Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

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 1,000 new recoveries from the novel coronavirus, with more than 1,600 infections in the past 24 hours, the country's health minister said.

Fahrettin Koca said 1,612 new cases have raised the overall count to 276,555.

He also said 1,021 more patients recovered, taking the total to 249,108.

Turkey marked the 101st anniversary of the Sivas Congress, a milestone on the Republic of Turkey’s road to independence.

A father from eastern Mus province joined a year-long sit-in protest against the YPG/PKK terror group.

Three years after her heinous killing by the PKK terror group, the family of teacher Senay Aybuke Yalcin remembered her on her birthday in the Black Sea province of Karabuk.

Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek received a special SIAE Award at the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival, which began amid strict safety measures and fewer celebrities due to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 updates worldwide

COVID-19 has claimed more than 873,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since emerging in Wuhan, China in December.

The US, Brazil, India and Russia are currently the worst-hit countries.

More than 26.5 million cases have been reported worldwide, including more than 17.6 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Brazil reported 834 additional fatalities from the virus, while Mexico registered 513 more deaths in the past 24 hours, according to health authorities.

Cases are on the rise in Europe again, almost jumping back to figures recorded in mid-March, when the spread peaked across the continent.

Spain’s Health Ministry confirmed 10,476 new infections -- the highest single-day jump since the pandemic began.

At least 148 children have died in Indonesia making it the country with the highest fatalities among children, according to a public initiative group.

The death toll in Nigeria reached 1,048 and the overall case count is now 54,588, authorities said.

At least 116 cases were reported in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the health ministry there announced, bringing the tally to 697.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is unlikely there will be mass vaccination before the middle of the next year.

Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey’s foreign minister and NATO secretary-general discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean via telephone.

Turkey supports an initiative on talks between military officials of Turkey and Greece, following a meeting between the Turkish president and NATO chief, the country’s defense minister said in Ankara.

“After the meeting of Turkish President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] and NATO Secretary-General [Jens Stoltenberg], there is an initiative to start talks [on the Eastern Mediterranean] between the military officials [of Turkey and Greece], which we support,” Hulusi Akar said at a graduation ceremony at the National Defense University.

Talks have begun to resolve the dispute between Greece and Turkey over the Eastern Mediterranean, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

“We believe that there is a need to have technical talks on how to develop enhanced mechanisms for deconfliction,” Stoltenberg said at a news after a meeting of NATO ambassadors.

Turkey's ruling party condemned a Greek website for publishing private details of Anadolu Agency staff and calling them spies.

Other global developments

Balkan neighbors Serbia and Kosovo have reached a historic milestone, agreeing to normalize economic ties, US President Donald Trump announced.

A senior Emirati official said the UAE will open an embassy in Israel within three to five months, according to an Israeli daily.

The US slapped sanctions on Venezuela's National Electoral Council officials, including its president Indira Maira Alfonzo Izaguirre, ahead of National Assembly elections Dec. 6.