Day: July 17, 2021

Four Iraqi soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack by suspected ISIS/Daesh terrorists in the northern Kirkuk province, according to a local police officer.

“Unidentified gunmen likely to belong to ISIS/Daesh terrorist group opened fire on a military checkpoint west of Kirkuk,” the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the Iraqi army has launched a manhunt for the attackers.

In recent months, suspected Daesh/ISIS terrorists have stepped up attacks, particularly in the area between Kirkuk, Saladin (north), and Diyala (east), known as the “Triangle of Death.”

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all of its territories – about a third of the country’s area – invaded by the terror group in 2014.

But the terrorist group still maintains sleeper cells in large areas of Iraq and periodically launches attacks. The Iraqi army continues to carry out frequent operations against the group in parts of the country.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey has administered over half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours, according to figures released on Saturday.

The country continues its vaccination campaign, which began this January, to curb the spread of the virus, as all residents 18 and over are eligible for vaccine shots.

According to Health Ministry data, to date, more than 38.86 million people in Turkey have gotten their first vaccine dose, while over 20.37 million have gotten their second. Turkey has a population of 83.6 million people.

Meanwhile, over 572,000 vaccine doses have been administered in the last 24 hours, the figures showed.

To date, over 62% of the adult population has received at least one dose.

The ministry also confirmed 7,666 new infections and 38 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,490 more patients recovered.

Amid a nationwide drop in cases and expedited vaccination efforts, Turkey entered a new normalization phase on July 1, lifting almost all virus-related restrictions.

However, seeking to limit the spread of the Delta variant of the virus, the country suspended flights from India – where the strain was first found.

Meanwhile, arrivals from the UK, Iran, Egypt, and Singapore are required to have negative COVID-19 tests within 72 hours before their flight.

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with nearly 190 million cases reported, according to the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Olivier Giroud on Friday bid farewell to Chelsea.

On his official Twitter account, the 34-year-old said he was starting a new journey and thanked his teammates, coaches and personnel at the English club.

The French forward also noted his trophies with the Blues, including one from the Champions League, one from the Europa League and one FA Cup.

Starting his career with the French club Grenoble, Giroud transferred to Chelsea in 2018 from rival Arsenal.

He scored 39 goals and made 14 assists in 119 matches with Chelsea.

The 2018 World Cup winner also had 46 goals in 110 matches for his national team.

Chelsea finished the English Premier League in fourth place with 67 points last season.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The UN urged Lebanon’s leaders to urgently form a new government that is capable of addressing the country’s numerous challenges.

In a statement, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, called for the “swift” designation of a new prime minister to form a cabinet able to carry out the required reforms that will lead Lebanon out of the ongoing “unprecedented crisis.”

“There is still room for hope but there is no time to lose. Urgent action is needed in the national interest to respond to the needs and demands of the people, who continue to pay the heaviest price,” Wronecka said.

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down on Thursday after failing to form a government for months.

In a press conference after meeting President Michel Aoun at the Presidential Palace in capital Beirut, he said: “President Aoun’s position has not changed, and the amendments he requested are essential … he told me that it is difficult to reach a consensus, so I stepped down … May Allah help the country.”

On Wednesday, Hariri presented a new cabinet lineup of 24 ministers, hours after he returned from Cairo where he held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Both the leaders have accused each other of creating obstacles in forming a new government.

Lebanon has been unable to come up with a new administration since the resignation of Hassan Diab’s cabinet on Aug. 10, 2020, six days after the massive blast that hit Port of Beirut.

The Arab country is facing a severe economic crisis, with the local currency losing nearly all its value against the US dollar. Streets across the country are witnessing massive protests and rallies.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The first confirmed case of coronavirus was detected in the Tokyo athletes’ village on Saturday, according to local media.

According to Kyodo News, the foreigner who worked for the games was quarantined for 14 days and moved to a dedicated medical facility outside of the town.

The organizing committee did not name the individual.

The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, which were postponed last year due to COVID-19, will commence from July 23 to August 8, while the Paralympic Games will start from August 24 to September 5.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Greek forward Stratos Perperoglou – a onetime player for Turkey’s Anadolu Efes – has retired from basketball, he confirmed on Saturday.

“Over a year has passed since I laced up my shoes for the last time in an official, professional basketball game. Covid brought my career to an abrupt halt in an unexpected way. Over twenty years of my life has been given to the game I love,” Perperoglou wrote on Instagram.

“Thank you to all my coaches, I’ve learned something from each of you-beyond basketball into life. Thank you to all my teammates over the years, we share the best, as well as the worst moments together, it truly is a brotherhood,” he added.

Perperoglou claimed three EuroLeague titles with Athens-based Panathinaikos – 2009 and 2011 – and Piraeus-based Olympiacos – 2013 – while he helped his nation to capture the bronze in 2009 EuroBasket.

The 36-year-old also made appearances for Istanbul’s Anadolu Efes, Barcelona, Serbia’s Crvena Zvezda, and Hapoel Jerusalem.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Egypt’s president congratulated his Israeli counterpart on Friday for his inauguration.

“I take this opportunity to congratulate Your Excellency as you embark on your new responsibilities, expressing my hope that your election will help to further strengthen the culture of peace,” Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi wrote to Isaac Herzog.

It was published by the Jerusalem Post.

Al-Sisi also underlined that Egypt “believes in the importance of joint efforts to achieve a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause.”

Herzog, 61, was sworn in on July 7 as Israel’s eleventh president for a seven-year term renewable to succeed Reuven Rivlin.

In 1979, Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington following the Camp David Accords in 1978, ending a military conflict between the two nations and launching permanent and stable relations.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turks affected by a deadly flood disaster in Germany recalled on Friday the harrowing moments to save lives.

Ali Sarisu, who has been living in Sinzig in Rhineland-Palatinate for five years, said he woke up late Thursday to the sound of water and looked out from his balcony.

“It was the first time I saw something like this. Everywhere was covered with water and it was not possible to go down,” said Sarisu.

“We had no choice but to pray to God,” he said as he recalled how belongings, cars and garbage cans were dragged in the water.

Orhan Er, who runs an auto repair shop and sells cars in Sinzig, said he was at home at midnight when disaster struck.

“I woke up at night at the sound of water at 2 a.m. I saw the fire brigade teams were evacuating the houses across the street,” Er told Anadolu Agency.

He said he went to find out if they would be evacuated too but could not return because of rising waters.

“Then we left the disaster area with my family. We just left without taking anything with us,” Er said.

Germany’s worst floods in 200 years have claimed more than 100 lives in western Rhineland-Palatinate and the North Rhine-Westphalia regions, according to officials.

The army has deployed 850 soldiers to assist in rescue efforts.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.

Source: Anadolu Agency

South Africa’s president admitted Friday that his government was poorly prepared to deal with what he described as an orchestrated campaign of public violence and destruction planned by anti-government elements.

“While we commend the brave actions of our security forces on the ground, we must admit that we did not have the capabilities and plans in place to respond swiftly and decisively,” Cyril Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation.

For the past week, South Africa witnessed incidents of sporadic looting and destruction of property started by protesters calling for the release of jailed former President Jacob Zuma.

The protests which began in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal later spread to Johannesburg where several major shopping venues were ransacked and some set on fire.

Vehicles and trucks were also burned by protesters calling for Zuma’s release.

Zuma, 79, started serving time for contempt of court last Wednesday.

Government hunts down instigators

Ramaphosa said police faced a difficult situation during the onset of the violence and exercised commendable restraint to prevent any loss of life or further escalation. But once the military was deployed, authorities were able to quickly restore calm to most areas.

“Once this crisis has passed, we will undertake a thorough and critical review of our preparedness and our response,” he promised.

Ramaphosa said it is clear the events of the past week were nothing less than a deliberate, coordinated and well-planned attack on the country’s democracy by instigators.

He said his government will track down known instigators and their networks so they face the full might of the law.

“Specialized units of our law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to locate and apprehend those responsible for planning and coordinating this violence,” said Ramaphosa. “We will spare no effort in bringing these individuals to justice.”

He said his government will not allow any person or any group to challenge the authority of the democratically elected government.

Source: Anadolu Agency