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Russia and Ukraine agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange, said they would trade ideas on a possible ceasefire and discussed a potential meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in their first direct talks in over three years on Friday.

Gulf Arab leaders were "starving for love" -- so US President Donald Trump showered them with near endless praise during a tour filled with bromance and billion-dollar deals this week.

Kneeling to greet Italy's Giorgia Meloni and gripping France's Emmanuel Macron in a bro hug, Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama hosted Europe's leaders Friday with his showman's panache undampened by torrential rain.

Mikel Arteta said Friday he has no regrets over Arsenal's season despite missing out on silverware again and wants to finish as the "best of the rest" in the Premier League.

Everton boss David Moyes said an emotional farewell to the club's Goodison Park home will be worth it for a "bigger and better" future in a new 53,000-capacity stadium.

Fabricated documents, deepfakes and unsubstantiated claims: Romania's pro-European presidential candidate Nicusor Dan has been targeted by an online disinformation campaign that has intensified ahead of Sunday's run-off, analysts interviewed by AFP said.

Pep Guardiola said winning the FA Cup would still be signficant for Manchester City, even if victory in Saturday's final will not mask a disappointing season by their own high standards.

Global stock markets struggled for direction on Friday as they sought to hold onto weekly gains fuelled by the China-US trade war hiatus.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, known for its blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss treatments Ozempic and Wegovy, said Friday its chief executive was stepping down in the wake of "market challenges".

Portugal's general election campaign ends on Friday for a vote that Prime Minister Luis Montenegro is expected to win, but with no guarantee he can form a more stable government.

Pop star Dua Lipa, at 29 years old, is the youngest person featured on The Sunday Times' annual list of Britain's wealthiest people under 40, the publication announced Friday.

Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate will miss next weekend's Scottish Cup final after suffering a knee injury, manager Brendan Rodgers said Friday.

Chad's former prime minister and opposition leader Succes Masra was arrested early Friday accused of inciting hatred in connection with deadly clashes in the southwest, the public prosecutor said.

French cryptocurrency boss Pierre Noizat on Friday praised his "heroic" son-in-law and a neighbour armed with a fire extinguisher for thwarting the attempted kidnapping of his pregnant daughter and young grandson.

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo said Friday that the outlook for Taiwo Awoniyi was "positive" after the forward was placed in an induced coma following urgent surgery on an abdominal injury.

Championship leader Oscar Piastri topped the times ahead of McLaren team-mate and nearest rival Lando Norris in Friday’s opening practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with the two drivers separated by only 0.032 seconds.

England's Tyrrell Hatton and American Max Homa made early charges in Friday's second round of the PGA Championship as leader Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela teed off with a two-stroke advantage.

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has challenged his Women's FA Cup-holders to "go through hell" as they bid to deny Chelsea a domestic treble in Sunday's final at Wembley.

American R&B singer Chris Brown, former boyfriend of superstar Rihanna, was Friday remanded in custody until June 13 by a UK court, charged with assault over a 2023 incident.

The Council of Europe on Friday said Gaza was suffering from a "deliberate starvation", and warned that Israel was sowing "the seeds for the next Hamas" in the territory.

As excitement builds for Saturday's Eurovision final, one question looms large: could superstar Celine Dion, now in fragile health, make a show-stopping appearance, 37 years after winning the competition?

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa travels to the United States next week to meet Donald Trump in a bid to rescue deteriorating relations with a vital and increasingly critical trade partner.

Russians and Ukrainians sat face-to-face for under two hours Friday in Istanbul for the first direct talks in over three years aimed at ending their war, with expectations low for breakthroughs.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed Jamie Vardy as "one of the greatest" as the Leicester talisman prepares for his 500th and final game for the club on Sunday.

World Press Photo suspended on Friday the credit for who took one of the most iconic pictures in history, the Vietnam War image "Napalm Girl", after doubts were raised over the photograph's authorship.

Defense lawyers for Sean Combs have another stab Friday at the testimony of the music mogul's former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who will return to the stand for a fourth day of marathon questioning in his sex trafficking trial.

A Thai construction tycoon turned himself in on Friday to face charges of alleged negligence over the collapse of a skyscraper that killed dozens of people in a powerful earthquake, police said.

Eddie Howe has warned his Newcastle players not to get "distracted" ahead of Sunday's trip to second-placed Arsenal as they seek to nail down a Champions League spot next season.

The first direct talks on halting Russia's war on Ukraine in more than three years started Friday in Istanbul, with expectations low that the two sides would agree to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.

Stock markets were calmer Friday, with European stocks consolidating weekly gains fuelled by the China-US trade war hiatus and as investors awaited further developments over tariffs.

More than 295 million people faced acute hunger last year, a new high driven by conflict along with other crises -- and the outlook is "bleak" for 2025 as humanitarian aid falters, a UN-backed report said Friday.

Nantes forward Mostafa Mohamed said Friday his refusal to play a crucial game in his team's battle against relegation on the final day of the Ligue 1 season, which will see all clubs mark the international day against homophobia, was motivated by religious convictions.