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
The Turkish Health Ministry reported more than 72,500 coronavirus cases.
A total of 388,833 visitors took hot-air balloon trips to experience a bird's-eye view of Turkiye's world-famous scenic Cappadocia in 2021.
Turkiye has neutralized 18 terrorists following a YPG/PKK terror attack that killed five civilians Thursday in northern Syria, according to the Turkish defense minister.
Other developments worldwide
New Zealand announced an additional $2 million in humanitarian assistance for Tonga. The South Pacific nation was hit by an undersea volcano eruption last weekend.
Pakistan confirmed more than 7,600 COVID-19 cases, its highest daily number since the pandemic began two years ago.
Russia announced that it started the transfer of two S-400 air defense systems to Belarus.
Germany reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases, with more than 140,000 new infections.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone talk with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinisto, according to the Kremlin.
Russia's defense minister invited the UK's defense chief to Moscow for security talks in response to a similar invitation from the British side.
Talks ended after less than two hours between the US secretary of state and the Russian foreign minister in an effort to ease tensions and prevent conflict regarding Ukraine amid a flurry of meetings.
The death toll from Thursday’s explosion in a small town in western Ghana rose to 17, according to authorities.
Russia expects a written response next week from the US on Moscow's recent security proposals that it submitted amid tensions with the West, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The UN Refugee Agency appealed for supplementary funding of $59.6 million to provide emergency support to 100,000 refugees, internally displaced people and host communities in Chad and Cameroon, following intercommunal violence in Cameroon’s Far North region.
The Tunisian coast guard recovered the bodies of five migrants and rescued 21 others as their boat capsized off the coast of eastern Sfax city, according to state media.
A total of 305 migrants were rescued from a boat overnight in a “particularly complex” operation in the central Mediterranean, said the Italian coast guard.
US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio agreed during their first formal sit-down to bolster bilateral defense and economic cooperation, according to the White House.
Canada offered a loan of up to CAN$120 million (US$95 million) to Ukraine to counter Russian attempts to "destabilize" the country's economy, said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
NATO rejected Russia’s demand to withdraw its troops from Bulgaria and Romania.
