US: Avalanches Hit Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, Injure Skiers and Close State Road

A backcountry avalanche struck Big Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday morning, February 21, prompting a search and rescue response and the closure of State Route 190, causing major traffic disruptions. Two skiers were buried in a separate slide the same day and suffered critical and serious injuries, while another avalanche later injured one person. After heavy snowfall created unstable snowpack, more than 50 avalanches have been reported across northern Utah in 48 hours, and officials warn of extremely dangerous conditions.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani meets the press at the end of the first day of the team's workout for pitchers and catchers in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani works out in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring training for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

Baseball: MLB spring training

Baseball: MLB spring training

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws a bullpen session in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 13, 2026, the first day of the team's spring workout for pitchers and catchers.

[Breaking News]BOJ policy-setting meeting

TOKYO, Japan, Jan. 23 Kyodo - Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting. (Kyodo)

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda holds a press conference at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, following a two-day policy setting meeting.

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power complex in Niigata Prefecture is pictured on Jan. 21, 2026, the day Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. restarted its No. 6 reactor. TEPCO, however, said two days later that it had shut down the reactor after an alarm was triggered during control rod withdrawal operations.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

The Bank of Japan holds the second day session of the central bank's two-day monetary policy meeting at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, with Governor Kazuo Ueda seated in the center.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda (C) attends the second day of the central bank's two-day policy-setting meeting at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda (C) attends the second day of the central bank's two-day policy-setting meeting at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda attends the second day of the central bank's two-day policy-setting meeting at the BOJ's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda arrives at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, for the second day of its two-day monetary policy meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda arrives at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, for the second day of its two-day monetary policy meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda arrives at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 23, 2026, for the second day of its two-day monetary policy meeting.

BOJ policy-setting meeting

BOJ policy-setting meeting

Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda arrives at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo on Jan. 22, 2026, for the first day of a two-day monetary policy meeting. (Pool photo)

Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Firefighters gather on Mt. Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Jan. 20, 2026, as they begin the search for a sightseeing helicopter carrying two passengers from Taiwan and the pilot that went missing near the summit earlier in the day.

Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Helicopter carrying 3 goes missing near Japan's Mt. Aso summit

Photo taken on Jan. 20, 2026, in Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, shows the area near a crater on Mt. Aso where a sightseeing helicopter carrying two passengers from Taiwan and the pilot went missing near the summit earlier in the day.

Illustration - Chartreuse

Illustration - Chartreuse

Two people are walking with snowshoes in the Chartreuse Regional Park. llustration of a snowy day in the small ski resort of Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse. France, Isere, Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, January 11, 2026. Photo by Thibaut Durand /ABACAPRESS.COM

Illustration - Chartreuse

Illustration - Chartreuse

Two people are walking with snowshoes in the Chartreuse Regional Park. llustration of a snowy day in the small ski resort of Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse. France, Isere, Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, January 11, 2026. Photo by Thibaut Durand /ABACAPRESS.COM

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Applicants are seated at the University of Tokyo in the Japanese capital on Jan. 17, 2026, as the two-day unified university entrance examinations are set to begin across Japan.

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Applicants are seated at the University of Tokyo in the Japanese capital on Jan. 17, 2026, as the two-day unified university entrance examinations are set to begin across Japan. (Pool photo)

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Applicants are seated at the University of Tokyo in the Japanese capital on Jan. 17, 2026, as the two-day unified university entrance examinations are set to begin across Japan. (Pool photo)

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Unified university entrance exams in Japan

Applicants walk at a University of Tokyo campus in the Japanese capital on Jan. 17, 2026, as the two-day unified university entrance examinations are set to begin across Japan.

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV have lunch with the cardinals on the second day of his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2026. RIGHT of the pope: French cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline. Over the course of two days, the Pope meets with members of the College of Cardinals in order to foster shared discernment and to offer support and counsel to the pope in carrying out his responsibility for the governance of the universal Church. Photo by (EV) Simone Risoluti/ Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV have lunch with the cardinals on the second day of his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2026. Over the course of two days, the Pope meets with members of the College of Cardinals in order to foster shared discernment and to offer support and counsel to the pope in carrying out his responsibility for the governance of the universal Church. Photo by (EV) Simone Risoluti/ Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV have lunch with the cardinals on the second day of his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2026. LEFT: French cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline. Over the course of two days, the Pope meets with members of the College of Cardinals in order to foster shared discernment and to offer support and counsel to the pope in carrying out his responsibility for the governance of the universal Church. Photo by (EV) Simone Risoluti/ Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV have lunch with the cardinals on the second day of his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2026. LEFT: French cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline. Over the course of two days, the Pope meets with members of the College of Cardinals in order to foster shared discernment and to offer support and counsel to the pope in carrying out his responsibility for the governance of the universal Church. Photo by (EV) Simone Risoluti/ Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Leads Extraordinary Consistory - Day 2 - Vatican

Pope Leo XIV have lunch with the cardinals on the second day of his first Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on January 8, 2026. LEFT: French cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline. Over the course of two days, the Pope meets with members of the College of Cardinals in order to foster shared discernment and to offer support and counsel to the pope in carrying out his responsibility for the governance of the universal Church. Photo by (EV) Simone Risoluti/ Vatican Media/ABACAPRESS.COM

US: Two Killed, Six Injured in Shooting Outside LDS Church in Salt Lake City

Two people were killed and six others injured when a shooting broke out during a dispute in the parking lot of a meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside a funeral in Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood on Wednesday evening, January 7.

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Aoyama Gakuin University anchor runner Sota Orita crosses the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi business district on Jan. 3, 2026, securing the university's third consecutive year of victory in the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Aoyama Gakuin University anchor runner Sota Orita crosses the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi business district on Jan. 3, 2026, securing the university's third consecutive year of victory in the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Aoyama Gakuin University anchor runner Sota Orita crosses the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi business district on Jan. 3, 2026, securing the university's third consecutive year of victory in the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Aoyama Gakuin University anchor runner Sota Orita crosses the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi business district on Jan. 3, 2026, securing the university's third consecutive year of victory in the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay

Aoyama Gakuin University anchor runner Sota Orita crosses the finish line in Tokyo's Otemachi business district on Jan. 3, 2026, securing the university's third consecutive year of victory in the two-day Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

The first runners of 21 teams start the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden in the capital's Otemachi business district on Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the two-day road relay. (Pool photo)

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

The first runners of 21 teams start the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden in the capital's Otemachi business district on Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the two-day road relay. (Pool photo)

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

The first runners of 21 teams start the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden in the capital's Otemachi business district on Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the two-day road relay.

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

Tokyo-Hakone ekiden road relay

The first runners of 21 teams start the Tokyo-Hakone collegiate ekiden in the capital's Otemachi business district on Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the two-day road relay.