Taiwan rolled out the red carpet for Paraguay President Santiago Pena on Friday, as the democratic island shores up ties with its only South American ally in a rebuff to China's diplomatic pressure.
Stocks sank Friday as US-Iran clashes in the Strait of Hormuz jolted hopes for a deal to end the war and reopen the crucial waterway.
Japan confirmed Friday the first fatal bear attack of 2026 after a record 13 deaths last year, with reports pointing to a jump in sightings as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.
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Sports
Japanese baseball is considering punishing players for dangerous swings, reports said Friday, as an umpire remains unconscious three weeks after being accidentally hit on the head by a bat.
May 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Donald Trump is poised to be the first US president visiting China in almost a decade, but an uneasy trade truce and tensions over Iran and Taiwan loom over his trip next week.
May 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
US President Donald Trump is due to visit China on May 14-15, where he is expected to meet leader Xi Jinping, after delaying an earlier summit because of the Iran war.
May 08, 2026
In an overcrowded camp in Sudan's Blue Nile state, Awatif Awad has been fighting to keep her five children alive as the region becomes a new front line in the country's three-year war.
May 08, 2026
North Korea plans to deploy a new type of artillery along its southern border, state media said Friday, potentially putting Seoul within striking range as Pyongyang deepens its hostility towards South Korea.
May 08, 2026
Weather
The European Union's climate monitor said Friday that ocean temperatures are edging toward record highs as conditions shift toward a potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern.
May 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The Detroit Pistons thwarted Cleveland's comeback bid to beat the Cavaliers 107-97 on Thursday and take a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series.
Pope Leo XIV marks one year as leader of the Catholic Church Friday with a visit to southern Italy, returning to his flock after weeks dominated by a clash with Washington.
In a football league of big men trying to lose weight, the five-a-side teams feature names like OB City, Big Bananas and Heavy Touch FC.
US President Donald Trump heads for a superpower summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping next week hoping the Iran war will not spoil the mood in Beijing.
May 08, 2026
Politics
Russia said Friday it intercepted drones bound for Moscow after warning of a potential retaliatory strike on Kyiv despite a two-day unilateral ceasefire it declared around its World War II victory holiday.
May 08, 2026
RECENT NEWS
New York's governor on Thursday ordered federal immigration agents operating in her state to not wear masks, a move likely to be challenged by President Donald Trump's administration after courts overturned a similar effort in California.
Arsenal are firmly back in control of the Premier League title race and a win at struggling West Ham on Sunday could all but seal the Gunners' first English title in 22 years.
The grass pitch for the World Cup final was installed Thursday at a stadium near New York, a milestone as anticipation builds for the top football tournament.
Two Australian women "kept a female slave" after travelling to Syria in 2014 to support the Islamic State group, police said Friday after they were charged in Melbourne.
May 08, 2026
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