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Leading democracies on Friday pledged unwavering support for Ukraine in its war with Russia while the European Union promised to hike military support for Kyiv by more than half a billion dollars.

Europe pledged another half billion dollars in military support for Kyiv on Friday and Sweden edged closer to joining NATO as the war in Ukraine entered its 12th week.

Sweden is widely expected to apply for NATO membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a surge in support, but many Swedes are uncomfortable with how quickly the decision-making process has gone.

The United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73 on Friday, state media said, after battling illness for several years.

A smiling Queen Elizabeth II was pictured watching the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Friday, allaying some fears over health problems that saw her miss the opening of the UK parliament earlier this week for the first time in nearly 60 years.

Elon Musk said on Friday he was putting a temporary halt on his much-anticipated deal to buy Twitter, sending shares in the social media giant plunging.

Global stock markets rebounded Friday on easing fears about the pace of interest rate rises in the United States that are aimed at bringing down the country's highest inflation in decades.

Rainfall that caused catastrophic floods and landslides last month in and around Durban, South Africa, was made twice as likely by global warming, scientists said Friday.

Italy full-back Ange Capuozzo, who lit up the Six Nations when he made his first international start in Cardiff, has joined French giants Toulouse, the Top 14 club announced on Friday.

The United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73 on Friday, state media said, after battling illness for several years.

Robert Lewandowski has opened the door to a high-profile transfer after telling Bayern Munich that he will not be extending his contract beyond June 2023 when it expires, German media reported on Friday.

The war is not over, but Ukraine's finance minister says the first signs of economic recovery are emerging after Russian troops retreated away from the capital and northern areas.

Emirates airline announced a "significantly reduced" annual loss of $1.1 billion dollars on Friday, down from $5.5 billion a year earlier, as pandemic travel restrictions ease.

The G7 group of industrialised nations are united in backing Ukraine "until victory", France said Friday, as the EU promised more military aid for Kyiv in its fight against Russia's invasion.

Israel bolstered security in Jerusalem ahead of the funeral on Friday of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, two days after she was killed during an Israeli army raid.

Three burglars who carried out a record-breaking $637 million art heist in Hong Kong but remained oblivious to the value of their historic haul were jailed Friday, local media reported.

Sri Lanka's cricketers are hoping to distract their fans from political turmoil back home when they take on Bangladesh in a two-Test series starting this weekend.

Kendrick Lamar, the rapper whose poignant lyricism has soundtracked the Black Lives Matter movement and compelled many to call him the voice of a generation, dropped his first solo album in five years on Friday.

Russia faced mounting accusations of war crimes in Ukraine including forcing thousands of people into interrogation camps, while Britain on Friday urged more weapons for Kyiv to sustain pressure on Moscow.

Japanese auto giant Honda said Friday net profit rose 7.6 percent in the financial year to March, benefiting from strong motorbike sales and a weaker yen.

Asian equities were mostly up Friday following a tumultuous trading period on Wall Street, but analysts said the outlook remained bleak as inflation, the Ukraine war and Chinese lockdowns weigh on sentiment.

World number one Akane Yamaguchi suffered a second defeat in three days at the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals in Thailand on Friday as Japan were dumped out in the semi-finals by South Korea.

Hosting the men's Rugby World Cup in 2027 and the women's tournament in 2029 will be a lifeline for the game in Australia, the country's cash-strapped governing body said on Friday.

Israel bolstered security in Jerusalem ahead of the funeral on Friday of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, two days after she was killed during an Israeli army raid.

Troubled conglomerate Toshiba said Friday it has been approached by 10 potential investors as it weighs going private, a move that would be highly unusual in corporate Japan.

Chinese police are investigating a woman for allegedly fabricating "rumours" that Beijing will enter a three-day lockdown, officials said Friday, after the claims on social media prompted panic buying across the capital.

Hundreds of Nicaraguan plantation workers left sick or sterile after working with a noxious pesticide in the 1970s were dealt a blow this week when a French court ruled against their claims for compensation.

There are serious veterans and huge household names at this year's Cannes Film Festival, from Tom Cruise to Baz Luhrmann to David Cronenberg.

The Cannes Film Festival has a strong stomach.

For two-and-a-half months, Iryna Yegorchenko prayed for the safe return of her son Artem, one of the soldiers defending the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

Visitors are once again jamming the narrow streets of Barcelona's Gothic quarter as global travel bounces back from the pandemic, reviving tensions over mass tourism in the Spanish port city.

Germans are finding that death no longer quite becomes them.