WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Vice President JD Vance told Iran on Wednesday to take Washington's threats of military action "seriously," a day after President Donald Trump appeared to build the case for war in his State of the Union address. Vance said that while Trump was going to try to get Iran to make a deal "diplomatically," the US president also had the "right" to use military action. "You can't let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons," Vance told "America's Newsroom" on Fox News. His comments came as the United States announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran, pressing on with what Washington calls its "maximum pressure" campaign. Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Russian strikes in multiple Ukraine cities wounded 23 people including a child, officials said Thursday, ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US negotiators in Geneva aimed at ending Moscow's war. No casualties were reported, and emergency crews and investigators worked through the morning to secure the sites and document the damage. Regional head Ivan Fedorov said seven people were wounded, after strikes damaged 19 apartment blocks, four houses and other buildings. In Kryvyi Rig in the Dnipropetrovsk region, two people were wounded, according to Dnipropetrovsk region chief Oleksandr Ganzha. The latest barrage came hours before Ukrainian negotiators meet US envoys in Geneva, part of a renewed effort to revive stalled talks before a planned trilateral round with Russia in early March.

BANGKOK, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A Thai political party that came second in this month's vote filed a criminal complaint Thursday against the nation's election commissioners, accusing them of violating election laws, the party's deputy told AFP. The reformist People's Party "submitted a case" to a criminal court against seven election commissioners, the Election Commission's secretary-general and another election official, deputy party leader Wayo Assawarungruang said. The Election Commission confirmed the victory of caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's conservative Bhumjaithai party on Wednesday, ratifying most of the vote results. Bhumjaithai won 170 constituencies, the most of any party, while People's Party -- which had been polling first ahead of the election -- came in second, with 88 constituencies, the commission said. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases said it will decide whether to hear the case by March 24, according to Wayo.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today distributed “Ekushey Padak-2026”, the second highest civilian award of the country, at a ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium. Photo : PMODHAKA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today distributed “Ekushey Padak-2026” among nine individuals and one music band in recognition of their outstanding contributions to various fields. The premier handed over the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award of the country, at a ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium here this morning on the occasion of the Amar Ekushey and the International Mother Language Day. On behalf of Ayub Bachchu, his wife Ferdous Akhter Chandana and on behalf of Warfaze, its team leader Sheikh Monirul Alam received the award from the Prime Minister. Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury presided over the function while Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani conducted the award giving ceremony and read out the citation of the awardees.

LONDON, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems has opened a new factory in England expected to help secure supplies of the vital equipment to the Ukrainian army, the British government said on Thursday. "Four years on from Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this factory delivers what matters: secure supply, secure resource, and sustained support for Ukraine," said director of Ukrspecsystems UK Rory Chamberlain. Other Ukrainian defence companies have already opened or have plans for production sites elsewhere in Europe, such as in Denmark and Germany. It was unclear what type of drones would be produced at the UK factory but the company, founded in 2014, notably manufactures surveillance drones. "Ukrspecsystems' new factory is a vote of confidence in UK support and underlines the deepening cooperation between our nations' defence industries," added British Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard, who inaugurated the site on Wednesday.

NEW YORK, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Stock markets in Asia and Europe reached record highs Wednesday while Wall Street indices continued to advance on easing worries about the AI sector and ahead of chip behemoth Nvidia releasing its earnings. Seoul, Tokyo, London, and Paris exchanges each beat their previous intraday highs, also in reaction to well-received company updates. Global equities gained "as the apocalyptic AI narrative takes a small step back", noted Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. Investors have adopted a more sanguine view following a presentation by AI company Anthropic that emphasized the compatibility of its technology with existing programs. A surge in shares in big tech firms deploying AI helped drive equity markets to record highs last year.

The Justice Department has released millions of pages from files connected to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein under a transparency law enacted last year. But public broadcaster NPR found gaps in the files tied to one woman's 2019 assault complaint against Trump. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the DOJ's so-called "Epstein Files" release exonerated him. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said he reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Justice Department and reached the same conclusion. The Justice Department argues that any material not posted falls within categories allowed under the law, including duplicates, privileged records or documents tied to an ongoing federal investigation.

MADRID, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Human-driven climate change intensified torrential downpours that killed dozens and forced thousands of people from their homes across Spain, Portugal and Morocco earlier this year, a network of climate scientists said Thursday. Precipitation during the region's wettest days now entail around one-third more rainfall compared with the pre-industrial climate, which was 1.3C cooler, according to a report by the World Weather Attribution (WWA), whose scientists study the link between extreme weather events and climate change. The WWA estimates that rainfall intensity is now about 11 percent higher in northern Portugal and northwestern Spain than in pre-industrial times. The researchers were unable to quantify the exact impact of climate change on rainfall in southern Iberia and northern Morocco, as the available data show regional variations. The WWA is a pioneer in attribution science, which uses peer-reviewed methods to quickly assess the possible influence of climate change on extreme weather events.

UNITED NATIONS, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The UN Security Council has announced sanctions on four Sudanese paramilitary commanders for atrocities committed in the October takeover of the Darfur city of El-Fasher. They are RSF deputy commanders Abdelrahim Hamdan Daglo and Gedo Hamdan Ahmed, Brigadier General Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris and field commander Tijani Ibrahim. "Abu Lulu has filmed himself smiling and killing people while they begged for mercy, as well as videos where he makes ethnically targeted executions," the Security Council said. A special Security Council committee with representatives of all 15 member countries makes decisions on such sanctions. Following the Darfur war of the early 2000s, where the RSF's predecessor the Janjaweed committed similar atrocities at the behest of the Khartoum government, the Security Council in 2005 established a Sudan sanctions regime.

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Review of Trade Agreement with the United States Underway: Commerce Minister Staff Correspondent, Dhaka (Wednesday, February 25, 2026)Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir has said that issues related to the United States’ retaliatory tariffs and the bilateral trade agreement are still evolving. Speaking to journalists after a meeting at the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday, the minister said the agreement is sensitive, as is the country involved. The United States Supreme Court has declared the retaliatory tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump illegal. The Ministry of Commerce held a meeting with business leaders to determine the next course of action regarding these tariffs and the trade agreement signed between Bangladesh and the United States. He also noted that the interim government recently signed a trade agreement with the United States, but it is still too early to comment on it.

BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that a new security force for violence-wracked Haiti was taking shape well, while voicing optimism that elections could finally take place after a decade. The elections would be the first in Haiti since 2016, with voting since then repeatedly delayed due to security concerns or political chaos. Rubio said that the anti-gang force would improve security and help "hold elections perhaps later this year -- maybe not in the middle of summer when it's rainy season, but later this year." Rubio praised contributions by Canada and Japan to support the anti-gang force but said the United States was still seeking more from donor nations. Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has been ravaged by years of intersecting security, political and health crises.

Selectboard Chair Mike Pelczar, left, and Vice Chair Steve Aiken, center, voice opposition to changing the town government from manager oversight to administrator during Monday's meeting. Selectboard member Jeanie Forrester, right, spoke about the differences between the two forms of government. (Bob Martin/The Laconia Daily Sun photo)

On February 23, American Idol left La La Land behind for the show’s pivotal Hollywood Week and shifted gears to Music City for the first part of Hollywood Week. This is the best total viewer audience since American Idol‘s season premiere back in January, when it nabbed 6.22 million viewers. In addition to the show’s weekly boost, Idol was also up +27% in total viewers over last season’s Hollywood Week kickoff episode. According to Nielsen, American Idol‘s stellar performance boosted ABC to a win for the night on broadcast and cable with 4.63 million total viewers. American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABCMore Headlines: