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.
Let’s begin with the daily death toll from Turkey. The country’s health minister confirmed 117 more fatalities from COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 2,376.
The total number of registered coronavirus cases surged to 98,674 as 3,083 more people tested positive for the virus.
In addition, 1,559 patients recovered on Wednesday and the total number of recoveries rose to 16,577.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the coronavirus epidemic in Turkey is under control, and as long as measures are followed, he does not expect a new wave of infections in the country.
Turkey began enforcing a four-day curfew in 31 provinces as of midnight Wednesday to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Turkey evacuated 625 of its nationals from European countries and 363 from Sudan amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Turkey’s President Erdogan discussed the global fight against COVID-19, bilateral ties and regional developments over the phone with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, Equatorial Guinean President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
A cargo plane carrying medical equipment from Turkey reached the U.K. Turkey also sent a total of 20,000 masks, 50,000 protective suits and 100,000 face shields to Pakistan.
Coronavirus continues hurting world
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus crossed the 183,000 mark, while the number of cases has passed 2.6 million, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University of the US. Additionally, more than 710,000 people worldwide have recovered from COVID-19.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that COVID-19 will be around for a long time and one of the greatest dangers is complacency.
The U.S. is still the most affected country in the world, where deaths surpassed 46,600 and confirmed cases reached over 840,000.
Italy, one of the world's worst-hit countries, reported 437 new deaths due to COVID-19, and the total death toll passed 25,000.
Meanwhile, the death toll increased to 21,717 in Spain. FIBA referee Esperanza Mendoza has been working as a nursing assistant in Spain instead of preparing for a game to officiate.
The UK was "at the peak" of the outbreak and confirmed 759 deaths from the novel coronavirus in 24 hours, bringing the death toll to over 18,000. However, according to a calculation by the Financial Times, the virus may have killed more than 41,000 people in the UK so far.
Germany’s federal states made it mandatory to wear cloth masks while shopping and using public transport while the country approved its first clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine on humans.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) ordered one million reusable face masks for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the country is also suffering from the Ebola virus and reported six new cases.
Centenary of Turkish parliament
Turkey on Thursday will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of its Grand National Assembly or parliament as well as National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.
As a tradition, top government officials and politicians will attend a ceremony held at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a message saying: “One of the most important symbols of our glorious history, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, will be the manifestation of our national will forever as it has been for 100 years.”
If you have a couple of minutes, you must read:
Turkey is the first and only country to give a national day to its children to share with them.
Other developments
U.S. President Donald Trump said he instructed the Navy to “shoot down” any Iranian gunboats harassing American ships. He also signed an executive order halting all legal permanent immigration to the U.S. for at least 60 days.
Libya accused Russian private military contractor Wagner of using chemical weapons. Wagner was also accused by a Moscow-based daily of war crimes in Syria.
Forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime and YPG/PKK terrorists clashed in northern Syria.
