By Burak Dag
ANKARA (AA) – 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 9,809 new coronavirus infections, according to Health Ministry data.
Among the fresh cases, 983 symptomatic patients were confirmed across the country, while the overall case tally topped 2.34 million, including 23,152 deaths with 171 new fatalities recorded over the past day.
As many as 10,013 more patients have recovered in the country, taking the total past 2.21 million.
Turkey will finalize testing of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, after which mass vaccination will commence.
Turkey boasts a strong, technologically advanced system for distributing coronavirus vaccines to millions of people, with special equipment, tracking numbers and dedicated infrastructure to ensure public safety.
Starting as early as this week, Turkey is set to distribute vaccines nationwide with the help of special storage chambers featuring air-conditioning and adjustable temperatures of 20 to minus 20 C (68 to -4 F).
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is ready to set a "positive agenda" with the EU, using a long-term perspective to help get relations with the bloc back on track.
Turkey is determined to press ahead on EU accession reforms, the country's foreign minister told a group of diplomats from the bloc.
– COVID-19 updates worldwide
Russia reported 22,934 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours, down from 23,315 the previous day, its COVID-19 task force said.
The UK also reported its second-highest daily coronavirus death toll of 1,243.
Greece confirmed another 866 new coronavirus cases, the country's health authority said.
South Africa reported 755 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 34,334, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced.
The US will require all passengers traveling to the country on international flights to test negative for COVID-19 starting Jan. 26, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Malaysia declared a state of emergency to stem the spread of COVID-19 which could last until Aug. 1.
Japan expects to expand its state of emergency to other parts of the country following a spike in COVID-19 cases, the country’s prime minister said, according to local media.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering to extend strict lockdown measures beyond Jan. 31 due to concerns over mutated versions of the coronavirus, local media reported.
Urgent action is required to prevent a humanitarian crisis in southern Madagascar as a third of the region's population is "struggling to put food on the table," the World Food Programme (WFP) warned Tuesday.
The East African Business Council (EABC) has called on countries in the region to harmonize COVID-19 test charges and quarantine periods to ease doing business amid the pandemic.
– Other developments
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a message Tuesday to the military saying a “violent riot” at the Capitol building was a “direct assault” on Congress and the Constitution and confirming President-elect Joe Biden will become the country’s 46th commander-in-chief.
President Donald Trump downplayed the 25th Amendment to the Constitution which seeks to oust a president through his vice president, saying attempts by Democrats to invoke the rule will not harm him.
In its ongoing war against US President Donald Trump and his Republican supporters, microblogging website Twitter announced the permanent suspension of 70,000 accounts allegedly linked to QAnon’s far-right conspiracy theory since Friday.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced four major changes to his Cabinet, spurred by the retirement of Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains.
Italy risked facing a full-blown government crisis Tuesday evening as a key Cabinet meeting threatened to expose an irrevocable split within the fragile ruling coalition.
Palestine has called on the UN Security Council to "assume its responsibilities" to stop Israel's excavations in the complex of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The African Development Bank has pledged to mobilize $6.5 billion in support of Africa's Great Green Wall, a flagship initiative led by the African Union to combat increasing desertification in the region, it said in a statement.
At least 500 health workers protesting for better working conditions in southeastern Kenya have been fired from their jobs, local media reported.
Kazakhstan's election authority announced the final results of parliamentary elections held Sunday.
Uganda ordered all internet service providers within its borders to block social media and messaging applications ahead of this week’s tense general elections.
Turkey’s Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) launched an investigation into WhatsApp over its new data-sharing rules.
Message application Telegram has reached more than 500 million active users, recording 25 million new ones in the past 72 hours, according to founder Pavel Durov.
