ISTANBUL
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic.
World
Syria has become a "haven" for mercenaries, drug traffickers and terrorism, the UN’s special envoy for the country said Monday. In his briefing to UN Security Council members, Geir Pedersen said the Syrian people have continued to suffer from violence and human rights abuses this year.
Turkey's UN ambassador slammed the Security Council on Monday for its inaction on war-torn Syria, saying more should be done than just tweeting resolutions.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday he expects a rapid surge in cases of the omicron coronavirus variant that may peak in a few weeks.
The Dutch government announced additional measures Monday including a 10-day mandatory quarantine for passengers traveling from the UK as well as certain other restrictions on people from EU and Schengen Area countries to prevent the spread of the omicron coronavirus variant.
Pfizer-BioNTech announced Monday that it reached an agreement with the European Commission and its member states to provide over 200 million additional doses of Comirnaty vaccines against COVID-19.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Monday recommended the coronavirus vaccine developed by US biotechnological company Novavax for marketing authorization.
Several US military vehicles caught fire on a highway in Germany after a truck crashed into the convoy, police said Monday.
Two women were taken hostage by a knife-wielding man at a shop in Paris, police said Monday, with the situation still being resolved.
Hong Kong issued a cyclone warning Monday, urging people to stay away from the shoreline and not to engage in water sports as a tropical storm approaches.
Developments in Turkey
Turkey will continue keeping its promise of protecting the public from the high cost of living, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said as he announced new measures Monday after chairing a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
Erdogan’s remarks seemed to have a positive effect on the Turkish lira, which afterwards strengthed against the US dollar.
Turkey’s defense chief said Monday that the country is closely monitoring developments in the key Iraqi city of Kirkuk, and the protection of Turkmen rights there carries great importance for the Turkish government.
As two strategic partners, Turkey and Malaysia announced Monday that they have agreed to further improve cooperation in all areas, especially the defense industry.
Over 56.68 million people have received a first vaccine shot, while more than 51.2 million are fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry said.
