ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkey and around the world.
Coronavirus and other developments in Turkey
Turkey reported over 22,300 new coronavirus cases Thursday, the Health Ministry said.
An inactivated coronavirus vaccine developed by Turkish scientists has been included on a list of vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization, the director of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey said.
As two countries sharing deep historical and cultural ties and important geopolitical roles, Turkey and Egypt’s synergy will significantly contribute to regional peace and development, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
Following two-day exploratory talks between Turkey and Egypt, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said there was "a positive atmosphere" in Cairo.
Foreign fighters and mercenaries should leave Libya, but these forces should not be confused with legitimate forces training Libya’s military under a pact with the legitimate government, Cavusoglu said.
The country's defense and aerospace industry racked up $950 million in exports in the first four months of 2021.
A Turkish charity agency is targeting to reach more than two million needy people in 35 countries around the globe as part of its activities during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
While Turkey is taking action for the first Water Council in the history of the republic under the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, opinions and suggestions that will guide the future of water will be collected from the public.
A group of Turkish nomads, among the last representatives of the nomadic lifestyle of Anatolia, continues a historical journey with camels and horses despite technological developments.
Turkey is planning to have the engine of its first home-grown combat jet operational by 2023, a senior official from Turkish Aerospace (TUSAS), a major stakeholder in the project, said Thursday.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman denounced Israel's occupation of Palestine and voiced support for Palestinians facing violence.
National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a video conference with his Latvian counterpart Artis Pabriks.
Turkey has taken steps to ensure safe and healthy tourism in the country, said the Turkish foreign minister.
The country strongly condemned the Latvian parliament’s decision to call the events of 1915 a “genocide.”
Tourist venues in Turkey had taken prompt and well-thought-out measures against the coronavirus last summer, the head of a German travel association said, expressing hope that progress against the virus will help revive the tourism sector this year as well.
COVID-19 updates worldwide
The EU is willing to discuss the proposal to waive patent rights for COVID-19 vaccines, the top EU official said Thursday.
Russia approved a one-shot version of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for use in the country.
Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech have agreed to donate COVID-19 vaccines to athletes and staff of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, which will be held this year after being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Thursday.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus announced additional measures Thursday against the coronavirus.
A day after the US-backed a decision to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines, French President Emmanuel Macron came out in full support for the lifting of patents to accelerate global production of vaccine doses to fight the pandemic.
The India-administered Kashmir government asked manufacturers to stop supplying oxygen to charities and ordered medical staff at government health institutions to stop speaking to the media.
The World Trade Organization chief “warmly” welcomed the US’ readiness to engage in a temporary intellectual property agreements waiver to help in combating COVID-19 and hailed the decision by India and South Africa to revise a WTO proposal on this.
Kenya confirmed 25 new coronavirus-related deaths and 705 new infections after conducting 8,853 tests across the country in the last 24 hours.
With slow COVID-19 vaccine rollouts and new variants making inroads, the risk of a new wave of infections in Africa remains high, the World Health Organization Africa warned.
Moderna announced a 4.3% increase to $19.2 billion to its 2021 sales forecast for the coronavirus vaccine.
Other global developments
The embassies of several Western countries expressed their support in a joint statement Thursday for Libyan institutions to prepare for elections as scheduled.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Islam has a rich and proud history in South Africa, acknowledging the community’s contribution to the fight against apartheid, which ushered in a democracy in 1994.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Western countries have to be "very careful" about the exact nature of Chinese investment in their economies.
Blinken also expressed Washington’s support for Ukraine at a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. Washington will continue to strengthen its defense partnership and close cooperation with Ukraine to guarantee the country’s security, Blinken said at a joint news conference in Kyiv.
The Connecticut Department of Corrections said it launched an investigation into a fake "report" that mocked a Muslim prison guard inside a state prison.
Russia will retaliate against sanctions imposed by the European Union, although it considers the restrictions placed on Russian citizens and entities "a road to nowhere," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
Anadolu Agency has offered a summary of events in Colombia in recent days in the framework of the national strike
Pakistan's foreign minister phoned his Indonesian counterpart to discuss issues relating to the rising trend of Islamophobia in the Western world.
The US may begin training Afghan forces in third-party countries after it withdraws from the war-torn country, said the top US general.
Ongoing talks between Iran and major world powers in the Austrian capital Vienna have hit a snag over the fate of Iran's advanced centrifuges.
The EU is preparing to send a military training mission to Mozambique, said the bloc’s foreign policy chief.
More than 4.28 million people in Scotland cast their votes Thursday in the most decisive election for nearly a decade.
