Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – May 14, 2022

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

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu for the first time since Moscow began its war against Ukraine, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron asked Ukraine to give up some of its land to reach a peace deal with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested in an interview with Italian television.

Ukraine asked G7 countries to seize Russian assets to rebuild the war-torn country, the country's foreign minister said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a phone call, according to the Kremlin.

A global food crisis is on the horizon due to Russia's war on Ukraine, Germany's foreign minister said.

The annual inflation rate of Russia hit 17.83% in April, the highest level since January 2002, official data revealed on Friday.

After a charitable march, calling him the "leader of humanity," the UAE announced the death of its president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 74.

Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter may have hit a snag, with the number of spam and fake accounts at issue, the controversial business mogul said.

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations, gathered in the Baltic Sea resort town of Weissenhaus in northern Germany emphasized the need of strengthening anticipatory actions against hazards to reduce acute humanitarian sufferings before they fully unfold.

Britain urged G7 nations to increase pressure on Kremlin by supplying more weapons to Ukraine and expanding sanctions against Russia.

Fifteen European countries urged Israel to stop plans for more illegal settlements in the West Bank, according to an official statement.

Thousands of Palestinians participated in the funeral ceremony of Al Jazeera's veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in occupied East Jerusalem.

The Israeli police's attack on the funeral procession of slain Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh is "deeply disturbing," the White House said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply disturbed" by the actions of "some" Israeli officers who violently attacked Abu Akleh's funeral procession, his spokesman said.

UN human rights experts condemned the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in the occupied West Bank and called for a prompt, transparent, thorough, and independent investigation into her death.

US President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah discussed exacerbated tensions in Israel and the occupied West Bank.

The US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement ratified by the Greek parliament on Thursday night will allow the US military to gain access to three more bases in Greece in addition to the current one it operates.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Istanbul.

Erdogan also extended condolences over the demise of his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Turkiye summoned the French diplomat in Ankara over Thursday's terrorist attack on Turkiye's Consulate General in Paris.

Longstanding NATO member Turkiye is following the discussion over Finland and Sweden seeking to join the alliance, but for now, does not have a positive view, said the nation's president.

Turkiye blasted a US move to exempt certain terrorist-controlled areas in northern Syria from its sanctions on the Assad regime, saying it seeks to whitewash the terrorist YPG/PKK.

A top UN official warned countries against restricting food exports, saying they are the wrong response to a global food crisis that is escalating due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war that started on Feb. 24.

NATO said the military alliance is holding large-scale exercises across Europe.

A Berlin court upheld a ban on all Palestinian "Nakba Day" demonstrations that were scheduled to take place in the German capital this weekend, the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that four countries have withdrawn the recognition of Kosovo's independence.

Ten of the 43 ministers in Nigeria's Federal Cabinet resigned from office ahead of this month's pre-election exercise by political parties before next year's general elections.

Inter RAO, Russia's largest electricity company, will no longer supply power to Finland due to problems in receiving payments, the Finnish company Fingrid announced.

The Vatican confirmed a late July trip to Canada by Pope Francis, who is battling a knee problem that has recently forced him to cancel some engagements and use a wheelchair.

Senior EU diplomat Enrique Mora was briefly detained by the German police at the Frankfurt airport on his way back from Tehran after holding talks on the Iran nuclear deal.

Nuclear talks in Vienna can now continue with Iran after a "very profitable" visit to Tehran by the chief EU negotiator, the bloc's foreign policy chief said. -