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Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Jan. 19, 2022

Daily briefing on novel coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Turkiye, other developments

Merve Berker  | 19.01.2022 - Update : 19.01.2022
Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Jan. 19, 2022

ANKARA

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

Coronavirus and other developments in Turkiye

Turkiye has administered more than 139.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021, according to official figures released Tuesday.

Turkish security forces have launched a new anti-terrorism operation in eastern Bingol province, the country’s Interior Ministry announced Tuesday.

With the prospect of conflict in Ukraine not “tolerable,” wars should become a thing of the past, said the Turkish president Tuesday, speaking on Ukraine’s current tense standoff with Russia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic with an official ceremony Tuesday in the capital Ankara.

The speaker of Turkiye's parliament embarked on an official visit to the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday.

Other developments worldwide

The Saudi-led coalition announced Tuesday that it is carrying out airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa in response to the latest attacks by Houthi rebels on Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Australia reported 77 coronavirus deaths, the highest number of single-day fatalities since the pandemic outbreak in the country in 2020, local media reported Tuesday.

China recorded another 127 indigenous COVID-19 cases Monday, the country’s health authority said.

Japan said Tuesday that at least two people were killed during an undersea volcanic eruption near the island nation of Tonga in South Pacific.

With the Taliban at the helm in Afghanistan for the past five months, China urged the interim government Tuesday to respond to the “international community’s expectations.”

Japan reported a record-high number of COVID-19 cases Tuesday as the omicron variant flooded the country.

Roberta Metsola was elected president of the European Parliament on Tuesday.

Indonesia's parliament has approved a bill to relocate the nation's capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, an official said Tuesday.

NATO has invited Russia to new meetings to discuss Moscow’s security concerns and prevent Russian aggression against Ukraine, the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin “must not be allowed to rewrite the rules” of international relations, the British prime minister said Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Ukraine this week, the State Department announced Tuesday, amid continued Western concerns that Russia is preparing for an invasion of the Eastern European nation.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) announced Tuesday that a severe drought in Somalia has displaced 245,000 people as conditions worsen in the country.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged Russia on Tuesday to return to the negotiation table with Ukraine.

At least four people, including civilians, were killed while 10 others were wounded in a suicide bombing in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Tuesday evening, officials said.

A group of rare paintings of Ottoman sultans were auctioned at famed London auction house Sotheby’s on Tuesday.

The Russian and Azerbaijani presidents discussed the Ukrainian crisis and recent events in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, a Kremlin statement said.

Russia on Tuesday denied evacuating the staff of its diplomatic missions from Ukraine, an alleged move interpreted by some as a prelude to an invasion.

The White House on Tuesday warned of an imminent attack by Russia on Ukraine and repeated a warning of severe economic consequences for Moscow in the event of such aggression.

As the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues sweeping the world, with 18 million cases last week, people in countries with low coronavirus vaccination rates are at risk of severe illness and death, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.

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