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 bodies of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei and members of his household killed in Israeli–U.S. air raids were laid to...
At least 28 people have died after a fire tore through a shoe factory in southeastern China, trapping hundreds of workers inside the multi-storey buil...
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destructio...
At least 28 people have died after a fire tore through a shoe factory in southeastern China, trapping hundreds of workers inside the multi-storey building. Authorities said more than 200 people escaped, while others were unable to get out before the blaze spread.
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in Gaza to mourn Mohammad al-Waheidi, an aid worker remembered for bringing rare moments of happiness to families displaced by war by organising public screenings of World Cup matches.
Azerbaijan should unlock the full potential of its tourism sector to drive long-term economic growth, diversify its economy and create jobs as reliance on hydrocarbons declines, the World Bank has said.
The South Caucasus is increasingly being viewed not only through the lens of past conflicts but also as a strategic bridge linking Europe, the Caspian region and Central Asia. One analyst says this presents an opportunity for a new Euro-Atlantic approach focused on long-term regional cooperation.
The U.S. says it has launched strikes on Iran after alleged attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington described the action as a response to threats against civilian shipping and a breach of the ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was "over", adding he did not want to engage with Tehran, calling the Iranian leadership "sick people".
The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 3,811, according to figures released by National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez on Wednesday.
Typhoon Bavi churned southeast of Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, its winds easing overnight to just shy of 200 kph (124 mph), as authorities urged residents to stock up on supplies and brace for what could be the most powerful typhoon since 2024.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
China's technology sector is producing billion-dollar startups at its fastest pace in nearly five years, with artificial intelligence and robotics driving a new wave of investment that is reshaping the country's innovation economy.
At least 28 people have died after a fire tore through a shoe factory in southeastern China, trapping hundreds of workers inside the multi-storey building. Authorities said more than 200 people escaped, while others were unable to get out before the blaze spread.
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
Western Europe experienced its hottest June since records began in 2026, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). The record-breaking month brought extreme heat, widespread disruption and thousands of excess deaths across parts of the continent.
South Korea's Supreme Court has upheld former President Yoon Suk Yeol's seven-year prison sentence in a case linked to his 2024 attempt to impose martial law.
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