
Europe takes Laver Cup lead as Alcaraz waits in wings

Central Park horse-drawn carriages face ride into the sunset

Schmelzel, Katsu share LPGA NW Arkansas Championship lead

Perez strikes double world gold with second race walk victory
Politics
Venezuela accuses US of waging 'undeclared war,' urges UN probe
Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an "undeclared war" in the Caribbean and called for a UN probe of American strikes that killed over a dozen alleged drug traffickers on boats in recent weeks.
Economy
US stocks end at records again as Trump and Xi talk
Stock markets steadied and the dollar mostly rose Friday at the end of a week marked by central bank decisions, as attention turned to a call between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
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Bayeux Tapestry leaves museum for first time since 1983 before UK loan
The Bayeux Tapestry was removed from its museum in northern France for the first time since 1983 ahead of the 11th-century artwork's loan to the United Kingdom, French sources told AFP on Friday.

Canada end New Zealand's reign as world champions with superb semi-final win
Canada ended double-defending champions New Zealand's reign as the holders of the Women's Rugby World Cup with a brilliant 34-19 semi-final win in Bristol on Friday as the Black Ferns lost in the showpiece tournament for the first time since 2014.

Trump to welcome Turkey's Erdogan, sees end to warplane row
US President Donald Trump said Friday he will welcome Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House next week and expects a resolution to a long-running rift on fighter jets.

Canada bars Irish rap band Kneecap from entering
Canada said Friday it will bar entry to the Irish rap band Kneecap, accusing it of supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Argentina's Milei says 'political panic' rattling markets
Argentine President Javier Milei blamed "political panic" for rattling markets Friday in the run-up to crucial midterm elections, sending the peso into a tailspin and hurting the country's sovereign risk.

Colombia slams 'excessive' US military buildup, warns against Venezuela intervention
Colombia on Friday blasted the United States' "excessive" military presence in the Caribbean as destabilizing for all Latin America, a sharp rebuke from one of Washington's oldest regional allies.

India beat valiant Oman in Asia Cup T20
World champions India overcame a gutsy Oman team to win the last group match of the Asia Cup by 21 runs on Friday and stay unbeaten in the T20 tournament.

International treaty protecting world's oceans to take effect
A multinational treaty to protect vast expanses of the world's oceans is finally set to become law in January 2026, with environmentalists hailing its enactment Friday as crucial to safeguarding the marine ecosystems.

Porsche slows electric shift, prompting VW profit warning
German sports car maker Porsche said Friday that it would dramatically slow its shift to electric vehicles amid weak demand, prompting parent company Volkswagen to warn of a multibillion-euro hit.

Venezuela accuses US of waging 'undeclared war'
Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an "undeclared war" in the Caribbean, where Washington has deployed warships and blown up alleged drug boats in recent weeks.

Hamilton beaming after Ferrari 1-2 in Baku practice as McLaren struggle
Lewis Hamilton beamed with satisfaction on Friday after topping second practice ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his first significant sign of progress since he claimed sprint race victory in China in March.

Kenya's only breastmilk bank, lifeline for premature babies
Surrounded by incubators, a red tube snaking into her tiny nose, four-day-old Grace-Ella is being fed donated breastmilk at the only facility in Kenya that offers the life-giving service.

Hard-working Paolini prolongs Italy's BJK Cup title defence
Jasmine Paolini pulled off double duty and fought back from the brink to keep Italy's title defence alive with victory over Ukraine in the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals in Shenzhen on Friday.

Kenya's Sawe targets Berlin record to salute Kipchoge and Kiptum
Berlin Marathon favourite Sabastian Sawe goes into Sunday's race vowing to honour the legacy of Kenyan countrymen Eliud Kipchoge and Kelvin Kiptum, the two fastest men in history.

Painting stripes on cows to lizards' pizza pick: Ig Nobel winners
Painting zebra stripes on cows to fend off flies, lizards' favourite pizza toppings and how booze helps you speak another language: these were some of the winners at the Ig Nobel prizes, which celebrate the sillier side of science.

England's Matthews ready for another 'battle' with France in World Cup semi-final
England back-row Alex Matthews is preparing herself for another "brilliant battle" with France when the familiar foes meet in a Women's Rugby World Cup semi-final in Bristol on Saturday.

UK, Ireland announce new 'Troubles' legacy deal
The UK government announced Friday it would replace controversial legislation designed to draw a line under issues stemming from three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, paving the way for investigations into killings to restart.

Estonia and allies denounce 'reckless' Russian air incursion
Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Friday, Estonia said, triggering complaints of a dangerous new provocation from the EU and NATO.

West Africans deported by US to Ghana sue over detention
A group of west Africans deported from the United States have sued the government of Ghana, alleging they were sent to the country despite having deportation protection orders from US immigration authorities.

Independence of central banks tested by Trump attacks on US Fed
For months, US President Donald Trump has been piling pressure on the Federal Reserve over delayed cuts to interest rates, casting the institution's independence into doubt.

New Fed governor says was not told how to vote by Trump
Donald Trump's pick to join the US Federal Reserve said Friday that he did not speak to the president about how to vote on interest rates ahead of the central bank's meeting this week.

Trio of titles on a golden night for USA at world championships
There must be something special about the Japanese air for American sprinters as Noah Lyles and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden swept the 200 metres world titles on Friday in Tokyo, emulating Tyson Gay and Allyson Felix in Osaka 18 years ago.
Trump sees progress on TikTok, says will visit China
US President Donald Trump hailed Friday what he called progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping including on selling blockbuster app TikTok and said he would visit the Asian power, which offered a more cautious assessment of their talks.

Biathlete Fourcade awarded sixth Olympic gold 15 years later
French biathlete Martin Fourcade, who retired in 2020, will be awarded a sixth Olympic title following the decision to uphold the doping conviction of Russia's Evgeny Ustyugov, the IOC announced on Friday.

IOC to again allow Russians under neutral flag at 2026 Winter Olympics
The International Olympic Committee on Friday announced that athletes from Russia will once more be allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics under a neutral banner if they meet strict conditions.

Arsenal will learn from Lewis-Skelly's Haaland taunt: Arteta
Mikel Arteta expects Arsenal to learn from Myles Lewis-Skelly's provocative celebration against Manchester City last season when the title rivals clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Lyles defies health issues to emulate Bolt's feat
Noah Lyles joined Usain Bolt in winning four successive world 200 metres titles on Friday, adding to one of the greatest medal collections of any sprinter in history.

UN Security Council votes to reimpose Iran nuclear sanctions
The United Nations Security Council voted Friday to reimpose deep economic sanctions on Iran over its resurgentnuclear program after Britain, France and Germany called for action.

Fresh off Cannes win, Akinola Davies imagines the future of Nigerian film
Akinola Davies, the director of "My Father's Shadow", Nigeria's first film to win an award at the Cannes film festival, is savouring his return to Lagos, the country's cultural capital, where the movie was released Friday.

Elderly British couple released by Taliban arrive in Qatar
An elderly British couple detained in Afghanistan for almost eight months arrived in Qatar after their release by Taliban authorities on Friday amid concerns for their health, an AFP journalist reported.

Bol retains world crown but laments McLaughlin-Levrone absence
Femke Bol emphatically retained her 400m hurdles world title on Friday and then admitted that absent Olympic champion and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone probably would have beaten her.

Amateur astronomers help track asteroid to French impact site
With help from amateur astronomers, scientists tracked how an asteroid travelled from space, broke up in Earth's atmosphere and sent fiery fragments shooting to the ground, gathering new information about how these space rocks disintegrate.

UK launches dark web portal to recruit foreign spies
The UK's foreign intelligence service MI6 on Friday launched a "dark web portal" to try to recruit spies in Russia and around the world by offering a them secure communication channel.

Roaring Lyles matches Bolt with fourth world 200m title
Noah Lyles matched Usain Bolt's record of four consecutive world 200 metre titles as he scorched to victory in Tokyo on Friday.

Ratcliffe visit not a Man Utd crisis meeting, says Amorim
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim said talks this week with the club's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe was not a crisis meeting despite a poor start to the season.

Hamilton tops practice in Ferrari 1-2 as McLaren struggle in Baku
Lewis Hamilton topped the times ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and former partner George Russell of Mercedes in Friday’s crash-hit second free practice session for this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Jefferson-Wooden emulates Fraser-Pryce with world sprint double
Melissa Jefferson-Wooden became the first woman since Jamaican legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in 2013 to achieve the world sprint double after easing to victory in the 200 metres on Friday.

Sweden offers $23 bn to finance nuclear power construction
Sweden's government said Friday it was ready to offer up to 220 billion kronor ($23.3 billion) in loans to utilities for the construction of new nuclear reactors as the Nordic country commits to developing more nuclear power.
'Not myself' but defending champ Ingebrigtsen into 5,000m final
World and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen rebounded from failing to make the 1,500m final by safely advancing to the final of the 5,000m at the world championships in Tokyo on Friday.