By Dilara Hamit
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 over 28.38 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since the launch of a mass vaccination campaign on Jan. 14, according to official figures.
As of Wednesday, more than 16.24 million people have received their first doses, while over 12.13 million have been fully vaccinated, the Health Ministry's count shows.
The ministry also confirmed 8,728 new coronavirus cases, including 681 symptomatic patients, across the country in the last 24 hours.
Turkey's overall case tally is now over 5.21 million, while the nationwide death toll has reached 46,787 with 166 new fatalities over the past day.
Turkey will speed up its vaccination drive, with COVID-19 jabs to be given to people aged 50 and above starting June 1, the country's health minister said.
Turkey denounced this week’s presidential election organized by Syria’s Assad regime as unrepresentative, unfair and illegal.
The prime minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) called on a technical committee to decide to open border crossings between the two sides of the island of Cyprus and expressed his readiness to open gates from Thursday.
Turkey's fourth judicial reform package will soon be submitted to lawmakers, the country's president said Wednesday.
Turkish firm CTech has exported its first satellite product to French-Italian aerospace manufacturer Thales Alenia Space.
– Other global developments
A gunman opened fire at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) rail maintenance yard in San Jose, California early Wednesday, killing at least eight people.
The Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces militia group on Wednesday raided Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which hosts foreign diplomatic missions.
Residents in northwestern Syria on Wednesday protested presidential elections currently being held under the Assad regime.
Japan will start administering COVID-19 vaccinations to its nearly 600 Olympic athletes along with some 1,000 coaches and support staff from June 1.
Over 1.74 billion coronavirus vaccine shots have been given worldwide, figures compiled by Our World in Data, an online portal, showed Wednesday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser accused the government of “disastrously” failing the public by reacting slowly to the spread of the coronavirus.
Belarus said Wednesday that a Ryanair flight was forced to divert to Minsk after a bomb notice came from Switzerland.
A cholera outbreak in northern Nigeria has claimed 20 lives, said a health official.
Israeli soldiers attacked Hezbollah supporters with tear gas as they celebrated the 21st anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, local media reported Wednesday.
A significant majority of countries voting at the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) on Wednesday backed a resolution on health conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.
