By Burak Bir
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 has administered more than 27.7 million coronavirus vaccine doses since launching a mass vaccination campaign on Jan. 14, according to the latest official figures announced by the Health Ministry.
More than 15.8 million people have received their first doses, while an excess of 11.8 million have been fully vaccinated.
The Health Ministry confirmed 8,697 new cases, including 836 symptomatic patients, in the past 24 hours.
As many as 14,472 more patients won the battle against the virus, taking the number of recoveries to more than 5 million. Meanwhile, the nationwide death toll stands at 46,071, with 231 new fatalities.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said if there are to be new talks on Cyprus, they should no longer be between the two communities, but between the two states.
A total of 10 suspects allegedly linked to the PKK/KCK terror group have been arrested in southern Turkey.
Turkish security forces rescued 42 asylum seekers pushed back by Greek authorities.
– COVID-19 updates worldwide
More than 1.6 billion coronavirus vaccine shots have been given worldwide, according to figures compiled by the Our World in Data online portal.
The global tally for infections surpassed 139.5 million, said US-based Johns Hopkins University.
Africa has administered just over 25 million vaccine doses, or 1.5% of doses given worldwide, said World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Bangladesh extended the suspension of passenger movement through land borders with India for eight more days to May 31 amid surging infections in the South Asian country.
The highly contagious Indian variant was found in Denmark.
The death toll from the virus in the Latin America and Caribbean region exceeded 1 million.
– Other global developments
At least 170 Palestinian journalists were injured and 33 media organizations bombed during Israel’s military onslaught on the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
Nepal's president dissolved parliament and announced elections in November as the country continues to reel from the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy's rock band Maneskin won the 65th Eurovision song contest in Rotterdam.
Southern Antalya province in Turkey, often regarded as one of the top tourism destinations in the world, retained its ranking with the most blue-flagged eco-friendly beaches in the world, with 213.
A handwritten letter by Albert Einstein that contains his famous E=mc2 equation was sold at auction for more than $1.2 million.
Mount Nyiragongo, one of the world's most active volcanoes, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, erupted and forced thousands of residents in North Kivu’s Goma to flee to Rwanda.
