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 more than 49,400 new coronavirus cases, according to data from the Health Ministry.

A total of 49,438 cases, including 3,089 symptomatic patients, were confirmed across the country, data showed.

Turkey's overall case tally is more than 4.55 million while nationwide fatalities reached 37,672, with 343 additional fatalities in the last 24 hours.

As many as 60,176 more patients won the battle against the virus, bringing the number of recoveries near 3.9 million.

Turkey's president marked April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day.

"We've been in the struggle to bring our country to its 2023 targets for 19 years," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a ceremony in Istanbul, adding that the nation’s children would carry it even further with a "2053 vision."

The parliament speaker marked the 101st anniversary of the legislative body's founding.

Erdogan and his US counterpart Joe Biden spoke on the telephone and discussed bilateral relations, according to the Turkish Communications Directorate.

Biden and Erdogan will hold their first bilateral meeting in June, the White House said.

The head of the Armenian Foundations Union in Istanbul criticized the instrumentalization of 1915 incidents that occurred between the Turkish and Armenian nations by political authorities.

"It saddens us to see that the suffering of our people and the suffering of our ancestors are instrumentalized by some countries for everyday political purposes," said Sahak Mashalian, head of the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey.  

COVID-19 updates worldwide

The coronavirus pandemic has killed 119,289 people in Africa, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

President Vladimir Putin announced a 10 day non-working period in Russia to prevent a surge in infections.

UK authorities banned all travel to and from India after a growing surge in cases following the detection of a new variant.

India registered new all-time highs for cases and deaths in the past 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data.

China offered assistance to India amid a worsening COVID-19 situation in the South Asian country.

Argentina's Ministry of Health confirmed its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a second straight day. Health officials registered 557 deaths and 27,884 infections.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) decided to ban mass gatherings during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for iftar, or fast-breaking meal, and mass prayers to contain the spread of the virus.  

Other global developments

Turkey denounced a decision by Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime to hold presidential elections next month in the war-ravaged country.

At least 172 people were killed in three different shipwrecks in the central Mediterranean Sea, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinians in different areas across occupied Jerusalem late Thursday and Friday at dawn as Israeli forces also clashed with Palestinians, leaving at least 105 injured.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it declared five employees of the Polish Embassy in Russia "persona non grata."

Former generals and military personnel warned President Emmanuel Macron in a letter to act against the looming dangers of hatred due to social tensions, religious extremism or face a civil war-like situation in the future.

Saudi Arabia announced an import ban on fruits and vegetables from Lebanon because the Kingdom said shipments are being used to smuggle drugs.