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Sexual predators, crooked financiers, spies and a spattering of murderers: while the Vatican may appear an earthly garden watched over by its beloved saints, it also has its demons.

Two months into Israel's full blockade on aid into Gaza, humanitarians described Friday horrific scenes of starving, bloodied children and people fighting over water, with aid operations on the "verge of total collapse".

Pakistan-administered Kashmir called on residents near the de facto border with India to stockpile food on Friday as tensions flare between the arch-rivals following a deadly attack last month.

European and Asian markets rose on Friday, tracking Wall Street gains, as China said it was considering a US offer to negotiate steep tariffs.

Riyad Mahrez has vowed Al Ahli will "fight for every second" to deliver a first Asian Champions League trophy for the Saudi club, when they contest the final against Japan's Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday.

On a torn-up road near the refugee camp where she once lived, Saja Bawaqneh said she struggled to find hope 100 days after an Israeli offensive in the occupied West Bank forced her to flee.

A group of activists organising an aid boat for Gaza said it was attacked on Friday by drones in international waters off Malta as they headed towards the Palestinian territory, accusing Israel of attacking the vessel.

Ben Stokes was given the all-clear to captain England in their one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month as he was named in a 13-man squad announced Friday.

TikTok was hit with a massive EU fine of 530 million euros ($600 million) Friday, accused of sending personal data of Europeans to China and failing to guarantee it was shielded from access by Chinese authorities.

Eddie Howe has urged Newcastle to be ruthless in the summer transfer window as their Premier League competitors attempt to comply with strict spending rules.

English centre-back Eric Dier will leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, when his contract is up, the club's sporting director said Friday.

British comedian and actor Russell Brand appeared in a London court on Friday to face five charges of rape and other sexual offences.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to cut public funding for NPR and PBS, accusing the news outlets of being biased in his latest attack on traditional media.

Tunisian environmentalist Semia Labidi Gharbi, awarded a global prize for her role exposing a major waste scandal, has a message for wealthy nations: developing countries are "no dumping ground".

Prosecutors said Friday a series of coordinated attacks on French prisons were carried out by drug traffickers, with at least one suspect thought to have ties to a notorious cartel.

Hong Kong's economy grew by 3.1 percent in the first quarter of the year, the city's government said Friday, though it warned US tariffs had heightened "downside risks" in the global economy.

South Korea elects a new president on June 3, six months after previous head of state Yoon Suk Yeol sparked chaos by declaring martial law and was removed from office.

German chemicals giant BASF stuck to its 2025 earnings outlook on Friday, despite the turmoil unleashed by hardline US trade policies, but warned of high levels of uncertainty.

In a giant theatre in an aircraft hangar near the Dutch city of Leiden, a group of actors in Nazi uniforms marched a man onto stage, lined up and then shot him.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Friday that winning the Premier League title at Anfield was one of the best days of his life as he turned his thoughts towards next season.

British comedian and actor Russell Brand arrived at court in central London on Friday to face five charges of rape and other sexual offences.

Bangladesh's Islamists are readying to make political gains after being crushed for years by the government that was overthrown in a mass uprising last year, rallying hardline loyalists for eagerly anticipated elections.

British energy giant Shell on Friday reported a sharp drop in first-quarter net profit as it was hit by weaker oil prices but pushed ahead with shareholder returns.

Thousands in Indian-administered Kashmir with "resistance tattoos" including assault rifles inked to oppose New Delhi's authority have been lining up to scrub them from their bodies, fearing police retribution after a deadly attack on tourists last week.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has a "mountain to climb" in elections Saturday, despite leading the opinion polls, in a contest swayed by living costs and Trump tariffs.

In an innovative show directed by Slovenian artist and space enthusiast Dragan Zivadinov, a crew of actors is putting on the same play once a decade over 50 years.

Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour party on Friday in local elections that dealt a blow to Britain's two establishment parties.

An Australian woman accused of murdering three people by dishing up a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington never asked after her dying guests' wellbeing, her husband told a court Friday.

Jalen Brunson scored 40 points as the New York Knicks clinched a series victory over the Detroit Pistons while the Los Angeles Clippers downed the Denver Nuggets to set up a titanic NBA playoff decider on Thursday.

Prince Harry will learn Friday whether his bid to restore his UK police protection has been upheld, in an appeals court verdict that could determine how often the estranged royal visits Britain.

Media rights group RSF warned Friday about "an alarming deterioration in press freedom" in the United States under President Donald Trump as well as "unprecedented" difficulties for independent journalists around the world.

Britain's hard-right Reform UK party made early gains Friday as results trickled in from local elections that were expected to deliver a bruising for the country's two establishment parties.