Journal De Bruxelles - News from Brussels, Belgium, Europe and the world

A humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said Friday.

On a farm in South Africa's semi-arid south, herds of angora goats foraged across open land stretching to the horizon, their pale fleeces glinting in the harsh sun.

Two Bengal tiger cubs born in Indonesia's Bandung Zoo last year have died from a viral infection, a conservation official told AFP on Friday.

Oil prices rose Friday and stocks were mixed as initial optimism over Donald Trump's decision to again push back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz petered.

Bradley Rowen Liu, 11, wonders what he will do with himself once Indonesia's social media ban for under-16s enters into force on Saturday. As things stand, he spends most of his free time on TikTok.

The Pakistan Super League got under way with a win for Lahore Qalandars against Hyderabad Kingsmen but without the usual razzmatazz accompanying cricket's shortest format -- or fans.

Oil prices and stocks were mixed Friday as early optimism fuelled by Donald Trump's decision to again push back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz petered.

McLaren's Oscar Piastri powered to the fastest time in Friday's second practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, usurping the dominant Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister on Friday after sweeping the first election since deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government last year.

New Zealand's Olympic Committee said Friday that an IOC ruling that only "biological females" will be allowed to compete in women's events would bring greater "clarity" and "fairness" to future Games.

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, newly hatched sea turtles emerged on a Gabonese beach to embark on the treacherous 10-metre (33-foot) scramble across the sand to the ocean.

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban's officially declared wealth is fairly modest: some savings and a jointly owned villa in Budapest.

The Mexican navy said Thursday that it was searching for two boats transporting humanitarian aid for Cuba with nine crew of different nationalities on board.

Germany is considering Australia's "Ghost Bat" robot fighter as it looks to select a combat drone to modernise its air force, defence minister Boris Pistorius said Friday.

Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will be sworn in as the new prime minister on Friday, after issuing his victory message in a rap song, urging unity.

Since the start of the Middle East conflict, Iran has witnessed massive cryptocurrency flows.

Myanmar's ageing railway stations are bustling with life, crowded with passengers as surging fuel prices due to the Mideast war drive commuters to choose trains over costly planes and cars.

US President Donald Trump has pushed back his deadline for strikes on Iran's energy assets, saying talks on ending the war were "going very well" as Israel announced fresh strikes on Tehran early Friday.

Bolivia and Jamaica moved to within one win of returning to the World Cup after decades-long absences on Thursday after securing opening victories in FIFA's intercontinental playoff tournament in Mexico.

In the dry-season heat of northern Thailand, Hmong villagers zip through forested slopes, blasting tinder with leaf blowers and cutting through brush with machetes, while others scan for smoke on live feeds from their phones.

The feather-shaped namele leaf is so central to Vanuatu it features on the national flag, and now it is being enlisted to protect some of the country's most important forests.

George Russell went fastest ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli in an eventful first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday as Mercedes continued their dominant start to the Formula One season.

World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka subdued second-ranked rival Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to book a Miami Open title clash with American Coco Gauff.

British charities and disability advocates have slammed a trend for using AI to generate "fetishised" images of women with disabilities and genetic conditions including Down syndrome, vitiligo and albinism.

Oil prices fell Friday after Donald Trump again pushed back a deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though most equities also dropped as traders shrugged at the news following a series of conflicting messaging from the White House.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi's parents told AFP how they made a practice pitch in their village in India's poorest state to spark the teenage cricket prodigy's stunning rise -- and now his younger brother hones his skills on it.

World number one and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka powered past second-ranked Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to line up a Miami Open title clash with Coco Gauff.

The colourful residents of Copenhagen's libertarian Christiania enclave, long a refuge for anarchists, hippies and artists, fear new housing within its borders could spell the end of the freetown's identity.

Kon Knueppel scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets maintained their late-season charge for an NBA playoff berth with an emphatic 114-103 defeat of the high-flying New York Knicks on Thursday.

While the world frets about surging energy prices pushed up by the Middle East war, one small German village has been reaping the benefits of its turn to climate-friendly renewables.

The United States is set to come under scrutiny Friday on day two of the World Trade Organization's ministerial conference, with Washington wanting to shake up the multilateral trade system.

A cyclone off Australia triggered outages at two of the world's largest LNG plants, energy giant Chevron said Friday as Middle East turmoil stoked soaring demand for the fuel.