UBA, Brazil, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Despair hung over two cities in outheastern Brazil on Wednesday as rescuers and residents searched for 21 people missing after torrential rains unleashed flooding and landslides that killed at least 46. More heavy rain was forecast for Juiz de Fora this week, and firefighters told AFP it was unlikely any more victims would be found alive. "Our family is desperate," said Josiane Aparecida, a 43-year-old cook in Juiz de Fora. He told AFP he had suffered up to five million reais (almost $1 million) in losses from water that reached two meters high. The mayor of Juiz de Fora, Margarida Salomao, said the municipality had experienced its wettest February on record.

Rubio says US, China at 'strategic stability' ahead of Trump tripBASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The United States and China have reached "stability" in their long-fractious relationship, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the Asian power. "I think we've reached a point at least of a sort of strategic stability in the relationship," Rubio told reporters. Rubio said that the United States would keep raising concerns including seeking to diversify from China's dominance in supply chains. He also vowed to keep pushing China to negotiate a three-way nuclear deal with the United States and Russia. China's nuclear arsenal has been growing rapidly, although it remains well below those of Russia and the United States.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by "Transformers" movies and dinosaurs. "I have always been fascinated by metal objects," Jadoon told AFP after assembling the 14-foot (4-metre) "Transformers" character, his biggest creation yet. It took Jadoon and his team months of welding and warping to fashion his Optimus Prime, with over 90 percent of its parts sourced from discarded vehicle pieces. - 'Waste becomes valuable' -Jadoon, a former martial artist who once worked in the steel fabrication business, has never formally studied art. Every week, Jadoon tours scrapyards in Islamabad, sifting through tons of discarded metal in search of pieces that fit into his imagination and then become sculptures.

Kyiv residents pool together for solar panels and batteries amid Russian strikesKYIV, Ukraine, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - When Russian strikes cut off the power, heating and water to swathes of the Ukrainian capital in -20C temperatures, Denys Biletsky was prepared. The 400-odd residents pooled 700,000 hryvnias ($16,200) to buy and install them, along with the batteries and other required equipment. Russian missile and drone barrages have pushed Kyiv into its most serious energy crisis of the war. "They say to me: 'Denys, I don't need your lifts, your backup power, your batteries, I'm fine' ... We can't force anyone." When outages drag on for hours, the back-up batteries don't have time to recharge, forcing Biletsky to cut the lift off to prioritise water pumps.

HAVANA, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Cuba said it thwarted gunmen trying to infiltrate from the United States as its coastguard fired Wednesday on a Florida-registered speedboat in an exchange of fire near its shores, killing four people and wounding six. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that people arrested after the firefight said they "intended to carry out an infiltration for the purposes of terrorism." The ministry said assault rifles, handguns, Molotov cocktails and other military-style gear were found on the vessel and the 10 attackers were all Cubans living in the United States.

HONG KONG, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai won an appeal on Thursday over a 2022 fraud conviction, days after a court jailed him on separate national security charges. The ruling was a surprise win for Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, who was sentenced to 20 years behind bars this month on collusion charges under a Beijing-imposed national security law. The fraud case grew out of a contractual dispute and was unrelated to the charges he faced under the security law. This was in breach of the terms of the lease Apple Daily signed with a government company and amounted to fraud, prosecutors said. Former Apple Daily executive Wong Wai-keung was also charged in the same case and jailed for 21 months.

Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee today inspected the re-excavation of the Shubhadhya Canal and Ati Canal in Dhaka's Keraniganj. Photo: PIDDhaka, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS) - Water Resources Minister Md. Shahiduddin Chowdhury Aneetoday said canals will be recovered from illegal occupants. During the visit, the water resources minister inspected the Khejur Bagh,Jora Bridge, and Chunkutia areas of Shubhadhya Canal, as well as the Joynagararea of Ati Canal.

Carney heads to Asia to promote Canada trade as US ties falterTORONTO, Canada, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney flies to Asia on Thursday for a three-country tour with a first stop in India, where he hopes to double trade to offset the damage of his country's fracturing relations with the United States. US tariffs targeting specific sectors have hurt the Canadian economy over the past year. Carney has made boosting commerce with Europe and Asia cornerstones of his strategy to backstop Canada's economy, should free trade with Washington collapse. - Transnational repression -Carney's outreach to India is facing domestic scrutiny and his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be closely watched. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government further charged India with directing a campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists across Canada.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US Justice Department announced the arrest on Wednesday of a former Air Force fighter pilot who allegedly trained Chinese military personnel without authorization. Gerald Brown, 65, was arrested in Indiana after having recently returned to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, a Justice Department statement said. He is accused of having "conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force" without a required license from the US State Department, the statement said. Brown had a 24-year career in the US Air Force during which he "commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on a variety of fighter and attack aircraft." Brown had retired from the military in 1996 and worked as a cargo pilot, the statement said, but he later began a role as a US defense contractor training pilots to fly the A-10 and state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets.

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Several explosions shook central Kyiv early Thursday, AFP journalists heard, after officials warned of air raids in the Ukrainian capital ahead of planned talks in Geneva with US representatives on ending the Russian war. The Ukrainian Air Force reported high-speed targets heading toward Kyiv shortly before Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital's military administration, said Russia was attacking the city with strike drones and ballistic missiles. In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional chief Ivan Fedorov said the city had come under attack, reporting several explosions and at least one person wounded. In Kryvyi Rig, Oleksandr Ganzha, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration, said a Russian strike wounded an 89-year-old man and sparked a fire that damaged a high-rise building. Ukraine has faced repeated overnight barrages in recent months as Russia targets cities with missiles and drones amid harsh winter conditions.

MEXICO CITY, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Mexican lawmakers on Wednesday approved a constitutional reform lowering the working week from 48 hours to 40 by 2030, although the opposition criticized it for giving workers only one day of rest for every six worked. The working day will first be reduced in 2027, when it will be brought down to 46 hours, and will be reduced by two hours each year until coming to 40 in 2030. Latin America's second-biggest economy joins a handful of countries in the region that have introduced 40-hour working weeks, including Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela. Despite the reform passing by 469 votes in favor to zero against, opposition lawmakers still assailed the reform for not guaranteeing two days of rest for every five days worked. "Under no circumstances should the reduction of the workday imply the lowering of pay-rates or salaries," the Congressional Chamber of Deputies said in a communique.

TOKYO, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - North Korea's women's football team didn't play for four years because of Covid but they are among the favourites to win the Asian Cup after enjoying massive age-level success. Now their senior team are preparing for the Women's Asian Cup in Australia, which kicks off on Sunday. - Youth movement -North Korea are one of Asia's most successful women's teams and have won the continental title three times, all in the 2000s. North Korea are likely to field a blend of youth and experience as they make their first Asian Cup appearance since finishing as runners-up in 2010. "At the same time, North Korea will consider it as another achievement in sport diplomacy as well, because those kind of victories attract positive international attention."

State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington D.C. West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico US Virgin Islands Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Pacific Armed Forces Europe Northern Mariana Islands Marshall Islands American Samoa Federated States of Micronesia Guam Palau Alberta, Canada British Columbia, Canada Manitoba, Canada New Brunswick, Canada Newfoundland, Canada Nova Scotia, Canada Northwest Territories, Canada Nunavut, Canada Ontario, Canada Prince Edward Island, Canada Quebec, Canada Saskatchewan, Canada Yukon Territory, CanadaZip Code

SYDNEY, Feb 26, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Australia's Qantas Airways said Thursday new fuel-efficient aircraft and strong demand for travel helped to drive up sales and deliver a steady half-year profit. Fuel-efficient, low-maintenance planes were attractive to passengers but also allowed the company to open up new routes, it said. Passengers were showing strong demand for premium seats on Qantas while budget offshoot Jetstar was flying more people to holiday destinations, she said. Jetstar's new fleet was delivering better fuel efficiency, lower maintenance costs, and providing the flexibility to open new routes, Hudson said. Qantas forecast strong travel demand in the rest of the financial year across its business, adding that it would be monitoring the "evolving economic environment" in the United States.

DHAKA, Feb 25, 2026 (BSS)- Bangladesh pacer Shoriful Islam has expressed hisdelight after his teammate Nahid Rana secured a team in the Pakistan SuperLeague (PSL). Nahid was picked up by Peshawar Zalmi at the end of the auction for 60 lakhPakistani rupees. He joins fellow Bangladesh players Mustafizur Rahman,Parvez Hossain Emon and Rishad Hossain in this year's PSL. "I am delighted that he got a team in the PSL," Shoriful told reporters atthe Rajshahi Divisional Stadium. Nahid is my teammate, so I am really happy for him," added Shoriful,who did not find any takers in the PSL auction.