Anadolu Agency’s Morning Briefing - Feb. 27, 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 44,374 as relief efforts continue to assist people affected by the quakes.

To help those afflected, a Greek social solidarity team brought aid materials to Turkish earthquake victims.

Meanwhile, people from the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continued building a 100-bed capacity field hospital in Türkiye’s quake-hit Antakya region.

Feb. 26 marked the birthday of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who turned 69. World leaders wished him a happy birthday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking to him over the phone and wishing him the best of health and success, according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also extended birthday greetings to Erdogan in a phone call.

In another phone call, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic extended birthday wishes to Erdogan and expressed his solidarity after the Feb. 6 earthquakes claimed more than 44,210 lives in Türkiye's southern regions.

In Palestine, Israeli settlers attacked the West Bank town of Huwara, injuring dozens of Palestinians as they went on a rampage, setting fire to Palestinian homes and cars.

In response, Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on settlers to refrain from carrying out revenge attacks, saying “We must allow the Israeli Defense Forces, the police and the security forces to capture the despicable terrorist and restore order immediately.”

Palestinian and Israeli delegates also agreed during a security meeting in Jordan on Sunday to halt any unilateral measures for a couple of months, according to Jordan’s Foreign Ministry.

In Sri Lanka, meanwhile, police injured 15 protesters during a rally with thousands of protesters defying court order to stand against the government’s decision to postpone local elections.

In Iran, a Spanish activist who was detained last November was released, according to reports.

In the US state of California, heavy rain continued to disrupt life, while a snowstorm wreaked havoc in its high-altitude regions.

US media reported Sunday that more than 126,000 households were left without electricity due to the adverse weather conditions, with the heavy rain causing flooding in some parts of the city of Los Angeles.

In other news, the CIA chief said that China is considering sending lethal equipment to Russia to aid in its war with Ukraine.

“We're confident that the Chinese leadership is considering the provision of lethal equipment,” said CIA Director William Burns in an interview with CBS’ Face The Nation public affairs program.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said there is no "definitive answer" to the question of whether the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic spread from a laboratory.

Sullivan on CNN was asked to comment on a story by The Wall Street Journal saying the US Energy Department concluded that the pandemic “most likely arose from a laboratory leak.”

Remembrance ceremonies for the 1992 Khojaly massacre were held Sunday as a former Azerbaijani military prosecutor told Anadolu that the tragedy legally constitutes a “genocide.”

“When we evaluate it from a legal point of view, we see that a crime of genocide was committed…in Khojaly, just like in Srebrenica,” Col. Ilham Mammadov told Anadolu on the 31st anniversary of the violent attack in which hundreds of Azerbaijani citizens were killed by Armenian forces.