Shares were mixed Friday in Asia as worries over risks linked to massive investments in artificial intelligence and a potential U.S.-Iran conflict weighed on major benchmarks.
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Ex-South Korean president remains defiant following life sentence for rebellion
Ousted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday remained defiant in his first reaction to a life sentence for rebellion handed down by a Seoul court the previous day.
February 20, 2026
A macabre dispute has kept the body of Zambia's former president unburied for months
More than eight months after his death, former Zambian President Edgar Lungu's remains are still in a South African funeral home, the subject of a macabre fight between his family and the longtime rival who succeeded him.
February 20, 2026
Thai police go undercover as lion dancers to nab a serial burglar
When Thai police were having trouble catching a serial burglar who repeatedly slipped through their fingers, they came up with a creative plan: going undercover in a traditional lion costume to get close to their elusive quarry.
February 20, 2026
Israeli settlers kill 19-year-old Palestinian American, officials and witnesses say
Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian American man during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry and a witness said Thursday.
February 20, 2026
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Milei's overhaul of Argentina labor law advances in Congress as unions strike in protest
A general strike protesting Argentine President Javier Milei's flagship overhaul of the country's labor law disrupted public transport, hospitals, ports and schools across Argentina on Thursday and intensified a standoff between the libertarian leader and long-powerful workers' unions.
February 20, 2026
Russian-run areas of Ukraine face water, heat and housing woes
Nearly four years into its full-scale invasion, Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. Many of the estimated 3 million to 5 million people who remain in regions under Moscow's control face housing, water, power, heat and health care woes.
February 20, 2026
A traditional sausage in the shape of a horseshoe is 'ironed' for dryness in southeastern Serbia
During long winter months, a traditionally crafted spicy sausage in the town of Pirot in southeastern Serbia is said to lift both a person's energy and spirits.
February 20, 2026
Japan's traditional kimonos are being repurposed in creative and sustainable ways
The kimono, that elaborate, delicate wrap-around garment worn by geisha and samurai from centuries back, is getting a vibrant remake, appreciated these days for a virtue that's more relevant than ever: sustainability.
February 20, 2026
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Russian-run areas of Ukraine face water, heat and housing woes — and hunts for the disloyal
Even now, safely in her new home of Estonia, Inna Vnukova says she can't purge the terrifying memory of living under Russian occupation in eastern Ukraine early in the war and her family's harrowing escape.
February 20, 2026
Venezuela approves amnesty that could release hundreds detained for political reasons
Venezuela's acting president on Thursday signed into law an amnesty bill that could lead to the release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations.
February 20, 2026
Kim lauds North Korea's economy and regional standing as major party meeting opens
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lauded his nation's improving economy and regional standing as he opened the country's most important political event, where he is expected to set his domestic and foreign policy agenda for the next five years and further entrench his family's authoritarian rule.
February 20, 2026
Former South Korean president receives life sentence for imposing martial law in 2024
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was found guilty of leading an insurrection on Thursday and sentenced to life in prison for his brief imposition of martial law in 2024, a ruling that marks a dramatic culmination of the country's biggest political crisis in decades.
February 20, 2026
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