The Japanese snowball fight game vying to be an Olympic sportSOBETSU, Japan, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - At the foot of an active volcano in northern Japan, shouts ring out, competitors size each other up and snowballs whistle through the air in a very serious game of "yukigassen" -- a sport with Olympic dreams. The competition taking place this weekend is held every year in Sobetsu, a town on the main northern island of Hokkaido, where this game -- essentially a snowball fight -- became a sport 37 years ago. Japan's yukigassen federation emphasises the "mental challenge" posed by the game, in which players on both teams pelt their opponents while taking cover behind shelters. Yukigassen -- which means snowball fight in Japanese -- was born, and the first international tournament took place in 1989. Keen to capitalise on the international expansion, officials want to turn yukigassen into an Olympic sport.

BORMIO, Italy, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Whether it be Alysa Liu's sparkling figure skating gold, the Swiss men's alpine skiing domination or Lindsey Vonn's horrific crash, the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics have provided a host of unforgettable moments. The Swiss men's team were the stand-out outfit in northern Italy, winning four of the five golds on offer and eight of the 15 total medals up for grabs. - Lindsey Vonn (USA) -Vonn made the headlines for all the wrong reasons after crashing badly just seconds into the downhill and breaking her leg. One of the most recognisable female faces in global sport, Vonn underwent four operations in Italy before heading back to the United States, where she had her left leg pinned back together. The only athlete in Winter or Summer Games history with more Olympic titles than Klaebo is American swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 23 golds.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Indigenous protesters in Brazil occupied a shipping terminal operated by US agricultural giant Cargill on Saturday, demanding a ban on dredging Amazon waterways. The South American nation is the world's top exporter of soy and maize, and ongoing efforts to upgrade river ports aim to ease transportation. In a statement to AFP the company said operations were suspended, blaming an "ongoing dispute between government authorities and Indigenous communities." The Indigenous protesters are against an expansion of the ports and the dredging of the Amazon's rivers, which they consider vital to their way of life. Alessandra Korap, a community leader from the Munduruku Indigenous group, said protesters "will only leave if Lula and the government overturn and revoke the decree."

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump said Saturday he was sending a hospital boat to Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory that he has long coveted and threatened to seize by force. He said the boat would treat many "sick" people in Greenland, without providing any details on who he was referring to or the number of people the vessel would help. "We are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there," Trump wrote in a social media post. Earlier this week Denmark's King Frederik X visited Greenland, where he has long enjoyed popularity, as anxieties mount over Trump's interest. Trump backed off repeated threats to seize the territory last month, after striking a "framework" deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte to ensure greater US influence.

KYIV, Ukraine, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Explosions in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv killed a policewoman and wounded at least 15 people overnight in what local authorities on Sunday called an "act of terror". Officials said a 23?year?old woman police officer was killed, while a patrol car and a civilian vehicle were damaged. "This is definitely an act of terror," Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy said in a Facebook post. "We have 15 people currently receiving medical aid, some of them are in very serious condition. Lviv, close to the Polish border and far from the front line, has faced sporadic strikes and security incidents since Russia's full?scale invasion in February 2022, but deadly explosions in the city centre remain rare.

Bangladesh High Commission in Pretoria observed Language Martyrs’ Day with respect, honouring sacrifice and heritage. Photo : BSSDHAKA, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS) - The Bangladesh High Commission in Pretoria observed the Great Martyrs' Day and International Mother Language Day 2026 with due respect, commemorating the supreme sacrifices of the Language Martyrs of 1952. According to a press release received here, the day's programme began in the morning at the High Commission premises with paying deep homage to the memories of the Language Martyrs. Bangladesh High Commissioner to South Africa Shah Ahmed Shafi placed a wreath at the Shaheed Minar located on the chancery grounds, formally inaugurating the observance. A one-minute silence was observed in memory of the martyrs, followed by special prayers seeking eternal peace for their departed souls.

Sudan's RSF says it took town on Chad borderKHARTOUM, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, locked in a conflict with the regular army, said Saturday that they had seized the town of Al-Tina on the Chad border. Previously, the town was thought to have been held by the Joint Forces, allied to the army, which has been at war with the RSF since April 2023. Alongside a statement posted to social media, the RSF shared a video of some of its fighters celebrating under a banner reading "District of Al-Tina". On Thursday, The United Nations' independent fact-finding mission on Sudan said the RSF's storming of Darfur hub El-Fasher last October bore "the hallmarks of genocide". Since the fall of El-Fasher, the paramilitaries have carried out several operations near the Chad border and at the end of last year two Chadian soldiers were killed.

The NWS headquarters said snowfall rates of more than one inch (2.5 centimeters) an hour will occur at times along parts of the East Coast, with huge snow totals "resulting in near-impossible travel conditions." The heavy, wet snow may result in numerous power outages, it warned. More than 50 million Americans are in the path of the current Nor'easter, a powerful cyclone that forms along North America's eastern coastline. In New York City, authorities and residents were bracing for a direct hit, the first blizzard to sock the city since 2016. A mega-storm that swept across the eastern half of the country in late January was linked to more than 100 deaths nationwide, and slammed some cities with heavy snow and sleet that froze into rock-hard ice.

On Friday, the White House said US trading partners that reached separate tariff deals with Trump's administration would also face the new global tariff. - High court defeat -Friday's court ruling did not impact sector-specific duties Trump separately imposed on steel, aluminum and various other goods. But it nevertheless marked Trump's biggest defeat at the Supreme Court since returning to the White House 13 months ago. In court arguments, the Trump administration said companies would receive refunds if the tariffs were deemed unlawful. Several countries have said they are studying the Supreme Court ruling and Trump's subsequent tariff announcements.

VIENNA, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Two people were killed in avalanches in the Austrian Alps on Saturday, bringing to seven the number of people killed in the country since Friday after heavy snowfall. Experts had urged skiers to avoid off-piste slopes after five people -- four in Tyrol and one in Vorarlberg -- were killed Friday in avalanches triggered by a major snowstorm. Twenty-four people have been killed this winter season in avalanches in Austria, a country popular for winter sports, according to an updated toll released Saturday. Up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) of snow fell on the Alpine nation since Thursday, causing power outages and transport chaos. A man was also crushed to death Friday by a snow plough that fell down a flight of stairs.

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Islamic State group on Saturday urged its fighters to confront Syria's new authorities, in its spokesperson's first audio message in two years. In a recording posted online, Abu Huzaifa al-Ansari said IS members in Syria must fight "the new Syrian regime, with its secular government and national army" and "make that their priority". IS swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres and forcing women and girls into sexual slavery. Backed by US-led forces, Iraq proclaimed the defeat of IS in 2017, followed two years later by its defeat to Kurdish-led forces in Syria. A camp that once held relatives of IS fighters has now been emptied -- residents either left or were moved to a new location by the Syrian authorities.

PAMPLONA, Spain, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Raul Garcia's superb 90th-minute strike consigned leaders Real Madrid to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, in a blow to their title hopes. Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them on Sunday if they beat Levante at Camp Nou. Croatian target man Budimir curled narrowly wide of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois's far post early on, the first of many problems he gave the visitors. Osasuna sat deep at times in the second half, looking to fend off 15-time European champions Madrid. Real Betis, fifth, were held 1-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano earlier Saturday, leaving them three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

LYON, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Thousands of people marched in southeastern France on Saturday under heavy security in tribute to a far-right activist whose killing, blamed on the hard left, has put the country on edge. The 23-year-old died from head injuries following clashes between radical left and far-right supporters on the sidelines of a demonstration against a politician from the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party in Lyon last week. Hours before the gathering, French President Emmanuel Macron had urged "everyone to remain" calm. - Calls to ban rally -Ahead of the rally, some residents barricaded the ground floor windows of their apartments in fear. Six men suspected of involvement in the fatal assault have been charged over the killing, while a parliamentary assistant to a radical left-wing MP has also been charged with complicity.

More than 1,500 request amnesty under new Venezuela law: top lawmakerCARACAS, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - More than 1,500 political prisoners in Venezuela have applied for amnesty under a new law, the head of the country's legislature said Saturday, two days after the measure -- enacted under pressure from Washington -- came into effect. "A total of 1,557 cases are being addressed immediately, and hundreds of people deprived of their freedom are already being released under the amnesty law," National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez told a press conference. Amnesty is not automatic under the law: petitioners must ask the court handling their cases. On Friday, the lawmaker overseeing the amnesty process, Jorge Arreaza, announced that prosecutors had asked courts to free 379 prisoners. The legislature unanimously adopted the landmark amnesty law on Thursday.

PARIS, France, Feb 22, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ligue 1 leaders Lens blew a two-goal lead at home to Monaco on Saturday, going down to a 3-2 defeat that gives reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain the chance to reclaim top spot later. Odsonne Edouard fired in the opener from an Adrien Thomasson lay-off after just three minutes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, where Lens were looking for a club record 11th successive home league win. They were on course to get the victory, and move provisionally four points clear at the top, when Florian Thauvin doubled their advantage on 56 minutes. It was a wholly unexpected capitulation from Lens, who came into the weekend with the best defensive record in the division. Monaco are provisionally up to sixth, right back in the mix for European qualification having won three and drawn two of their last five Ligue 1 outings.