Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - June 20, 2020

By Burak Dag

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

- Events happening in Turkey

Turkey confirmed 1,214 more cases of the novel coronavirus Friday, bringing the tally to 185,245, according to the country’s health minister.

The number of recoveries from the virus reached 157,516 while 769 patients remain in intensive care.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio held a news conference in Ankara and discussed bilateral relations and regional issues focusing on Libya.

Turkey's Central Bank announced the first usage of the Chinese yuan funding under a swap agreement signed with China that was realized Thursday.

The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 56 asylum seekers Friday who sought help in the Aegean Sea, according to security sources.

Turkish jets "neutralized" four PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said Friday.

A senior PKK terrorist, wanted by Interpol, was caught in a joint operation by Turkish security and intelligence units in southeastern Turkey .

Two female Russian nationals wanted by Interpol for being members of the Daesh/ISIS terror group, were arrested in southeast Turkey in a joint operation by Turkish security and intelligence units Friday.

Turkey successfully tested its first medium-range-anti-ship missile engine, TEI-TJ300.

Within the last six years, Turkey sustained its status as the country that hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Turkey said Friday.

-Libya

The head of Libya’s internationally-recognized government pledged he would never allow a dictatorship to surface in the country and urged European countries and the UN to continue to support efforts for a political solution to the Libyan conflict.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said Ankara and Washington have deepened cooperation on Libya and it can make a “positive difference.”

"We are also deepening our bilateral consultations on Libya as agreed upon by the presidents [of Turkey and US] in their call on June 8," Oktay added.

Turkey and Italy will continue working for lasting peace and an efficient political process in Libya, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

An explosive ordnance disposal team of the Turkish Armed Forces destroyed a mortar shell fired by warlord Khalifa Haftar’s militia that hit a mosque in southern Tripoli, but did not explode.

- Global coronavirus developments

Global coronavirus recoveries surpassed the 4.2 million mark Saturday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Brazil surpassed the 1 million mark for COVID-19 cases and is close to 50,000 deaths, four months after the virus was detected there, according to statistics from health officials.

Spain confirmed 1,179 more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the country’s total death toll to 28,315.

Friday brought improvement in France's battle against the coronavirus in terms of fatalities, although infections showed a sharp uptick in the latest Health Ministry data. Fourteen deaths in hospitals were registered, a drop of 15 cases from those reported Thursday. The total number of fatalities in hospitals is 19,160, along with 10,350 in nursing homes.

With 13,586 new cases and 336 deaths in the last 24 hours, India saw its biggest surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the Health Ministry.

Iran confirmed 120 more fatalities from the virus in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 9,392.

Mexıco reported 667 new fatalities bringing its death toll to 19,747.

Singapore announced the start of phase two of easing coronavirus restrictions.

With new figures reported Friday, recoveries from the virus outnumbered new cases in Russia for the fourth day in a row. In the last 24 hours, 7,972 cases were registered in the country while 10,443 people recovered, the country's emergency task force said in a daily report.

Pakistan recorded 37% recoveries of COVID-19 patients after more than 2,100 people were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry said Friday.

On the African continent, the number of cases rose to 275,327, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said. The death toll across the continent climbed to 7,395, it said, adding 125,316 patients have recovered.

Eleven tons of urgently needed medical equipment donated to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil has been stuck in China since the beginning of April due to diplomatic issues, according to Brazilian news outlet Folha De S. Paulo.

- Global news

The UN Human Rights Council on Friday condemned racially discriminatory and violent practices by law enforcement agencies against Africans and those of African descent, particularly those which led to the May 25 death of George Floyd in the US.

The UN human rights chief said her office is closely following consideration in China’s National People’s Congress of a draft national security law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

EU leaders discussed the bloc’s recovery fund and next long-term budget amid the novel coronavirus crisis.

The Church of England and the Bank of England apologized for historic ties with Britain’s slave trade.

An exclusive report by Declassified UK, an investigative news site, said Thursday that the British government broke its own inspection rules at a Scottish missile factory which supplies the Saudi Arabian Air Force in its war in Yemen.

China formally indicted two Canadian nationals on espionage charges, media reports said Friday.

Australia said it is facing a major cyberattack but stopped short of formally blaming China.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation of the country’s unification minister Kim Yeon-chul amid deteriorating relations with Pyongyang, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Italian Serie A will return Saturday after a 103-day break due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.