Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing – May 18, 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.

Turkey's total recoveries from pandemic near 110,000

The number of recoveries in Turkey from the COVID-19 outbreak rose by 1,825 to 109,962 on Sunday while active cases dropped to 35,333, said the country's health minister.

The death toll meanwhile rose to 4,140 as the country reported 44 new fatalities over the past 24 hours, Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter, citing Health Ministry data.

The country also registered 1,368 new cases, bringing the overall total to 149,435.

As many as 35,369 tests were conducted in the country over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of tests to over 1.62 million, according to the ministry data.

- Turkey’s fight against terrorism

At least three separatist terrorists were neutralized in a domestic security operation in southeastern Turkey, the Interior Ministry said Sunday.

At least two YPG/PKK terrorists were neutralized in Turkish airstrikes in northern Iraq, according to Turkey's Ministry of National Defense on Sunday.

A sit-in protest against the PKK terror group continues in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir province, with parents demanding the return of their kidnapped children.

- Coronavirus around the globe

Global coronavirus recoveries surpassed the 1.7 million mark Sunday, according to a running tally by US-based Johns Hopkins University.

The university's data showed that a total of 1,733,888 people had won the battle against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The number of cases crossed 4.7 million, while 315,174 deaths were recorded.

The US has the highest number of recoveries with 272,265, followed by Germany with 154,011 and Spain with 146,446.

But the US continues to be the worst-hit country, with the highest numbers of infections and deaths -- over 1.48 million cases and 89,562 fatalities.

The UK has the second-highest death toll at 34,716 and Russia has the second highest number of cases with 281,752.

Italy reported 145 more fatalities from the novel coronavirus, bringing the death toll to 31,908 as citizens and businesses brace for a relaxation of the prolonged lockdown starting next week.

Spain saw its daily COVID-19 deaths drop to below 100 for the first time in two months, according to data released by the Health Ministry.

The country registered 87 more deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 27,563.

The coronavirus lessened its grip on Russia as the country registered less than 10,000 new cases for the second day in a row.

The country's emergency task force reported 9,709 new virus cases, bringing its tally to 281,752.

Over the last 24 hours, the death toll rose to 2,631 after the infection claimed the lives of 94 more people, it said in a statement.

Iran confirmed 51 more fatalities from the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 6,988.

The number of coronavirus cases in Africa rose to 81,307, said an update by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the center, 2,704 people died from virus-related complications while 31,078 recovered.

The worst-affected region, North Africa, recorded 26,400 cases, 1,400 deaths and 10,700 recoveries.

Madagascar recorded its first coronavirus death, local media reported.

The government of Pakistan-administered Kashmir announced Sunday that it will reimpose a lockdown in the valley to contain the rising number of coronavirus cases and violations of health guidelines by traders and residents.

Mosques and churches in Greece have resumed services as part of the normalization process following the government's decision to ease coronavirus restrictions, with worshippers required to follow social distancing guidelines.

- Other news

NBA legend Michael Jordan's game-worn Nike Air Jordan 1s from 1985 were sold for $560,000 on Sunday, setting a new world auction record for a pair of sneakers.

A British-flagged tanker came under attack Sunday in the Gulf of Aden.

China’s ambassador to Israel Du Wei was found dead in his home in Herzliya, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his political rival Abdullah Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal Sunday to end a months-long political stalemate, the presidential spokesman said.

The deal between Afghanistan’s president and his electoral rival was widely hailed by the country's neighbors, international partners and the UN.

In Yemen, two government soldiers and six Houthi rebels were killed in clashes in southwestern Taiz province, the Yemeni military said

Meanwhile, there have been approximately 113,000 suspected cases of cholera in war-torn Yemen since January, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also, the Libyan army destroyed an air defense system and drone of renegade commander Khalifa Haftar southwest of the capital.

Two Sudanese were shot dead by security forces in the capital Khartoum on Sunday for violating a curfew imposed to stem the spread of coronavirus, according to the military and local residents.

At least 10 people died in a leisure boat accident in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, said a security officer.