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Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping on Friday, as a ceasefire came into effect in Lebanon, raising hopes that two of the main obstacles to a US-Iran peace deal could have been cleared.

Mild-mannered and measured no longer: US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran's centuries-old civilisation was the red line that prompted Pope Leo to show his colours, analysts say.

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Masters on Friday, increasing concerns over whether he will be able to defend his Roland Garros title.

Mikel Arteta has urged spluttering Arsenal to embrace the "huge privilege" of facing Manchester City in a potentially decisive showdown in the Premier League title race.

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo has signed a lucrative seven-year contract extension that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2033.

A key Atlantic Ocean current system that helps regulate the planet's climate could weaken more than expected by 2100, with potentially devastating consequences worldwide, a new study has found.

In cars and on motorbikes, people trickled back into Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, passing bombed-out buildings to check on homes and loved ones after a ceasefire began between Israel and Hezbollah.

President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Iran's announcement that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping, but said a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed.

Oil prices plunged more than 10 percent on Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" for the rest of the ceasefire with the United States, and stock markets surged.

International law is more important than ever at a time when even core countries in the global system are calling it into question, the United Nations secretary general said on Friday.

Turkey on Friday hosts a high‑stakes diplomatic forum bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad steps up efforts to help end the Middle East war.

A Frenchwoman who moved to the United States to marry a Vietnam war veteran she first met six decades ago returned to France Friday after she was detained by US immigration authorities, the foreign minister said.

Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.

Pep Guardiola said that an Arsenal victory at Manchester City on Sunday would end the Premier League title race, but that his side would have a lot more work to do even if they beat the Gunners.

Three Iranian oil tankers carrying a total of five million barrels of crude have become the first such loaded vessels to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force, the tracking firm Kpler told AFP on Friday.

Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians took to the road on Friday, hoping a 10-day ceasefire with Israel would allow them to return to their homes in southern Beirut and the country's war-torn south.

A jubilant crowd gathered in stifling heat Friday for a giant open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV at a stadium in Cameroon's economic capital Douala, the biggest event of a visit marked by his calls for peace and spat with US President Donald Trump.

Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell Friday as investors awaited news of a possible extension to the Iran-US ceasefire, with a first passing of Iranian oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in weeks bolstering hopes.

Myanmar's former president Win Myint, detained since a 2021 military coup, was freed on Friday under a mass amnesty which, according to a source close to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, also reduced her sentence.

A private rescue attempt for a whale stranded off Germany's Baltic coast has entered a "decisive phase", officials said Friday, with the sea mammal showing more activity than in recent days.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was "furious" after it emerged his sacked US ambassador Peter Mandelson was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power.

Former three-time winner Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Madrid Open beginning next week as he needs more time to recover from a shoulder injury.

Tens of thousands of excited fans gathered at a landmark Tokyo stadium Friday to watch K-pop megastars BTS, in concert outside South Korea for the first time on their new world tour.

An Italian court has cleared mafia bestseller "Gomorrah" author and journalist Roberto Saviano of defamation charges brought by far-right deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, his lawyer said Friday.

Just days after eliminating Spanish giants Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals, Bayern Munich could round off a perfect week by winning the Bundesliga title on Sunday.

Millions of gamers around the world may not know Troy Baker's face but would recognise his voice -- perhaps as the heartbroken father Joel in "The Last of Us" or an intrepid Indiana Jones in "The Great Circle".

Tens of thousands of people streamed towards a stadium in Cameroon's economic capital Douala Friday for a huge, open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV, the biggest event of a visit marked by his calls for peace and spat with US President Donald Trump.

The first Hong Kong Sevens took place in front of a few thousand curious spectators, and some of the players wore gym shoes in the mud instead of rugby boots.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Hugo Ekitike can come back even stronger from a ruptured Achilles tendon that has ended the French striker's season, and his dreams of playing in the World Cup.

Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians took to the road on Friday, hoping that a 10-day ceasefire with Israel would allow them to return to their homes in southern Beirut and the country's war-torn south.

An old Smith Corona typewriter, letters from literary contemporaries and photographs are part of the items spanning the life of renowned Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska to go on display this week in Mexico City.

The International Cricket Council said Friday it is investigating Cricket Canada over allegations of match corruption, including the team's loss to New Zealand at the recent T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka.