And Denmark to hold snap election next month.
TGIF and welcome to the end of February (already!). Here’s your summary of global business and political news from overnight.
First up, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door interview as part of the panel’s investigation into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, CNN reported.
The hearing in New York followed a staunch fight by both the former secretary of state and former president Bill Clinton, who suggested it was a Republican plot against them.
Hillary Clinton has said she cannot recall ever meeting Epstein and only interacted with his former associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, a handful of times. “Why do they want to pull us into this? To divert attention from President [Donald] Trump. This is not complicated,” she told the BBC this month.
Clinton is being interviewed the day before her husband’s appearance, which will be the first time a former president has been forced to testify in a congressional probe.
US President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera said Borge Brende has resigned from his roles at the World Economic Forum (WEF) following revelations of his links with Epstein. Brende became president of the WEF in 2017.
“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8-1/2 years, has been profoundly rewarding,” Brende said in a statement.
“I am grateful for the incredible collaboration with my colleagues, partners, and constituents, and I believe now is the right moment for the Forum to continue its important work without distractions.”
To the markets, where shares in Nvidia sank 5% on Thursday local time, as investor concerns about artificial intelligence dampened enthusiasm following better-than-expected earnings, CNBC said.
Fourth-quarter revenue hit US$68.1 billion, ahead of estimates of US$66.2b. Total revenue climbed 73% from a year ago and guidance also came in ahead of expectations.
“The debate has shifted away from near-term results and toward the sustainability of AI capex spending, amid concerns around its quantum, monetisation and potential cashflow degradation,” Richard Clode, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson Investors, told CNBC.
Denmark will hold a snap election on March 24, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced, in an attempt to capitalise on a surge in support for her stance against US pressure over Greenland, the ABC and Reuters reported.
"This will be a decisive election, because it will be in the next four years that we as Danes and as Europeans will really have to stand on our own feet," Frederiksen said.
"We need to define our relationship with the United States, and we must rearm to ensure peace on our continent. We must stick together in Europe, and we must secure the future of the Danish Commonwealth."
A third round of talks between Iranian and US officials are being held in Geneva, aimed at reaching a compromise on Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
BBC Middle East correspondent Hugo Bachega said negotiations were seen as crucial to averting conflict after Trump threatened to strike Iran if a nuclear deal was not reached.
Iran rejected the US demand to stop the enrichment of uranium, but there had been indications it could offer some nuclear concessions.
In developing news, Afghanistan launched attacks against Pakistani military positions along the border in response to air strikes last week, according to Taliban authorities, Al Jazeera, Reuters, and the AP reported.
It was reported that “heavy clashes” had started late on Thursday local time, in response to recent airstrikes by Pakistani forces in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces.
Over the Ditch, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled that the former boss of the Burgertory restaurant chain breached hate speech laws at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne last year, the ABC reported.
Hash Tayeh was taken to the VCAT by Jewish lawyer Menachem Vorchheimer. The ruling stated that during a speech on March 23 last year, Tayeh called on the crowd to chant "all Zionists are terrorists".
The ruling noted that Tayeh had been charged by police two weeks before attending the rally with four criminal charges for allegedly making the same statement in public. Vorchheimer alleged the word "Zionist" was a codeword for "Jew" and that Tayeh's chant racially and religiously vilified Jewish people.
Finally, automotive manufacturer Stellantis reported its first-ever annual loss after substantial writedowns and a strategic shift from electric vehicles.
The maker of vehicles, such as Jeep, Chrysler and Peugeot, posted a full-year 2025 net loss of €22.3b, compared with a profit of €5.5b the previous year. The net loss was driven by writedowns as it scales back its EV strategy, CNBC reported.
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