Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

ANKARA

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

Turkey has administered more than 74.08 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to figures released Tuesday. The Health Ministry also confirmed 24,832 new infections and 126 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 6,243 more patients recovered.

A total of 152 fires have been contained since they started burning last Wednesday in Turkey, according to the country’s agriculture and forestry minister. Efforts continue to put out the 11 remaining blazes.

A court in southern Turkey on Tuesday ordered that a suspect arrested over destructive forest fires be remanded in custody.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday thanked the countries and organizations that supported Turkey's fight against wildfires which have ravaged the country for almost a week.

The image he shared with the Twitter post included the flags of 73 countries and 10 international organizations.

Separately, Erdogan thanked Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Spanish Prime Minister Spain Pedro Sanchez for providing full support from the very first moment.

In a phone call Tuesday, Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke about bilateral relations and developments in Afghanistan, Tunisia and on the island of Cyprus as well as other regional matters, the Turkish Presidency said in a statement.

Turkey will not accept the “irresponsible decision taken by the US” regarding Afghan refugees, a spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said that Turkey, which has hosted the largest number of refugees in the world for the past seven years, “does not have the capacity to undertake a new migration crisis on behalf of a third country.”

Turkey will not take over international responsibilities of third countries in any case and will not allow its laws to be abused by third countries for their own purposes, he added.

“No one should expect the Turkish nation to bear the burden of the migration crises caused by the decisions of third countries in our region.”

Worldwide developments related to COVID-19

Bangladesh on Tuesday extended its COVID-19 lockdown restrictions until Aug. 10 as the situation across the country continued to worsen.

New York City will become the first US city to mandate that people show proof of coronavirus vaccination to get into indoor restaurants, gyms and entertainment venues, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday.

Developments across the world

US President Joe Biden called on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign Tuesday after a damning report said the former close Democratic ally sexually harassed 11 women from 2013 through 2020.

A wildfire broke out Tuesday afternoon in a forest in the Varybobi area in the northeast of Greece's Attica region, spreading fast due to dry conditions in the area, the fire department said.

Three people were killed battling a forest fire in Iran's Fars province, according to state-run television.

Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday dismissed the country's ambassador to Washington as well as the governor of Sfax province.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) are maintaining a clear lead over the Greens and the Social Democrats, according to a new poll conducted by INSA ahead of next month’s general election.

The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), the country's largest syndicate, announced Tuesday that it has prepared a road map to navigate the North African nation out of the current political crisis.

Ebrahim Raeisi was officially endorsed as Iran’s new president by the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday, in a ceremony attended by top government and military officials.