Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for February 22nd, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Gaza ceasefire, hostage swap deal
Hamas military wing Al-Qassam Brigades announced Friday the names of six Israeli captives set to be released on Saturday in the seventh hostage-prisoner exchange of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return.
Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem-Tov, Omer Wenkert, Tal Shoham, Avera Mengistu, and Hisham Al-Sayed will be set free, according to spokesperson Abu Obeida.
2. Trump official says Zelenskyy will sign US minerals deal ‘in the very short term’
The White House national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said on Friday that the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was expected to sign a minerals agreement with the United States imminently, as part of broader negotiations to end the war with Russia.
“Here’s the bottom line: President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term,” Waltz said during remarks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).
3. German leaders hold final campaign rallies
Conservative opposition leader and chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz will hold his final campaign rally in the southeastern city of Munich while Chancellor Olaf Scholz will meet voters at his final campaign event in Potsdam, near Berlin.
Recent polls show Merz's center-right CDU/CSU alliance leading with 30%, though unable to secure an outright majority in parliament. Analysts expect him to seek a coalition with either the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or the Greens to form a government. Chancellor Scholz's SPD currently stands at 16%, with the Greens at 14%.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is positioned to become parliament's second-largest party at 20%. However, the AfD appears unlikely to be part of any coalition government, as all other parties have rejected working with the far-right group.
4. French bill banning headscarves in sports 'exclusivism'
A French bill banning headscarves in sports is exclusivism, a representative organization for youth in sports told Anadolu.
“This law directly targets the exclusion of women who wear a sports headscarf,” said ANESTAPS President Lily Rogier.
The French Senate will debate and vote on a bill to extend the ban on religious symbols, including headscarves, to all sports competitions in France.
The proposed legislation also seeks to prohibit collective prayers in publicly funded sports facilities.
5. Trump fires top US general in unprecedented Pentagon shakeup Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he would nominate former Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine to succeed Brown, breaking with tradition by pulling someone out of retirement for the first time to become the top military officer.
6. Hack attack steals $1.4B from crypto exchange Bybit
A crypto exchange, Bybit, announced Friday that a hack attack related to a cold wallet caused a loss of 401,346 Ethereum ($1.4 billion).
Chief Executive and co-founder Ben Zhou announced on X that the theft is only related to Ethereum cold wallet, "warm wallet and all other cold wallets are fine."
Qarabag have taken a 2–1 lead against Chelsea in their Champions League clash at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku....
Dutch smartphone maker Fairphone is entering the U.S. market, betting on growing demand for repairable and sustainable devices as right-to-repair legi...
The detention of Israel’s former military Advocate General has been extended until Friday as investigators probe a video leak showing soldiers alleg...
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed senior officials to prepare proposals for potential nuclear weapons testing, following Presid...
Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Adminis...
Qarabag have taken a 2–1 lead against Chelsea in their Champions League clash at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku.
Dutch smartphone maker Fairphone is entering the U.S. market, betting on growing demand for repairable and sustainable devices as right-to-repair legislation gains traction, according to Reuters.
The detention of Israel’s former military Advocate General has been extended until Friday as investigators probe a video leak showing soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.
Qarabag have taken a 2–1 lead against Chelsea in their Champions League clash at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku.
Brussels airport, Belgium's busiest, reopened on Wednesday morning after drone sightings during the previous night had resulted in it being temporarily closed, although some flights remained disrupted, its website said.
Israel’s top military legal officer Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last week, has been arrested over the leak of a video showing soldiers brutally assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman military prison.
Russia remains in constant contact with Venezuela over tensions in the Caribbean, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to boost mutual investment and deepen economic cooperation with Russia, as Moscow faces growing Western sanctions and trade pressure.
Qarabag have taken a 2–1 lead against Chelsea in their Champions League clash at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku.
The detention of Israel’s former military Advocate General has been extended until Friday as investigators probe a video leak showing soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian detainee.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday instructed senior officials to prepare proposals for potential nuclear weapons testing, following President Trump’s announcement last week that Washington would resume such tests.
A French court has postponed the trial of a suspect linked to the Louvre jewellery heist in a separate case, citing heavy media scrutiny and concerns about the fairness of the proceedings.
Chinese E-commerce giant Shein faces another set back as French Ministry of Finance initiates a procedure to suspend its platform in France until it can demonstrate compliance with the country's laws.
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