted to keep the 32-year-old Gundogan — the first signing of the City manager's era from 2016.

*) Mitsotakis back as Greece's prime minister, far-right gains more seats

Kyriakos Mitsotakis has embarked on his second term as Greece's prime minister with a vow to accelerate institutional and economic reforms, after voters handed him a huge election victory for the second time in five weeks.

Mitsotakis' decision to reject a coalition and call for a second election paid off, as his New Democracy party consolidated its victory. Meanwhile, the return of the far-right to parliament has raised concerns, as opposition leader Tsipras said the strongest showing of Greek hard-right parties in decades was a "visible" threat to democracy.

*)Russia's Shoigu makes first tv appearance after Wagner mutiny

Russian state television broadcast footage of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu inspecting Russian troops, in his first public appearance since a failed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries.

Shoigu — the target of fierce criticism by the Wagner mercenary group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — went to a command post for Russian forces in Ukraine and held a meeting there with the leader of one of the units, according to images shown by the broadcaster.

Prigozhin has repeatedly blamed Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. Wagner mercenaries headed back to their base on Sunday after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to allow Prigozhin to avoid treason charges and accept exile in neighbouring Belarus.

*)Sudan's RSF seizes key police base in Khartoum as deadly battle rages

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has said it had seized the main base of a heavily armed police unit as it sought an edge in its war with the army during heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum.

It later said it had captured 160 pick-up trucks, 75 armoured personnel carriers, and 27 tanks. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage or the RSF statements. There was no immediate comment from the army or the police.

*)Turkish president, NATO chief discuss developments in Russia, Sweden

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg have discussed the latest developments in Russia and Sweden's NATO membership in a phone call, according to a statement by Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

During the call on Sunday, it was pointed out that the end of tensions in Russia "prevented the occurrence of irrevocable humanitarian tragedies in the Ukrainian field," the statement said.

Erdogan conveyed to Stoltenberg that Türkiye hopes recent developments in Russia will be "a new milestone in the path to a just peace in Ukraine," it added.

And finally…

*) DPRK holds rallies to denounce US as it marks Korean War anniversary

North Korea has held mass rallies in Pyongyang where people shouted slogans vowing a "war of revenge" to destroy the United States, as it marked the 73rd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

About 120,000 working people and students took part in the rallies held across the capital on Sunday, state news agency KCNA reported on Monday.

Photos released by state media showed a stadium crowded with people holding placards reading "The whole US mainland is within our shooting range" and "The imperialist US is the destroyer of peace."

*) US says Titan submersible 'imploded', killing all five on board

A submersible carrying five people to the Titanic imploded near the site of the shipwreck and killed everyone on board, US authorities have said, bringing a tragic end to a saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the missing vessel.

US Coast Guard officials said during a news conference that they've notified the families of the crew of the Titan, which had been missing since Sunday.

The sliver of hope that remained for finding the five men alive was wiped away early Thursday, when the submersible's 96-hour supply of oxygen was expected to run out and the Coast Guard announced that debris had been found roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic in North Atlantic waters.

*) Biden defends Xi 'dictator' remark in new rebuff of China as he fetes Modi

President Joe Biden has defended his harsh public comments on China, including calling President Xi Jinping a "dictator", saying his words would have no negative impact on US-China relations and that he still expects to meet with Xi sometime soon.

Asked about his appraisal of Xi during a joint press conference with Indian Prime Minister Modi in the East Room, Biden said it "is just not something I'm going to change very much."

The remarks, which drew a formal protest from China, opened a new rift just days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that was meant as a step toward stabilising ties and improving communications.

*)Türkiye lambastes illegal Israeli settlers for Quran desecration

Türkiye has condemned the ripping up of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, by Israeli settlers who vandalised a mosque in the town of Urif in the occupied West Bank.

"We condemn the attack perpetrated by a group of Jewish settlers on our holy book, the Quran, by entering a mosque in the town of Urif, located in the Palestinian territories under Israeli occupation," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"We expect the perpetrators of this unacceptable hate crime to be brought to justice as soon as possible," said the statement.

*)Qatar reportedly buys stake in Washington's NBA, NHL, WNBA teams

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund is buying a roughly 5 percent stake in the parent company of the NBA's Washington Wizards, NHL's Washington Capitals and WNBA's Washington Mystics as part of a $4.05 billion deal, a person with knowledge of the sale said.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the agreement between the Qatar Investment Authority and Monumental Sports & Entertainment had not been announced.

It is believed to be the first time the government of Qatar is investing in US professional sports.

And finally…

*) Obama slams western hypocrisy over refugees, Titan incidents

Former US president Barack Obama has slammed the hypocrisy of Western media concerning refugees and particularly in reference to the recent sinking of a refugee boat off southwestern Greece in which at least 82 people died and hundreds more are feared to have drowned.

The fact that more attention is being paid to a submersible carrying five people that vanished off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada while on a tour of the Titanic's wreckage than the refugee boat sinking off Greece with up to 700 people on board is "rotten," he said during an appearance in the Greek capital Athens.

*) Anti-Muslim record, rights abuses hounds Modi as he makes US state visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarking on a trip to the US, kicking off his visit with a highly-publicised yoga session in New York and capping it off with a state dinner at the White House on Thursday night.

But accusations of inciting anti-Muslim violence and other human rights abuses are hounding him. Several US Congress members said they are boycotting his address before a joint session of the US Congress.

On Wednesday, Modi’s trip encountered an embarrassing hitch when he arrived 30 minutes late to a planned event with US First Lady Jill Biden.

Later on Thursday, Modi and President Joe Biden are expected to announce deals that would deepen geopolitical and technology ties between the US and India.

*) Western media under fire for slanted coverage of refugee tragedy and missing Titan sub

Netizens are criticising what they described as “biased” media coverage and disparity in emergency response, between the deadly sinking of a fishing trawler carrying hundreds of refugees in the Mediterranean, and the missing Titan submersible, carrying five explorers including at least two billionaires.

Some social media users say they are frustrated to see the nonstop media coverage of the missing tourist submersible, which is being searched in the North Atlantic by a multinational response team.

In contrast, emergency response came late when scores of nameless refugees escaping wars and famine drowned off the Greek coast last week.

*) Blast in China restaurant leaves dozens dead

At least 31 people were killed following a gas explosion in northwestern China.

The blast tore through a restaurant in Yinchuan, the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, as people gathered ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival.

The explosion left many people unconscious, many needing to be carried out of the shop.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has demanded urgent medical care for the injured and a safety overhaul after the incident.

*) Pentagon leak suspect, pleads not guilty

The US airman accused of leaking top secret Pentagon documents online has pleaded not guilty to charges that could send him to prison for decades.

Jack Teixeira, the 21-year-old National Guard IT specialist was arrested in April for allegedly orchestrating the most damaging leak of US classified documents in a decade.

He is facing six counts of retaining and transmitting national defence information. Each count carries sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

His lawyer asked that he be released pending trial but the judge denied the request.

Teixeira is suspected of posting the documents — some dated as recently as early March — to a private chat group on the social media platform Discord.

And finally…

*) Türkiye's first AI chatbot 'TurcoAI' makes debut

A Turkish artificial intelligence robot developed entirely by Turkish entrepreneurs using domestic resources has been released on the market.

TurcoAI is one of the first Turkish projects in the billion-dollar artificial intelligence sector.

TurcoAI can comprehend emotional algorithms specific to Turkish society, use the Turkish language, and offer immersive encounters through written and visual materials.

Muhammed Yildiz, the founder of TurcoAI, says his project can create and consume content in more than 40 languages.

He said that TurcoAI represents a significant leap in Türkiye's technological landscape, contributing to its position as a prominent techno hub in the world.

This is TRT World’s Daily News Brief for Wednesday, June 21.

*) Underwater noises heard as crews race to find Titanic tourist sub

The US Coast Guard has confirmed early that rescue teams looking for the missing Titanic sub detected “underwater noises” in the search area where the craft went missing two days earlier.

Authorities in the US and Canada are racing against the clock to locate the vessel that was carrying people to see the Titanic wreckage site in the North Atlantic Ocean.

When it went missing, the submersible had 96 hours of additional oxygen available.

*) Death toll from migrant boat sinking off Greece rises to 82

The death toll from last week’s sinking of a fishing boat crammed with refugees and migrants off the coast of southwestern Greece climbed to 82, with hundreds more feared drowned.

The body of a migrant was recovered in an area close to the sinking, said the state-run AMNA news agency, adding that search operations are still underway with the participation of a Greek frigate, helicopter and aircraft.

A total of 104 people have been rescued, but the death toll is expected to rise as survivors said the vessel was carrying more than 600 migrants, mostly from Pakistan, Egypt and Syria.

*) Dozens of inmates burn to death in Honduras jail riot

A riot at a women’s prison in Honduras has killed at least 41 women, most of them burned to death, in violence linked to gang activity, authorities said.

Most victims were burned, but there also were reports of inmates shot at the prison in Tamara, about 48 kilometres northwest of the Honduran capital, said Yuri Mora, the spokesperson for Honduras’ national police investigation agency.

At least seven female inmates were being treated at a hospital for gunshot and knife wounds, employees there said.

*) Sudan fighting uproots 2.5 million as bodies line Darfur streets

Bodies have lined the streets in Sudan’s western Darfur region as the United Nations said that more than two months of fighting had forced over 2.5 million people from their homes.

A three-day ceasefire due to end on Wednesday at dawn brought a brief respite to the capital Khartoum, gripped by the war that erupted on April 15 between two rival generals.

The number of people uprooted from their homes by the conflict has topped 2.5 million, including about 550,000 who have fled abroad, according to the International Organization for Migration.

And finally…

*) North Korea calls Blinken’s China visit a ‘disgraceful begging trip’

North Korea has criticised US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s recent visit to Beijing as a “begging trip” to ease tensions in what it called a policy failure to pressure China.

At one of the most significant US-China exchanges since US President Joe Biden took office, Blinken and Chinese President Xi Jinping met and agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it did not veer into conflict.

Blinken said after the meeting on Monday that he urged China to encourage North Korea to stop launching missiles as Beijing holds a “unique position” to press Pyongyang to engage in dialogue.

And that’s your daily news brief from TRT World. For more, head to trtworld.com