ANKARA (AA) – Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic.
- Developments in Turkey
Turkey has administered more than 121.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January, according to official figures updated on Thursday.
Muslims residing in countries that are not members of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) are exposed to violence, persecution, and violations of basic human rights, the Turkish parliament speaker said.
The countries of a convention designed to protect the Mediterranean Sea from pollution ended their summit Thursday Antalya on Turkey's southern coast.
Two Turkish citizens who were abducted earlier this week in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region were rescued on Thursday.
Turkey condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers in Mali that killed seven peacekeepers and wounded three.
Turkish security forces rounded up 33 foreign nationals across the country for alleged links to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.
- Coronavirus pandemic
The omicron variant of the coronavirus has spread to seven more countries on the African continent, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for 16- and 17-year-olds.
Amid omicron fears, India announced that it will keep scheduled international passenger flights suspended till Jan. 31 next year.
Pakistan reported its first "suspected" case of the omicron variant in the port city of Karachi.
Health authorities in France registered more than 61,000 positive coronavirus cases Wednesday, the highest recorded figures since November.
- World
US President Joe Biden reaffirmed America's "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity while speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, saying no decisions would be made without first consulting it.
The White House said that Biden asked for "other options" from his team if talks to review Iran nuclear deal fail.
Two migrants were the first asylum seekers to be returned by the US to Mexico following the reactivation of the "Stay in Mexico" policy, said a migrant group.
Police in France launched an investigation against a man who was arrested for attacking two migrants with a knife in Paris.
The EU foreign policy chief talked with Iran's top diplomat over the phone to discuss Tehran's nuclear program ahead of another round of talks in Vienna.
Following a joint commission meeting in Vienna, Iran's lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said the parties have "serious will" to continue talks, which shows that they want to "narrow the gaps".
With parties renewing a deal, Formula 1 will keep the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in its calendar until 2030.
Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov denied that Russia plans to invade Ukraine.
Iraq announced the end of the combat mission of the US-led international coalition forces against Daesh/ISIS.
Global regulation of cryptocurrencies should be comprehensive, consistent and coordinated, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
The European Commission proposed an initiative to criminalize hate speech.