Major cities in Turkey have been placed under a two-day lockdown to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus after the death toll in the country crossed the 1,000 mark.
People under the age of 20 and over 65 have been told to stay at home, with the new restrictions imposed in 31 provinces across the country, including Istanbul and Ankara.
As soon as the announcement was made, several people seen crowding at local grocery stores to buy essentials.
"We urge all citizens who live in these 31 provinces to comply with this weekend's lockdown without panicking," the country's communications director Fahrettin Altunwrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, all international flights to Ankara have been halted and domestic travel restricted as a precautionary measure.
The country recorded 98 deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 1,006. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased by 4,747.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.
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