CNN

Luxury British store chain Selfridges is being sold to a Thai retailer and an Austrian property company in a deal that a source close to the matter said was worth around £4 billion ($5.37 billion). Read More

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s past came into sharper focus recently with the admission that, in the tumultuous days following the collapse of the Soviet Union, he earned cash on the side as a taxi driver. Read More

At least 38 people have died in Bangladesh after a fire swept through a launch on the Sugandha River in Bangladesh, an official said on Friday. Read More

Dr. Jack Lyons remembers the pandemic’s early days when grateful communities banged pots and pans to honor frontline health care workers. Read More

Japan will not send any senior officials or Cabinet ministers to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, the government said Friday — but stopped short of calling the decision a diplomatic boycott. Read More

The South Korean government has pardoned former President Park Geun-hye, who was serving 22 years in prison for corruption, the country’s Justice Ministry said on Friday. Read More

The Middle East nation of Qatar has announced an ambitious plan to expand its public art program as it prepares to play host to the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Read More

A group of Maldivian fishermen lines up at the back of a boat. As they cast their fishing rods and barbless hooks into the water, they lure in fish by throwing tiny baitfish on the surface. The trick is to create an illusion of prey for the tuna. Read More

Britney Spears is warming up her vocals. Read More

Thai authorities have seized crystal methamphetamine with a street value of almost $30 million stuffed inside boxing punch bags bound for Australia, officials said on Thursday. Read More