Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – October 21, 2020

By Faruk Zorlu

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 registered 1,894 more novel coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, according to Health Ministry data released Tuesday.

The country's overall tally now stands at 351,413, the ministry reported.

Some 1,512 patients recovered over the past day, raising the count to 306,939, while the death toll rose to 9,445.

Around 116,565 more COVID-19 tests were carried out across the country, bringing the total to over 12.64 million.

Turkish forces neutralized a senior member of the PKK terrorist organization wanted by Interpol as well as four other terrorists, security sources said.

Another mother from Turkey's southern Mersin province on Tuesday joined a year-long sit-in against the YPG/PKK terror group.

-Azerbaijan-Armenia row

The Azerbaijani army liberated the city of Zangilan and six villages as well as another 18 villages in Fuzuli, Jabrayil and Khojavend, the country's leader announced.

At least two civilians were killed and one injured in attacks by Armenia on civil settlements in Azerbaijan, Baku’s Foreign Ministry said.

A drone from the ongoing conflict in the Upper Karabakh region crashed in northwestern Iran on Tuesday, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Azerbaijan shot down two Armenian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Tuesday, the country’s Defense Ministry said.

– COVID-19 updates worldwide

For the first time in the last few months, India registered less than 50,000 daily coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.

A court in western India on Tuesday acquitted 20 members of a Muslim group who had been charged with violating the nationwide lockdown in April.

At least 322 more coronavirus-related fatalities have raised the death toll in Iran to 31,034, the country's Health Ministry said.

Russia saw its highest single-day spike of 16,319 coronavirus cases Tuesday, health authorities said, bringing the tally to 1.43 million.

Three EuroLeague fixtures scheduled for this week have been postponed due to coronavirus cases among the teams, organizers said.

Italy reported 10,874 new coronavirus infections Tuesday as 145,000 swab tests were performed in the last 24 hours.

Coronavirus infections in Spain continued to accelerate, with health officials reporting 13,873 new cases.

Greece reported 667 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, the highest single-day figure since a lockdown was lifted in May.

French health officials reported 20,468 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, a spike compared to Monday.

South Africa reported 164 new coronavirus-related deaths Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities in the country to 18,656.

– Other developments

A mass grave of dozens of Iraqis killed by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group was unearthed in northern Kirkuk province, according to a local security officer.

Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed four agreements Tuesday during the first high-level visit from the Gulf state to Tel Aviv following a controversial bilateral normalization agreement.

Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US on Tuesday announced the establishment of a development fund during the first-ever visit of an Emirati delegation to Tel Aviv.

The United Arab Emirates submitted a request Tuesday to open an embassy in Israel as part of a controversial normalization agreement between the two countries.

The US space agency NASA has hired Finnish telecommunications firm Nokia to build the first 4G cellular network on the Moon.

Over 1,300 prisoners escaped Tuesday after heavily armed assailants attacked a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, local media reported.

Hatice Cengiz, the fiancée of the late Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, filed a lawsuit in a US district court Tuesday against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the journalist's grisly murder.

The governor of Lagos State in Nigeria imposed a 24-hour curfew Tuesday after criminals reportedly attacked peaceful protestors and destroyed property amid nationwide protests against police brutality.

A group of Dutch researchers has discovered what may be a previously unidentified set of organs inside the human head.

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