Anadolu Agency's Morning Briefing

ANKARA

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

Coronavirus and other developments in Turkey

Turkey registered nearly 8,000 infections and an excess of 7,100 recoveries.

According to Health Ministry data, the country's case count stands at 2.6 million, with recoveries totaling nearly 2.5 million.

The death toll from the virus reached 27,652 with 90 additional fatalities.

According to the Health Ministry's official figures, Turkey has so far administered nearly 5.18 million coronavirus vaccine jabs across the country.

Over 4.44 million people have received their first doses of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus, while second vaccine doses were given to over 734,000.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to expand military operations to wherever there is a significant threat to the country's territorial integrity and citizens' lives. His remarks came after the bodies of 13 Turkish citizens were found Sunday during Turkey's counter-terrorism operation in Gara, northern Iraq.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar paid a visit to Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the country's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), to brief him on Turkey's anti-terror offensive Operation Claw-Eagle 2 in Gara, northern Iraq.

Turkey condemned a rocket attack near Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq that killed a civilian contractor and wounded five others along with a US serviceman.

COVID-19 updates worldwide

The global tally for coronavirus infections surpassed 109.4 million, according to US-based Johns Hopkins University.

Hungary became the first EU member country to receive a Chinese COVID vaccine, with the arrival of the first shipment of 550,000 doses in Budapest.

Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson applied for conditional marketing authorization of its own COVID-19 vaccine.

Indian health officials announced that South African and Brazilian variants of the coronavirus were detected in the country.

Israel's blocking of 2,000 doses of vaccines which were meant for health workers in Gaza was condemned by the Palestinian administration.

Malaysia’s prime minister announced that the first shipment of coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech would arrive in the country on Feb. 21 and an inoculation drive would start by the end of the month.

Other global developments

Clashes erupted between police and protesters across Spain following the arrest of well-known rapper Pablo Hasel over politically-charged tweets and song lyrics.

Muhammad Rahim al-Shammari, a prominent figure of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq Shia faction, was assassinated by gunmen in Baghdad.

Former Qatari premier Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani accused some Gulf countries without naming them of continued provocations against Doha, despite a reconciliation deal signed last month.

The Iranian and Russian navies launched a joint military exercise codenamed "Marine Security Belt" which will be conducted in the Arabian Sea and north of the Indian Ocean.

Israeli forces detained two senior Hamas leaders, Yasser Mansour and Adnan Asfour, in overnight raids in the occupied West Bank

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg proposed an increase in the alliance's spending for deterrence and defense activities.