Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Aug. 12, 2021

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world and the coronavirus pandemic.

- Developments in Turkey, coronavirus pandemic and other news

Turkey has administered over 80.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures released Wednesday.

According to the Health Ministry, over 42.9 million people have gotten their first dose, while more than 31.1 million are now fully vaccinated.

The ministry also confirmed 27,356 new infections and 128 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 16,363 more patients recovered.

Turkey will return to face-to-face learning once the new semester begins, the country’s health minister announced Wednesday.

Turkey has brought 285 forest fires under control while three continue to burn in the Aegean province of Mugla, the resort city of Antalya and southwestern Burdur province, the country's agriculture and forestry minister said Wednesday.

A new wave of floods due to heavy rains hit Turkey’s northern Black Sea provinces Wednesday, leaving one person dead,13 people injured and an elderly woman missing, according to authorities.

Turkish authorities are working to set talks with the Taliban, Turkey's president said Wednesday.

Turkey’s president held separate phone calls with the leaders of Afghanistan, Iran and Togo.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan met visiting Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in the capital Islamabad on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including Ankara’s ongoing efforts for a political solution in Afghanistan.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met with Pakistan’s Defense Production Minister Zubaida Jalal as part of his visit to Islamabad, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The chairman of Sudan’s Sovereign Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, will pay an official visit to Turkey on Thursday at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Twenty-two Azerbaijani reporters continued their training at the 18th war journalism program conducted in coordination with Anadolu Agency, Turkey's state-run aid agency and police academy said Wednesday.

- Worldwide developments related to COVID-19

The count of COVID-19 vaccines given worldwide topped 4.54 billion Wednesday, according to Our World In Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University.

South Korea reported over 2,200 coronavirus cases Wednesday, the highest daily rate since the pandemic hit the country in January last year.

Germany on Wednesday reported 4,996 new cases of the coronavirus – up from 2,480 a day before – the highest daily rise since the end of May.

Despite mounting fatalities and infections across the country, Bangladesh on Wednesday lifted its strict coronavirus curbs imposed for over a month.

While the number of coronavirus cases in the US and Europe continues to increase, coercive measures are being taken in many countries, especially in the US, to ensure that people get the vaccine.

Eswatini’s foreign minister said Wednesday that the country is on track to “bend the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic as it grapples with a third wave of COVID-19.

Canada announced Wednesday that the federal government will introduce vaccine passports for foreign travel this fall.

South Africa on Wednesday registered 573 COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total number of fatalities to 75,774, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

- Developments across world

The death toll in Algeria from wildfires has risen to 69, according to a local official, while France has announced plans to help the North African country contain the flames.

North Korea on Wednesday warned the US and South Korea of a possible security crisis over their joint military drills.

Advancing Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan vowed to have captured Fayzabad city, the center of northern Badakhshan province next to Tajikistan.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday started his first official visit to Morocco since the reestablishment of ties between the two countries last year.

A Chinese court on Wednesday sentenced a Canadian to 11 years in prison for spying and ordered authorities to deport him, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper.

German police have arrested an employee of the British Embassy on charges of spying for Russia, authorities said Wednesday.

Muslims around the world, including Turkey, marked the first day of the Islamic New Year, also known as the Hijri New Year, early this week.

A Ukrainian soldier and a civilian were killed on Tuesday in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine in a shooting with pro-Russian separatists, the Ukrainian military said Wednesday.

The local government in Hong Kong has submitted a draft amendment to the region’s Legislative Council and sought to criminalize insults to China’s national flag and emblem.

Zambia is less than 24 hours away from Thursday’s critical general election, the seventh since the country returned to multiparty politics three decades ago.

Germany announced Wednesday that it will temporarily stop deporting rejected asylum seekers to Afghanistan due to the deteriorating security situation in the country.

Russia and China’s militaries started the active part of the joint Zapad/Interaction-2021 military exercises Wednesday.

In response to a fresh round of sanctions from Washington, Belarus on Wednesday revoked its agreement for the appointment of a new US ambassador to the country.

At least 10 people died and more than 40 others were feared buried under the debris after a landslide in India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, authorities said.

Azerbaijan on Wednesday handed a diplomatic note to the Iranian ambassador over the "illegal travel of trucks belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran to Karabakh."

With a coalition partner’s withdrawal, the Polish government has formally lost its majority in parliament, but some think it could still survive.

The Russian Investigative Committee on Wednesday filed a new charge against opposition figure Alexey Navalny.

Nigeria announced Wednesday that it will soon lift a Twitter ban that has been in place since June 4.

Malawi's president on Wednesday sacked the country's energy minister, who is standing trial for multiple graft charges, according to an official statement.

Uganda’s president announced Wednesday that the country’s athletes who won medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be given lifetime salaries, cars and houses.