Hockey

Olympics-Ice hockey-Canada fight back to beat Finland, reach men's gold medal game

MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Canada ⁠fought back to beat defending ‌champions Finland 3-2 in the men's Olympic ice hockey semi-final on Friday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Snowboard-Hard work and high standards behind Japan's record medal haul

MILAN, Feb 20 (Reuters) - ⁠Big air champion Kokomo Murase said hard work and hundreds of ⁠hours of training were behind Japan's record-breaking medal haul in snowboarding at ‌the Milano Cortina Olympics. 

World

Zimbabwe no longer keen on raw mineral exports, says president

HARARE, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday said that his country is no longer satisfied with being a supplier of raw minerals and is seeking to boost local beneficiation and processing to accelerate industrialization and economic growth.

World

IOC President Coventry defends Olympic neutrality

MILAN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry defended on Friday the political neutrality of the Olympic Movement, stressing that the Games remain a powerful force for unity despite growing global tensions.

World

WFP warns deepening hunger crisis in Somalia amid aid cuts

MOGADISHU, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) on Friday warned of catastrophic funding shortfalls in Somalia, with 4.4 million people facing crisis-level or worse food insecurity.

Tennis

Tennis-Pegula fights back to beat Anisimova in Dubai semi-final

DUBAI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Jessica ⁠Pegula shook off a first-set stumble to beat fellow ⁠American Amanda Anisimova 1-6 6-4 6-3 in the semi-finals of ‌the Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday, reaching the eighth WTA 1000 final of her career.

World

French soldier dies after being accidentally shot in head during drunken evening in barracks

Feb 20 (Reuters) - ⁠A French soldier has died after ⁠being accidentally shot in the ‌head during a drunken evening with other soldiers in a barracks near Paris, said the ​Paris prosecutor on Friday.

World

1st LD: U.S. Supreme Court rules Trump administration's sweeping tariffs illegal

NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under a law meant for use in national emergencies are illegal.

World

U.S. Supreme Court tariff ruling could curb Trump's "unlimited, arbitrary tariffs": senior EP official

BRUSSELS, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on International Trade, said on Friday that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling limiting the use of emergency powers for tariffs could help end an era of "unlimited, arbitrary tariffs" imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Other Sports

Olympics-Speed skating-Dutchwoman Rijpma-de Jong wins 1,500m gold

MILAN, ⁠Feb 20 (Reuters) - ‌Dutchwoman Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong won the women's ​1,500 metres ⁠at the ⁠Milano Cortina Games ⁠on Friday, ‌securing the ⁠first Olympic gold of ​her ‌career and her ⁠nation's ​third speed skating title ⁠of these Games.

Other Sports

Olympics-Biathlon-Norway's Laegreid signs off with fifth medal at Milano Cortina Games

ANTERSELVA, Italy, Feb ⁠20 (Reuters) - Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid has had an eventful time at the Milano ⁠Cortina Games, going viral for a tearful confession of infidelity and then ‌picking up no fewer than five medals - three silver and two bronze - in a turbulent two weeks few would have predicted. 

Motorsport

Motor racing-Leclerc fastest for Ferrari on final day of F1 testing

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Formula One wrapped up ⁠pre-season testing in Bahrain on Friday with Charles Leclerc fastest for Ferrari and Racing Bulls rookie ⁠Arvid Lindblad pounding out a single-day record of 165 laps.

World

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's ex-wife 'Fergie' also undone by Epstein ties

LONDON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - With the downfall ⁠of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor near complete, the former prince no longer has Sarah Ferguson by his side. For decades his ex-wife was his rock, but now her own ties ⁠to Jeffrey Epstein have destroyed her reputation too.

World

Chinese couple makes Milan-Cortina history with dual aerials golds (updated)

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- China celebrated a unique double at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Friday as Wang Xindi soared to gold in the men's freestyle skiing aerials - two days after his wife Xu Mengtao had topped the women's podium.

World

EAC vows stronger efforts to ease regional trade obstacles

KIGALI, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Policymakers and private sector players from the East African Community (EAC) bloc on Friday pledged to step up efforts to reduce persistent and emerging barriers to regional trade.

World

Food aid in Somalia could halt within weeks due to funding shortages, WFP warns

GENEVA, ⁠Feb 20 (Reuters) - The U.N. World Food Programme said on Friday ⁠its life-saving food and nutrition assistance in Somalia could ‌grind to a halt by April unless new funding is secured, putting millions of people at risk of worsening hunger.

World

Zambia raises concerns in growing illegal pangolins trade

LUSAKA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Friday expressed concern over rising arrests linked to the illegal trade in pangolins and their products.

World

Zambian expert says China's zero-tariff policy reinforces South-South cooperation

LUSAKA, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's decision to fully implement zero-tariff treatment for imports from 53 African countries that maintain diplomatic relations reinforces South-South cooperation, a Zambian expert said on Thursday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Skeleton-Weston struggling to comprehend new golden status

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Double Olympic skeleton ⁠champion Matt Weston is one of the most articulate athletes you could ever meet but, even five days on from becoming the only Briton to ⁠win two medals at the same Winter Olympics, he says he is still lost for words.

World

5 trapped miners presumed dead after mud rush at S. African mine

CAPE TOWN, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five miners trapped underground at a diamond mine in South Africa's Northern Cape Province are now presumed dead, said Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe on Friday.