Hundreds of Buddhist monks rallied in the capital of Sri Lanka on Friday to protest alleged government disrespect of their religion and disregard for a long-standing tradition that they be consulted in matters of state.
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ChatGPT-maker OpenAI considered alerting Canadian police about school shooting suspect months ago
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI said Friday it considered last year alerting Canadian police about the activities of a person who months later committed one of the worst school shootings in the country's history.
February 21, 2026
Ramadan's first Friday prayers are held at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque
Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered under heavy Israeli restrictions at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including some who were allowed to enter from the occupied West Bank.
February 21, 2026
Venezuela's new amnesty law gets a chilly response from the opposition and detainees' families
Members of Venezuela 's opposition, prisoners' rights groups and relatives of people long detained for political reasons gave a lukewarm reception Friday to an amnesty measure expected to free hundreds of people, including political activists and human rights defenders.
February 21, 2026
Cuba's health care system pushed to the brink by US fuel blockade, Cuban minister says
Cuba's debilitated health care system has been pushed to the brink of collapse by the U.S. blockading the country's oil supply, a Cuban official said Friday.
February 21, 2026
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These shy, scaly anteaters are the most trafficked mammals in the world
They are hunted for their unique scales, and the demand makes them the most trafficked mammal in the world.
February 21, 2026
Galápagos park releases 158 juvenile hybrid tortoises on Floreana to restore the ecosystem
Nearly 150 years after the last giant tortoises were removed from Floreana Island in Ecuador's Galápagos archipelago, the species made a comeback Friday, when dozens of juvenile hybrids were released to begin restoring the island's depleted ecosystem.
February 21, 2026
Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 12 people, intensifying rising regional tensions
At least 10 people were killed and 24 wounded — including three children — in Israeli strikes in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported. Another two people were killed by an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp earlier in the day.
February 20, 2026
Wall Street keeps calm after the Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs
Wall Street kept calm Friday after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, which had triggered panic in financial markets when announced last year, and stocks ticked higher.
February 20, 2026
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Trump warns he's considering limited strikes as Iranian diplomat says proposed deal is imminent
President Donald Trump warned on Friday that limited strikes against Iran are possible even as the country's top diplomat said Tehran expects to have a proposed deal ready in the next few days following nuclear talks with the United States.
February 20, 2026
Guatemalan school hosts Kaqchikel performance to promote Indigenous language preservation
At a school in Guatemala's western highlands, children's shyness melted away as they clapped and sang along with the words of a song in their Kaqchikel language.
February 20, 2026
Photos of NATO-led military exercises in Germany
Thousands of troops from more than a dozen nations attended NATO-led military exercises in northern Germany called Steadfast Dart 2026.
February 20, 2026
Police search former Prince Andrew's home a day after his arrest
Police searched the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor again on Friday, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for nearly 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in having shared confidential trade information with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
February 20, 2026
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