April 6, 2023

*) Israel troops storm Al Aqsa Mosque for second night targeting Palestinians Israeli troops have stormed Al Aqsa Mosque compound for the second time and attacked Palestinian worshippers inside Islam's third-holiest site. Witnesses said the Israeli forces raided the Al Qibli Prayer Hall after the tarawih prayers, a special prayer during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, beating up Palestinian worshippers. They also fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to force them out of the complex. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society in occupied East Jerusalem said its medical teams treated six Palestinians, two of whom were hospitalised. Earlier on Wednesday, Israeli troops arrested hundreds of people in a police incursion at the mosque. This sparked an exchange of rockets and air strikes, with fears of further escalation. *)China deploys warships near Taiwan after Tsai-McCarthy meeting in US China has sent warships through waters around Taiwan as it vowed a "resolute response" to the island's president meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Three additional warships were detected in waters separating the self-governing island from mainland China on Thursday, while an anti-submarine helicopter had also crossed its air defence identification zone. On Wednesday, the Chinese carrier, the Shandong, was also spotted around 200 nautical miles (370km) off Taiwan's east coast. Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen had held talks with McCarthy in California on Wednesday. China had repeatedly warned both sides that the meeting should not take place. *)Macron, von der Leyen to press China's Xi on Ukraine French and EU leaders will seek to make Europe's case for bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine in a Beijing meeting with Xi Jinping, a close ally of Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will have a trilateral meeting with the Chinese president. This will follow a one-on-one meeting between Macron and Xi. Macron, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday after