Anadolu Agency’s Morning Briefing - Feb. 24, 2023

ANKARA (AA) - Anadolu Agency is here with a rundown of the latest developments around the world.

The death toll from the Feb. 6 earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye stands at over 43,500 as relief efforts continue to assist people affected by the quakes.

A general strike paralyzed all aspects of life in the West Bank to mourn the killing of 11 Palestinians in an Israeli military operation on Wednesday in Nablus.

Russia claimed that Ukraine is preparing an "armed provocation" against Transnistria, an unrecognized breakaway region internationally recognized as part of Moldova.

A woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth every two minutes, according to a new report by UN agencies.

Azerbaijan has said that it will not hold talks with those who present themselves as representatives of the Armenian population living in Karabakh but are, in fact, from outside the region.

Russia plans to launch its first lunar space mission in modern times on July 13, state corporation Roscosmos announced.

Over 2,000 prisoners have been exchanged between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the war on Feb. 24 last year, according to figures compiled by Anadolu.

The Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that "a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," the world faces the grave risk that nuclear weapons could be used.

A small airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from the US city of Little Rock, Arkansas, killing all five people on board, authorities said.

Finland announced another defense support package for Ukraine that also includes Leopard 2 battle tanks.

The UN migration office in Kenya announced that it had sent 280 tons of humanitarian and relief supplies to help thousands of people affected by the devastating earthquakes that hit Türkiye and Syria.

The Czech Republic has sent military equipment worth nearly 40 billion crowns ($1.8 billion) to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war one year ago, local media reported.

Israel practices discrimination against Palestinians in East Jerusalem in comparison with Jewish residents, according to an Israeli parliamentary committee.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held his first-ever conversation with Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, in the capital Ankara.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said he is not sure if a new era began with Ankara after twin earthquakes hit 11 southern Turkish provinces earlier this month.

Mexico's Senate approved an electoral reform measure that it claimed will save money and reduce political privileges.

The total number of deaths in Türkiye from COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 was 87,334, according to official figures revealed Thursday.

Authorities have completed 80% of the damage assessment in the earthquake zone in southern Türkiye after the powerful Feb. 6 tremors, the country’s environment minister said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the UN to support a draft resolution submitted by Kyiv to the international organization as the war between Moscow and Kyiv approaches its first year.

Spain’s Foreign Ministry released a statement that expresses “dismay” over an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Nablus that left at least 11 dead and nearly 100 injured.

The US diplomatic mission in Somalia demanded an “immediate” unconditional cease-fire in Somalia’s northern town of Lasanod.

The Israeli government announced a deal to hand over some of the Defense Ministry’s powers to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Egypt sent two helicopters loaded with humanitarian aid to the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed thousands in Türkiye.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed deep concern about the escalating cycle of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, calling for law enforcement to comply with international law.

The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution submitted by Ukraine calling for Russia to "completely and unconditionally withdraw" on the first anniversary of the war.

The US will provide Ukraine with another $2 billion in security assistance, said White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan