UN committee warns France over Kanak self-determination rights in New Caledonia
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has warned that France risks undermin...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for February 20th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Trump warns Zelenskyy to quickly negotiate war’s end with Russia or risk not having a nation to lead
President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he “better move fast” to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or risk not having a nation to lead.
The rhetoric from Trump toward Ukraine comes amid an escalating back-and-forth between the two presidents and rising tensions between Washington and much of Europe over Trump’s approach to settling the biggest conflict on the continent since World War II.
2. Trump's appeal on birthright citizenship order rejected by court
An appeals court will not allow the Trump administration to end birthright citizenship for certain children of immigrants, in a ruling that could propel the issue to the Supreme Court.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday declined an emergency Justice Department request that it lift the hold a Seattle judge had placed blocking implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order, after concluding the order ran afoul of the Constitution.
3. 2 dead after 2 small planes collide midair in Arizona, officials say
Two people are dead after two small aircraft collided in midair at an Arizona airport Wednesday, authorities said.
A Cessna 172S and Lancair 360 MK II collided at 8:28 a.m. near the Marana Regional Airport, just northwest of Tucson, according to preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety Board.
4. Apple reveals its version of budget AI: the $599 iPhone 16e
Apple launched on Wednesday a budget-minded phone with artificial intelligence, the iPhone 16e, designed to win back mid-market customers at home and in crucial growth markets China and India.
The new phone, which drops the SE naming convention for Apple's budget series, will take on popular Android smartphones at a time when rivals Samsung and China's Huawei are adding AI tools to their devices.
5. Delta will pay Toronto plane crash passengers $30K with 'no strings attached'
Delta Air Lines said it will compensate every passenger who was onboard this week's regional jet that crashed and flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport with $30,000.
"Delta Care Team representatives are telling customers this gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights," a spokesperson for the airline told USA TODAY in an email.
6. Flu outbreak: Infections cross 100,000 with nine fatalities
A total of 107,570 influenza cases have been recorded in Thailand so far this year, and nine people have died from the virus, the Public Health Ministry revealed on Tuesday.
New patients have increased by about 15,000 per week, compared to 10,000 per week during the same period in 2024, Dr Jurai Wongsawat, spokesperson of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said.
7. Kazatomprom to supply uranium to Swiss nuclear power plants
Kazakhstan's Kazatomprom and Axpo Power AG signed their first contract for uranium supply to Switzerland's nuclear power plants.
Kazakhstan National Atomic Company "Kazatomprom" and Swiss company Axpo Power AG, together with Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt AG (KKL AG), have signed the first contract for the supply of Kazakh natural uranium concentrates for the Beznau and Leibstadt nuclear power plants in Switzerland.
8. Baku hosts 15th plenary session of Asian Parliamentary Assembly
The 15th plenary session of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), themed "The Role of Parliamentary Diplomacy in Strengthening Multilateral Cooperation in Asia," commenced in Baku on Wednesday.
Bringing together 35 parliamentary delegations with nearly 280 participants, the session addressed a range of critical issues.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
The U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz, though both sides signalled they did not want escalation. The clashes come as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a proposed deal to end the war while leaving key disputes, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, unresolved for now.
Singapore has isolated and is testing two of its residents who travelled aboard a cruise ship linked to a deadly hantavirus outbreak, the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) said on Thursday.
Efforts to end the U.S.-Iran war appeared to stall as the two sides exchanged fire in and around the Strait of Hormuz. A reported CIA assessment suggested Tehran could withstand a U.S. naval blockade for months despite mounting sanctions and renewed Gulf attacks.
Ukraine’s military said it struck a Russian Karakurt-class small missile carrier in the Caspian Sea near Russia’s Dagestan region on Thursday. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, according to Kyiv.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has warned that France risks undermining the self-determination rights of the Kanak Indigenous People in New Caledonia amid proposed political and constitutional reforms.
Somalia is facing a severe malnutrition crisis and urgently needs additional humanitarian funding to prevent conditions deteriorating further, the World Food Programme has warned.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to carry on as leader on Friday (8 May) after his ruling Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local elections. Labour lost hundreds of councillors across the country, as some figures in the party said he should stand down.
Indonesian rescue teams have located two Singaporeans who went missing after Mount Dukono erupted on Friday (8 May) on the island of Halmahera, though authorities say it remains unclear whether they are alive.
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, days after an outbreak on a cruise ship left three people dead and several others infected.
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