Inflammatory social media posts -- including of men brandishing a machete or calling foreigners "leeches" -- are stoking emotions around an unofficial demand for illegal immigrants to leave South Africa by the end of the month, fuelling a volatile situation, analysts say.
Deadly exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon put a newly signed deal to end the Middle East war under further strain on Friday, after the postponement of planned US-Iran talks in Switzerland.
Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps announced on Friday she has agreed to join Women's Super League club London City Lionesses after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.
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Politics
Italy's foreign minister on Friday cancelled a visit to the United States over reported comments by US President Donald Trump that appeared to mock Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Assistance from Russia had rendered sanctions imposed on nuclear-armed North Korea "ineffective", South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Friday after discussing the matter with his US counterpart Donald Trump.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Arsenio Butil Jr. fell to his knees and began to pray when last week's deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake began shaking his home on the coast of the southern Philippines.
June 19, 2026
Stock markets were mixed on Friday and oil prices rose after Switzerland said planned talks following up on the US-Iran agreement had been postponed, dealing a blow to the week-long rally.
June 19, 2026
Closer ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have rendered sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear programme "ineffective", South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday.
June 19, 2026
Things to know
Indonesia's government is racing to capture the last-known Bornean rhino in the wild in a bid to preserve the species through in-vitro fertilisation, a government official told AFP on Friday.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Ebola is spreading again in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict, mistrust and the lack of a vaccine have made the outbreak hard to contain.
The United States and Australia will look to book their place in the World Cup knockout rounds on Friday while Brazil aim to kickstart their campaign against Haiti.
Switzerland announced Friday that planned talks following up on the deal to end the Middle East war had been postponed, hours after US Vice President JD Vance's departure for the Alpine country was cancelled.
The squawks of macaws, the smell of wet earth after rain and a swirl of colors will transport visitors from a Los Angeles museum to the heart of the Amazon rainforest -- or rather, an AI version of it.
June 19, 2026
Sports
Iran's World Cup team will lodge a complaint with FIFA claiming they are being subjected to travel restrictions during the tournament in North America, the Iranian football federation spokesman said on Thursday.
June 19, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said Friday "old dog" James Slipper will add vital leadership and experience after the 37-year-old was coaxed out of retirement for the Nations Championship.
A New Zealand minister has defended fishers involved in the deaths of two orcas in commercial fishing incidents and said "these things happen", while conservationists condemned the "devastating" loss.
Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout round of the World Cup on Thursday after a 1-0 victory over South Korea while Canada edged closer to the last 32 after thrashing Qatar.
Tech firms powered Seoul's Kospi index to another record on Friday, while oil prices extended losses after traffic began to resume in the Strait of Hormuz under the US-Iran agreement.
June 19, 2026
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