Equities were mixed and oil prices rose on Friday after Donald Trump ratcheted up Middle East tensions by hinting at possible military strikes on Iran if it did not make a "meaningful deal" in nuclear talks.
When one of the few lawmakers willing to call out corruption in single-party Laos was left off the candidate list ahead of this weekend's heavily managed election, a rare wave of dissent erupted.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to lift living standards as he opened a landmark congress, state media said Friday, offering a glimpse of economic strains within the sanctions-hit nation.
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Economy
A new UN panel on artificial intelligence aims to "make human control a technical reality", the global body's chief said Friday as leaders at a New Delhi summit weighed their message on the future of the divisive technology.
February 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Nvidia is on the cusp of investing $30 billion in OpenAI, scaling back a plan to pump $100 billion into the ChatGPT maker, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
February 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Japanese inflation slowed in January, government data showed Friday, in welcome news for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after her recent election landslide win.
February 20, 2026
Rory McIlroy weathered drenching rain and gusting winds to fire a five-under par 66 and seize a share of the clubhouse lead at the Genesis Invitational, where Aaron Rai was six-under through 16 holes when darkness halted play.
February 20, 2026
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte earned global infamy for the deadly drug crackdown that led to his arrest over crimes against humanity charges, despite his huge popularity at home.
February 20, 2026
Economy
Most Asia equities fell and oil prices rose Friday after Donald Trump ratcheted up Middle East tensions by hinting at possible military strikes on Iran if it did not make a "meaningful deal" in nuclear talks.
February 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The arrest of former prince Andrew has underlined the striking contrast between Europe, where high-profile, powerful people are being held to account over their links to Jeffrey Epstein, and the United States, where the fallout has been limited.
Mary Ann Pajo watched quietly as cemetery workers opened her son's tomb in Manila this week and removed his body for examination by a forensic pathologist.
The President of the Ukrainian Paralympic Committee told AFP he feels the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have betrayed Ukraine by permitting Russian athletes to compete under their own flag at the Milan-Cortina Games.
Venezuela's National Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a long-awaited amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners jailed for being government detractors.
February 20, 2026
Sports
Serie A leaders Inter Milan travel to a resurgent Lecce on Saturday without leading light Lautaro Martinez after the midweek loss to Bodo/Glimt.
February 20, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Fledgling Indian artificial intelligence companies showcased homegrown technologies this week at a major summit in New Delhi, underpinning big dreams of becoming a global AI power.
Dozens of world leaders and ministers are expected to deliver on Friday a shared view of how to handle artificial intelligence, wrapping up a five-day summit focused on the technology.
Fatou Sanyang still experiences extreme pain she says feels like "hot water is being poured on me" decades after undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) as a girl in The Gambia.
North Korea's ruling party has opened a landmark congress, state media said Friday, launching a political spectacle expected to unveil the next phase in the nation's nuclear weapons programme.
February 20, 2026
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- Japan inflation eases in welcome news for Takaichi
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