Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for February 27th, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. The Trump administration sets the stage for large-scale federal worker layoffs in a new memo
The U.S. government is facing a generational realignment as President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to develop plans for eliminating employee positions and consolidating programs.
Senior officials set the downsizing in motion on Wednesday with a memo that dramatically expands Trump’s efforts to scale back a workforce described as an impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now the Republican administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.
2. Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington to sign minerals deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday to sign an agreement on sharing his country's mineral resources, Trump has said.
Zelenskyy has described the bilateral deal as preliminary, and said he wants further agreements which include US security guarantees to deter renewed Russian aggression.
3. NASA launches satellite on mission to detect water on the moon
A dishwasher-sized NASA satellite was launched into space from Florida on Wednesday to identify where water - a precious resource for lunar missions - resides on the moon's surface in places such as the permanently shadowed craters at its poles.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral carrying NASA's Lunar Trailblazer orbiter. The Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin's space division. The satellite was a secondary payload onboard the rocket, with the primary payload being a lunar lander mission led by Intuitive Machines.
4. Hamas hands over four bodies of Israeli hostages to Red Cross, Israeli security source says
Hamas has handed over four bodies of Israeli hostages to the Red Cross in Gaza, an Israeli security source said early on Thursday.
5. Kazakhstan, China to boost traffic on TITR
Kazakhstan and China agreed to further develop and boost traffic volume along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, Kazinform learned from the Kazakh Transport Ministry.
China’s Urumqi hosted the 15th meeting of the Subcommittee on Transport Cooperation, as part of which Kazakhstan’s Transport Vice Minister Maksat Kaliyakparov and China's Deputy Minister of Transport, Li Yang held bilateral talks.
6. FBI says North Korea was responsible for $1.5 billion ByBit hack
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday that North Korea was responsible for the theft of approximately $1.5 billion in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange ByBit.
The agency said it refers to this specific North Korean malicious cyber activity as "TraderTraitor."
7. Canada deports more people, predominantly those rejected for refugee status
Canada deported more people last year to hit its highest annual level of removals in about a decade, overwhelmingly deporting people whose refugee claims were rejected, data obtained by Reuters showed.
By late November, Canada's removal numbers had reached their highest point since at least 2015, when the governing Liberals led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power. The government has also budgeted more money for deportations this year.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad sayin...
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port o...
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Mexico and the U.S. are racing to secure a trade deal before the U.S. midterm elections in less than eight weeks, according to six sources familiar with the talks, with failed negotiations between Washington and Canada adding urgency.
A Russian strike on a gas station in Kyiv has killed two people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a statement on Telegram. In Russia, online marketplace Ozon has suspended operations in Saratov, southwestern Russia, following a drone strike on a warehouse in the region.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces struck two cargo vessels overnight in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, the Interfax news agency reported on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would “love” to see British-run Northern Ireland unify with Ireland, remarks made during a visit to Dublin that drew a sharp response from pro-British unionists in Northern Ireland.
BRICS leaders have called for maximum restraint over the war in the Middle East, warning against actions that could further worsen tensions as the United States and Iran resume strikes against each other.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
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