The draw for the latter stages of this season's Champions League takes place on Friday with Newcastle United's midweek victory against Qarabag meaning an unprecedented six English sides will feature in the last 16.
Iran and the United States held talks in Switzerland on Thursday, in a last-ditch bid to avert war under the shadow of the biggest American military build-up in the Middle East in decades.
South Africa captain Aiden Markram led from the front with an unbeaten 82 as South Africa all but secured a T20 World Cup semi-final berth with a brutal nine-wicket thrashing of the West Indies in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Economy
Hong Kong's stock exchange reported record profits for the second consecutive year on Thursday, after the finance hub topped the global rankings for initial public offerings in 2025.
February 26, 2026
RECENT NEWS
From a rise in arrests to online attacks, Senegal has been under an intensified crackdown on same-sex relations in recent weeks, prompting outcry from human rights groups and driving some in the LGBTQ+ community to consider exile.
February 26, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A Hong Kong court sentenced the father of a wanted activist to eight months in prison Thursday under a national security law, after he attempted to terminate his daughter's insurance policy and withdraw funds.
February 26, 2026
Albanian actor Anila Bisha is renowned for playing complex women on the stage and screen, skills honed over a 30-year career, but now she lives in the shadow of her AI avatar and a performance she never gave.
February 26, 2026
Climate change may threaten the value of Bansko's prime ski slopes, but the Bulgarian resort has found an all-seasons solution to boost its economy, drawing in a cosmopolitan community of digital nomads.
February 26, 2026
Boulevard
A Thai political party that came second in this month's vote filed a criminal complaint Thursday against the nation's election commissioners, accusing them of violating election laws, the party's deputy told AFP.
February 26, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Kim Jong Un said North Korea could "get along" with Washington if it accepted Pyongyang's nuclear status, state media said Thursday, but has dashed any hopes of mended ties with "deceptive" neighbour Seoul.
The San Antonio Spurs edged the Toronto Raptors 110-107 on Wednesday, pushing their NBA winning streak to 10 games and closing in on Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder, who fell to the Detroit Pistons.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz accompanied entrepreneurs to the Chinese tech hub of Hangzhou on Thursday, hoping to land new contracts a day after meeting President Xi Jinping and sealing an Airbus deal.
Nepal votes next week for the first time since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government, but analysts say any winner will likely maintain the delicate diplomatic balance between its two giant neighbours, India and China.
February 26, 2026
Things to know
South Korean director Park Chan‑wook, renowned for his thriller "Oldboy", will preside over the 79th Cannes film festival jury in May, organisers announced Thursday.
February 26, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Australia ditching the British monarchy is "more important than ever" and voters would likely back a head of state elected by its parliament, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull told AFP on Thursday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un donned matching jackets with his daughter at a military parade, state media photos showed Thursday, stoking speculation she is being groomed as heir.
Kyiv and Washington were set to open a new round of talks in Geneva Thursday aimed at ending Moscow's four-year invasion of Ukraine, as Russia launched fresh strikes overnight.
Zimbabwe's ban on raw lithium exports is forcing Chinese miners to rethink their strategy, speeding up plans to process the metal locally instead of shipping it to China's vast rechargeable battery industry.
February 26, 2026
- Pakistani sculptor turns scrap into colossal metal artworks
- Epstein files reveal links to cash, women, power in Africa
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- Seoul hits fresh record on mixed day for Asia markets
- Kyiv residents pool together for solar panels and batteries amid Russian strikes
- North Korea's Kim says could 'get along' with US but shuns South
- Cuba kills four on US-registered speedboat trying to 'infiltrate'