AOMORI, Japan, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Almost three weeks of heavy snowfall has killed 46 people and injured 558 others in Japan, fresh data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency showed Tuesday. Continued snowfall since late January has buried northern communities and caused traffic chaos, particularly along the coast facing the Sea of Japan. Many fatal accidents happened when mounds of snow fell on residents from roofs or people tumbled while trying to clear it, according to police and local officials. In the northern regional hub of Aomori, residents are having to deal with 1.3 metres (more than four feet) of snow on the ground, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

DHAKA, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS) - Election campaign by contesting candidates for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections and referendum scheduled for February 12 ended this morning. Election Commission (EC) Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said all kinds of election campaigns remained prohibited after 7:30am today. "We hope everyone will remain committed to performing the remaining election responsibilities properly after the end of campaigning," he said. The EC secretary added that no form of election campaigning would be allowed on social media. Election campaigns that began on January 22 ended today, 48 hours ahead of voting.

BAGHDAD, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A fire at a key oil refinery killed one worker and injured six others on Monday in northern Iraq, authorities said. The fire erupted at an upgrading unit in the Baiji refinery, once the country's largest oil refinery, in Salaheddin province. It added that "one worker was killed and six others were injured." The Baiji refinery, 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of Baghdad, was heavily damaged in some of the fiercest battles with the Islamic State group after it swept across a third of Iraq in 2014. Iraq is one of the world's biggest oil producers and crude oil sales make up 90 percent of budget revenues.

Iran steps up arrests while remaining positive on US talksPARIS, France, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iran stepped up its crackdown on Monday after recent protests, making more arrests while holding the door open to Washington for further nuclear negotiations. The arrests -- including that of Javad Emam, the spokesperson for the main reformist coalition -- came after Iranian and US officials held talks in Oman that both sides painted as positive. On Saturday, Iran heaped more jail time on Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, and on Monday arrested Hossein Karoubi, the son of prominent dissident Mehdi Karoubi. - 'Frustrate the enemy' -On Monday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on the nation to show "resolve" against foreign pressure. The report did not specify whether such an agreement would include only nuclear sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States, or all international economic measures targeting the Islamic republic.

WASHINGTON, United States, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - President Donald Trump threatened Monday to stop the opening of a new bridge between the United States and Canada, in a fresh salvo against the country he has suggested should become the 51st US state. Trump said the United States should own "at least half" of the still under-construction Gordie Howe International Bridge that links the Canadian province of Ontario with the US state of Michigan. The 79-year-old Republican complained that Canada owned both sides of the bridge and used "virtually" no US products to build it. Trump has clashed with Canada over trade since returning to office in January 2025. He previously called for the United States to annex Canada but has largely dropped that claim in recent months.

BANGKOK, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Planned or under-construction solar and wind projects slowed last year, analysis showed Tuesday, casting doubts on whether countries will hit a goal of tripling renewable capacity by decade-end. But announcements and construction starts of new wind and solar projects grew 11 percent in 2025 -- down from 22 percent in the previous year, as wind development projects faced hurdles, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said. As has been the case for years, China is expanding renewable capacity on a scale unmatched elsewhere. It accounted for around a third of global capacity growth in 2025 -- 1.5 terawatts -- more than growth in the next six countries combined. Some wealthy countries are supporting renewable growth, with Japan seeking to revise wind auction guidelines and Britain boosting investment.

January was fifth hottest on record despite cold snap: EU monitorPARIS, France, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The planet experienced its fifth-hottest January on record despite a cold snap that swept across the United States and Europe, the EU's climate monitor said Tuesday. The average global temperature in January was 1.47C above preindustrial times. Europe endured its coldest January since 2010, with an average temperature of 2.34C, the service said. The United States, meanwhile, was hit by a monster winter storm that dumped snow and crippling ice from New Mexico to Maine. The planet remains in an extended run of human-driven warming, with 2024 setting a record high, 2023 ranking second 2025 now third warmest.

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has defended a Winter Olympian's right to wear a helmet featuring athletes killed during the war with Russia after skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said the IOC banned it at the Games. Heraskevych wore the helmet during a training session in Cortina and had intended to use the Games in Italy to help maintain international pressure on Russia. The skeleton racer said he would submit an official request to the IOC and continue to seek permission to use the helmet. Ukrainian Sports Minister Matviy Bidnyi told AFP this month that Russia has killed "more than 650 athletes and coaches", according to the latest data. At the head of a delegation of 46 athletes, Heraskevych marched in Milan last week as his country's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, alongside speed skater Yelyzaveta Sydorko.

Two killed in latest US strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific: militaryWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US Southern Command said Monday that two people were killed in the latest strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific. "Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike," the post on X said, adding that the US Coast Guard was notified to "activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor." Monday's lethal attack brings the total killed to at least 130 in 38 such strikes.

Rubio will travel to Hungary and Slovakia, also led by a right-wing ally of Trump, after addressing the Munich Security Conference, where last year Vice President JD Vance berated the European Union and championed the continent's far-right. Rubio, often seen as the more civil face of the Trump administration, will represent the United States at Munich this year instead of Vance. The trip comes as tensions again rise between the United States and the European Union after Trump mused about seizing Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally. Last week Trump endorsed Orban in a social media post, calling the European Union's longest-serving national leader "a true friend, fighter, and WINNER." When Orban visited the White House last year, Trump granted Hungary a sanctions exemption on Russian oil and gas imports.

KATHMANDU, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Nepal's rapper-turned-mayor Balendra Shah is preparing for the biggest fight of his political life -- a head-to-head battle with veteran leader KP Sharma Oli in the former prime minister's own constituency. Born in Kathmandu in 1990, he was a schoolboy during Nepal's decade-long Maoist civil war between 1996 and 2006, which killed thousands and eventually ended the monarchy. Trained as a civil engineer, he first gained national attention through Nepal's underground hip-hop scene, releasing songs that railed against corruption and inequality. His music, which has drawn millions of views online, helped him cultivate a devoted following on social media -- a platform he continues to favour over traditional media for communicating with supporters. That popularity translated into a political shock in 2022, when Shah became the first independent candidate elected mayor of Kathmandu, stunning Nepal's entrenched political establishment.

TOKYO, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 315 seats in weekend snap elections, giving it a two-thirds majority, official results confirmed Tuesday. The LDP's coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), won 36 seats, giving the ruling bloc 351 lawmakers in the 465-member lower house, the internal affairs ministry data showed. The election also saw the anti-immigration Sanseito party increase its tally to 15 seats from two, the results showed. The new Centrist Reform Alliance of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party and the LDP's previous partner Komeito suffered a disaster, with their tally collapsing to 49 from 167. With an eye on the rise of the populist Sanseito party, Takaichi has also promised to tighten rules on immigration.

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Another defeat damaged Liverpool's chances of Champions League qualification and Arne Slot's threadbare squad face another tough task in midweek away to Sunderland. AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the midweek round of fixtures:Can City provide title twist? The question now is whether a seismic win for Guardiola's side can be the launching pad towards another league title. Howe, by contrast, remains a much loved figure on Tyneside having ended the club's 70-year wait for a domestic trophy by lifting the League Cup last season and twice delivering Champions League football to St. James' Park. Fixtures (all times GMT)TuesdayChelsea v Leeds, Tottenham v Newcastle, Everton v Bournemouth (all 1930), West Ham v Man Utd (2015)WednesdayAston Villa v Brighton, Crystal Palace v Burnley, Man City v Fulham, Nottingham Forest v Wolves (all 1930), Sunderland v Liverpool (2015)ThursdayBrentford v Arsenal (2000)

MILAN, Italy, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japan has filed an official protest with Olympic organisers after the figure skating medal podium at the Milan-Cortina Games left athletes with chipped skate blades following the team competition. Figure skaters rely on their blades being finely tuned so that they can execute ultra-precise moves, and medal podiums are usually covered in rubber to protect the edges from damage. Japan team official Yosuke Takeuchi said the podium in Milan was "a rough, asphalt-like substance made of cut stone", which chipped skaters' blades when they stepped onto it for Sunday's medal ceremony. Takeuchi said on Monday that Japan had lodged a protest with the Olympic organising committee. "Repairs to the chipped blades were carried out this morning at a specialist workshop," he said in a statement, adding that skaters from each of the three medal-winning teams were affected.