Showing 1 - 10 of 781
Arctic island Svalbard also wary of great powers
AFP, Published on 19/02/2026
» LONGYEARBYEN, Svalbard - There are no outward signs of jitters, at least not yet: people in Svalbard are going about their daily lives as normal despite speculation that this Norwegian archipelago could be the next Arctic territory coveted by the United States or Russia.
Taliban ‘beard police’ pursue Afghan barbers
AFP, Published on 19/02/2026
» KABUL - Barbers in Afghanistan risk detention for trimming men’s beards too short, they told AFP, as the Taliban authorities enforce their strict interpretation of Islamic law with increasing zeal.
Iran and United States hold new talks in Geneva
AFP, Published on 17/02/2026
» GENEVA - Iran and the United States began fresh talks in Geneva on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump warned of consequences should Tehran fail to strike a deal.
Palestine activists win legal challenge against UK ban
AFP, Published on 13/02/2026
» LONDON - London’s high court on Friday upheld a challenge to a government ban on activist group Palestine Action, saying the proscription had interfered with the right to freedom of speech.
World Cup ticket prices skyrocket on Fifa resale site
AFP, Published on 12/02/2026
» WASHINGTON - Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have skyrocketed on Fifa’s official resale platform, with seats for many matches listed at several times their face value even though most tickets have only recently been distributed following the end of the main sales phase in January.
Plenty of peaks, but skiing yet to take off in Central Asia
AFP, Published on 12/02/2026
» BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - Two weeks before setting off for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to compete as Kyrgyzstan’s only alpine skier, Timur Shakirov was weaving down a slalom course in his homeland.
UK’s crumbling canals threatened with collapse
AFP, Published on 11/02/2026
» WHITCHURCH, England - On a misty winter’s day in the English midlands, engineers struggled to drag stranded narrowboats from a waterless, mud-filled canal that collapsed weeks earlier, in a delicate, multi-million-pound rescue operation.
Three-year heatwave ‘bleached half the planet’s coral reefs’
AFP, Published on 10/02/2026
» PARIS - A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world’s coral reefs were bleached between 2014 and 2017 — a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.
Israeli PM to press Trump for harder line on Iranian missiles
AFP, Published on 10/02/2026
» JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington Wednesday, seeking to press him to adopt a tougher line on Iran’s ballistic missile programme in the next round of talks.
First Winter Games gold goes to Swiss skier
AFP, Published on 07/02/2026
» BORMIO, Italy - Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen scorched to victory in the men’s Olympic downhill in Bormio on Saturday, winning the first gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.