World Media Briefing — 2026-02-20

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World

• Tariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agenda: The Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher.
• Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon: Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.
• Austrian climber found guilty after girlfriend froze to death on mountain: The woman died of hypothermia during a climbing trip on the Grossglockner mountain in January 2025.
• Asos co-founder dies after Thailand apartment block fall: Quentin Griffiths co-founded Asos in 2000 and remained a significant shareholder after leaving the firm five years later.
• Venezuelan opposition politician released after amnesty law passed: Juan Pablo Guanipa announces that he has been freed after "almost nine months" of imprisonment.
• Rare prison sentences handed to Cameroon soldiers after killing of 21 civilians: In a rare occurence, three soldiers were handed jail terms for killings in the troubled Anglophone region.
• French soldier dies after being shot in head during 'game' with other soldiers: According to prosecutors, the game - known within the military - involves attempting to disarm a colleague and disable their weapon.
• Dog trained to illegally dump rubbish, Italian authorities say: "Ingenuity can never become an alibi for incivility", the City of Catania warns.
• India’s Hindu Right Seems Unstoppable. This City Shows How.: Muslims make up a majority in Sambhal, but after deadly clashes over a mosque, they say they the arms of the state are now stifling them.
• Ukrainian Women Tell Their Stories of Sexual Violence by Russian Soldiers: Hundreds of Ukrainian women and girls have reported sexual violence by Russian troops during the four-year war in Ukraine.
• A New U.S. Blockade Is Strangling Cuba: An analysis of ship movements shows that the Trump administration is isolating the island at one of its most vulnerable moments.
• Former Prince Andrew’s Arrest Upends Royal Family’s Effort to Move Past His Scandal: King Charles III’s family, long rocked by infighting and grievous losses, is facing what could be the gravest threat to its moral authority in more than a generation.
• China’s ‘King of Banned Films’ Wants to Change the Subject: Acclaimed overseas for defying censors, Lou Ye is more interested in reaching Chinese audiences, as he holds up a cinematic mirror to their lives in modern China.
• British Police Search Mansion Used by Former Prince Andrew: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office, was released after an arrest that plunged the British royal family into crisis.
• Palestinian-American Teenager Killed in West Bank Is Laid to Rest: Nasrallah Abu Siyam, 19, was shot dead by an Israeli settler, according to a witness and Palestinian health officials, amid rising violent settler attacks in the Israeli-occupied territory.
• An Enemy’s Fall Frees Up South Korea’s Leader. Now Comes the Tough Part.: President Lee Jae Myung gained legitimacy from his predecessor’s conviction​. But South Korea’s political polarization is caustic, and could get worse.
• Police search former Prince Andrew's home a day after his arrest over Epstein ties: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the British former prince, is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
• Ali Akbar, who's sold newspapers on the streets of Paris for 50 years, is now a knight: For decades, Ali Akbar has sold papers on the Left Bank of Paris. Last month, France gave the beloved 73-year-old immigrant from Pakistan one of its highest honors — and his neighborhood is cheering.
• Second U.S. carrier nears Middle East, as Trump pressures Iran to make a deal: A second American aircraft carrier moved closer to the Middle East Thursday, as President Trump remains noncommittal about whether he'll use force against Iran.
• Former U.S. Navy commander talks about the US military buildup near Iran: NPR's Michel Martin asks retired Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, a former Navy commander in the Middle East, about the U.S. military buildup near Iran.
• U.S. military buildup near Iran reaches critical level. And, Trump's plans for Gaza: The U.S. buildup in the Middle East has reached a critical mass that could put pressure on Iran in negotiations. And, Trump unveils big plans for Gaza during the first-ever Board of Peace meeting.
• Trump unveils big plans for Gaza at Board of Peace's first meeting: President Trump hosted the first ever Board of Peace meeting Thursday in Washington, D.C., with about 40 countries attending.
• Morning news brief: A second U.S. aircraft carrier moved closer to the Middle East Thursday, President Trump's Board of Peace held its first meeting, former Prince Andrew released after spending day in police custody.
• Iranian authorities crack down on mourners trying to honor people killed in protests: Iranian authorities are cracking down on mourners as they try to memorialize their loved ones who were killed in last month's protests.
• Man Utd owner Ratcliffe avoids charge by FA for ‘colonised’ comment: Manchester United owner Jim Ratcliffe has apologised if people were offended by UK 'colonised ⁠by immigrants' comment.
• Police search ex-Prince Andrew’s former home a day after his arrest: Mountbatten-Windsor remains under investigation, which means he has neither been charged nor exonerated by police.
• Senegal football federation denounces verdict in Morocco against fans: Eighteen Senegal fans were detained following the AFCON final in Morocco on January 18 and were sentenced on Thursday.
• Iran says US military build-up ‘unnecessary and unhelpful’, deal achievable: Top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi says US 'has not asked' for zero uranium enrichment in nuclear talks.
• A fragile freedom for Venezuela’s released political prisoners: Venezuela's new government has released hundreds of political detainees. But does that mean freedom?
• Residents in northern Lebanon terrified their buildings will collapse: Residents say they’re scared for their own homes after a deadly building collapse in northern Lebanon.
• Trump tariffs live: US Supreme Court rules against sweeping global tariffs: Supreme Court says Trump did not have authority to enact tariffs under law meant for national emergencies.
• In Gaza, Trump’s Board of Peace met with deep scepticism, little hope: In war-ravaged Gaza, residents question whether Trump's Board of Peace will deliver real security.

US

• Tariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agenda: The Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher.
• Trump tariffs ripped up global trade order. What now?: If you think the Supreme Court ruling heralds a return to pre-Trump business as usual - think again.
• Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon: Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.
• How Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALS: The Grey's Anatomy star spent his last months campaigning towards a cure for the rare, incurable condition.
• Woman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airport: A charity says it has been inudated with applications to adopt the dog after it was tied to the baggage sizer at a ticket counter.
• Trump directs US government to prepare release of files on aliens and UFOs: Trump says he will seek release of files on extraterrestrials, "based on the tremendous interest shown".
• 'Who's next?' - American lawmakers call for 'justice' in the US after Andrew arrest: US lawmakers urge their government to follow the UK's suit and push harder on those who were close to Jeffrey Epstein.
• New Mexico reopens criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch: The initial investigation was closed in 2019 but prosecutors say that new revelations "warrant further examination".
• Were Trump’s Tariffs Working?: The Census Bureau released data showing that the U.S. trade deficit in goods last year was the highest on record. Our chief economics correspondent, Ben Casselman, breaks down whether President Trump’s tariff policies had their intended impact in 2025.
• Some G.O.P. Lawmakers Laud Ruling, Reflecting Intraparty Angst Over Tariffs: While President Trump’s staunchest supporters condemned the decision, some Republicans suggested it restored Congress’s rightful role in weighing in on trade policy.
• Trump Plans to Impose Tariffs a Different Way After Supreme Court Loss: The administration has been preparing for months for the possibility that the court would rule against the president and developed contingency plans.
• The Supreme Court’s Declaration of Independence: The court’s rejection of President Trump’s tariffs program is the latest in a series of clashes between him and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
• Supreme Court Ruling Could Dash Trump’s Spending Dreams: Tariff revenue was always unlikely to be sufficient to cover the cost of his raft of promises, but the president still seemed to describe it as essentially limitless.
• Trump Has Other Options to Impose Tariffs: The Supreme Court ruling is a blow, but the administration has other trade tools at its disposal.
• Apple Is One of the Companies Hit Hardest by Tariffs: The company makes almost all of its products in countries facing steep levies, running up a tariff bill of $3.3 billion over the past three quarters.
• Trump says he’s considering a limited strike on Iran to force a deal.:
• NASA eyes March 6 to launch 4 astronauts to the moon on Artemis II mission: The four astronauts heading to the moon for the lunar fly-by are the first humans to venture there since 1972. The ten-day mission will travel more than 600,000 miles.
• Skis? Check. Poles? Check. Knitting needles? Naturally: A number of Olympic athletes have turned to knitting during the heat of the Games, including Ben Ogden, who this week became the most decorated American male Olympic cross-country skier.
• Police search former Prince Andrew's home a day after his arrest over Epstein ties: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the British former prince, is being investigated on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
• Facing a mental health crisis, an NJ school pulled a beloved novel from English class: Junot Díaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was removed from an English class at the public school. PEN America says it's part of a trend of scrubbing literature dealing with uncomfortable topics.
• Supreme Court strikes down Trump's tariffs: The 6-3 ruling is a major blow to the president's signature economic policy.
  
  
• Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill: Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.
• U.S. Commission on Fine Arts approves Trump's White House ballroom plan: The U.S. Commission on Fine Arts, which is packed with President Trump's allies, voted to approve the new White House ballroom project pursued by Trump.
• Los Angeles wildfires survivors say they're being denied aid for political reasons: Survivors of the deadly Los Angeles wildfires say they're in the crosshairs of the White House v. California political battle over aid. It's making it difficult for some to recover let alone rebuild.

Business & Economy

• Supreme Court strikes down Trump's sweeping global tariffs: The ruling opens the door to potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in tariff refunds.
• Trump tariffs ripped up global trade order. What now?: If you think the Supreme Court ruling heralds a return to pre-Trump business as usual - think again.
• KFC, Nando's, and others ditch chicken welfare pledge: Wingstop, Burger King, and others have walked away from an industry commitment to avoid using fast-growing chickens
• UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies: The scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme.
• Higher tax helped UK government reach record January surplus: The government took in more from tax receipts than expected, official data suggests.
• How do you modernise mango farming?: India's mango farmers are being urged to innovate as climate change makes cultivation "unpredictable".
• New Year's sport supplement buying adds to January retail sales surge: Continuing strong sales from online jewellers after a recent spike in gold prices also helped drive the increase.
• Lobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson goes into administration: Global Counsel's clients cut ties with the firm over Lord Mandelson's links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
• Trump Plans to Impose Tariffs a Different Way After Supreme Court Loss: The administration has been preparing for months for the possibility that the court would rule against the president and developed contingency plans.
• Supreme Court Justices Strike Down Trump’s Tariffs: President Trump was the first to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 to set tariffs on imported goods from more than 100 countries.
• A Cancer Detection Test Fails in Major Study: A closely watched clinical trial in Britain that screened blood for early detection of cancer did not show a reduction in later stages of the disease.
• U.S. Economy Grew Modestly at End of 2025: Gross domestic product expanded at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the last quarter of the year, hit by the effects of the government shutdown.
• Is Blue Owl Private Credit’s ‘Canary in the Coal Mine’?: Steep declines in the shares of private lenders, after a major fund changed how investors can withdraw money, have sparked worries about more trouble to come.
• Mixed Signals Churn Stock Market Despite Recent Highs: Major indexes have mostly been treading water for months, as investors’ exuberance for artificial intelligence wears off.
• Can an A.I. Productivity Boom Clear a Path for More Rate Cuts? Trump’s Fed Pick Thinks So.: As Federal Reserve chair, Kevin M. Warsh may face a tough task persuading his colleagues to lower borrowing costs because of potential productivity gains.
• Why the United States Is Seeing an Ongoing Tourism Slump: Last year, the U.S. was the only major destination to see a decline in international travelers. With increased scrutiny at the border, ICE violence and unpredictable policies, the new year isn’t looking better.
• Trump's tariffs were 'last straw' for this business owner's now-shuttered store: NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Jennifer Bergman, who says she had to close her family's toy store business of 44 years in July 2025 due to President Trump's tariffs.
• 7 key things to know about Trump's tariffs after the Supreme Court decision: The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump overstepped his authority in ordering double-digit tariffs on nearly everything the U.S. imports. Here's some of the economic context to understand that decision.
• The economy slowed in the last 3 months of the year — but was still solid in 2025: The U.S. economy grew 2.2% in 2025, a modest slowdown from 2.4% the previous year. GDP gains were fueled by solid consumer spending and business investment.
• Using saliva to detect disease holds promise, but it's not perfected yet: Easier than a blood test, saliva tests have the potential to detect cavities, infections and even cancer. But a lack of insurance coverage and other obstacles stand in the way of wider use.
• In a historic vote, Tennessee Volkswagen workers get their first union contract: Two years ago, the successful union drive at this plant was expected to spark victories throughout the South. But now, as members vote to make their contract official, momentum has fizzled.
• With Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs struck down, here are the industries still facing higher rates: President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs were deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but some sector-specific tariffs remain in place.
• Retail industry says Trump tariff reversal will bring predictability, flexibility for innovation: Clothing and footwear were among the imports most vulnerable to Trump's tariffs, which imposed steep rates on countries like China and Vietnam.
• Small furniture retailers face existential tariff threat, despite Supreme Court ruling: Higher import costs is the latest blow to the furniture industry, which had been buckling under interest rates and a sluggish housing market well before tariffs.
• Tax season presents a boom-or-bust test for U.S. auto sales: Auto industry experts anticipate that some Americans could use higher tax returns to finally purchase a new or used vehicle.
• Equinox's $40,000-a-year membership has a waiting list, says chairman Harvey Spevak: Harvey Spevak, Equinox's executive chairman, said demand for "Optimize" memberships highlights the "insatiable" demand by the wealthy for wellness offerings.
• Bath & Body Works starts selling on Amazon as more brands embrace its logistics network: Bath & Body Works CEO Daniel Heaf told CNBC the Amazon launch is about meeting customers where they are and leveraging Amazon's fast and free shipping.
• Amazon surpasses Walmart in annual revenue for first time, as both chase AI-fueled growth: The shuffle underscores the rivalry between the two retailers, particularly as Walmart expands its advertising and third-party marketplace businesses.
• Famed director James Cameron sends scathing letter to antitrust lawmaker over Netflix-WBD deal: James Cameron, award-winning director of "Avatar" and "Titanic," calls Netflix's proposed acquisition of WBD assets "disastrous" for the theater business.

AI & Technology

• Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss: But the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI."
• Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool Copilot: The company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see".
• Asos co-founder dies after Thailand apartment block fall: Quentin Griffiths co-founded Asos in 2000 and remained a significant shareholder after leaving the firm five years later.
• Starmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaigner: Baroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media.
• Nasa boss says Boeing Starliner failure one of worst in its history: The agency released a critical report that puts the Starliner incident at same mistake level assigned to the fatal Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters.
• The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic: Clips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement.
• How do you modernise mango farming?: India's mango farmers are being urged to innovate as climate change makes cultivation "unpredictable".
• The Pentagon vs. Anthropic + An A.I. Agent Slandered Me + Hot Mess Express: This would be an unprecedented escalation against a U.S. company.
• His Team Devised Ways to Keep World Cup Crowds Safe: Michael Silevitch leads a research center dedicated to protecting busy public spaces. Last April, he was instructed to “end all work” immediately.
• A.I. Isn’t Coming for Every White-Collar Job. At Least Not Yet.: Tech workers are increasingly worried that the artificial intelligence they are building will replace them. But some are optimistic that it is just one more tool to work with.
• AI Safety Meets the War Machine: Anthropic doesn’t want its AI used in autonomous weapons or government surveillance. Those carve-outs could cost it a major military contract.
• Supreme Court Rules Most of Donald Trump’s Tariffs Are Illegal: In a 6-3 ruling, justices upended the Trump administration’s signature economic policy, potentially putting the US government on the hook for at least $175 billion in tariff refunds.
• Your Coffee Grinder Is as Important as Your Brewer—Here Are the 5 Best We’ve Tested: We used particle size analysis and real-world testing to find the best conical burr, flat burr, and blade grinders for every budget and style of coffee drinker.
• Epilogue GB Operator Review: Play Your Game Boy Games on a Laptop: Epilogue’s adorable GB Operator plug-in gizmo is a must-have for collectors of retro Nintendo Game Boy games.
• Boldr Kelvin Review (2026): Heats Your Body, Heats the Wall: The Boldr Kelvin heater looks cool and promises energy savings and far-infrared heat. Too bad it also heats backward.
• Could AI Data Centers Be Moved to Outer Space?: Massive data centers for generative AI are bad for the Earth. How about launching them into orbit?
• How to Layer Your Clothes to Stay Warm in Any Season (2026): Whether you’re hiking, climbing, or backpacking, here’s how to use base layers, mid layers, and a shell to be comfortable no matter what nature throws at you.
• The Best Mushroom Gummies on the Market, Lab-Approved (2026): These edibles made from functional fungi are not your childhood Flintstone vitamins.
• Ukrainian man jailed for identity theft that helped North Koreans get jobs at US companies: A Ukrainian man has been sentenced for helping North Koreans gain fraudulent employment at dozens of U.S. companies and funnel that money back to the regime to fund its nuclear weapons program.
• Tesla loses bid to overturn $243M Autopilot verdict: "The grounds for relief that Tesla relies upon are virtually the same as those Tesla put forth previously during the course of trial"
• Threads posts can now be shared directly to your Instagram Story without leaving the app: The new Threads feature lets you share your posts — or anyone else's — to your Instagram Story without leaving the Threads app.
• Toy Story 5 takes aim at creepy AI toys: ‘I’m always listening’: Addictive, AI-enabled tablets are taking over, and also, Woody is balding in the new Toy Story movie, out June 19.
• Meta’s metaverse leaves virtual reality: Meta said it's shifting focus for Horizon Worlds to be "almost exclusively mobile" and that it will separate its Quest VR platform from the virtual world.
• Lucid Motors slashes 12% of its workforce as it seeks profitability: The layoffs affect hundreds of full-time workers in the US, according to an internal memo obtained by TechCrunch.
• AI’s promise to indie filmmakers: Faster, cheaper, lonelier: AI expands access to filmmaking for resource-constrained creators. But as efficiency becomes the industry’s north star, creativity risks being overwhelmed by a deluge of low-effort, AI-generated content.
• Prepare for pitch battle: Startup Battlefield 200 nominations are open: Nominations for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 are open. Pitch at Disrupt 2026 in October in front of top VCs and the full TechCrunch audience. Nominate your startup or for one that's deserving.
• BeyondTrust Flaw Used for Web Shells, Backdoors, and Data Exfiltration: Threat actors have been observed exploiting a recently disclosed critical security flaw impacting BeyondTrust Remote Support (RS) and Privileged Remote Access (PRA) products to conduct a wide range of malicious actions, including deploying VShell and  The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-1731 (CVSS score: 9.9), allows attackers to execute operating system commands in the context of the
• Cline CLI 2.3.0 Supply Chain Attack Installed OpenClaw on Developer Systems: In yet another software supply chain attack, the open-source, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered coding assistant Cline CLI was updated to stealthily install OpenClaw, a self-hosted autonomous AI agent that has become exceedingly popular in the past few months. "On February 17, 2026, at 3:26 AM PT, an unauthorized party used a compromised npm publish token to publish an update to Cline CLI
• ClickFix Campaign Abuses Compromised Sites to Deploy MIMICRAT Malware: Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new ClickFix campaign that abuses compromised legitimate sites to deliver a previously undocumented remote access trojan (RAT) called MIMICRAT (aka AstarionRAT). "The campaign demonstrates a high level of operational sophistication: compromised sites spanning multiple industries and geographies serve as delivery infrastructure, a multi-stage
• Identity Cyber Scores: The New Metric Shaping Cyber Insurance in 2026: With one in three cyber-attacks now involving compromised employee accounts, insurers and regulators are placing far greater emphasis on identity posture when assessing cyber risk.  For many organizations, however, these assessments remain largely opaque. Elements such as password hygiene, privileged access management, and the extent of multi-factor authentication (MFA) coverage are
• Ukrainian National Sentenced to 5 Years in North Korea IT Worker Fraud Case: A 29-year-old Ukrainian national has been sentenced to five years in prison in the U.S. for his role in facilitating North Korea's fraudulent information technology (IT) worker scheme. In November 2025, Oleksandr "Alexander" Didenko pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft for stealing the identities of U.S. citizens and selling them to IT workers to help them land
• FBI Reports 1,900 ATM Jackpotting Incidents Since 2020, $20M Lost in 2025: The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of an increase in ATM jackpotting incidents across the country, leading to losses of more than $20 million in 2025. The agency said 1,900 ATM jackpotting incidents have been reported since 2020, out of which 700 took place last year. In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) said about $40.73 million has been collectively
• Former Google Engineers Indicted Over Trade Secret Transfers to Iran: Two former Google engineers and one of their husbands have been indicted in the U.S. for allegedly committing trade secret theft from the search giant and other tech firms and transferring the information to unauthorized locations, including Iran. Samaneh Ghandali, 41, and her husband Mohammadjavad Khosravi (aka Mohammad Khosravi), 40, along with her sister Soroor Ghandali, 32, have been accused

Science & Health

• Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon: Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.
• Deer culling to be made easier to protect trees and crops: The government unveils a long awaited 10-year deer management plan that will identify priority culling areas.
• Nasa boss says Boeing Starliner failure one of worst in its history: The agency released a critical report that puts the Starliner incident at same mistake level assigned to the fatal Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters.
• NASA Conducts Successful Launchpad Test of the Massive Artemis Rocket: The next moon mission, carrying four astronauts, could launch as soon as early March.
• Investigators Blame NASA and Boeing for Starliner Failures: Technical and oversight problems left two astronauts aboard the International Space Station for months longer than had been expected.
• On an Ambitious Antarctic Quest, One Nation Is on the Sidelines: None of the main research on the voyage of the Araon was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, a sign of the difficult times for American science.
• A Lonely Baby Monkey Wins Hearts, and Even a Few Friends: Legions of fans from around the world have been cheering on Punch, a 7-month-old macaque who had been struggling to socialize at a zoo outside Tokyo.
• Lake Erie’s Storm Surges Become More Extreme: Officials are designing new ways to protect the shorelines from sudden flooding and longer storm seasons.
• NASA eyes March 6 to launch 4 astronauts to the moon on Artemis II mission: The four astronauts heading to the moon for the lunar fly-by are the first humans to venture there since 1972. The ten-day mission will travel more than 600,000 miles.
• Scientists worry about lasting damage from Potomac sewage spill: Drinking water around the District of Columbia hasn't been contaminated. But scientists say the environmental damage could be severe.
• Trump says he doesn't know if aliens are real but directs government to release files on UFOs: President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's directing the Pentagon and other government agencies to release files related to extraterrestrials and UFOs because of "tremendous interest."
• NASA chief blasts Boeing, space agency for failed Starliner astronaut mission: NASA's Jared Isaacman slammed Boeing for failures with its Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe to return its crew of two astronauts from the International Space Station
• Scientists analyzed bottle residue from ancient Rome. They found human feces: Archeologists found evidence that ancient Romans may have used a medical treatment involving perfume... and human feces.
• This week in science: Mental health and chatbots, ultrarunning and intermittent fasting: NPR's science podcast Short Wave talk about how ultrarunning affects the body, the trend of intermittent fasting and how to protect people's mental health when they talk with chatbots.
• Baby chicks link certain sounds with shapes, just like humans do: A surprising new study shows that baby chickens react the same way that humans do when tested for something called the "bouba-kiki effect," which has been linked to the emergence of language.

Sports

• Table-punching injury left Menzies close to quitting darts: Cameron Menzies says he has come close to "wrapping" up his darts career as the hand injury he suffered punching a drinks table at the PDC World Championship has left him with "no feeling" in the fingers of his right hand.
• Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling gold: All eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics.
• Mourinho made 'unacceptable, huge mistake' - Kompany: Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany says Jose Mourinho made a "huge mistake" with his "unacceptable" post-match comments after the alleged racial abuse of Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr.
• 'I'm on right side' - Kenworthy on death threats after ICE post: Team GB's Gus Kenworthy says he took the death threats he received after he posted a graphic message about the United States' ICE organisation with a pinch of salt.
• Arsenal exactly where we want to be - Arteta: Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are "exactly where they want to be" in every competition as the Gunners get ready to face rivals Tottenham after the disappointing draw at Wolves.
• 'Ireland plot upset with title hopes on the line': Ireland hope to pull off a major upset and deliver a statement Six Nations win in Saturday's showdown at Allianz Stadium.
• Maier's 'gold medal performance' in ski cross final: Germany's Daniela Maier claims gold in the women's ski cross big final. Maier was following a contentious bronze medal finish four years ago in Beijing.
• Biathletes race to avoid finishing last in Olympic final: The last three finishers in the men's 15km biathlon final have some fun at the end of the race as they compete to not come last.

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