Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

ANKARA

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

Developments in Turkey, coronavirus pandemic and other news

Turkey has administered over 120.11 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines since it launched an immunization drive in January. More than 56.2 million people have taken a first vaccine dose, while over 50.35 million have been fully vaccinated. Separately, 21,655 new coronavirus cases, 213 related deaths and 20,007 recoveries were recorded in the country over the past day.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said regional and international cooperation were of great importance in the fight against terrorism and that no distinctions should be made between terror groups.

World

The Turkish military destroyed a cave used by the PKK terror group in northern Iraq and seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition, the National Defense Ministry said.

Six Sudanese soldiers were killed in an attack in the disputed Al-Fashqa border area with Ethiopia, the military said.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has called on Morocco to reverse its security and military agreements with Israel.

Five Peshmerga soldiers of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) were killed in a suspected Daesh/ISIS attack in northern Iraq, according to a KRG officer.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan suspended flights with a number of African countries due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Peru, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) contains great potential for the development of member countries, the Turkish president said.

The Argentine judiciary has taken “a historic step” to open a court case against the Myanmar military over the persecution of the Rohingya, said a UK-based Rohingya advocacy group.

Jordan will hold local elections on March 22, the country’s electoral commission said.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said it has provided humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced Yemenis in central Marib province.

Australia announced that two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant, recently detected in South Africa, were registered in the country.

Jewish people around the world began celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.

The leaders of member countries in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) discussed ways to promote trade and investment opportunities during its 15th Leaders' Summit held in Turkmenistan's capital Ashgabat.

The EU and NATO must boost their cooperation "to the next level" to be able to respond to new threats like the recent migrant crisis at the bloc's border with Belarus, the head of the European Commission said.

The Netherlands detected 13 cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, first reported in South Africa, health authorities said.

The speaker of Turkey's parliament accused France of hypocrisy after it barred a campaign launched by the Council of Europe against anti-Muslim hate speech.

Over 1,870 Iraqi refugees stranded at the Belarusian border have returned home so far, Iraqi Airways said.