Brazilian star Neymar is "the first player in the world to be called up to the national side and be working remotely", Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva joked on Friday.
Dropped England captain Ben Stokes eventually took a wicket as he returned to action for Durham in their County Championship match against Northamptonshire on Friday.
Jonathan Toews, a three-time Stanley Cup champion and a two-time Olympic gold medallist with Canada, announced his retirement from the NHL on Friday.
- Clark wants to win back fans as well as US Open title
- Japan wary of fired up and wounded Tunisia for World Cup landmark game
Sports
Wyndham Clark fended off charges by fellow major winners Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Collin Morikawa to seize a four-stroke lead in Friday's second round of the US Open at blustery Shinnecock.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
No spring, no river, no lake: "Every litre counts" at French mountain lodges where water is scarce but visitor numbers are booming.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo told his team to keep their heads up and channel their disappointment into sealing a spot in the World Cup knockout rounds after a 1-0 defeat to Mexico.
June 19, 2026
More than half of France's population was dealing with scorching temperatures on Friday, according to AFP's calculations, with hundreds of schools adapting their timetables to keep students out of broiling classrooms.
June 19, 2026
Matt Henry took five wickets before Rachin Ravindra helped New Zealand extend their advantage in the second Test against England on Friday.
June 19, 2026
Sports
French Open champion Alexander Zverev will face American Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals of the ATP event in Halle after edging Raphael Collignon in straight sets on Friday.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Dropped England captain Ben Stokes was denied a wicket with just his fourth ball as he returned to action for Durham in their County Championship match against Northamptonshire on Friday.
Wyndham Clark made a bogey at the ninth hole to drop his lead to two strokes as he made the turn in Friday's second round of the US Open with rivals on his heels at blustery Shinnecock.
Queen's Club bad-boy Corentin Moutet has been fined £30,248 ($39,991) following his foul-mouthed interview at the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Japan's Ai Ogura set a new track record late in Friday's practice for the Czech GP to top the session ahead of championship leader Marco Bezzecchi.
June 19, 2026
Politics
Italy reacted angrily on Friday after reported comments by US President Donald Trump mocking Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with the foreign minister cancelling a planned US visit.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Turkey's interior ministry has instructed governors nationwide not to permit the installation of giant public screens for the national team's World Cup match against Paraguay, citing the need to minimise noise and traffic disruption during the country's university entrance examinations.
Like humans, wildlife is increasingly vulnerable as climate change fuels longer and more intense heatwaves, disrupting feeding and breeding, and in extreme cases proving fatal.
Israel and Hezbollah agreed a ceasefire on Friday, a US official said, after deadly exchanges between the two sides in Lebanon put a deal to end the Middle East war under strain less than two days after it was signed.
The fatal Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading rapidly, the World Health Organization warned Friday, despite accelerating efforts to tackle the virus.
June 19, 2026
- Trapped on Everest for days, Nepali survivor recounts escape
- The Sun may not engulf Earth after all, scientists say
- Clark leads by three as US Open second round begins
- Russia signals slower rate cuts amid high Ukraine war spending
- Fritz gets revenge on Shelton to reach Halle semis
- Henry strikes as New Zealand lead England by 100 runs in 2nd Test
- Heatwave hits more than half of France's population
- Online threats, insults fuel S.Africa's anti-foreigner hate