Day: July 9, 2021

Authorities in Uganda began disbursing cash Thursday to vulnerable Ugandans affected by the country’s second coronavirus lockdown to buy food.

Each person is being given 100,000 shillings ($28). The money is being distributed through mobile money services to the phones of the poor and those who are not working after the lockdown, which was announced by President Yoweri Museveni on June 6.

The exercise kicked off in the capital Kampala, with Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja as the chief guest. After the money was sent to the very first recipient, Charles Onen, Nabbanja called him and asked him if he had received it, which he confirmed.

”This is the prime minister of Uganda. I want to know if you have received the money,” she said.

Nabbanja said that in the first batch, 500,000 people will receive the money.

According to the Health Ministry, 85,581 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed so far and 2,033 deaths, while 1,027,036 people have been vaccinated against the virus.

Source: Anadolu Agency

At least 11 irregular migrants from Pakistan were held in Turkey’s northwestern Kocaeli province on Friday, the provincial security directorate said.

The Pakistani nationals were found in a bus at a security checkpoint, it added.

The police also arrested the bus driver.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

It hosts nearly 4 million refugees, including over 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.

Source: Anadolu Agency

India on Thursday denied allegations by Pakistan that New Delhi was behind a bomb blast last month in the city of Lahore.

During a weekly briefing, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described the allegations as “baseless propaganda.”

“It is not new for Pakistan to engage in baseless propaganda against India,” he said.

“Pakistan would do well to expend the same effort in setting its own house in order and taking credible and verifiable action against terrorism emanating from its soil and terrorists who have found safe sanctuaries there.”

Noting that “the international community is well aware of Pakistan’s credentials when it comes to terrorism,” Bagchi added that “this is acknowledged by none other than its own leadership, which continues to glorify terrorists like Osama Bin Laden as ‘martyrs.’”

Reacting to India’s denial of its involvement in the June 23 terrorist attack, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman rejected New Delhi’s statement and said there is irrefutable evidence of India’s aiding, abetting and financing of the terrorist attack.

“We have pointed out in the past also Indian state sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan,” said Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri in a statement.

“There is no doubt that the intelligence agency from across the border was involved in planning and executing terrorist attacks against Pakistan,” he added.

He accused India of using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and said it makes New Delhi culpable under international law, the UN sanctions regime and international counter-terrorism conventions.

Chaudhri said former Indian Naval officer “Kulbhushan Jadhav, who was caught red-handed in March 2016, is the most familiar and undeniable face of India’s state sponsorship of terrorism against Pakistan.”

He urged the international community to hold India to account and take practical steps to proceed against the Indian nationals involved in patronage of terrorism against Pakistan.

On June 23, at least three people were killed and 24 others wounded in a powerful blast near the house of Hafiz Saeed, the leader of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a militant group operating in South Asia.

On Sunday, Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s national security adviser, said his country’s intelligence agencies had found irrefutable evidence of India’s involvement in the Lahore terrorist attack.

“A detailed forensic [analysis] of all the equipment, including cellular phones, has been conducted, which has clearly indicated a connection with Indian state-sponsored terrorism against Pakistan,” Yusuf told reporters.

There is “no doubt that the Johar Town blast and cyberattacks are interlinked and state-supported by India,” he said.

“We presented a detailed dossier in November last year with very minute details highlighting terror financing, phone calls indicating network linkages and a terrorism racket run by India.”

Last year, Pakistan said India was funding the banned terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and ethnic Baloch armed separatist groups that conducted attacks on Pakistani soil. The allegations have been denied by New Delhi.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkish security forces on Friday arrested 10 suspects tied to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup of 2016, security officials said.

Prosecutors had issued arrest warrants for 13 FETO-affiliated suspects, said a statement by prosecutors in the capital Ankara.

The suspects include two retired Turkish Air Forces noncommissioned officers and 11 cadets who were previously dismissed.

Operations to arrest the remaining suspects are underway.

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

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 administered nearly 850,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots over the past day, the Health Ministry said late Thursday.

As such, the country has administered over 56.22 million vaccine doses since it launched a vaccination drive in January. More than 37.19 million people have gotten their first doses, while over 16.48 million are fully vaccinated.

Turkey also reported 5,171 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and 48 related deaths, while as many as 5,012 more patients recovered.

Criticizing covert or open arms embargos against Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to end the country’s dependence on imports of defense systems.

Speaking also at another occasion, the Justice and Development (AK) Party’s extended meeting of provincial heads, Erdogan underlined the significance of the upcoming 2023 presidential elections for the country to be listed among the most powerful countries globally and called on all party members to start preparing for the elections.

Erdogan held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which bilateral relations were discussed.

As part of Turkey’s ongoing war against terrorism, Turkish security forces neutralized at least three PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Iraq and arrested five PKK/YPG and four FETO terrorists.

A Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) broke a new record in the country by flying at an altitude of 38,039 feet and staying in the air for 25 hours and 46 minutes.

Speaking after a joint press conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Finnish counterpart Pekka Haavisto underlined the importance of EU-Turkey relations to counter common challenges. Cavusoglu also reiterated that Turkey wants to re-vitalize its relations with the bloc and accession negotiations.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry decried a resolution adopted by the European Parliament alleging the “repression of the opposition in Turkey, specifically the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).” The ministry said the decision is a new example of the ideological and biased attitude of the parliament towards Turkey.

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar spoke by phone for a second day with his American counterpart Lloyd Austin on developments related to the operation and security of the airport in Afghanistan’s capital after this summer’s NATO pullout from the country.

Akar also held a separate phone call with Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi and discussed regional and bilateral defense and security issues, including Afghanistan.

– COVID-19 updates worldwide

Over 3.32 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered so far worldwide, according to figures compiled by Our World in Data, a tracking website affiliated with Oxford University.

China leads the global count with more than 1.34 billion jabs, followed by India with 358.07 million. Turkey came eight on the list, followed by Italy, Japan and Mexico.

Drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech announced that the company is asking the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve their new COVID booster shot, which it is claiming would increase protection against the virus.

France and Spain engaged in a war of words over the former’s warning to its citizens to avoid travelling to the latter.

India approved a relief package to combat issues related to the coronavirus pandemic that occurred during the second wave.

China approved 22 COVID-19 vaccine candidates for clinical trials in the country. Four of the vaccine candidates have been given conditional marketing approval while three others are authorized for emergency use.

The UK removed quarantine requirements for amber list countries.

The WHO said that COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa are gathering momentum. So far, 50 million doses have been administered in Africa, accounting for just 1.6% of the doses given globally.

– Other global developments

The 16th round of Astana talks on Syria kicked off in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan. A variety of issues including the humanitarian situation in the country, aid, the political process to end the conflict, work on drafting a new constitution, developments in the northwestern region of Idlib and the fight against terrorism were addressed in the talks, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.

A draft resolution including wording on the fight against anti-Muslim hatred was passed at a plenary session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE-PA).

US President Joe Biden said the American military mission in Afghanistan will end by Aug. 31.

British lawmakers called on the government to take more responsibility in bringing an end to abuses of Uyghur Muslims by China.

Haitian security forces killed four suspected “mercenaries” and arrested two of the alleged perpetrators in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

In Iran-brokered intra-Afgan talks in Tehran, parties agreed that war is no solution for Afghanistan.

Germany warned Russia not to hinder UN emergency aid from crossing from Turkey to millions of refugees in northern Syria.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Drugmaker Pfizer-BioNTech announced late Thursday that they are asking the US Food and Drug Administration to approve their new COVID booster shot, which they say would increase protection against the virus.

The companies started researching the effectiveness of a third booster shot back in February, as a way to protect against possible variants of COVID-19.

The new booster shot they have come up with does not specifically target any COVID variant, and US health officials have already said that the current vaccines on the market protect against the surging Delta variant.

But Pfizer-BioNTech say they have seen “encouraging data” that their booster shot, in general, provides more effective COVID protection when administered within six months after the second dose.

Separately, Pfizer said Thursday that it is working on a vaccine just to target the Delta variant, in case it is needed, and will begin clinical trials in August.

Some industry experts have warned that profit could be more a motivating factor for drug companies eager to get new vaccines approved by the FDA.

But Pfizer pointed to the situation in Israel: the nation saw a vaccine rollout that was earlier and more effective than in many other countries. Seven months later, however, vaccine effectiveness appears to be waning as the Delta variant spreads and the Israeli government has reinstated an indoor mask mandate.

In the US, the problem remains vaccine hesitancy colliding with the Delta variant, which may be more transmissible and more dangerous. Virtually all of the COVID deaths recorded in the US now are people who did not get any vaccine, and the Delta variant has become the dominant strain of COVID in the country.

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday that America is becoming highly fractured: many parts of the country are so well-protected from the virus that COVID deaths have all but vanished. But in pockets of the country, specifically in the South and Midwest, COVID cases have spike so much recently that some hospitals have had to turn patients away and put calls out for extra ventilators.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s small town of Srebrenica which was subject to genocide in 1995, struggles for its existence as its young people migrate and elderly slowly die out.

Situated in the east of the country, it continues to evoke traces of the pain unleashed on its inhabitants atrocities that took place there 26 years ago.

Elvis Spiodic who was an 11-year-old boy during the genocide, told Anadolu Agency that he had been sure Srebrenica would regain its old spirit, but that the genocide had taken everything away from its people.

“I came back to my hometown 15 years ago. I was sure that Srebrenica would regain its old spirit. Cafes, restaurants, hotels, and bakeries were working, but the situation has not been good for the last five years. Srebrenica is dying. The genocide took away everything from the people living in this land,” said Spiodic.

Young people are leaving because they do not think they can build their future there, he lamented, adding: “I’ve also been thinking of leaving Srebrenica lately.”

Senad Djozic, who returned to Srebrenica in 2009, said there were no cafes, restaurants, or cinemas that would have been normal sights in other cities.

“We’re used to living without a social life. Your love for your country prevents you from seeing its shortcomings,” said Djozic, pointing out that Srebrenica was gradually becoming a retirement city.

Fadila Efendic, who lost her husband and son in the genocide, said it was always difficult to face the facts.

“It’s the people that make the city a city, not the buildings. So many people were killed here. Those who stay here today live in fear of ‘will something happen to us?’ I was full of hope when I first came here,” said Efendic.

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces attacked a UN “safe area” of Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch troops tasked with acting as international peacekeepers.

Srebrenica was besieged by Serb forces who were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. But, Serb troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic overran the UN zone. Mladic was sentenced to life for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing about 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone. Some 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 in the forests.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different places in the country.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey has assured Afghanistan of its support in the wake of the US withdrawal, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said Thursday following a meeting of the Turkish ambassador with the deputy foreign minister in Kabul.

Deputy Foreign Minister Mirwais Nab praised the efforts of the Republic of Turkey in supporting the peace process in Afghanistan and stressed the importance of Turkey’s effective role in the success of the negotiations and the provision of a lasting and just peace based on the will of the Afghan people during a meeting with Ambassador Cihad Erginay.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Nab told Erginay that the Afghan defense and security forces have been able to repel many of the terrorist attacks by the Taliban and their supporting foreign terrorists. It said that while emphasizing that there is no military solution to the Afghan problem, Nab expressed the commitment and good faith of the Afghan government to reach a political solution.

The Turkish ambassador reaffirmed his country’s continued support and assistance to Afghanistan in the post-withdrawal phase as well as Ankara’s readiness to make any efforts to find a political solution to the Afghan issue, it added.

The two stressed the importance of working together to ensure peace and stability in the country and stressed the need to continue consultations to strengthen the consensus to persuade the Taliban to end the violence and return to the negotiating table.

Taking charge in May, the newly assigned Turkish diplomat in Kabul has so far held a series of introductory meetings with senior Afghan officials, politicians and civil society representatives including First Vice President Amrullah Saleh; Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation; National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib; former President Hamid Karzai; Hezb-e-Islami chief Gulbuddin Hekmatyar; Jamiat-e-Islami chief Salahuddin Rabbani; and top Afghan peace negotiator Mohammed Masoom Stanekzai.

The Turkish envoy said last week that the Turkish government was working to ensure the support of regional countries, especially Pakistan, to achieve lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Source: Anadolu Agency

UNICEF said Thursday that it had reached a deal to supply up to 220 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to African Union member states by the end of 2022.

In a statement, the UN children’s agency said the agreement was signed with Belgium-based and Johnson & Johnson-owned Janssen Pharmaceutica NV.

Some 35 million doses of the single-dose vaccine could be delivered to the African Union’s 55 member states by the end of this year and another 180 million doses could be ordered by year’s end, it said.

UNICEF believes that African countries must have affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible.

“Vaccine access has been unequal and unfair, with less than 1% of the population of the African continent currently vaccinated against COVID-19. This cannot continue,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

“UNICEF, with its long history of delivering vaccines all around the world, is supporting global COVID-19 vaccination efforts through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), COVAX, and other channels to maximize supply and access to vaccines,” she said.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine received emergency approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) in March.

The African Union established AVAT in November 2020 to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to the African continent, with a goal of vaccinating 60% of each African Union country’s population.

The agreement comes as the African continent faces its steepest surge in COVID-19 cases yet, amid vaccine supply challenges which have left many countries with large unvaccinated populations.

At a media briefing Thursday, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said more than 1.6 million doses have been delivered to Africa in the last two weeks through the COVAX facility, a worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.

So far, 50 million doses have been administered in Africa, accounting for just 1.6% of the doses given globally.

Source: Anadolu Agency