US President Donald Trump signaled Friday that an Iran peace deal was all but done, telling AFP there were "no sticking points" left between Washington and Tehran.
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.
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Economy
A Kanye West concert scheduled to take place in a stadium in Poland in June was cancelled by the venue on Friday, following condemnation of antisemitic remarks by the US rapper.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
A key Atlantic Ocean current system that helps regulate the planet's climate could weaken more than expected by 2100, with potentially devastating consequences worldwide, a new study has found.
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
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
Boulevard
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
RECENT NEWS
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.
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.
April 17, 2026
Economy
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
RECENT NEWS
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.
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.
April 17, 2026
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