AnewZ Morning Brief - February 21st, 2025

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.

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