Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - July 12, 2020

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.

- Srebrenica

Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday marked the 25th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide, bidding farewell to nine newly identified victims of the massacre at a memorial service.

Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide are laid to rest at a memorial cemetery in Potocari, eastern Bosnia. Thousands of visitors from various countries attend the service.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the ceremony via a video link.

"We will always stand by our Bosnian brothers in their search for justice. The Srebrenica Genocide will never be forgotten," Erdogan said in a video message.

Pakistan, Italy, and the UK were also among the countries commemorating the victims of the genocide.

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked the UN "safe area" of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch troops tasked with acting as international peacekeepers.

- Coronavirus in Turkey

A total of 1,334 people recovered from the novel coronavirus in Turkey over the past 24 hours, bringing the current total number of recoveries to 193,217 on Saturday.

The country registered 1,016 more cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 211,981.

The death toll rose to 5,344, with 21 daily fatalities reported.

- Coronavirus outbreak across the world

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 188 countries and regions.

The US, Brazil, India, and Russia are currently the countries hardest hit in the world.

The pandemic has killed more than 564,390 people worldwide, with more than 12.67 million confirmed cases and over 6.98 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

In Russia, the total number of infections reached 719,449 on Saturday.

The death toll reached 11,205 with 188 more fatalities over the same period, while 8,378 recoveries brought the total to 497,446. The number of active cases in the country now stands at 211,896, marking a decline of over 3,000 from 215,142 a day before.

British health authorities announced on Saturday that 148 people died of the novel coronavirus across the UK over the past 24 hours, bringing the total up to 44,798, as the country's prime minister suggested that face masks could be made mandatory in shops.

The total number of cases in the country is now 288,953, an increase of 820 over the past day.

Italy also reported seven more coronavirus fatalities, bringing the country's death toll to 34,945.

The tally of active infections dropped to 13,303, while a total of 188 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. The total number of cases stands at 242,827.

Meanwhile, recoveries jumped to 194,579 as 306 more patients left intensive care in the last 24 hours.

In Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the COVID-19 cases passed 10,000 on Saturday.

Some 268 more infections were recorded over the past 24 hours, raising the overall count to 10,156. Ten more COVID-19 patients also died, bringing the death toll to 169.

Amid rising concern among residents, authorities are now considering imposing a lockdown in the Himalayan region.

Meanwhile, Indian Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan also confirmed that he and his son have tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

- Turkey’s terror fight

Turkish security forces neutralized eight PKK terrorists as part of Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

The terrorists were targeted in the Haftanin region in an air-backed operation, the ministry said on Twitter.

A terrorist wanted by Turkish security forces was also neutralized in the eastern Erzurum province, the country’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday.

Halis Eroglu, codenamed Hejar, was neutralized by provincial gendarmerie forces in an operation in the rural area of Senkaya district.

Meanwhile, the sit-in protest against the YPG/PKK terror group’s recruitment of children continued to grow on Saturday in southeastern Turkey.

Haci Guger, a father from Diyarbakir's Sur district, was the latest to join the sit-in. He said his son, Dogan, was deceived and kidnapped by the terror group five years ago.

- Other developments around the world

The death toll from massive floods in Japan rose to 63, according to local media on Saturday.

As many as 92 rivers in 10 prefectures have overflowed their banks, and there have been 251 cases of damage from landslides, about one-fifth of which occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture, hit hardest by the rain, according to Kyodo news agency.

Floods also claimed many lives in Nepal. The death toll rose to 23, while 35 others were missing as torrential monsoon rains continued to lash the country on Saturday.

Two people went missing on Saturday in the district of Sindhupalchok and Jajarkot after being swept away by swollen rivers.