AnewZ Morning Brief - 22 February, 2026
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 22nd of February, covering the latest developments you need to...
The President of the European Council, António Costa, along with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, will be travelling to Uzbekistan for the first-ever EU-Central Asia summit in April.
During the two-day summit in Samarkand, the EU will affirm its commitment to scale up cooperation in areas of mutual interests, which include transport and digital connectivity in the region and with the EU, critical raw materials, economic and security cooperation, and energy transition.
The summit will be hosted by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, with the participation of the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.
“We are living in a world of disorder and fragmentation where the only viable solution for the EU is to build stronger partnerships to advance peace and prosperity. It is a multipolar world that requires greater and tailored engagement. The very first EU-Central Asia summit will solidify our commitment to work together for peace, security, and sustainable development, in full respect of international law,” - said António Costa, President of the European Council.
The summit will present a key opportunity for the EU to demonstrate its geopolitical interest in intensifying bilateral engagement and enhance regional cooperation with Central Asia. Given the evolving geopolitical landscape, marked by Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and ongoing developments in Afghanistan, relations between the EU and Central Asia have become of increased strategic importance over the years.
Quentin Griffiths, co-founder of online fashion retailer ASOS, has died in Pattaya, Thailand, after falling from the 17th floor of a condominium on 9 February, Thai police confirmed.
A seven-month-old Japanese macaque has captured global attention after forming an unusual but heart-warming bond with a stuffed orangutan toy following abandonment by its mother.
Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics in Verona on 6 March, citing the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to allow some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.
Divers have recovered the bodies of seven Chinese tourists and a Russian driver after their minibus broke through the ice of on Lake Baikal in Russia, authorities said.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday (21 February) that he will raise temporary tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports from 10% to 15%, the maximum allowed under the law, after the Supreme Court struck down his previous tariff program.
Iran announced on Saturday that it has designated the naval and air forces of European Union member states as “terrorist entities” in a reciprocal move after the EU blacklisted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
At least 10 people were killed and 50 wounded in Israeli strikes in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Friday (20 February), two security sources told Reuters, after the Israeli military said it had targeted Hezbollah sites in the Baalbek area.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday (21 February) dismissed U.S. claims that 32,000 civilians were killed during protests in Iran. He said Tehran has already released official figures and called for evidence to support any higher estimates.
Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has held a series of high-level meetings in the U.S. aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and strategic ties between the two countries.
Türkiye has signalled readiness to contribute to a proposed Gaza stabilisation force during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Thursday (19 February), but according to former Turkish diplomat Mehmet Öğütçü, the decisive factor will be whether Israel and the United States agree on Ankara’s role.
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