ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkiye and around the world.
Turkiye’s president on Tuesday reiterated his call for a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine as the war continued for a sixth day.
Turkiye has no intention of joining in international sanctions against Russia over its war with Ukraine, the Turkish foreign minister said Tuesday.
Touching on the Montreux Convention, a 1936 accord on the governing of the Turkish Straits, Cavusoglu said Ankara had sent official notifications about its position on the matter to the countries involved in the war.
He added that Russia had accepted when Turkiye asked Russia to withdraw its request for warships not registered in its Black Sea fleet to pass through the Straits.
The Turkish defense minister told his Russian counterpart Tuesday there is an urgent need for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Russian war on Ukraine with his Austrian counterpart and the Dutch prime minister over the phone Tuesday.
Turkiye reported 59,885 new coronavirus cases Tuesday. According to the Health Ministry, 203 deaths and 71,545 recoveries were recorded over the past day and some 403,117 virus tests were done.
To counter the spread of the virus, Turkiye has administered over 145.71 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021. More than 57.69 million people have received their first vaccine jab, while over 52.82 million have gotten two doses. Third booster shots have been given to more than 27.13 million people.
Other developments worldwide
Explosions were heard in and around Ukraine’s capital Kyiv early Wednesday.
US automaker Ford said Tuesday that it has suspended operations in Russia "effective immediately" over Moscow's war in Ukraine.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced Tuesday that it would start the first hearing of a trial against Russia over its war on Ukraine on March 7.
The US expelled another Russian national working at the United Nations, a spokesman for the international body confirmed Tuesday.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution Tuesday demanding EU candidacy for Ukraine and calling for tougher sanctions in response to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Lawmakers called on EU institutions to grant candidate status to Ukraine and urged the bloc in the meantime to speed up Kyiv's integration into the single market.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed to his US counterpart Joe Biden to send a strong and "useful" message because of Russia's offensive on Ukraine during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
President Joe Biden authorized the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve on Tuesday in a bid to curb spikes in international energy prices caused by Russia's war on Ukraine.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that it plans to strike Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) headquarters and the main center for information and psychological operations in Kyiv.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned Russia on Tuesday that Western nations could impose additional sanctions if Moscow will not cease hostilities and launches further attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Britain’s Prince Charles on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of undermining the foundations of democracy in Russia's war on Ukraine.
Ireland accused Russian forces Tuesday of “war crimes” over their military actions in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said Tuesday that a "special military operation will continue until set goals are achieved."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union on Tuesday "not to let Ukraine down" and promised that the EU would be stronger with Ukraine.
More than 660,000 refugees have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in the past six days, according to the latest government data compiled by the UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR said Tuesday.
Ukraine's president on Tuesday called Russia a "terrorist state" after Russian forces hit targets close to Kharkiv.
The United Nations Human Rights Office said Tuesday that it has recorded the deaths of 136 civilians in Ukraine since Russia launched a war last week, including 13 children.
Russian President Vladimir Putin underestimated Ukrainians’ “passionate desire” to defend their country and the unity of the Western allies, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday.
NATO has increased its presence in the eastern flank of the alliance and it is set to deploy its response force for the first time in its history, the alliance’s chief announced Tuesday.
Google Europe said Tuesday that it will block YouTube channels "connected to RT and Sputnik across Europe, effective immediately."
