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.
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.
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.
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Economy
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.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Jubilant crowds throng giant papal mass in Cameroon
Politics
April 17, 2026
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.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
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".
April 17, 2026
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.
April 17, 2026
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
Sports
South Korea wants to host a Formula One race for the first time since 2013 after unveiling a new circuit design that officials say is financially viable.
April 17, 2026
RECENT NEWS
French actor Gerard Depardieu on Friday dropped a lawsuit against broadcaster France Televisions over a 2023 television report that portrayed him as making sexual comments about a young girl.
Blistering temperatures rising to 40C and above will now be branded "cruelly hot" or "kokusho-bi" in Japan, the weather agency said Friday, as heatwave days become increasingly frequent in the region.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced mounting pressure to quit on Friday over his appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to Washington, after it emerged the veteran politician had failed security vetting.
Myanmar's former president Win Myint, detained since a 2021 coup, was pardoned on Friday of his convictions during the post-putsch period of military rule, a statement said.
April 17, 2026
- 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
- Famed photographer Joel Meyerowitz embraces camera phones
- Russia trains teenage influencers to churn out pro-war content
- Pope visits Cameroon city hit by post-vote protest deaths
- Harry and Meghan meet survivors of Bondi Beach attack
- Red-hot Bayern on cusp of Bundesliga title as perfect week rolls on