Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 16th of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Former Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko has been arrested by anti-corruption detectives while attempting to flee the country. The arrest forms part of the ‘Midas’ investigation into an alleged $100 million (£80m) kickback scheme involving the state nuclear operator, Energoatom, which previously prompted his resignation. The move underscores Kyiv’s intensified efforts to root out graft within the energy sector, a crucial requirement for the nation’s European Union accession bid.
In an unprecedented joint appeal, the military chiefs of Britain and Germany have urged the public to accept the moral necessity of rearmament to counter the growing threat from Russia. Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton and General Carsten Breuer argued that strengthening industrial capacity and defence spending is not ‘warmongering’ but essential deterrence. They warned that Moscow’s military posture has shifted decisively westward, requiring a unified European response to preserve peace and security.
Tehran has signalled a readiness to compromise on its nuclear programme in exchange for economic benefits and sanctions relief ahead of renewed talks with Washington. With a U.S. delegation led by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff due to meet Iranian officials in Geneva this week, Iranian diplomats have struck a conciliatory note, suggesting potential flexibility on uranium enrichment. However, tensions remain, as the U.S. has dispatched a second aircraft carrier to the region to underpin diplomacy with the threat of military force.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has backed a report by five European allies concluding that late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was killed with a lethal toxin derived from poison dart frogs. On the second anniversary of his death in a Russian penal colony, nations including the UK and Germany stated that forensic analysis confirmed the presence of epibatidine, accusing Moscow of deliberate poisoning. While the Kremlin dismissed the findings as a ‘propaganda hoax’, Western leaders maintain that only the Russian state possessed the means and motive for the assassination.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has confirmed that Italy will participate as an observer in President Donald Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ initiative, citing constitutional constraints that prevent full membership. Speaking ahead of the body’s inaugural leadership meeting in Washington on Thursday, Meloni described the move as a solution to support Middle East peacemaking efforts while adhering to Italian law. The initiative, launched in Davos, aims to foster a settlement in Gaza and has invited various European partners to engage in a similar capacity.
Saudi Arabia’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region, according to the Saudi-led coalition fight...
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Chât...
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said....
The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
A tenth-grade student was critically injured after a man attacked her with a chainsaw inside a classroom in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. The girl suffered severe injuries to her head, neck and back, while a classmate who tried to protect her was also hurt.
Police were deployed across Paris on Saturday, as a curfew was set to take effect in the Republique and Châtelet-Les Halles areas from 11pm Saturday until 6am Sunday (1 November).
A drone strike hit a power station in northern Sudan early Sunday (1 November), sparking a fire and triggering loud explosions, witnesses said.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education and living costs. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
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