Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - May 28, 2020

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.

-Democracy and Liberties Island

Turkey's president on Wednesday marked the 60th anniversary of the country's first-ever military coup with the inauguration of the Democracy and Liberties Island.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 60 years ago, Turkey experienced one of the darkest days of its history with the May 27 coup.

A trial by a military court in Yassiada, an island in the Sea of Marmara southeast of Istanbul, was not just political as it also questioned the preferences of the Turkish nation, said Turkey's opposition leader.

-George Floyd

Four Minneapolis Police Department officers have been fired after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed in an arrest that has elicited widespread condemnation, Mayor Jacob Frey announced.

The 46-year-old man died Monday after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck despite his repeated pleas that he could not breathe, which sparked mass protests and an outcry against police brutality.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will get a "full" report regarding the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Virus in Turkey

COVID-19 recoveries continue to rise in Turkey, the country's Health Ministry said Wednesday.

Turkey confirmed 1,035 new cases, bringing the total to 159,797, according to data shared by Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Twitter.

Recoveries from the virus reached 122,793 as 1,286 more patients were discharged from hospitals in the past 24 hours, Koca said.

The death toll from the outbreak rose to 4,431 as Turkey reported 34 new fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to ministry data.

So far, the country has exported more than a thousand mechanical ventilators, proving success in the process.

Coronavirus continues doing damage across globe

Since the virus emerged in Wuhan, China last December, it has spread to 188 countries and regions.

The global tally for infections neared 5.7 million, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The worldwide death toll reached 355,629, while the number of people who recovered stands at 2.35 million.

The US is the worst-hit country by the pandemic, with the death toll in the country surpassing the 100,000 mark Wednesday.

Spain began a 10-day mourning period for victims of COVID-19 on Wednesday as the country's death toll reached 27,118.

While Spanish authorities have invited foreign tourists to start planning their holidays to Spain, the country's top epidemiologist cautioned that travelers from countries that do not have coronavirus under control could be banned from entering.

Italy on Wednesday reported 117 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 33,072 as the European Union unveiled its proposal for a recovery fund that would provide Rome with wide resources to face the economic fallout from the pandemic.

In France, a total of 67 fatalities were registered in hospitals Wednesday, a drop by 25 cases over those reported Tuesday. The total number of fatalities to date in hospitals is 18,260 and the total in nursing homes is 10,335.

Brazil recorded more than 1,000 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of fatalities to 25,598. With 20,599 new cases, the number of infected people reached 411,821.

Peru's Ministry of Health reported Wednesday that the number of cases of COVID-19 in the country rose to 135,905.

Chile faces a steady increase in infections, with 4,328 new cases and 35 fatalities in the last 24 hours for a total of 82,289 cases and 841 deaths.

The Mexican government announced Wednesday that in just one day, the number of cases had grown by nearly 5% to 78,023. The country also reported 463 more deaths.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the world is still only in the first phase of the pandemic and the virus is on the rise mainly in Latin America and South Asia.

Other news

Saudi Arabia announced a "two-phase normalization plan" early Thursday for Mecca with the aim of easing coronavirus measures and gradually returning to normal life.

The US on Wednesday said more than a dozen newly unmarked Russian aircraft were delivered to an airbase in Libya to support warlord Khalifa Haftar.

Pakistan on Wednesday accused arch-rival India of becoming a "threat" to regional peace by getting engaged in a series of disputes with its neighbors.

"The Hindutava Supremacist Modi government with its arrogant, expansionist policies akin to Nazi's Lebensraum (Living Space) is becoming a threat to India's neighbors. Bangladesh through Citizenship Act, border dispute with Nepal and China, and Pakistan threatened with false flag operation," Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a series of tweets.

The death toll from floods that have been pounding the East African nation of Kenya has risen to 285, the government announced Wednesday.

NASA and private aerospace manufacturer SpaceX are delaying their historic space launch Wednesday after poor weather conditions jeopardized the crew's safety.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed on Twitter that the launch will be delayed until Saturday, stressing "safety for our crew members" is the agency's "top priority."

The US House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday calling for sanctions against officials in China responsible for human rights abuses in the country's western region of Xinjiang.

The latest move to strengthen the US stance toward China came nearly two weeks after the Republican-controlled Senate approved the bill to condemn Beijing over the country's treatment of the Uyghur community and other Muslim minority groups. -