Mild-mannered and measured no longer: US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran's centuries-old civilisation was the red line that prompted Pope Leo to show his colours, analysts say.
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Masters on Friday, increasing concerns over whether he will be able to defend his Roland Garros title.
Mikel Arteta has urged spluttering Arsenal to embrace the "huge privilege" of facing Manchester City in a potentially decisive showdown in the Premier League title race.
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Politics
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
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
RECENT NEWS
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was "furious" after it emerged his sacked US ambassador Peter Mandelson was appointed despite failing security vetting, as the scandal again threatens his hold on power.
April 17, 2026
Former three-time winner Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Madrid Open beginning next week as he needs more time to recover from a shoulder injury.
April 17, 2026
Tens of thousands of excited fans gathered at a landmark Tokyo stadium Friday to watch K-pop megastars BTS, in concert outside South Korea for the first time on their new world tour.
April 17, 2026
Boulevard
An Italian court has cleared mafia bestseller "Gomorrah" author and journalist Roberto Saviano of defamation charges brought by far-right deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, his lawyer said Friday.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Just days after eliminating Spanish giants Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals, Bayern Munich could round off a perfect week by winning the Bundesliga title on Sunday.
Millions of gamers around the world may not know Troy Baker's face but would recognise his voice -- perhaps as the heartbroken father Joel in "The Last of Us" or an intrepid Indiana Jones in "The Great Circle".
Tens of thousands of people streamed towards a stadium in Cameroon's economic capital Douala Friday for a huge, open-air mass by Pope Leo XIV, the biggest event of a visit marked by his calls for peace and spat with US President Donald Trump.
The first Hong Kong Sevens took place in front of a few thousand curious spectators, and some of the players wore gym shoes in the mud instead of rugby boots.
April 17, 2026
Sports
Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Hugo Ekitike can come back even stronger from a ruptured Achilles tendon that has ended the French striker's season, and his dreams of playing in the World Cup.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians took to the road on Friday, hoping that a 10-day ceasefire with Israel would allow them to return to their homes in southern Beirut and the country's war-torn south.
An old Smith Corona typewriter, letters from literary contemporaries and photographs are part of the items spanning the life of renowned Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska to go on display this week in Mexico City.
The International Cricket Council said Friday it is investigating Cricket Canada over allegations of match corruption, including the team's loss to New Zealand at the recent T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Myanmar's former president Win Myint, detained since a 2021 military coup, was freed on Friday after being pardoned of convictions handed down during the post-putsch period of military rule.
April 17, 2026
- South Korea unveils plan to bring back Formula One
- Depardieu drops lawsuit over report that sped up downfall
- 'Cruelly hot': Japan devises new term for heatwave days
- British PM again under fire over ex-envoy to US appointment
- Myanmar's ex-president pardoned of post-coup convictions
- Under blackout threat, Wikimedia to hold talks with Indonesia
- 10-day Israel-Lebanon truce begins as Lebanese army warns of 'violations'
- War with Pakistan halts school for Afghan border children