Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - August 18, 2020

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.

-Turkey

Turkey confirmed 1,233 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the tally to over a quarter million. As part of health measures, people 65 years old or above or those with chronic diseases have been restricted from mass gatherings such as weddings, funerals and other social activities.

The Turkish nation remembered the 21st anniversary of the Marmara earthquake that claimed around 17,000 lives in 1999. The painful disaster is often described as the "disaster of the century" in Turkey.

On the political front, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone. The two leaders discussed the latest developments in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean. Erdogan also discussed the Eastern Mediterranean with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a phone call.

Turkey’s defense minister and chief of general staff visited Libya, where the government is fighting affiliates of warlord Khalifa Haftar. Hulusi Akar said "Libya belongs to Libyans". Most notably, the governments of Turkey, Qatar and Libya agreed to sign a military deal.

Ankara and Moscow held the 25th joint patrol in northern Syria, said the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

Turkish security forces conducted various operations in which 26 people suspected of having links to the YPG/PKK terror group were arrested. Also, a total of 10 YPG/PKK terrorists were arrested in northern Syria.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the July 15, 2016 defeated coup in Turkey in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

- COVID-19 outbreak

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions. The US, Brazil, India and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed over 772,000 people worldwide, with infections surpassing 21.8 million and recoveries over 13.8 million, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Confirmed coronavirus cases in continental Africa surpassed 1.1 million, while the death toll stands at 25,618. Over 834,000 people have recovered from the virus.

After registering nearly 58,000 new infections in a 24-hour period, India's COVID-19 cases topped 2.6 million, while the death toll exceeded 51,000.
One of the world's worst-hit countries, Brazil, reported 620 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, while the country's tally of confirmed cases passed 3.34 million

- Other developments

At least seven people were killed and five others wounded in twin suicide bombings that targeted a military base in Somalia. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly event.

Israel, which signed a "normalization" deal with the UAE recently, has suspended controversial annexation plans "for the time being," according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A total of 125 asylum seekers were rescued off Turkey's Aegean cost, with security forces saying the Greek Coast Guard pushed their rubber boat into Turkish territorial waters.