Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for February 24th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1.Trump administration eliminating 1,600 USAID jobs in the US.
President Donald Trump’s administration said on Sunday it was placing all personnel at the foreign assistance agency USAID, except leaders and critical staff, on paid administrative leave and eliminating 1,600 positions in the United States.
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has led an effort to gut the U.S. Agency for International Development, the main delivery mechanism for American foreign assistance and a critical tool of U.S. "soft power" for winning influence abroad.
"I regret to inform you that you are affected by a Reduction in Force action," said an email sent to one of the workers being fired that was reviewed by Reuters. Those who got the note will be let go from federal service effective April 24, the email said.
2. EU and Israel to discuss Gaza's future, regional politics.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will meet senior European officials in Brussels on Monday, reviving a dialogue with the European Union as the bloc considers a role in the reconstruction of Gaza following last month's ceasefire deal.
Saar will co-chair a meeting of the EU-Israel Association Council with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in the first such session since 2022, with talks set to focus on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Israeli-Palestinian relations and changing regional dynamics.
3.German election victor Merz plans pivot from US as coalition talks loom.
Friedrich Merz, set to become Germany's next chancellor after his opposition conservatives won the national election on Sunday, vowed to help give Europe "real independence" from the U.S. as he prepared to cobble together a government.
Merz, 69, faces complex and lengthy coalition negotiations after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to a historic second place in a fractured vote after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's unloved three-way alliance.
Mainstream parties rule out working with the AfD which enjoyed the endorsement of prominent U.S. figures including Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and ally of President Donald Trump.
Merz, who has no previous experience in office, is set to become chancellor with Europe's largest economy ailing, its society split over migration and its security caught between a confrontational U.S. and an assertive Russia and China.
4. Musk's Starlink races with Chinese rivals to dominate satellite internet.
The billionaire's Starlink communications network is facing increasingly stiff challenges to its dominance of high-speed satellite internet, including from a Chinese state-backed rival and another service financed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
Shanghai-based SpaceSail in November signed an agreement to enter Brazil and announced it was in talks with over 30 countries. Two months later, it began work in Kazakhstan, according to the Kazakh embassy in Beijing.
5. Journalists from French colonial regions visit Azerbaijan.
A delegation of 12 media representatives from regions under French colonial rule has begun a two-day visit to Azerbaijan for special communication training and experience exchange with local media.
The visit also aims to explore cooperation in raising global awareness of colonialism's impact, highlighting Azerbaijan’s stance on supporting affected peoples and the international efforts of the Baku Initiative Group.
6. Pakistan's prime minister kicks off visit to Azerbaijan.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commenced a two-day state visit to Azerbaijan on Monday, according to state-run Pakistan Television.
Arriving in Baku on Sunday evening, Sharif was joined by a high-ranking delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and other prominent Cabinet members.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 bi...
The President Cup 2026 continued with a dynamic programme, as the second day marked the official start of the international regatta....
Two Jewish men have been stabbed in London in an incident that British police are treating as a terrorist attack.&nbs...
A new Georgian-language broadcaster backed by Poland’s public media has launched with promises of objectivity - but it is already fuelli...
Armenia and Georgia will co-host the 2029 FIFA U-20 World Cup, the sport’s global governing body announced on Wednesday (29 April), bringing ...
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 24th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
The death toll from a train collision near Indonesia’s capital Jakarta rose to 14 women on Tuesday (28 April), with 84 people injured, after rescuers completed efforts to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, the state rail operator said.
The decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave OPEC+ on 1 May has put renewed focus on one of the most influential groups in global energy - and how its decisions can shape oil prices worldwide.
Two Jewish men have been stabbed in London in an incident that British police are treating as a terrorist attack.
Reversing a decade of restrictions, New South Wales has opened new areas for gas exploration in its remote west. The move reflects growing concern over future energy supply across Australia’s east coast.
Travel demand across China is expected to remain robust during the upcoming five-day Labour Day holiday starting 1 May.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 29th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Mali’s military leader, Assimi Goita, has said the situation is “under control” in his first public remarks since a wave of coordinated attacks shook the country last weekend.
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