MALMO,, Sweden, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sweden's prime minister on Friday ruled out hosting French nuclear weapons there in peacetime, but said a war could change the situation. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson set out his country's position during a visit to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is visiting Sweden. Asked about the possibility of his country hosting French nuclear arms, he told reporters: "We have a clear doctrine in Sweden, which we most recently reiterated when we joined NATO. "This states that we do not have permanent foreign troops or nuclear weapons stationed on Swedish soil in peacetime," he added. "As long as Russia has nuclear weapons in our immediate vicinity, it is good that two European democracies also have nuclear weapons," Kristersson told reporters.

One killed, around 20 injured as tram derails in Milan: policeMILAN, Italy, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A tram derailed and smashed into a building in Milan Friday, killing one person and injuring around 20 others, the police told AFP. It was not yet known why the tram came off the tracks near the centre of the northern Italian city, a business hub currently hosting its Fashion Week. Several ambulances could be seen at the scene, an AFP journalist said.

Later, it was expanded to include Legal Aid offices at the Supreme Court, labour legal aid cells in Dhaka and Chattogram, and services in prisons across the country. The report showed that Taka 322,37,58,375 has been realized as compensation for indigent litigants combining both pre-case and post-case settlements. Of the amount, Taka 315,40,46,459 was realized through NLASO offices in 64 districts, while Taka 6,97,11,916 was realized through labour legal aid cells in Dhaka and Chattogram. From 2009 to December 2025, a total of 13,74,133 beneficiaries received government-funded legal assistance under the National Legal Aid Services Organization. The programme is being implemented under the Legal Aid Services Act to provide legal assistance at the government's expense to financially insolvent and incapable justice seekers.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Argentina's Congress on Friday adopted President Javier Milei's flagship labor reform, handing victory to the libertarian leader in his push to boost hiring by loosening rules on working hours, dismissals and overtime. The so-called "labor modernization law" allows working days of up to 12 hours, reduces severance pay, limits the right to strike and lowers employer taxes, among other provisions. He insists that Argentina's labor laws are outdated, too restrictive and discourage formal hiring. Opposition parties and unions have poured scorn on Milei's claim that the reform will spur a hiring bonanza. For Matias Cremonte, President of the Latin American Association of Labor Lawyers, the reform is "regressive" and "based on a false premise."

Joao Gomes grabbed his first league goal this season in the second half before Rodrigo Gomes finished off lacklustre Villa at rain-lashed Molineux. Sitting 14 points from safety with only nine matches left, Wolves' first win in nine league games is unlikely to spark a late escape from relegation. The west midlands derby victory was still a sweet moment for the Wolves faithful as it dented their rivals' bid to qualify for next season's Champions League. It also ensured Wolves would avoid setting a new record-low Premier League points total. Just moments later, Rodrigo Gomes delivered the knockout blow, slotting home after Joao Gomes' shot was blocked with Villa's defence in disarray.

Benfica announced on Friday they had provisionally suspended five supporters for allegedly making racist comments during this month's Champions League first leg loss to Real Madrid. The February 17 defeat to Madrid was marred by alleged racial abuse aimed at the Spanish club's Vinicius Junior by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni. Vinicius scored the winner before the alleged abuse led to the game being stopped for around 10 minutes. Madrid reached the last 16 with a 3-1 aggregate success over the Portuguese outfit on Wednesday. "Benfica reaffirm it does not tolerate any form of discrimination or racism and will continue to act firmly whenever behaviours that undermine the values of the club, sport and society are involved," the two-time European Cup winners added.

Lionel Messi was knocked to the ground as fans invaded the pitch during chaotic scenes at a match in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Messi was playing for Inter Miami in a friendly against Ecuador's Independiente del Valle when supporters raced onto the field in the game's 88th minute. While one fan demanded a selfie with the Argentine great and another asked for his shirt to be signed, a third rushed to embrace Messi from behind. A security guard tackled the fan, who dragged the World Cup winner to the floor. Nearly 20,000 spectators in Bayamon, on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, a US territory, gave the Argentine idol a standing ovation when he finally entered the game.

Air pollution continues to worsen across major cities worldwide, with South Asia experiencing particularly severe conditions during the dry season. According to the air quality monitoring platform IQAir, Dhaka ranked third among the world’s most polluted cities at 8:30am on Saturday, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 222. Although the level has slightly decreased over the past week, air quality in the capital remains at a level considered harmful to health. A score of 151–200 is labelled “unhealthy,” 201–300 “very unhealthy,” and 301–400 “hazardous,” posing serious health risks to the general population. Experts say that while short-term precautionary measures are important, sustainable urban planning, stricter emission controls and effective monitoring mechanisms are essential for long-term improvement in air quality.

Though already through to the semi-final, England came up with a resilient performance to beat New Zealand by four wickets and notch their third straight win in the Super Eights. Asked to bowl first, England spinners had a field day as they restricted New Zealand to 159/7. All New Zealand batters fell to spinners as England deployed 16 overs by spin, their most ever in T20I cricket. New Zealand made a roaring start to their defence as Matt Henry got a wicket in his first over yet again. Having absorbed pressure through the innings, Jacks turned the tide in the 18th over, as he took 22 runs off Phillips, New Zealand's main man up until that point.

Amid the ongoing war between two SAARC countries - Afghanistan and Pakistan- Bangladesh has decided not to make any public comments but stressed that such a war does not bring anything good. We are not saying anything in public, but we are trying to make our friends understand that such war is not good for anyone," he told reporters at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport upon his return from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia early Saturday. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Humayun Kabir was also present at the media briefing. Pakistan then carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two other Afghan provinces early Friday, saying it targeted military installations. The foreign ministers of Bangladesh and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to deepening ties and agreed to work closely together to promote 'peace, stability, and shared prosperity' in the region, according to the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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ACCRA, Feb 28, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Some 55 Ghanaians have been killed while fighting in Ukraine, the country's foreign minister said on Friday, promising a crackdown on illicit recruitment schemes luring citizens to Russia under false pretences. His Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiga, told him that more than 1,780 Africans from 36 countries were fighting Ukraine as part of Russia's forces. "We were informed that 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into battle since 2022 for which an estimated 55 have been killed and two captured as prisoners of war," he wrote on X. AFP reporters met prisoners of war from Kenya, Togo, Cameroon and Nigeria during a visit to detention centre in Ukraine late last year. "The recruitment scandal makes clear that the Ukraine war is no longer a distant geopolitical issue for African governments," the International Crisis Group said in a new report published on Friday.

In high pressure environments, self-loathing is normalized, even attributed to a desperate scavenge for identity. The sheer dominance of self-loathing dawned on me during a furniture bonfire, built at some Thread Magazine party in the fall of ’24. Now I’m not saying to ignore criticism or external opinions — appealing to public awareness is a key component of developing empathy. Our lives’ work constructing identity revolves around attaching those concepts, interests and categories we appreciate to the nature of our being. Kira Walter Kira Walter '26 is an opinion columnist and former lifestyle editor.

A day after the United States and Iran held talks in Geneva, Trump said that the cleric-run state was "not willing to give us what we have to have." He later said he wants Iran to have "no enrichment" at all of uranium that could go toward a nuclear bomb, which Iran denies it is pursuing. Iran agreed to restrictions to low-level enrichment in a 2015 deal that Trump ripped up during his first term in office. - Issues beyond nuclear -Trump in his State of the Union address Tuesday alleged Iran was developing missiles that could strike the United States. In their capital Tehran, ordinary Iranians expressed distrust of the United States and hoped negotiations would lead to economic relief for their sanctions-hit nation.

"The drone was neutralised away from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and in no way was the security of the aircraft carrier and its group threatened by this". "It is likely a Russian drone," Kristersson told reporters during a visit to the aircraft carrier. He did not believe it was a coincidence that the incident occurred while the aircraft carrier was visiting, he added. - Numerous drone sightings -The Swedish Armed Forces said Thursday that "no further drone sightings" had been made and that they were investigating the incident. NATO's easternmost countries have reported numerous drone sightings in recent months, with some pointing the finger at Russia.