Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – May 5, 2021

By Jeyhun Aliyev

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 reported nearly 29,000 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, according to Health Ministry data. A total of 28,997 cases, including 2,483 symptomatic patients, were confirmed across the country, official figures showed.

The country’s health minister announced the latest weekly infection rates for COVID-19 across various regions of the country.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone conversation with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A delegation of senior Turkish officials will pay a two-day visit to Egypt starting on Wednesday, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

The jury of the international news photo contest Istanbul Photo Awards 2021 have started to work on reviewing the works of participants.

A Turkish-German woman has become famous on social media after a video of her greeting participants of May 1 demonstrations in Berlin from her balcony went viral.

The Turkish military's presence in Libya stems from protecting the rights of the Libyan people, said Turkey’s defense minister.

A former terrorist told Anadolu Agency how he was "deceived" into joining the PKK terrorist group and how he regrets doing so now.

Turkey’s new communications satellite Turksat 5A has entered into orbit at 31° East, said the country's transportation minister.

– COVID-19 updates worldwide

US President Joe Biden set a new goal on Tuesday to have 70% of the US population receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by July 4, when Americans will celebrate Independence Day.

Over 1.16 billion COVID-19 vaccine jabs have been given worldwide so far, according to data gathered by the Our World in Data website.

India surpassed a grim milestone of 20 million coronavirus cases after the country registered more than 357,000 infections in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry figures.

Health officials in Iraq and Jordan confirmed more coronavirus infections and deaths from the coronavirus.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus confirmed 60 new coronavirus cases.

Six Spanish passengers arriving in Amsterdam were detained on the plane after refusing to wear masks as protection against the coronavirus, the Royal Netherlands Military Police said.

The US Food and Drug Administration will approve Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 next week, according to a report Tuesday.

The European Medicines Agency announced that it had started the review of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac.

Pakistan does not have “any visibility” of 15 million coronavirus vaccine doses that Germany promised to provide by May, a top health official said Tuesday.

– Other global developments

US President Joe Biden said Tuesday it is his "hope and expectation" to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin this summer when he travels to Europe.

Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates discussed a range of issues, including Iran and the conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the White House said.

The foreign ministers of G7 countries gathered for their first in-person meeting since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic to discuss pertinent issues around the world.

UN special envoy for Libya Jan Kubis submitted a draft proposal Tuesday for the constitutional basis for upcoming elections to the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) plenary.

Isabel Diaz Ayuso of Spain’s conservative Popular Party won elections in Madrid by a landslide, managing to more than double her party’s seats in the regional government.

The defense attorney for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin asked late Tuesday for a new trial, two weeks after Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd.

Egypt confirmed early Wednesday that political consultations with Turkey will be held in the capital Cairo on May 5-6.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government because he could not gather enough support from other parties by a midnight Tuesday deadline.

The demand for humanitarian assistance in Syria grew by 20% in 2020, said the president of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

The Azerbaijani army carried out drills with Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles.

Praising Strasbourg Municipality in northeastern France for offering 2.5 million euros ($3 million) for the construction of a mosque, Bekir Altas, secretary-general of the Turkish-Muslim association IGMG, expressed concern at the rising Islamophobic tendencies driven by political exigencies.

The US should adopt a tougher line against Myanmar's ruling junta, including more punishing sanctions, a no-fly zone and supporting a recently formed unity government, the country's UN envoy said Tuesday.

France will retaliate by cutting off the electricity supply to Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, the country’s maritime affairs minister threatened Tuesday, after the UK introduced new conditions in a fishing agreement over access to its waters.

Celebrities such as Shakira, Radamel Falcao, J Balvin and Maluma have spoken out on social media on the crisis in Colombia, where protests over a planned tax hike have left at least 19 people dead and hundreds injured.

Ethiopia described international anti-poverty NGO Oxfam’s claim that 5 million people in the country’s northernmost region of Tigray face extreme hunger as "falsified information."

An arson attack was carried out on a mosque in France’s southeastern Albertville city on Monday night, the mosque said in a statement on social media.

Iraqi Health Minister Hassan al-Tamimi resigned after a fire at a Baghdad hospital last month claimed 130 lives, said a government statement.​​​​​​​

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