When Alysa Liu won the United States’ first Olympic women’s figure skating gold in 24 years on Thursday, she celebrated a personal triumph — but woke Friday to an instant, uncomfortable juxtaposition with fellow California native Eileen Gu, who competes for China. The contrast unfolded across social media and political commentary, turning two elite athletes … Read more
Lead Families in Kenya are demanding urgent action after a government intelligence report presented in February 2026 estimated more than 1,000 Kenyan nationals have been recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Relatives say many recruits were promised civilian jobs abroad and only learned they were in the Russian armed forces after arrival; some have … Read more
Lead Moon Alert: exercise caution — avoid shopping (except food and gas) and postpone major decisions between 5:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, February 21, 2026. After 6:00 p.m., the moon exits Aries and enters Taurus, shifting the mood toward steadiness and practicality. The daily forecasts highlight mostly positive energies across many signs, … Read more
Lead At China’s Lunar New Year gala this year, two dozen humanoid robots performed ambitious, coordinated martial-arts and parkour routines on live television, a display captured in a CCTV video posted on 21 February 2026. The show included several firsts — a continuous freestyle table-vaulting parkour, an aerial flip, continuous single-leg flips, a two-step wall-assisted … Read more
Lead: On Feb. 21, 2026, Senate Republicans confronted mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and conservative allies to revive a decades‑old “talking filibuster” to try to pass a national voter identification bill. The push comes even as Majority Leader John Thune warned that resurrecting extended floor speeches could paralyze Senate business in an election … Read more
Published 21 Feb 2026 Lead: India and Brazil on 21 February 2026 finalized a cooperation agreement on critical minerals and rare earths during Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to New Delhi. The deal, announced after a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, aims to broaden India’s supplier base … Read more
Five-time Olympic medalist Eileen Gu responded this week after Vice President JD Vance suggested she ought to be competing for the United States rather than China. Speaking on Fox News on Tuesday, Vance framed his preference around athletes who “grew up in the United States” and benefited from its institutions. Gu, who won two golds … Read more
Retired four‑star Gen. Stanley McChrystal presided over a January retirement ceremony in Washington, D.C., honoring five transgender service members who were forcibly separated under the Trump administration’s second ban. McChrystal, 71, told the crowd the removals should not have happened and warned they carry real costs for military readiness. The ceremony, hosted by the Human … Read more
Feb. 20, 2026 — Hungary unexpectedly objected on Feb. 20 to a European Union plan to provide a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, delaying the proposal after a Hungarian ambassador raised a formal objection at an ambassadors’ meeting in Brussels. The move, confirmed publicly by Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto the same evening, ties Hungary’s hold-up … Read more
Lead: On Feb. 18, 2026 at the Marina del Rey Marriott, an open casting call that drew more than 2,000 hopefuls coincided with the public reveal that Stephen Amell will play Hobie Buchannon in Fox and Fremantle’s Baywatch reboot. Production is slated to begin in March on Venice Beach and the Fox lot in Century … Read more
Lead Reporting from New Delhi on Feb. 19–20, 2026, our correspondent observed a high-profile AI Impact Summit that combined grand ambitions with operational disarray. Global tech leaders including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai attended while India pitched itself as an emerging AI hub aiming to attract $200 billion in investment over the next … Read more
In January, President Trump framed a U.S. naval buildup toward Iran as an “armada” comparable to the rapid strike the military conducted in Venezuela, arguing a similar force could carry out a swift mission. As of Feb. 21, 2026, advisers and regional analysts warn that Iran’s geographic depth, missile inventory and extensive proxy networks make … Read more
Lead: On 24 February 2022, as missiles began to fall on Kyiv, few outside Ukraine expected a full-scale invasion to succeed so quickly—or to last so long. Four years later, the campaign that Moscow called a “special military operation” has become a grinding, costly war that has reshaped battlefield realities, strained the Russian economy, and … Read more
Lead: Hours after the Supreme Court struck down a major part of his tariff program on Feb. 21, 2026, the White House confirmed it will keep the de minimis import exemption closed. The de minimis rule — which had allowed goods valued under $800 to enter the United States without routine duties or full customs … Read more
Lead Rory McIlroy sits one stroke behind joint leaders Marco Penge and Jacob Bridgeman after 36 holes of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. England’s Marco Penge fired an eight-under 64, including five birdies in his final seven holes, to reach 12 under overall. McIlroy carded a seven-under 65 to move … Read more
