Rights groups expressed concern Thursday at the choice of 83-year-old Jose Maria Balcazar as Peru's stand-in president given past utterances on girls and under-aged sex.
London Fashion Week launched on Thursday with a rare visit from King Charles III only hours after his brother Andrew's sensational arrest -- his presence overshadowing an event traditionally focused on revealing new talent.
Belarus has released opposition politician Mikola Statkevich from prison, five months after he refused to leave the country in a US-brokered prisoner release, his wife told AFP on Thursday.
- Trump 'Board of Peace' opens with money and troops for Gaza
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Politics
US tech titan Elon Musk's move to cut Russian access to his Starlink satellites over Ukraine has probably disrupted Russian forces' tactical command and restricted their offensive capacity, but the war goes on.
February 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday Iran must make a "meaningful deal" in its negotiations with Washington in the next 10 days or else "bad things happen", as he deployed warships, fighter jets and other military hardware in the region.
February 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Britain's mostly pro-royal public delighted in the arrest on Thursday of the former prince Andrew, whose friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has turned him into an outcast.
February 19, 2026
Shops and supermarkets closed, public transport was scarce and garbage went uncollected Thursday as Argentine workers staged the fourth general strike of President Javier Milei's term, this time to protest labor reforms.
February 19, 2026
Japanese teenager Ami Nakai goes for a shock Olympic gold in women's figure skating on on Thursday as ski mountaineering made its debut in heavy snow at the Winter Games.
February 19, 2026
Things to know
Allegations around his ties to the US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have long dogged Britain's former prince Andrew.
February 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The US trade deficit in goods expanded to a new record in 2025, government data showed Thursday, despite sweeping tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed during his first year back in the White House.
Oil prices pushed higher Thursday on worries that nuclear talks between United States and Iran might not avert a new conflict that could threaten supplies.
Williams driver Alexander Albon fears missing the Barcelona shakedown last month has left his team clawing to make up lost ground to its main rivals in the build-up on the new Formula One season.
Real Madrid said it had provided "all available evidence" to UEFA on Thursday in support of their Brazilian star Vinicius Junior's complaint of racist abuse during this week's Champions League clash at Benfica.
February 19, 2026
Politics
The Winter Olympics are expected to accelerate Milan's transformation into a vibrant international metropolis -- but many residents fear the effect will see them priced out.
February 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll and Switzerland's Marianne Fatton bagged the first two Olympic golds on offer in ski mountaineering in Bormio on Thursday in the event's debut at the Winter Games.
The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an Israeli decision to end its activities there.
Russian Nikita Filippov won the first medal at the Milan-Cortina Games for individual neutral athletes when he claimed silver in the men's ski mountaineering sprint in Bormio on Thursday.
Jonathan Milan beat Ethan Vernon and his own younger brother Matteo Milan in a bunch sprint on stage four of the UAE Tour on Thursday.
February 19, 2026
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- Zimbabwe unbeaten in T20 World Cup after six-wicket Sri Lanka win
- Postecoglou admits taking Nottingham Forest post a 'bad decision'
- UK police arrest ex-prince Andrew in historic blow to royal family
- Switzerland's Fatton wins women's ski mountaineering sprint on Olympic debut
- Kinghorn, Van der Merwe return for Scotland against Six Nations strugglers Wales
- Repsol says could boost Venezuela oil output over 50% in 12 months
- UN says Israeli actions raise 'ethnic cleansing' fears in West Bank, Gaza