Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing - Jan. 5, 2022
Daily briefing on novel coronavirus pandemic worldwide, Turkiye, other developments
ANKARA
Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic and other news in Turkiye and around the world.
Coronavirus and other developments in Turkiye
Turkiye reported nearly 55,000 coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time over the past nine months. The country has administered more than 133.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January 2021. The Health Ministry meanwhile confirmed 54,724 new COVID-19 infections, 137 deaths and 26,561 recoveries over the past day.
With Turkiye recently beginning to warm ties with some states such as the United Arab Emirates, a senior Turkish official said new regional initiatives and expedited normalization efforts would mark 2022.
At least 78 people were arrested Tuesday over suspected links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkiye, sources and officials said.
Other developments worldwide
At least five people were killed while nine others remain missing after a landslide hit a construction site in China.
A weekend curfew will be enforced in India’s capital New Delhi as part of measures to curb soaring COVID-19 cases.
Israel has seen a surge in coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours as the government still refuses to impose a lockdown to stem the spread of the virus.
Some 150 passengers aboard a cruise ship in the Mediterranean tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving at Italy’s Port of Genoa on Monday from the French port of Marseille.
Representatives of a Libyan group on Tuesday proposed holding the country's elections on a sequenced basis starting with parliamentary polls.
Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble announced that his government is committed to concluding the country's parliamentary elections "as soon as possible."
Human rights groups and charities called on the British government to provide safer routes for refugees and migrants crossing the English Channel as the number of people making their way to the UK in 2021 trebled.
Thousands took to the streets in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other cities to demand full civilian rule.
Bosnia and Herzegovina reported that 20% of the deaths in the country are caused by problems related to air pollution.
Germany is considering changes to COVID-19 quarantine rules to prevent a potential staffing crisis and handle an expected omicron wave.
More than 1 million coronavirus cases were reported in the US, a record single-day number, amid the rapid increase of the new omicron variant.
Uyghurs in Turkiye demanded the closure of "concentration camps" in China and filed a criminal complaint accusing Chinese officials of genocide and other crimes in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, also known as East Turkestan.
Britain said the time to restore the nuclear agreement with Iran is “running out.”
The UK ruled out any new coronavirus-related restrictions, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the country has "a chance to ride out this omicron wave" without another lockdown.
Argentine authorities said fires which started four days ago have destroyed "between 80,000 and 90,000 hectares" in the southern province of Chubut.
