Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – September 2, 2020

By Handan Kazanci

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 confirmed 1,572 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the tally to 271,705.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 1,003 more patients recovered from COVID-19, pushing the overall number to 245,929.

Turkey is in favor of negotiations for a fair share of resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, the country’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

Addressing a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart Sabri Boukadoum in the capital Ankara, Mevlut Cavusoglu said if armaments on Meis island exceed limits determined by agreements, Greece will be the loser.

Moreover, Turkey and Libya stressed military and security cooperation.

Turkey and Libya will maintain training and consultancy activities in the area of military and security, said Turkey’s National Defense Ministry.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and his visiting Libyan counterpart Salah Al-Namroush led committee meetings in the capital Ankara and agreed to continue training and consultancy, said a ministry statement.

- COVID-19 updates worldwide

In coronavirus news, millions returned to work and school in France.

Amid strict health protocols, schools and offices opened in France on Tuesday after months of restrictions to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wearing masks, nearly 12.4 million children walked to schools for the first time since March and an estimated 25.5 million people returned to work at their offices.

Masks have been made compulsory for all students over the age of 11, which means those studying in middle school and above.

Meanwhile, British drug manufacturer AstraZeneca has expanded its agreement with an Oxford firm to increase its production of a potential coronavirus vaccine, local media reported Tuesday.

The firm, Oxford Biomedica, will produce tens of millions of doses of the potential vaccine, known as AZD1222, as part of the £50 million ($66.9 million) deal.

In Spain, more coronavirus cases were reported.

The rate of coronavirus infection in the country shows no sign of slowing down, with the Health Ministry reporting 8,115 new cases.

The number of infections in the last week in Spain reached nearly 50,000. That means over the past seven days, more than one out of every 1,000 Spanish residents has tested positive for the virus. In the worst-affected regions of the capital Madrid and La Rioja, it is more than one out of every 500 residents.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that public schools will delay re-opening until Sept. 21 to allow more preparation for educators because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The announcement came after the United Federation of Teachers threatened to strike because of concerns about a safe opening.

South Africa reported 1,218 new coronavirus cases in a 24-hour period, bringing the total number of infections to 628,259, the country’s Health Ministry said late Tuesday.

The ministry said 114 COVID-19 related deaths were also recorded, taking the total number of fatalities to 14,263.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has started a vaccination campaign in southeastern Somalia’s Banadir administrative region to vaccinate some 400,000 children against polio and measles.

“Vaccines help save lives! As we celebrate the eradication of wild polio, UNICEF Somalia continues to take action,” James Elder, UNICEF Chief of Communications for Eastern and Southern Africa, tweeted Tuesday.

- Other global developments

A UN human rights expert expressed deep concern Tuesday about the recent rise in armed violence in Gaza and welcomed this week’s announcement that Israel and Hamas have reached a truce to halt current hostilities.

Michael Lynk, the special rapporteur for the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, cautioned that true peace and the badly needed reconstruction of Gaza will only come with full respect for the fundamental rights of the 2 million Palestinians living there.

In the wake of last month’s controversial normalization deal, the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced an agreement Tuesday to boost bilateral investment and financial cooperation.

The pact was signed between the UAE state-run Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Invest in Israel, part of Israel’s Economy Ministry.

In sports news, Turkish football teams' opponents in the UEFA Europa League have been unveiled after Tuesday's draw.

Besiktas will face Borac Banja Luka from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Portugal's Rio Ave in the third qualifying round.

Another Turkish club, Aytemiz Alanyaspor, will play against Latvia's Ventspils or Norwegian club Rosenborg in the third qualifying round.

Galatasaray entered the tournament in the second qualifying round to meet Azerbaijan's Neftci.