Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for February 21st, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. IRS fires 6,000 employees as Trump slashes US government
A tearful executive at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service told staffers on Thursday that about 6,000 employees would be fired, a person familiar with the matter said, in a move that would eliminate roughly 6% of the agency's workforce in the midst of the busy tax-filing season.
The cuts are part of President Donald Trump's sweeping downsizing effort that has targeted bank regulators, forest workers, rocket scientists and tens of thousands of other government employees. The effort is being led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, Trump's biggest campaign donor.
2. US Senate confirms Kash Patel for a 10-year term to lead the FBI
The United States Senate has voted to confirm former federal prosecutor Kash Patel as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), continuing a streak of success for President Donald Trump’s government nominees.
But Thursday’s confirmation came by slim margins. Only 51 senators, all Republican, voted in favour of Patel in the 100-seat Senate.
3. Group of mostly Asian migrants deported from US arrive in Costa Rica
The deportations are part of U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on unlawful migration that includes a growing number of flights to nations cooperating with him on the multinational repatriations.
4. Elon Musk Advocates for Early Deorbiting of International Space Station
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has suggested an earlier-than-planned deorbiting of the International Space Station (ISS), saying it has "served its purpose" and has "very little" incremental utility.
“It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station. It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let's go to Mars,” Musk wrote on his social networking platform X.
5. Macron voices support for Zelenskyy, says he'll urge Trump against being 'weak' with Putin
President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, February 20, that France was entering a "new era," three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, and that he planned to tell US President Donald Trump that he could not "be weak" with Vladimir Putin.
In a question-and-answer session on social media, Macron also defended Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who has been the target of attacks by Trump.
6. Hamas returns 4 bodies, including 2 young children taken hostage but not their mother, Israel says
Hamas released four bodies on Thursday, which Israeli officials said included two young children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation's agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel. Their mother was said to have been returned with them, but Israeli forces said hours later that another person's remains were released instead.
The remains were said to be those of Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, as well as Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted. Kfir, who was 9 months old when he was taken, was the youngest of all the captives. Hamas has said all four were killed along with their guards in Israeli airstrikes.
7. Africa's first G20 meeting opens with call for 'cooperation'
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa opened on Thursday a Group of 20 foreign ministers meeting with a call for "cooperation" amid geopolitical tensions and "rising intolerance".
Top diplomats from the world's largest economies gathered in Johannesburg for the two-day talks held for the first time in Africa, overshadowed by the absence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
8. Azerbaijan closes BBC office, cites legal grounds and reciprocity
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has rejected what it calls the politicisation of its decision to shut down the BBC’s office in the country, stating that the broadcaster’s response distorts the situation and reflects double standards.
In a statement, the ministry said BBC representatives were officially informed of the decision during a meeting at the Foreign Ministry on 13 February, where Azerbaijan’s position was fully explained.
According to the ministry, the decision was made based on national legislation, specifically Article 11.2 of the Media Law, and in line with the principle of reciprocity in Azerbaijan’s dealings with foreign media outlets.
9. Uzbekistan, Wizz Air engage in talks to launch regular Tashkent-Budapest flights
Uzbekistan and Wizz Air proposed launching a regular flight route between Tashkent and Budapest by the end of this year.
The matter was reviewed at a meeting between Uzbekistan’s Minister of Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov with Wizz Air CEO József Váradi and Hungarian Ambassador to Uzbekistan József Rózsa.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has warned that France risks undermin...
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all r...
Fuel exports from Azerbaijan to Armenia are continuing, with eight rail wagons carrying 479 tonnes of diesel fuel dis...
Health authorities are monitoring a widening hantavirus alert after new suspected cases emerged in Spain and on a remote South Atlantic island, day...
Russia is holding a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May 2026, reflecting heightened security concerns and the ongoing w...
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.
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all required regulatory approvals.
Fuel exports from Azerbaijan to Armenia are continuing, with eight rail wagons carrying 479 tonnes of diesel fuel dispatched as part of the latest shipment between the two South Caucasus neighbours.
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.
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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