Chinese actress Xin Zhilei said she was keen for new experiences and did not want to limit herself, as she helped kick off the Shanghai International Film Festival on Friday.
New Zealand's most prolific run-scorer and arguably greatest batsman Kane Williamson announced his immediate retirement from international cricket on Friday in the middle of their series against England.
Cristiano Ronaldo said on Friday that he was feeling "very positive" before flying out of Lisbon with the Portuguese team to their World Cup base camp in Palm Beach, Florida.
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Economy
Stock markets rallied and oil tumbled Friday on hopes that a deal to end the Middle East war could be imminent.
June 12, 2026
RECENT NEWS
When drones strayed over the Danube and crashed in Romania, Roxana Saraev felt uneasy. But ensconced in her seaside jewellery shop at the country's easternmost tip, she has made up her mind -- she is not going anywhere.
June 12, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Australia coach Tony Popovic signed a contract extension Thursday ahead of their World Cup opener against Turkey that will take him through to the Asian Cup early next year.
June 12, 2026
Switzerland's vote on proposed measures to restrict immigration to ensure the population does not exceed 10 million is dividing the country.
June 12, 2026
Families of those killed in last year's Air India plane crash gathered at the site on Friday to mark the anniversary of the disaster, still awaiting answers about its cause.
June 12, 2026
Politics
A major reform of European migration rules aimed at hardening border procedures and overhauling the asylum process comes into force on Friday.
June 12, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The United States Navy will deploy a nuclear-powered submarine squadron to a strategic Australian navy port this year, Canberra's defence minister said on Friday.
On the balcony of his house in Indonesia, Muhammad Yusuf swayed to blaring music and waved a replica of the World Cup trophy as hundreds paraded past, many decked out in Argentina's colours.
A group of UN experts on Thursday denounced a crackdown on women in Afghanistan's western city of Herat, saying at least two people had been killed during a protest against the restrictions.
Rice farmer Mohammad Ismail Hossain fears violence could blight his quiet fields in southwestern Bangladesh, on the front line of a growing Indian push to expel undocumented migrants.
June 12, 2026
Things to know
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol, the king's eldest daughter, has died aged 47, the royal palace announced Friday, more than three years after she was hospitalised following a sudden illness.
June 12, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A South Korean court sentenced ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison on Friday for sending military drones into North Korea, saying he planned the action as pretext for his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024.
In a blaring nightclub in wartime Myanmar, partied-out revellers doze until dawn by the dancefloor, wary of journeying home despite the end of a post-coup curfew.
Tehran said Friday it had not reached a final decision on a deal to end the Middle East war, despite US President Donald Trump claiming an agreement could be signed in days and cancelling threatened strikes on Iran.
South Korea got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 Thursday after finally converting some of the many chances they created.
June 12, 2026
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