Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – June 13, 2021

ANKARA

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 has administered more than 33 million coronavirus vaccine doses since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to the Health Ministry.

More than 19.59 million people have received their first dose, while an excess of 13.64 million have been fully vaccinated, ministry data shows.

Turkey reported 6,076 new cases, including 503 symptomatic patients, in the last 24 hours. The number of new infections on Friday was 6,261.

Turkey condemned an attack by the YPG/PKK terror group on a hospital in Afrin, Syria, which killed at least 13 patients and injured dozens.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry “strongly” condemned the attack and its perpetrators, including one of the YPG/PKK’s aliases, the so-called SDF.

The Governor’s Office in Hatay, just across the border, said a grad missile and artillery shells fired by the YPG/PKK from the Assad regime-controlled Tal Rifat region hit the emergency department of the private Shifa Hospital in the center of the Afrin district.

Turkish forces “neutralized” three more PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, according to the National Defense Ministry.

Turkish teams have collected more than 1,197 cubic meters (42,271 cubic feet) of mucilage from the Sea of Marmara in the past four days, said the Environment and Urbanization Minister.

A high-level delegation from Turkey visited Libya upon instructions by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of Monday's NATO summit.

The delegation led by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, included National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler, spy chief Hakan Fidan, communications director Fahrettin Altun and presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.

COVID-19 updates worldwide

Saudi Arabia will accept 60,000 citizens and residents to perform Hajj pilgrimage, shutting the doors to pilgrims from abroad, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement.

It added that those who do not have chronic diseases, between 18 and 65 years old and have been vaccinated will be allowed to perform the religious duty.

Moscow announced that next week will be a non-working week due to a surge in coronavirus cases.

More than 2.33 billion coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, figures compiled by Our World in Data, a tracking website, shows.

Other global developments

The leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies met in Cornwall, England, for a G7 summit hosted by the UK.

It is the first face-to-face G7 summit since 2019 and will last three days.

Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 95th birthday with scaled back ceremonies for the second straight year due to coronavirus restrictions.

The Trooping the Colour, a traditional ceremony on the queen’s birthday, was held at Windsor Castle with a reduced parade instead of central London.

Finland beat Denmark 1-0 in a EURO 2020 match that was interrupted with shock when Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen's collapsed near the end of the first half. After leaving the pitch on a stretcher, Eriksen, 29, was reported to be "stabilized" and conscious in the hospital.

Thousands turn out in Canada for the funeral of a Muslim family. Four family members were killed in an Islamophobic attack last week, which left a 9-year-old orphan.

A day after Canadian lawmakers passed a motion to convene an emergency summit on Islamophobia, the Ontario government echoed the move by condemning Islamophobia.

Three civilians were injured by Russian airstrikes in Syria's opposition-held Idlib province, near the Turkish border, according to civil defense sources.

Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova won the 2021 French Open title in women's title, her first major singles championship.