News archive of August 2020

Turkey lashed out at the United Arab Emirates on July 31 over what it called "malicious" actions in Libya, where the two countries support opposing sides in the nation's grinding conflict.

Former 21st Century Fox chief executive James Murdoch, son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, has resigned from News Corp's board, according to a document released on July 31 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Devastating economic data poured on July 31 as nations counted the cost of efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic, even as fresh spikes forced countries including Britain to put the brakes on a return to normality.

President Donald Trump said on July 31 he will bar fast-growing social media app TikTok from the United States as American authorities have raised concerns the service could be a tool for Chinese intelligence.

A Turkish charity group will sacrifice more than 30,000 animals across 27 countries during the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

Uzbekistan on July 31 received medical supplies sent by Turkey to contribute to the country's fight against the novel coronavirus, according to Turkey's Defense Ministry.

"Medical supplies prepared at the direction of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for use against the COVID-19 outbreak have arrived in Uzbekistan," the ministry said on Twitter.

With cases of the coronavirus steadily rising, face masks will as of Saturday be compulsory in all public indoor spaces as part of a fresh batch of measures announced by Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias Friday.

The mask requirement applies to churches too, he said, while he also strongly recommended face coverings in crowded outdoor areas.

The underground culverts of Hagia Sophia, which have been ventilating and keeping it alive, have been scanned in 3D for the first time since its construction in 1484.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on July 31 held a phone talk with his counterparts on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, one of the two most important Muslim holidays.

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake jolted Turkey's Mediterranean coastal area, according to the nation's disaster agency on Aug. 1. 

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said the tremors occurred off Turkey's southern Mediterranean region at 6.43 a.m. local time (0443GMT).

The quake's epicenter was roughly 35 kilometers (21 miles) underground.