Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The short-handed Minnesota Timberwolves halted Oklahoma City’s seven-game NBA winning streak, beating the Western Conference-leading Thunder 116-101 on Thursday on the eve of the All-Star break.
Timberwolves stun Thunder, Warriors hold off Rockets
Indonesia hands lengthy sentences to Javan rhino poachers
Jakarta (AFP) – An Indonesian court has handed lengthy prison terms to poachers who killed dozens of rare Javan rhinos, court rulings seen by AFP Friday showed, drawing praise from conservationists who said it would help deter lucrative wildlife crime.
'Absolutely wild': Philippine curlers win historic Asian Games gold
Harbin (China) (AFP) – Philippines on Friday bagged a historic and unlikely gold medal by stunning South Korea 5-3 in men’s curling at the Asian Winter Games in China’s Harbin.
'For them': US figure skating plane crash victims remembered in China
Harbin (China) (AFP) – Two teenage figure skaters who died in the Washington plane crash that killed 67 people were poignantly remembered this week at the Asian Winter Games in China’s Harbin.
AP kept from third Trump event over 'Gulf of America': agency
Washington (AFP) – The Associated Press said Thursday its reporter was barred from a White House event for the third day straight, in a mushrooming row over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
Zelensky at Munich security meet as Trump
Munich (Germany) (AFP) – President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday with a warning against trusting Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as concerns mount in Kyiv and among its European allies that the Ukraine war will be settled over their heads.
Most Asian stocks rise as US tariffs give breathing space
Hong Kong (AFP) – Asian markets mostly rose Friday in line with a rally on Wall Street as traders were buoyed by news that Donald Trump’s latest, sweeping reciprocal tariffs would not likely be implemented until April, giving time for negotiations.
After the party, Mexican agave farmers face tequila hangover
Zapotlanejo (Mexico) (AFP) – From George Clooney to LeBron James, American celebrities have cashed in on tequila’s soaring popularity. But in Mexico, producers of the agave plant used to make the country’s most famous liquor are nursing a nasty hangover.
Lebanon marks 20 years since Rafic Hariri killed as power balance shifts
Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon on Friday marks 20 years since former prime minister Rafic Hariri’s assassination amid seismic political changes that have weakened Hezbollah and its backers and could herald a comeback for Hariri’s son Saad.
In Rio de Janeiro, a wrong turn leads from paradise to peril
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – One victim was visiting Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. Another hopped into an Uber for a night out in the seaside city.
