ANKARA

Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments in Turkey, around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic.

World

Former US President Donald Trump fired a profane salvo at Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu for daring to congratulate President Joe Biden after his election win last November.

Biden said price and cost increase is slowing, although not as quickly as desired, after inflation in the country hit its highest level in almost 40 years.

Finland announced it will purchase 64 Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fighter jets from the US.

Grave rights abuses perpetrated recently in Myanmar represent an "alarming escalation of violence," the UN Human Rights Office said, citing reports that security forces killed and burned alive 11 people, including five minors, and rammed vehicles into protesters.

No one else but Ukraine can decide if it wants to aspire for NATO membership as a sovereign and independent nation despite Russia's efforts to control its neighbors, the NATO secretary-general said.

In response to the US arms embargo, Cambodia ordered its armed forces to shelve or destroy any weapons and military hardware supplied by Washington.

Bodies of 10 war victims have been found in a mass grave in Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this year, authorities said. The remains were unearthed in a mass grave that was found this July near the town of Klanovik, close to Srebrenica, according to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Missing Persons Institute.

UNICEF called for urgent action to address Somalia's critical water needs due to the worsening drought in the Horn of the African country. Some 2.6 million people are facing water shortages due to severe drought conditions in Somalia, according to a UNICEF statement.

The European Commission is ready to work with the new German government, the head of the EU executive body said.

Fire in Western Australia's Margaret River region has destroyed over 6,000 hectares of forestry area, state-run media said.

An increase in the amount of microplastic in the Mediterranean Sea poses a threat to marine life, as well as human health, according to an expert.

The Muslim Turkish minority in Greece expects the country’s compliance with European court rulings, sources said. 

Four parties in Bulgaria agreed to form a coalition government.

A large explosion hit an arsenal in a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon, according to witnesses. The explosion occurred after a fire broke out in the Burj Shemali camp in Tyre province.

Palestinian Abdel Fattah Eskafi remains steadfast in fending off 'tempting offers' for his house despite being handed lucrative proposals by Israeli settlers to leave his home in occupied the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem. 

The presidents of Ukraine and France discussed ongoing tension with Russia and energy security over the phone, Kyiv announced on Friday.

France will open up judicial archives on the Algerian war 15 years ahead of the stipulated declassification, the government announced, a move which could confirm the long-held allegations of torture by the French police and the gendarmerie against Algerian and French nationals.

The Greek Cypriot administration’s unilateral steps escalate tension in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said.

More than 4,470 migrants died globally in 2021 after dozens were reportedly killed when a truck packed with passengers crashed in Mexico, lifting it above last year's fatality count, the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) said.

Coronavirus pandemic

Europe is the primary driver of COVID-19 cases and facing an extremely severe outbreak of the disease, a World Health Organization spokeswoman said Friday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a “devastating effect” on human rights in South Africa, with soaring cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and xenophobic social media campaigns reported among others, Amnesty International said.

Pakistan's scenic north has long been a rallying spot for mountaineers from across the globe because of its majestic peaks, although the adventure sport took a hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

The German health minister declared the fight against the coronavirus pandemic the main priority of the new federal government. 

Developments in Turkey

Turkey has administered more than 121.53 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January, according to official figures updated on Friday.

Turkey does not have "the luxury" of turning its back on Afghanistan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Turkey continued to meet the expectations of Ahiska Turks, who moved to Turkey due to the conflict in Ukraine, the Turkish foreign minister said.

Turkey has been re-elected to the council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the UN agency’s 32nd assembly session held in London.

The fifth edition of the Istanbul Economy Summit kicked off under the theme of “Green Economy.”

Turkey's foreign minister marked the 73rd anniversary since the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Turkey’s new telecommunication satellite Turksat 5B will be launched by the US aerospace company SpaceX on Dec. 19, the Turkish transport and infrastructure minister said.

The rate of unemployment in Turkey was 11.2% in October, marking a 0.2 percentage point decrease from September, the latest official data revealed on Friday.