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Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - Oct. 16, 2021

Daily briefing on novel coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Turkey, other developments

Ahmet Gençtürk  | 16.10.2021 - Update : 16.10.2021
Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - Oct. 16, 2021

ANKARA

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 more than 113.7 million coronavirus vaccine doses since the country launched an immunization drive in January, according to official figures.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara previously ran the Kabul airport and similar steps in the period ahead could be taken by Turkey, Qatar and Afghanistan if agreements can be made.

Continuing its war on terror, Turkey neutralized 14 PKK terrorists, 13 in northern Iraq and 1 in southeastern Hakkari province and arrested 54 suspects for alleged links to the far-left DHKP-C terror group in Turkey. Moreover, four suspected members of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, were nabbed in northwestern Turkey while trying to escape to Greece.

The 3rd Gastro-Afyon Tourism and Flavor Festival to showcase regional delicacies kicked off in Turkey's western Afyonkarahisar province.    

Other developments across the World

A bomb blast that hit a Shia mosque in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province during Friday prayers killed at least 47 and injured dozens.

Opposition parties in Greece have lambasted the government’s decision to renew a long-standing defense agreement with the US, terming certain conditions of the deal as “dangerous” and “unthinkable,” while warning that Athens stands to lose more than it gains in the bargain.

EU’s border agency, Frontex, said the bloc’s borders have seen a 68% increase in illegal crossings in the first nine months of 2021, with the Eastern Mediterranean the only route with a decrease.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar met his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, in the Polish capital of Warsaw. The two ministers held one-on-one talks and chaired meetings with the countries' delegations.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said his country is serious about talks with Iran, a development seen as a signal to repair relations between the two rivals.

Britain’s Cambridge University has suspended a record £400 million deal with the United Arab Emirates because of the Gulf’s country’s alleged use of Pegasus spyware.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

EUROSAT reported that one in five people in the EU is at risk of poverty or social exclusion.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin said he wants to visit Turkey this year to further strengthen the “very good” ties between the two countries.

The UN Refugee Agency urged countries to facilitate and speed up family reunification procedures for Afghans whose families were left behind in Afghanistan or who have been displaced across the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said normalizing ties with Turkey would help establish lasting peace in the region and implement the agreements reached last year on the Upper Karabakh region.

Pakistan accused Indian forces of killing 10 Kashmiris in the past week and condemned the arrest of 1,400 Kashmiris in recent days.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka as Muslim groups carried out demonstrations against the alleged desecration of the Quran at a Hindu festival earlier this week.

White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said fully vaccinated foreign travelers will be eligible to enter the US beginning Nov. 8.

According to new regulations, French citizens will need to pay for PCR and antigenic tests for the coronavirus

The US Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee unanimously voted to recommend booster shots for Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine.



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