Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Aug. 24, 2021
Daily briefing on novel coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Turkey, other developments
ISTANBUL
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world and the coronavirus pandemic.
Developments in Turkey, coronavirus pandemic and other news
According to the Health Ministry, over 46.30 million people have received a first dose and more than 35.39 million are now fully vaccinated.
Turkey is conducting "intensive international diplomacy" on developments in Afghanistan and irregular migration, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a Twitter post.
A total of 229 Turkish nationals departed from Afghanistan's capital Kabul on two A400M transport aircraft of the Turkish Air Force early Monday.
Turkish security forces at the Iranian border have stepped up security measures to prevent illegal immigration, choke off smuggling, and prevent PKK terrorists from infiltrating the country.
The country’s defense chief denied false UK media reports that Turkey would set up an asylum processing center for Afghan refugees, saying that no such thing has been discussed, nor was it even possible.
Turkey hosted 10.88 million foreign visitors in the first seven months of 2021, the country's Culture and Tourism Ministry said.
In a Monday phone call, Turkey’s foreign minister thanked his Spanish counterpart for Spain's support during recent forest fires in Turkey.
More than 1,250 irregular migrants were held in Istanbul, Turkey over the last three days, said local authorities.
Turkey sent 16 tons of humanitarian aid to Haiti after the Caribbean nation was hit recently with a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.
Worldwide developments related to COVID-19
More than 4.97 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University.
New Zealand further extended its nationwide COVID-19 lockdown until Aug. 27, state-run media said.
French senior citizens are likely to be offered a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine starting in September, the health minister said Monday.
The US Defense Department announced that it is moving ahead with requiring full vaccination of all service members now that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Bangladesh scrapped its mass COVID-19 inoculation drive due to a shortage of jabs, officials announced.
The UK announced that it has ordered 35 million more doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will be delivered from the second half of next year, according to a government statement Monday.
Germany's COVID-19 vaccine rollout has slowed to its lowest level in nearly six months, official figures showed Monday.
The Palestinian government decided to give a third shot of the coronavirus vaccine to certain citizens and groups.
Kenya got a boost in its fight against COVID-19 after it received more than 800,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine amid a surge in infections.
Australia's prime minister opposed more lockdowns against the coronavirus pandemic, which he said people would have to live with as they do other infectious diseases.
The number of people infected with COVID-19 among those accredited to the 2020 Paralympic Games has risen to 144.
Seven public hospitals in Israel have threatened to stop admitting new coronavirus patients starting Monday, citing budgetary problems and a shortage of personnel.
Developments across world
Though the Taliban's ultimate decision-making body is a 26-member leadership council, or Rahbari Shura, six figures stand out for their top positions in the insurgent group.
More than 40 foreign delegations, including ones led by the Polish, Latvian and Estonian presidents and the head of the European Council, gathered in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv for the Crimea Platform Summit.
The EU will never recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia, said Charles Michel, the president of the European Council.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula casts a shadow over the efficiency of the international security system.
US forces in the airport in the Afghan capital Kabul are using wristbands with computer barcodes to control evacuations, according to reports from the scene.
Former Afghan Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has said that a future government in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have taken power, will have the support of all ethnic groups.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to ask US President Joe Biden to extend the Aug. 31 deadline for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and to keep American forces in the country to allow evacuations to continue, local media reported.
Meanwhile, France has joined the US and UK in seeking additional time beyond next week’s Aug. 31 deadline to finish evacuations from the Afghan capital Kabul, the French foreign minister said Monday.
The decision of whether the US will meet an Aug. 31 deadline for the full withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan is President Joe Biden's alone, a senior administration official said.
A Taliban spokesperson warned of “consequences” if foreign forces stayed in the country beyond Aug. 31, calling the date just over a week from now a “red line.”
Iran expressed support for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Israeli warplanes launched a series of airstrikes late Monday on a site belonging to the Palestinian resistance in the southern Gaza Strip.
Israel is seeking new allies in Africa to boost its support during voting at the UN, where for years African countries have voted against the Middle Eastern state, a leading commentator has said.
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Afghanistan’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva told a preparatory session for a special Human Rights Council debate on his country Tuesday to make “every effort to prevent further atrocities” and human rights violations in the country.
At least 450 civilians were killed in armed conflicts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in the first seven months of 2021, a local civil society group said Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on the sidelines of a military-technical forum, Army-2021, held in the suburbs of the capital Moscow on Monday.
A record allocation of IMF funds set to benefit emerging and developing countries went live on Monday in the form of some $650 billion in special drawing rights (SDR), said the Fund's head.
An estimated one million Afghan children are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the course of this year and could die without treatment, the UN warned.
