Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – Oct. 22, 2020

By Ahmet Gencturk

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 Wednesday night announced it had registered 2,013 COVID-19 cases and 1,507 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

The country’s case count now stands at 353,426, with recoveries totaling 308,446, according to Health Ministry data.

The death toll from the virus reached 9,513 with 68 additional fatalities.

Turkey's deputy interior minister denied reports of a possible new virus curfew.

Looking ahead to winter, the Turkish Health Ministry stated that flu vaccines will be made available gradually based on the severity of the identified groups.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan separately received the new ambassadors to Turkey of Germany, Spain, and the island nation of Malta.

Amid continuing fighting over Upper Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) – Armenian territory occupied by Azerbaijan for nearly 30 years – Vice President Fuat Oktay said Turkey will not hesitate to provide military support to Azerbaijan if asked.

Turkey will expand its railway network to 16,675 kilometers (10,361 miles) by 2023, said the transport and infrastructure minister.

Turkey will send around 110,000 tons of flour and legumes in aid to needy countries, the country’s Official Gazette announced.

- Azerbaijan-Armenia fighting

Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the Azerbaijani president, slammed the Armenian premier’s remarks saying that the Upper Karabakh dispute cannot be solved via diplomacy.

The Azerbaijani army has liberated from Armenian occupation 21 more villages and towns in the provinces of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan.

NATO is not a part of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the alliance’s secretary-general said on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan shot down four more Armenian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

- COVID-19 updates worldwide

The US is facing an extremely alarming trend in its battle with COVID-19 as cases multiply across most of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned.

The US still leads the world in cases and deaths, followed by India and Brazil.

With India's coronavirus case count reaching 7.6 million, the Health Ministry said the death toll reached 115,914.

Italy reported a record number of daily COVID-19 infections, registering 15,199 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since the start of the pandemic.

Spain reported that total coronavirus cases in the country shot past 1 million.

Germany’s health minister tested positive for coronavirus.

Greece reported its highest spike in daily cases ever, with 865 new infections.

The UK also reported its highest-ever daily coronavirus cases, with 26,688 new infections.

Latin America should not relax measures aimed at containing the spread of coronavirus until vaccines become available, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said.

- Other global developments

London confirmed that Brexit negotiations would continue with the EU.

The US on Wednesday congratulated left-wing Bolivian President-elect Luis Arce on his victory in Sunday’s elections.

Israel will not allow Hezbollah or Iran to set up on the Golan Heights border, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said.

The White House urged a swift deal on a coronavirus relief bill.

The EU is determined to make a Brexit agreement possible but not at any cost, European Council President Charles Michel said after a two-day summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

Europe’s five major powers urged Israel to immediately stop plans to construct new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was accused of having Libyan financing for his 2007 presidential campaign.