Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – May 24, 2021

By Burak Bir

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 27.8 million coronavirus vaccine doses since launching a mass vaccination campaign on Jan. 14, according to the latest official figures announced by the Health Ministry.

More than 15.9 million people have received their first doses while over 11.9 million have been fully vaccinated.

The Health Ministry confirmed 7,839 new cases, including 710 symptomatic patients, in the past 24 hours.

As many as 11,202 more patients won the battle against the virus, taking the number of recoveries to more than 5 million. Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll stands at 46,268 with 197 new fatalities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Monday to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments.

Turkish forces have neutralized 124 PKK terrorists amid ongoing operations in northern Iraq, said Turkey's national defense minister.

– COVID-19 updates worldwide

More than 1.65 billion coronavirus vaccine shots have been given worldwide, according to figures compiled by the Our World in Data online portal.

The global tally for infections surpassed 166.9 million, said US-based Johns Hopkins University.

India's coronavirus death toll crossed 300,000 as the country recorded more than 4,400 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to the Health Ministry.

Bangladesh will be through its remaining COVID-19 vaccine stocks within a week and has stepped up its efforts to replenish them to continue its mass inoculation program, according to officials.

There are growing concerns across the UK that the Indian variant of the coronavirus could introduce a deadly third wave of the pandemic as the highly contagious mutation spreads further across the country.

Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh recorded the highest number of single-day coronavirus cases with 49 new infections, pushing the total tally to 992.

– Other global developments

France’s foreign minister warned of the risk of “long-lasting apartheid” in Israel if the Palestinian people fail to obtain their own state.

At least 25,000 people have been displaced following Mt. Nyiragongo's eruption in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Saturday night.

Israel's Finance Minister Yisrael Katz threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders over any rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.

A Black Lives Matter activist in the UK has been hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head, her political party said.

Iraqi President Barham Salih said that a total of $150 billion has been smuggled outside Iraq since 2003.

The EU, US and NATO sharply criticized Belarus for diverting a Ryanair flight to Minsk in order to detain a Belarusian activist.

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