
Guinea to vote in constitutional referendum boycotted by opposition

Thousands take to streets as Philippines protests flood control fraud

Raleigh sets homer mark for Mariners in MLB win at Houston

Floating wind power sets sail in Japan's energy shift
Sports
De Minaur, Cerundolo propel Team World to Laver Cup lead over Europe
Alex De Minaur and Francisco Cerundolo pushed Team World into the lead ahead of Team Europe with victories in Saturday's first two singles matches at the Laver Cup.
Politics
British couple released by Taliban say feared execution
An elderly British couple released by the Taliban authorities after almost eight months in detention in Afghanistan arrived back in the UK on Saturday, telling the press that they feared "we would never be released".
Last news

G20 nations agree central bank independence 'crucial'
The G20 finance ministers stressed Friday that central banks must remain independent, after months of escalating attacks by US President Donald Trump on Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell.

Pogacar extends Tour de France lead with uphill time-trial win
Tadej Pogacar won a time trial on stage 13 of the Tour de France on Friday to extend his lead at the top of the overall standings to four minutes and seven seconds.

'Witnesses to despair': Marseille sees poverty fuel cocaine problem
It's nine in the morning and Marseille city contractors armed with long tongs were picking up syringes amid the morning crowd, dropping them one by one into a yellow recipient fixed on a cart.

Stocks consolidate after bumper week buoyed by resilient US economy
US and European stock markets stalled or trimmed gains on Friday after a bullish week buoyed by US data and upbeat company earnings.

MacIntyre 'will not back off' in bid for first major title
Robert MacIntyre said Friday he "will not back off" after putting himself in contention to end Scotland's 26-year wait for a men's major title at the British Open.

What's in the EU's two-trillion-euro budget bazooka?
EU members got their first chance on Friday to debate the bloc's two-trillion-euro budget bazooka, laying bare divisions among the 27 capitals over the spending plans for 2028-2034.
EU, UK target Russian oil in tough new Ukraine war sanctions
The European Union and Britain on Friday sought to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to halt the war in Ukraine by slashing a price cap meant to choke off revenues from key oil exports.

Barca's planned Camp Nou return in August scrapped
Barcelona abandoned their plan to return to their Camp Nou home in August on Friday, pushing the stadium's re-opening back further.

McIlroy 'excited' for shot at homecoming British Open glory
Rory McIlroy said he will need to turn flashes of brilliance into firing on all cylinders for his final two rounds as he aims to win the British Open on home soil at Royal Portrush.

Hunter Harman stalking second British Open crown
Brian Harman said he "has the game" to win the British Open for a second time in three years after a brilliant six-under 65 on Friday shot the American to the top of the leaderboard.

Marquez tops Czech MotoGP practice as Martin returns
Marc Marquez came within a whisker of lowering his own lap record in Friday practice at the Czech MotoGP as reigning world champion Jorge Martin made his return from injury.

Disinformation catalyses anti-migrant unrest in Spain
The rare anti-migrant violence that recently rocked a Spanish town demonstrated how online disinformation feeds xenophobic hate speech, which leapt from screens to real life with the support of politicians, experts said.

Ex-Brazil president Bolsonaro must wear monitoring device: Supreme Court
Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro must wear an electronic monitoring device as he awaits a verdict in his trial on charges of plotting a coup, a Supreme Court judge ruled Friday.

Resilient US economy spurs on stock markets
Upbeat company earnings and healthy US data buoyed stock markets on Friday, pushing ongoing concerns about President Donald Trump's tariffs into the background.
Trump administration seeks to release some of Epstein probe material
President Donald Trump attempted Friday to control the storm triggered by a bombshell report on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, ordering the Justice Department to seek the release of testimony from the prosecution of the late, alleged sex-trafficker-to-the-famous.

Man Utd agree deal to sign Brentford winger Mbeumo: reports
Manchester United have reportedly agreed to sign Cameroon winger Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford in a deal worth an initial £65 million ($87 million) as Ruben Amorim steps up his overhaul of the team's misfiring attack.

New clashes rock Syria's Druze heartland as tribal fighters reinforce Bedouin
Armed tribes supported by Syria's Islamist-led government clashed with Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure.

Germany presses ahead with deportations to Afghanistan
Germany said Friday it had deported 81 Afghan men convicted of crimes to their Taliban-controlled homeland, as Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government looks to signal a hard line on immigration.

Crews rescue 18 miners trapped in Colombia
Emergency crews rescued 18 workers trapped in a gold mine in Colombia on Friday, the government said.

McIlroy five back as Harman leads British Open
Rory McIlroy continued to battle driving woes during a topsy-turvy front nine of his second round at the British Open on Friday, as 2023 champion Brian Harman moved into the lead at Royal Portrush.

Lyles the showman ready to deliver 100m entertainment
Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles insisted he was ready to bring his showman persona to a sell-out London Stadium in the 11th Diamond League meet of the season on Saturday.

EU targets Russian oil in tough new Ukraine war sanctions
The EU on Friday adopted a sweeping new package of sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war, looking to pile more pressure on the Kremlin by lowering a price cap for Moscow's oil exports.

Liverpool line up swoop for Frankfurt striker Ekitike: reports
Liverpool are preparing to launch a bid for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike after missing out on Newcastle's Alexander Isak, according to reports on Friday.

Stocks up, dollar down tracking Trump moves and earnings
European and Asian stocks markets closed out the week broadly higher Friday following Wall Street's latest record highs sparked by healthy US retail data and upbeat earnings.

Three Sri Lankan elephants killed in blow to conservation efforts
At least three wild elephants were found dead across Sri Lanka on Friday, officials said, a day after six young rescued elephants were returned to the jungle under a conservation drive.

Indie game studios battle for piece of Switch 2 success
Players line up inside Nintendo's booth at a Japanese game fair to try upcoming Switch 2 titles, but, for once, the company's chirpy red-capped mascot Mario is nowhere to be seen.

Former Liverpool and Man Utd star Ince banned for drink-driving
Former Liverpool and Manchester United star Paul Ince has been banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to pay £7,085 ($9,524) after a drink-driving offence.

Spain taming fire that belched smoke cloud over Madrid
Spanish firefighters on Friday were bringing under control a forest fire near Madrid that had cloaked the capital in a huge cloud of acrid smoke.

Top Holy Land clerics visit Gaza after deadly church strike
Two of the most senior Christian leaders in the Holy Land travelled to Gaza on Friday after Israeli fire killed three at the Palestinian territory's only Catholic church, provoking international condemnation.

Scotland end tour with seven-try thrashing of Samoa
An improved Scotland finished their season-ending Pacific tour on a high note Friday, scoring seven tries to outclass Samoa 41-12 in a fast-paced Test in Auckland.

Sharaa's pullout from Syria Druze heartland exposes shaky leadership
Under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure, Ahmed al-Sharaa pulled troops from Syria's Druze heartland -- a move that exposes the interim leader's weakness just as he sought to assert control.

Trump team to seek release of Epstein documents
Donald Trump's administration said it would seek the release of grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, as the US president sought to dispel lingering political fallout over his team's handling of the late financier's sex trafficking case.

Wrexham chief wants playoff push after promotion to Championship
The Hollywood fairytale that is Wrexham AFC is only just beginning, the club's chief executive said Friday as the Welsh side continued its unlikely quest to crack the English Premier League.

Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner of Championship club Swansea
Snoop Dogg has become co-owner of Championship side Swansea City in an unlikely alliance between the world of rap and football, the Welsh club announced.

Pakistan bans new hotel construction around tourist lakes
Pakistan will ban for five years the construction of new hotels around picturesque lakes in the north that attract tens of thousands of tourists each year, a government agency said.

Trump's budget hacksaw leaves public broadcasting on precipice
Hundreds of television and radio stations across the United States risk seeing their resources evaporate, after President Donald Trump prevailed Friday in scrapping federal funding for public broadcasting.

New deep sea mining rules lack consensus despite US pressure
After two weeks of negotiations, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is still far from finalizing rules for extracting coveted metals on the high seas despite heightened pressure triggered by US efforts to fast-track the controversial practice.
Stocks head for positive end to week, Tokyo struggles ahead of vote
Markets headed into the weekend on a broadly positive note Friday, as investors took up New York's latest record highs sparked by healthy US retail data and upbeat earnings from some of Wall Street's big names.

North Korea bars foreign tourists from new seaside resort
North Korea has barred foreigners from a newly opened beach resort, the country's tourism administration said this week, just days after Russia's top diplomat visited the area.