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 administered more than 30.44 million coronavirus vaccine doses since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures.
The Health Ministry confirmed 6,126 new infections, including 542 symptomatic patients in the last 24 hours. The number of new cases on Friday was 6,169.
Turkey's overall case tally is now more than 5.28 million, while the nationwide death toll stands at 48,068 with 92 new fatalities — two less than the previous day.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey will overcome the mucilage formation problem in its waters, especially in the Sea of Marmara.
“We'll save our seas, especially the Sea of Marmara, from this mucilage problem," Erdogan said at a mass opening ceremony for World Environment Day in Istanbul.
Mucilage, also known colloquially as sea snot, is the overgrowth of microscopic algae called phytoplankton. The thick, mucus-like slimy layer contains a variety of microorganisms and is caused by an increase in seawater temperature due to global warming, stillness at sea and pollution.
On the energy front, Turkey's gas discoveries in the Black Sea will reduce its annual gas import bill by $6 billion with an annual production of 20 billion cubic meters (bcm), according to the head of the Natural Gas Distribution Companies Association of Turkey (GAZBIR).
Erdogan said the Fatih drillship discovered 135 bcm in the Amasra-1 well, which increases Turkey's gas discoveries in the Black Sea to 540 bcm.
– Some other developments
Racist attacks and labeling have dramatically increased since Austria released a controversial "Islam Map" last month, according to the head of a Muslim community group.
"Attacks against Muslims rose after this incident. Ugly signs were hung on our mosques," said Umit Vural, president of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria.
After the digital map identifying the locations of more than 600 mosques and associations around Austria was unveiled May 27, racist attacks on Muslims increased, especially against mosques, which have become a target of racist groups.
Meanwhile, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it provided a medical class for YPG/PKK terrorists — using the name SDF — guarding oil facilities under its occupation.
"Medics with Alabama National Guard's 1st Battalion, 173rd Infantry Regiment (Task Force War Club) along with Soldiers from the United States Army’s 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment conducted a medical class for members of Syrian Democratic Force’s (SDF) Critical Petroleum Infrastructure Guard (CPIG) at the CPIG Academy in May 2021," CENTCOM said on its website.
The YPG/PKK terror group uses the SDF acronym, which comprises Kurdish and Arab fighters battling the ISIS/Daesh terror group, as a cover to receive international support.
In the Middle East, Israel released an Al Jazeera correspondent in occupied Palestinian territory, who, along with her team, was covering a sit-in protest in Jerusalem, according to the Qatar-based news network.
“Al Jazeera journalist Givara Budeiri is released from Israeli detention hours after she was detained and has been temporarily banned from the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah,” the network said on Twitter.
“Budeiri said she had been released conditionally and has been banned from going to Sheikh Jarrah for 15 days,” it added.
Israeli police intervened during the sit-in to support Palestinians who are under the threat of being forcibly evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. Authorities assaulted the Al Jazeera team that was covering the demonstration.
In Mexico, the upcoming midterm elections on Sunday are one of the most violent in the country's history.
The numbers bear witness from a consultancy firm, Etellekt, that released statistics on political violence in Mexico in February 2018. That year it said that 774 attacks on politicians, with 152 deaths were reported at the end of the electorate process.
The elections on June 6 have surpassed those figures, with 782 attacks reported between September 2020 to May 2021. During that time, 89 candidates have been murdered.
And in sports, three Turkish female boxers — Buse Naz Cakiroglu, Busenaz Surmeneli, and Esra Yildiz — received Olympic quota for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualification Tournaments on Saturday.
"What. A. Contest. Busenaz Surmeneli qualifies for @Tokyo2020 after an exciting bout in the Welterweight category," the Olympics said on Twitter.
The Games, which were originally scheduled to take place in 2020, were among a host of worldwide sporting events suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tokyo 2020 is scheduled to take place between July 23 to Aug. 8 but without foreign spectators due to safety concerns.
