Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - June 7, 2021

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.

- Coronavirus and other developments in Turkey

Turkey has so far administered over 30.69 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in mid-January, according to official figures released Sunday.

Around 17.60 million people have received their first doses, while over 13.1 million have been fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry's count showed.

The ministry also confirmed 5,386 new coronavirus cases, including 482 symptomatic patients, across the country in the last 24 hours. The number of new cases Saturday was 6,126.

Turkey's overall case tally is now over 5.28 million, while the nationwide death toll has reached 48,164 with 96 new fatalities, down four from a day earlier.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Sunday that a senior PKK terrorist has been neutralized by Turkish forces.

"Selman Bozkir, code-named 'Doctor Huseyin,' the senior manager of the PKK terrorist organization and general manager of Makhmur (Iraq), was neutralized by the heroes of our National Intelligence Organization (MIT) yesterday (Saturday)," Erdogan said on Twitter.

Turkish authorities use the word "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

Erdogan said Turkey would not allow the "treacherous and separatist organization" to use Iraq's Makhmur district as an "incubation center" for terrorism.

"We will continue to eradicate terrorism at its source," he stressed.

On Sunday, teams from Turkey's Environment and Urbanization Ministry started work clearing the Sea of Marmara of marine mucilage.

Efforts began at many locations to fight the mucilage problem as Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum examined the ongoing research aboard the Bilim-2 (Science-2) research vessel of Middle East Technical University (METU) in northwestern Kocaeli province.

The teams started work from the Caddebostan coast in Kadikoy district of Istanbul to get rid of the mucilage covering Turkish shores since February.

They laid a barrier on the sea to let the mucilage accumulate at one point before transferring it to storage tanks to dispose of it later.

- Other developments

Pope Francis expressed sorrow Sunday over the discovery last week of 215 children's bodies in unmarked graves at a former Catholic school for indigenous students in Canada but stopped short of apologizing for the Church’s role in the country’s residential school system.

Francis’ remarks came during an address to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City for his weekly blessing.

“I am following with pain the news that arrives from Canada about the upsetting discovery of the remains of 215 children,” he said.

“I join with the Canadian bishops and the entire Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people traumatized by the shocking news.

“This sad discovery adds to the awareness of the sorrows and sufferings of the past,” Francis added.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appealed to Canadian Catholics to demand the Catholic Church apologize for its role in Canada’s residential school system and to make school records public.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to inflame the situation in occupied East Jerusalem to save his political career.

Netanyahu is trying to "thwart the formation of the so-called government of ‘change’ in Israel by blowing up the situation in Jerusalem and escalating the aggression against its holy sites and citizens," the ministry said in a statement.

On Sunday, Israeli police detained Palestinian activist Muna al-Kurd in a raid on her home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Her brother also turned himself in to police hours after the raid.

In technology news, a Turkish expert said the most obvious effect of the global computer chip shortage on end-users is that prices will increase due to the deterioration of the supply-demand balance, and this increase has already begun.

Hakan Dogan, an associate professor with the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department at Istanbul Medipol University’s Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, told Anadolu Agency that although the chip crisis is being felt more intensely in specific areas such as the automotive industry, it is also being felt in areas such as smartphones, game consoles and electrical energy converters.

According to Dogan, in addition, there would be effects such as the unavailability of products or long production times.

“Companies are delaying more advanced versions of their products and will make do with the products and chips in their inventory,” he said.

In sports news, Swiss tennis star Roger Federer confirmed Sunday his withdrawal from the fourth round of the French Open.

"After discussions with my team, I've decided I will need to pull out of Roland Garros today. After two knee surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation, it's important that I listen to my body and make sure I don't push myself too quickly on my road to recovery," Federer said on Twitter.

"I am thrilled to have gotten three matches under my belt. There is no greater feeling than being back on the court. See everyone soon," he added.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion pulled out of Roland Garros after winning his four-set match with German player Dominik Koepfer.