Day: August 8, 2021

Turkey has administered over 76.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched a mass vaccination campaign in January, according to official figures released on Sunday.

The country continues its intensive vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as everyone 16 and over is eligible for vaccine shots.

According to the Health Ministry, over 41.7 million people have gotten their first doses, while some 28.8 million are fully vaccinated.

Turkey is also administering third COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, and over 5.54 million such doses have been given.

To date, 67.30% of the country’s adult population has received at least one dose of the two-step vaccines.

The ministry also confirmed 22,699 new infections and 108 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, while as many as 5,835 more patients recovered.

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

Since December 2019, the pandemic has claimed over 4.29 million lives in 192 countries and regions, with some 202.4 million cases reported, according to the US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The trade volume of Turkey’s spot natural gas market increased by 147.35% to 10.29 million Turkish liras on Saturday, Turkey’s Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) data showed on Sunday.

Total trade on Friday amounted to 4.16 million liras.

On Saturday’s spot market, 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas costs 2,235 liras, while the cumulative natural gas trade volume amounted to around 4.60 million cubic meters.

Turkey received 136.1 million cubic meters of pipeline gas on Saturday.

US$1 equals 8.61 Turkish liras at 1103 GMT on Sunday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey’s daily electricity consumption decreased by 7.76% on Saturday compared to the previous day, totaling 1,037,932 megawatt-hours, according to official figures of the Turkish Electricity Transmission Corporation (TEIAS) on Sunday.

Hourly power consumption peaked at 48,400 megawatt-hours at 12.00 local time (0900 GMT), data from TEIAS showed. The country’s electricity usage dropped to its lowest level of 36,679 megawatt-hours at 07.00 local time (0400 GMT).

Electricity production amounted to 1,046,013 megawatt-hours on Saturday, marking a 7.77% decrease from Friday.

Turkey’s electricity production from natural gas plants constituted 39.3% of total electricity consumption, imported coal plants contributed 26.2% while local coal plants comprised 11.9%.

On Saturday, Turkey’s electricity exports amounted to 15,140 megawatt-hours, while imports totaled 7,066 megawatt-hours.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The highest electricity price rate for one megawatt-hour in Turkey’s day-ahead spot market for Sunday will be 636 Turkish liras between 09.00-23.00 (0600-2000 GMT) and the lowest will be 373.67 liras at 07.00 local time (0400 GMT), according to official figures on Sunday.

Turkey’s Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST) data for the trade volume on Sunday’s electricity market showed an increase of 5.20% to 297.54 million liras compared to Saturday.

The arithmetical and weighted average price of electricity on the day-ahead spot market is calculated as 557.93 liras and 559.71 liras, respectively.

The electricity price for one megawatt-hour on the day-ahead spot market for Sunday is set as 636 liras between 00.00 and 01.00 local times (2100-2200 GMT) and between 19.00 and 22.00 local times (1600 and 1900 GMT,) and the lowest as 370.76 liras at 09.00 local time (0600 GMT).

US$1 equals 8.61 Turkish liras at 1201 GMT on Sunday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The US women’s basketball team defeated Japan 90-75 on Sunday, capturing their seventh consecutive Olympics gold.

Brittney Griner led Team USA with 30 points, five rebounds, and three blocks and broke the record for the most points in a women’s Olympic gold medal game at Saitama Super Arena.

A’ja Wilson also finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and five blocks for the US.

For the losing side, Maki Takada added 17 points, while Nako Motohashi scored 16.

The US’ Diana Taurasi, 39, and Sue Bird, 40, became the first basketball players to secure five gold medals at Olympics.

Overall, it was Team USA’s ninth Olympic gold medal in women’s basketball.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The president of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF) said on Saturday that Islamophobia is not a simple sociologic phenomenon and cannot be explained with a single reason.

Islamophobia “is an illness, an anomaly that emerges with the coinciding of the temporal and spatial dynamics,” Taha Ayhan told Anadolu Agency.

Noting that discourse against all religions, including Islam, has been escalating across the world, Ayhan said discriminative efforts target Islam, especially.

“Although Islam was sent for all humanity, is a common religion for humankind, and is accepted as its common legacy, it is attacked as if it belongs to a certain civilization and is foreign to all others,” he said.

Ayhan said politicians like French President Emmanuel Macron and the leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands, Geert Wilders, are trying to open up areas for themselves in domestic and international politics, positioning themselves through Islamophobia.

Recalling efforts to reshape Islam has been underway in European countries, chiefly France and Germany, Ayhan said: “The discrimination against Muslims is against the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the founding values referred to by the European Union, the Council of Europe and the European Commission.”

“Despite these rights, the German and French politicians resort to legal means and pass laws to make room for themselves and to make their citizens conform to a belief system which they propose,” he said. “These are efforts that should definitely be condemned and avoided. Their own democratic laws and criteria are against the decisions they have taken, anyway.”

Underlining that the foundation of think tank institutions is necessary to effectively fight Islamophobia, Ayhan said: “The think tanks, television and radio channels or press units will take up a serious role globally in claiming rights.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Turkey neutralized six members of the terrorist group PKK/YPG in northern Syria, across Turkey’s southern border – including one behind a deadly attack on civilians last week – the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

The terrorists were neutralized by Turkish security forces in self-defense in Zavian and Shaalah Tal Cican and Tel Unaib in the Tal Rifat region, the area of Turkey’s counter-terrorism Operation Euphrates Shield, said a ministry statement.

Turkish authorities often use the word “neutralized” in statements to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

One of the terrorists slain was the perpetrator of an Aug. 5 attack on an ambulance in the region which killed two civilians.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

Euphrates Shield (2016) is one of the three successful anti-terror operations that Turkey has launched since 2016 across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents. The other two are Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).

Source: Anadolu Agency

Lionel Messi on Sunday said goodbye to Barcelona where he spent his whole professional career. In an emotional, sometimes tearful press conference, he said “I never thought of it.”

“In recent days I’ve given lots of thought to what I could say and the truth is that I can’t think of anything,” said Messi who broke down in tears.

“Now, I have to say goodbye to all of this. I’ve been here my entire life, since I was 13. After 21 years I’m leaving with my wife, with my three little Catalan-Argentine kids… I can’t promise you we won’t come back because this is my home and I promised my children that.”

Messi said he is not ready to leave Barcelona where he spent his entire career.

“This is really difficult for me after so many years, being here my entire life, I’m not ready for this and honestly last year with all the nonsense with the burofax I was convinced I knew what I wanted to say but this year is not the same.”

He added that he gave everything for Barcelona from the first day until he left.

“I gave everything for this club for this shirt. I’m so grateful for the care that people have shown me. I’ve never imagined having to say goodbye because I never thought of it.”

The Argentine superstar said that it was difficult to leave without seeing spectators who cannot attend the stadium due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“If I had imagined it, I would’ve imagined the Camp Nou full and being able to say goodbye properly.”

Pure Barcelona product Messi, who came from the club’s youth academy La Masia, became a free agent on July 1 when his contract with the club expired.

The negotiations between Messi and Barcelona failed due to financial obstacles while President Joan Laporta blamed Spanish La Liga’s rigid financial fair play regulations for Messi’s departure.

For his future, Messi said his potential move to PSG is possible despite the talks between him and the French club have not been finalized yet.

“There’s nothing closed at the moment, but we’re talking about a lot of things. After Barca’s statement, a lot of clubs showed an interest.”

Having made his senior debut in Barcelona in 2004, Messi led the Spanish club to earn 10 La Liga and four UEFA Champions League titles.

The six-time Ballon d’Or holder also won seven Copa del Rey, eight Spanish Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, and three UEFA Super Cups.

Messi is also Barcelona’s all-time top scorer with 682 goals.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Police held at least 68 irregular migrants in northwestern Turkey on Sunday, officials said.

The migrants – all of them Afghan nationals – were found when anti-smuggling teams stopped a suspicious vehicle near the town of Dilovasi in the Kocaeli province, said a statement by the provincial security directorate.

The bus drivers were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking.

Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, especially since 2011 when Syria’s civil war began.

Source: Anadolu Agency