Day: June 19, 2021

While the football world focuses on EURO 2020, an unexpected departure shocked fans this week when Real Madrid legendary captain Sergio Ramos announced his exit from the Spanish club.

Regarded as one of the greatest center-backs of his generation, Ramos became a popular figure with fans with his work ethic, ambitious personality and strong character. His trophy-laden career ended in Madrid, where he had a sensational club career since 2005, in an emotional farewell that saw him in tears as he announced his exit.

“I’ll come back here one day, I’m sure. I want to say a huge thanks to Real Madrid. I will always carry you in my heart,” he said.

Ramos’ departure was unexpected for fans since he wanted to stay with the club to end his career. But there was a dispute with the team about his contract extension.

The club decided against it.

“I never thought this day would come, but everything has a beginning and an end,” he wrote on Twitter.

“You’ve carved out one of the greatest careers in the history of our club. For many years, you’ve been a role model for our fans and without doubt, you’re now one of Real Madrid’s biggest legends,” said team President Florentino Peres.

– First goal in 2005, 100th in 2020

Making a huge €27 million ($32 million) move to Real Madrid from Sevilla in 2005, Ramos is the second-highest top scorer among Real Madrid defenders, scoring 101 goals in 671 games. Fernando Hierro is the highest-scoring defender in Real Madrid history, who played midfield and had 126 goals in 601 games from 1989 to 2003.

Ramos, 35, had his first goal for Los Galacticos in a UEFA Champions League match against Greek side Olympiacos in 2005.

It was November 2020 when the Spaniard tallied his 100th with a header in a Champions League group match against Italy’s Inter Milan.

He played 671 games for his team in 16 seasons and lifting 22 honors, including four UCL titles in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

The defender is a five-time La Liga champion — 2007, 2008, 2012, 2017 and 2020 — while he helped Real win four FIFA Club World Cup trophies in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

– Crucial part of national team

Ramos was one of the most valuable members of the national team, scoring 23 goals in 180 caps.

The captain participated in the 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments and 2008, 2012 and 2016 European championships.

He helped his country earn back-to-back UEFA EURO 2008 and 2012 titles in addition to the 2010 World Cup but Ramos is no longer part of the Spanish squad.

He struggled with injuries during the 2020-2021 season and was left off the squad for EURO 2020 by manager Luis Enrique.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Covid-19 Advisory Board of the government responsible for fighting the outbreak in Japan said on Friday that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics should be played without spectators, according to the Kyodo agency.

Shigeru Omi, head of the Japan Community Health Care Organization, held a news conference in Tokyo regarding proposals the board made to the government about the Games.

Omi said that it is reasonable to organize the Games without spectators.

He said it would be the most effective way to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

Omi advised organizers to think about ways to reduce the risk, identify scenarios that provide strong measures and to make their decisions public as soon as possible.

In addition, 26 experts, including Director-General of National Institute of Infectious Diseases Takaji Wakita shared concerns with the government and the organizational team that the Olympics could trigger a new wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto said organizers thought similarly to the opinions of the experts about spectators at the Games and they will work on ways that allow spectators to be in the stands safely, in consultation with experts.

The Olympic Games, which were postponed last year because of the pandemic, will be held July 23 – Aug. 8 and the Paralympic Games from Aug. 24 – Sept. 5.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Iran’s ultra-conservative judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raeisi, was declared winner of Friday’s presidential election, which saw the lowest turnout in the country’s history.

Raeisi garnered 17.92 million votes in Friday’s polls, defeating his three rivals in a landslide victory, Interior Minister Rehman Fazli announced on Saturday.

Former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezai came second with 3.4 million votes, followed by former top banker Abdol-Nasser Hemmati with 2.4 million and former deputy parliament speaker Ghazizadeh Hashemi with around 1 million votes.

Earlier in the day, the preliminary vote count showed Raeisi leading with 17.8 million, followed by Rezaei with 3.3 million, Hemmati with 2.4 million and Hashemi with 1 million votes.

Voter turnout, according to the Interior Ministry, was 48.8 percent, beating the previous record.

Previously, the lowest turnout in Iran’s post-1979 revolution presidential elections was recorded in 1993 — 50.6 percent — when Hashemi Rafsanjani defeated his conservative rival Ahmed Tavakkoli.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish police arrested at least 33 people over their suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, security sources said on Saturday.

In a statement, prosecutors in the metropolis Istanbul said arrest warrants were issued for 52 suspects, including those in active duty and dismissed personnel, as part of a probe into the terror group’s infiltration into the military.

Police arrested 33 suspects in Istanbul-based anti-terror operations conducted simultaneously in 17 provinces. The suspects are accused of communicating with senior FETO members via pay phones or fixed lines.

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Brazil reached a grim milestone of half a million COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the heath minister announced.

Marcelo Queiroga said on Twitter that he “works tirelessly to vaccinate all Brazilians in the shortest time possible”. He also expressed solidarity with the families.

Another government official, Communications Minister Fabio Faria, lashed out at the press, criticizing the fact that “politicians, artists and journalists” lament the number.

“You will never see them celebrate the 86 million [vaccine] doses given or the 18 million [Brazilians] cured,” he wrote. According to him, these people “root for the virus.”

While the Senate is investigating the government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people are participating in mass demonstrations against right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, calling for him to be impeached, the acceleration of vaccination drive, and emergency economic aid.

They bring together left-wing political parties and social movements, raising criticism for putting the population at risk by enabling the increase in the spread of COVID-19.

The country of over 213 million people has administered at least 85.39 million vaccine doses, according to Our World in Data, a tracking website.

According to local health departments, only 15% of the target population is completely immunized with both doses, while 38% took only the first shot. The number of COVID-19 cases is nearly 18 million.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey has huge investment and earning potential in the tourism sector, said the country’s president on Saturday.

Speaking at the opening of NG Phaselis Bay Hotel in the Kemer district of Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country’s fight against COVID-19 along with rapid vaccination will accelerate even more in the coming weeks.

“Our country has gradually started to come off the lists of travel restrictions. We welcome the decision taken by Russia, after France, in this direction,” he said. “We will be able to ensure that our tourism professionals seize this opportunity at least in the second half of the 2021 season.”

Erdogan said the mass inoculation campaign in Turkey is now entering a new period, and that he is hopeful the country will reach higher figures in the tourism sector this year.

“I recommend our investors to prepare for this new period in advance … tourists who take a vacation in Turkey cannot easily give up,” he said. “Both Turkey and those who prefer our country win, and hopefully, with this win-win policy, we will constantly increase our position in tourism.”

Erdogan said they will continue to work toward the goal of making Turkey an international brand in the tourism sector, as they did in other sectors such as health, defense, construction, and textile.

At the ceremony, Erdogan was accompanied by Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank as well as First Lady Emine Erdogan.

Separately, he attended Turkey’s AK Party’s congress in Antalya.

“We closed last year with 16 million tourists, hopefully, we will reach even more this year. Of course, our main goal is to recapture the number of 52 million tourists in 2019 as soon as possible and then reach 70 million,” he said.

Mentioning that people from all over the world look at Antalya with admiration, he said the city will realize its full potential.

Erdogan went to the resort city on Friday to attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, a high-level gathering of political leaders, diplomats, opinion makers and academics. Anadolu Agency is its global communication partner.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Turkish defense minister on Saturday discussed bilateral security and regional issues with his US counterpart over the phone.

According to the Turkish National Defense Ministry, Hulusi Akar and Lloyd James Austin had “a positive and constructive” conversation.

The exchange comes days after a NATO summit in Brussels on June 14.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A police officer died, 11 people were injured when a helicopter that was carrying ballot boxes crashed in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province.

The helicopter crashed near Dezful city, state news agency IRNA reported.

Voter turnout had been expectedly low until the evening, with unofficial estimates putting it at 35-40%. Election officials will announce the official voter turnout on Saturday.

Raeisi, who has been leading in the polls, is most likely to end up with more than 50% of the votes, which would decide the election in the first round, according to observers.

Results are expected by Saturday afternoon, but the incumbent government will continue in office until August.

Source: Anadolu Agency

An Iraqi court has ordered the release of former President Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law after 18 years in prison, according to the Justice Ministry on Saturday.

Charges against Jamal Mustaf Sultan were dropped due to lack of evidence and was ordered free, the ministry said in a statement cited by local media.

The statement, however, did not provide any further details.

Mustafa, 66, is the husband of Saddam’s youngest daughter Hala. He was an army officer and was among the 52 former officials sought by the United States for alleged crimes against humanity.

Mustafa was arrested by US forces on April 20, 2003, just 11 days after toppling the Saddam Hussein regime.

In 2017, the Iraqi parliament issued a bill to confiscate the assets of Saddam, his wife and relatives, including Mustafa.

Source: Anadolu Agency