Shipping industry figures gave a cautious welcome Friday to Iran's announcement that it was reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route to commercial freight after nearly seven weeks closed.
France and Britain said Friday they will lead a multinational mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while emphasising the force would be entirely defensive and only deployed once lasting peace in the region was agreed.
Arthur Fils defeated second seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to reach the Barcelona Open semi-finals.
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Sports
Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb faces a spell on the sidelines after underdoing "minor surgery" to treat an infection, his club said on Friday.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
In cars and on motorbikes, people trickled back into Beirut's southern suburbs Friday, passing bombed-out buildings to check on homes and loved ones after a ceasefire began between Israel and Hezbollah.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Iran's announcement that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will reopen to shipping, but said a US blockade of Iranian ports would continue until a peace deal is signed.
April 17, 2026
Oil prices plunged more than 10 percent on Friday after Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would be "completely open" for the rest of the ceasefire with the United States, and stock markets surged.
April 17, 2026
International law is more important than ever at a time when even core countries in the global system are calling it into question, the United Nations secretary general said on Friday.
April 17, 2026
Politics
Turkey on Friday hosts a high‑stakes diplomatic forum bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad steps up efforts to help end the Middle East war.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A Frenchwoman who moved to the United States to marry a Vietnam war veteran she first met six decades ago returned to France Friday after she was detained by US immigration authorities, the foreign minister said.
Frenchman Herve Renard told AFP on Friday he has been relieved of his duties as Saudi Arabia coach, less than two months before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
Pep Guardiola said that an Arsenal victory at Manchester City on Sunday would end the Premier League title race, but that his side would have a lot more work to do even if they beat the Gunners.
Three Iranian oil tankers carrying a total of five million barrels of crude have become the first such loaded vessels to leave the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz since a US blockade came into force, the tracking firm Kpler told AFP on Friday.
April 17, 2026
Economy
Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians took to the road on Friday, hoping a 10-day ceasefire with Israel would allow them to return to their homes in southern Beirut and the country's war-torn south.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A jubilant crowd gathered in stifling heat Friday for a giant open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV at a stadium in Cameroon's economic capital Douala, the biggest event of a visit marked by his calls for peace and spat with US President Donald Trump.
Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell Friday as investors awaited news of a possible extension to the Iran-US ceasefire, with a first passing of Iranian oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz in weeks bolstering hopes.
Myanmar's former president Win Myint, detained since a 2021 military coup, was freed on Friday under a mass amnesty which, according to a source close to pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, also reduced her sentence.
A private rescue attempt for a whale stranded off Germany's Baltic coast has entered a "decisive phase", officials said Friday, with the sea mammal showing more activity than in recent days.
April 17, 2026
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