Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – July 26, 2022

ANKARA

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

• Pope Francis issued a long-awaited and historic apology to Indigenous peoples for the harm the Catholic Church did to them at Canada’s residential schools.
• Russia's recent strike on Ukraine's port of Odesa should "in no way" affect the start of grain shipments, the Kremlin spokesman said. The UN must do its part of work related to the removal of indirect restrictions on Russian grain exports based on agreements reached in Istanbul, he added.
• Türkiye expects Russia and Ukraine to implement the grain export deal, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding the deal will ease the global food crisis.
• Türkiye will boost its oil and gas purchases from Iran, President Erdogan said.
• In a phone call, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed last week’s deal to reopen Ukrainian ports for grain exports.
• Russia's attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa just one day after signing a long-anticipated deal on grain exports "undermines" Moscow's credibility, the US State Department charged.
• President Joe Biden threw cold water on fears that the US could be heading into a recession, pointing to low unemployment and continued investment in the American economy ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting.
• US President Joe Biden's COVID symptoms "have now almost completely resolved" after completing his fourth full day of PAXLOVID COVID-19 treatment, his doctor said.
• A wildfire in the US state of California has burned more than 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of forest land, triggering evacuations since Friday.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired Ruslan Demchenko, the first deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
• The UN human rights chief condemned in the strongest terms the execution of four democracy activists by Myanmar's military despite repeated calls by the United Nations and the international community to desist from carrying out death sentences.
• The European Union condemned the execution of pro-democracy activists in Myanmar.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited the Republic of Congo on the second leg of an Africa tour aimed at strengthening Moscow’s ties with the continent.
• Somalia's parliament gave Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre 10 more days to form a government.
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of repercussions from Ethiopia's unilateral steps amid a decades-long dispute regarding a controversial dam project on the Nile River.
• Thousands of people gathered in Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo to protest possible amendments to the nation’s election law and constitution by the Office of the High Representative (OHR), an international institution that is responsible for implementing the country’s peace agreement.
• Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) accused 22 members of the military of murdering at least 303 civilians and falsely presenting them as rebel fighters who had been killed in combat.
• UK Conservative leadership candidates Rishi Sunak, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Liz Truss, the current foreign secretary, continued their bitter disagreements over taxation policies in a debate broadcast live.
• The organizing committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games unveiled “Games Wide Open” as the slogan for the upcoming sporting event to be hosted by Paris.
• Drowning is one of the leading causes of death globally for those aged between 1–24 and the third leading cause of injury-related deaths overall, claiming more than 236,000 lives each year, the World Health Organization said.
• The Netherlands has begun vaccination against monkeypox for individuals in the risk group, health authorities said.
• Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is facing the "greatest workforce crisis" in its history, according to a parliamentary committee report.
• Pakistan has condemned the Indian defense minister's statement on Pakistan-administered Kashmir, calling it "provocative" and "completely unacceptable."