Trump says Iran has 'no cards' beyond Hormuz control

The US budget deficit remained virtually stable during the first three months of 2026, as increased revenue -- primarily from income taxes and customs duties -- offset an acceleration in spending. 

Between January and March, the deficit stood at $164 billion, $4 billion higher than in the same period a year earlier, according to data released Friday by the Treasury Department. 

In the United States, these months constitute the second quarter of the 2026 fiscal year. 

Over the first six months of this staggered fiscal year, the deficit fell by 11 percent, or $139 billion, thanks to the increase in revenue that occurred between October and December due to customs duties. 

However, the Supreme Court struck down a significant portion of these duties earlier this year, which is expected to require the Treasury to reimburse companies for the surcharges collected. 

Several lawsuits have been filed by companies in response, which could eventually weigh on the federal budget. 

For now, revenue rose over the quarter thanks to a 7 percent increase in income tax revenue, amounting to $26 billion.

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© Agence France-Presse

The luxury San Francisco home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman was hit by a Molotov cocktail on Friday, the company said.

Police in the US tech hub swooped in after the effort to set fire to the gate of the home, and later arrested a suspect outside OpenAI's headquarters, which he had allegedly threatened to set ablaze.

"Early this morning, someone threw a Molotov cocktail at Sam Altman’s home and also made threats at our San Francisco headquarters," a spokesman for OpenAI told AFP, adding that no one was hurt in the incident.

"We deeply appreciate how quickly (the police) responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation." 

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© Agence France-Presse

Cheered on by a crowd of childhood mates, Valentin Vacherot walked a third-set tightrope in his home-town tournament before beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, on Friday to gatecrash the semi-finals at the Monte Carlo Open. 

The unseeded Monegasque, born a stone's throw from the tournament venue in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and playing at "my club", joined the top three seeds in the semi-finals.

He will face top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday. World No.2 Jannik Sinner plays Alex Zverev.

"That sounds amazing," said Vacherot. "Such an honour for me to be part of the semi-finals with the three best in the world over the last few years."

Alcaraz and Sinner both cruised through with straight-sets wins earlier on Friday.

Alcaraz extended his clay-court run of victories to 16 as he crushed Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-0.

Sinner extended his winning run at Masters 1000 events to 20 matches as he brushed aside Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4.

Zverev battled past Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3.

Vacherot ended the day by giving his fans a roller-coaster ride.

He started by racing 4-1 ahead against fifth-seed De Minaur but allowed the Australian to level before breaking in the 10th game to take the first set.

De Minaur broke twice to take the second set.

The Monegasque grabbed the third set initiative with a fifth-game break but almost handed it straight back before saving a break point in the next game.

On Vacherot's next service game, De Minaur raced to a 0-40 lead, but cheered on by the crowd, Vacherot saved all three and then a fourth, before holding.

"I know myself, unhappily I do this so often, I drop a bit at the start of the game, then I recover, even from 0-40, thanks to my serve," said Vacherot. 

Vacherot galloped to two match points in the next game. De Minaur saved both with drop shots that crept over the net. When the Australian tried the trick again, Vacherot anticipated to earn a third match point which he took with a blazing forehand.

Roared on by the crowd all evening, Vacherot planted his feet tilted his head and roared back.

"All the guys up there chanting are all my best friends from when I was nine, 10 years old," he said. "It is rare for a player to have this chance."

"I am so lucky to have a tournament in my club.  I can name 1,000 faces in the crowd."

Vacherot, who was ranked outside the top 200 before he won in Shanghai in October, climbed to 16 in the ATP live rankings.

- 'A step forward' - 

Sinner, who had said his energy level was not right when he dropped a set the day before, was happier with his form.

"I feel like it was a step forward today," said the Italian after beating Canadian Auger-Aliassime.

Alcaraz, playing Bublik for the first time, broke in the opening game and had four break points in the third game but could not take any. 

Bublik broke back in the fourth game and led 3-2, but Alcaraz won the next 10 games as he raced to victory. 

"I started the match pretty well," Alcaraz said. 

"I had points to be two breaks up and didn't make it and then I lost a bit of the feeling on the ball. 

"I had to run side to side a lot, had to defend and then a few games gave me a lot of confidence in the match. I was playing aggressively and I played a great and solid match against a player that you don't know what they will produce next."

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Venezuela's opposition on Friday called for presidential elections, noting that the 90-day legal period for organizing a vote on replacing ousted leader Nicolas Maduro had elapsed.

In a statement, the Vente party of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that with Maduro absent from the country since his capture by US forces in a January 3 raid, "presidential elections must be called within 30 days of this declaration."

Maduro's former vice president Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president on January 5, two days after longtime socialist leader Maduro was flown out of Venezuela by US forces to face trial in New York.

He has appeared in court twice since then to answer drug trafficking charges.

The Venezuelan constitution says that "temporary absences of the president of the republic shall be filled by the executive vice president for up to 90 days, extendable by decision of the National Assembly for an additional 90 days."

"If a temporary absence lasts for more than 90 consecutive days, the National Assembly shall decide by a majority vote of its members whether it should be considered a permanent absence," says Article 234 of the constitution, which was cited by Vente.

Vente said the "entire country and the democratic international community know and can attest to" Maduro's complete absence from the country

By Friday, 97 days had passed since Venezuela's authoritarian leader of 12 years was nabbed by US special forces at a military compound in Caracas, together with his wife Cilia Flores.

Caracas says that around 100 people were killed in the pre-dawn bombing raid that preceded his capture and the firefight between US forces and Maduro's security detail.

Venezuela's parliament, which has a pro-government majority, has not yet discussed calling new elections.

So far, its focus has been on rolling back state control over the economy to pave the way for more foreign investment in the critical oil and mining sectors.

The reforms are a key demand of the United States, which has been content to let Maduro's former inner circle retain power as long as it unlocks access to oil and eases state repression.

- Stability first -

President Donald Trump has voiced satisfaction with Rodriguez -- he has called her "terrific" -- and threatened her with a similar fate to Maduro if she does not do his bidding.

Speaking in late February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Venezuela "will need the legitimacy of democratic -- fair, democratic -- elections" but said Washington's initial priority after Maduro's capture had been to ensure stability.

Rodriguez told NBC News in mid-February that she was committed to holding free and fair elections, but the timing would be decided as part of a "political dialogue."

Maduro is accused of stealing the last presidential elections in July 2024.

The opposition's tally of votes at that time showed Machado's candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, winning by a wide margin.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro the winner without providing a detailed vote breakdown, triggering mass protests that were harshly suppressed.

Opposition parties have called for a change in the leadership of the CNE, which is accused of doing the bidding of the ruling "chavismo" movement founded by late socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, who was president from 1999 to 2013.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted on Friday that NATO was "in America's interests", at the end of a three-day visit to the Gulf to discuss bolstering the "fragile" Middle East truce.

Starmer's comments followed US President Donald Trump's renewed attacks this week on the Western military alliance and his threats to withdraw from it, after a refusal by NATO allies to join the US-Israel war against Iran.

"It is in America's interests. It's in European interests," Starmer told UK broadcasters of the nearly 80-year-old security bloc. 

"NATO is a defensive alliance, which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been," he added, while reiterating European members "need to do more" financial burden sharing.

Starmer spoke before leaving Qatar, the last stop of his tour of the war-hit region, which also included visits to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain

The British leader talked by phone to Trump late on Thursday, when he said he set out "the views of the region here" to the US president, primarily centred on the Strait of Hormuz.

The crucial maritime chokepoint has remained largely closed in recent days.

It was due to be re-opened under a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, announced this week, but has been jeopardised by Israeli attacks on Lebanon and accusations that the truce is not being implemented.

"We spent most of the time on the call talking about the practical plan that's going to be needed to get navigation through the strait and the role that the UK is playing," Starmer said. 

He said Britain was building a coalition of over 30 countries to work on a diplomatic and military plan to get vessels moving through the waterway.

In an earlier interview, Starmer had appeared to draw parallels between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressing frustration over rising oil and other costs linked to the war.

"I'm fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses' bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump," he said.

Starmer later spoke by phone to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, ahead of planned ceasefire talks in the South Asian country.

Starmer thanked Sharif for his "critical role" in securing the temporary, two-week truce, according to a readout issued by Starmer's Downing Street office.

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An African AIDS charity co-founded by Britain's Prince Harry said on Friday it had launched legal proceedings against him for "reputational harm", after a bitter dispute about its management.

Harry helped found the Sentebale charity in 2006 in honour of his late mother, Princess Diana. But he quit the institution last year amid a bitter governance dispute with its chairperson. 

"Sentebale has commenced legal proceedings in the High Court of England and Wales," the charity said in a statement sent to AFP.

"The charity seeks the court's intervention, protection and restitution following a coordinated adverse media campaign conducted since 25 March 2025 that has caused operational disruption and reputational harm to the charity, its leadership and its strategic partners," it said.

Online court filings show the prince is a defendant alongside Mark Dyer, who was also previously a trustee of Sentebale, according to UK media reports.

"The proceedings have been brought against Prince Harry and Mark Dyer, identified through evidence as the architects of that adverse media campaign, which has had significant viral impact and triggered an onslaught of cyber-bullying directed at the charity and its leadership," Sentebale added.

In August 2025, the UK's Charity Commission pointed to "mismanagement" at the charity.

But it found no evidence of "bullying" -- a charge that had been levelled at Harry by the organisation's chairperson, Sophie Chandauka, in March 2025.

The charity was launched to help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and later Botswana.

Harry -- the youngest son of Britain's King Charles III -- and co-founder Prince Seeiso of Lesotho announced last year they were resigning from the charity, after the trustees quit.

The trustees walked out when Chandauka refused their demand to step down.

- Bitter dispute -

After an inquiry, the Charity Commission said it had "found no evidence of widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir (prejudice against black women) at the charity".

But it "criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly", saying the "damaging internal dispute" had "severely impacted the charity's reputation".

It found there was "a lack of clarity in delegations" which led to "mismanagement in the administration of the charity" and issued the organisation with a plan to "address governance weaknesses".

Chandauka, who was appointed to the voluntary post in 2023, said she "appreciated" the Charity Commission's conclusions.

She added that the findings "confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025".

Speaking to British media after accusing the prince of trying to force her out, Chandauka criticised Harry for his decision to bring a Netflix camera crew to a fundraiser in 2024. 

She also objected to an unplanned appearance by his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at the event.

The accusations were a fresh blow for the prince, who kept only a handful of his private patronages, including with Sentebale, after splitting with the British royal family in 2020. 

He left Britain to live in North America with his wife and children.

Harry chose the name Sentebale as a tribute to Diana, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997 when the prince was just 12. 

It means "forget me not" in the Sesotho language and is also used to say goodbye.

The court filing comes less than a fortnight after Harry's own case against a UK tabloid publisher wrapped up in the High Court.

The proceedings against the publisher of the Daily mail and the Mail on Sunday, are the third case brought by the Duke of Sussex in his acrimonious legal battle with the British press.

Harry and six other claimants accuse the publisher of spying on them, including placing listening devices in cars and homes. Associated Newspapers has strongly denied the accusations.

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Former US vice president Kamala Harris on Friday delivered her clearest signal yet that she may mount another bid for the White House, telling a Democratic audience she is thinking about running in 2028.

Speaking at a convention hosted by civil rights leader Al Sharpton's National Action Network, the 61-year-old stopped short of a formal declaration but left little doubt she is weighing a third campaign.

The Democrat -- defeated in 2024 by Donald Trump in a tumultuous presidential election -- was asked if she would run again in 2028 and electrified the crowd of party activists in New York when she replied: "I might, I might -- I'm thinking about it." 

Having served four years a "heartbeat away" from the presidency under Joe Biden, Harris said she understands the demands of the job -- and argued that the current political and economic landscape is failing many Americans. 

"I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires," she said.

Harris has maintained a relatively low profile since her 2024 defeat, but has been easing back into the spotlight with a series of appearances and trips across southern states. 

Allies say she remains undecided but is taking steps to preserve the option of a campaign.

The National Action Network event has emerged as an early proving ground for 2028 hopefuls, with Black voters -- a cornerstone of the Democratic base -- expected to play a decisive role in choosing the party's nominee. 

Harris used the platform to launch a broad critique of Trump's leadership, telling the crowd: "The status quo is not working, and hasn't been working for a lot of people for a long time." 

Early polling suggests that she begins the shadow 2028 race with a significant advantage in name recognition. But with several prominent Democrats testing the waters, her path to the nomination -- if she runs -- is far from guaranteed.

"The American people have right to expect that anyone who wants to run for office and be a leader, that it can't be about themselves and what they want for themselves," Harris added.

"It's got to be about the American people, and that's how I think of it."

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Djibouti began counting votes Friday in a presidential election expected to hand a sixth term to 78-year-old Ismail Omar Guelleh, who faces just one little-known opponent in the small but highly strategic Horn of Africa nation.

Guelleh has ruled the east African country of about one million people for 27 years with an iron grip, leveraging its key location to turn it into an international military and maritime hub.

Its mere 23,000 square kilometres (8,900 square miles) host military bases and contingents from France, the United States, China, Japan and Italy, generating substantial financial, security and political benefits.

Guelleh had announced he would step down this year but a constitutional amendment in November removed the upper age limit of 75 for presidential candidates, clearing the way for him to run again.

Catching up after a delayed opening on Friday morning, some polling stations in the capital Djibouti closed around 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), an hour after the official end of voting, AFP journalists saw.

The first official results were expected later in the evening. 

"I'm not going to vote, it's pointless. He's been in power for 27 years and the city is dirty," a taxi driver told AFP.

Just over 256,000 people were eligible to choose between Guelleh and Mohamed Farah Samatar, leader of the Unified Democratic Centre (CDU), a party with no seats in parliament.

Amid heavy security, Guelleh, widely known by his initials IOG, voted before noon at City Hall alongside his wife, while Samatar cast his ballot earlier.

"By the grace of God, we have arrived here, and we hope that this will end in victory," Guelleh told reporters.

After trickling in throughout most of the day, voter numbers picked up in the late afternoon at polling stations in the capital, although no queues formed. 

Turnout ranged from 36 to 58 percent at several polling stations visited by AFP, but it exceeded 90 percent at one where soldiers were voting.

Guelleh has plastered the capital with campaign posters and drawn thousands to his rallies, while Samatar has struggled to gain support.

The national broadcaster aired one of Samatar's rallies, with only a few dozen people present.

"I'm going to vote for Ismail Omar Guelleh because he has a good programme for young people. I don’t even know what his opponent looks like," Deka Aden Mohamed, 38, told AFP.

- Unemployment and debt -

In the last presidential election in 2021, which the opposition largely boycotted, Guelleh won more than 97 percent of the vote.

He has faced little opposition since succeeding the country's first president, Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999. He had been Aptidon's chief of staff.

In 2005, he was re-elected unopposed.

His candidacy is seen by some as offering "stability" in the troubled Horn of Africa region, but analysts say it is driven by the absence of a unanimously accepted successor. The health of the president has come under scrutiny.

Despite claims by the Djibouti League of Human Rights that the vote is a "masquerade", people told AFP they were eager to vote.

"It's a duty to go vote," said Yussuf Mohamed Hussein. "I'm going to vote for the president; Samatar, I don't even know him."

Around 70 percent of young Djiboutians are unemployed and the country's development has come at the cost of substantial debt, particularly to China.

Djibouti is situated on the key Bab al-Mandeb strait, which divides the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

Without agriculture to rely on, the country depends on ports for 70 percent of its gross domestic product, with Ethiopia its main maritime outlet.

The nation is accused by human rights organisations of repressing dissent, while Guelleh faces claims of favouring his own majority Issa ethnic group at the expense of the Afar minority.

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(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of New Richmond Parents for Good Schools over the school district’s policy on gender identity and the use of bathrooms at the school.

“The policy has resulted in at least one male being frequently present in the girls’ bathrooms with girls, causing anxiety, stress, and an invasion of personal privacy for the girls,” WILL wrote in a description of the lawsuit.

WILL argues that Title IX states that schools can provide separate locker rooms, toilets and shower facilities on the basis of sex.

The lawsuit is looking for a declaration that New Richmond’s policy violates the 14th Amendment, which prohibits sex discrimination, and an injunction against the New Richmond school district from allowing anyone besides females from entering the female facilities and anyone besides a male from entering boys facilities.

“Girls should feel safe at school and their privacy should be respected,” WILL Deputy Counsel Cory Brewer said in a statement. “New Richmond schools left parents and young girls no choice but to go to court and sue to end this ridiculous policy allowing biological boys into the girls’ bathroom. WILL is proud to represent this association of parents and students to bring an end to this destructive and dangerous policy.”

New Richmond Junior Ella Frei is a WILL client who has been outspoken against the district’s policy.

“Protecting girls by not allowing boys in the girls’ bathroom shouldn’t be controversial – it should be common sense,” Frei said in a statement. “We are not going to abandon our identity as girls or ignore the real privacy concerns the school district has forced on us.”

Thousands of Michael Jackson fans descended on Berlin on Friday for the premiere of a new biopic about the "King of Pop", undeterred by child sex abuse allegations that continue to haunt the star.

"Michael", in which the singer is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, is expected to be one of the highest-grossing films of its kind in history.

In the queue for the screening, Andy Escobar, a 31-year-old aircraft mechanic from the United States, said his nickname at school was MJ -- "because everybody knew that I was a Michael Jackson fan".

Asked about the child abuse allegations, Escobar said simply: "We know that's not true."

"He was found not guilty," added Megane Kittler, a 31-year-old educator from France who lives in Berlin.

Only around 4,000 fans will actually be able to watch the film on Friday evening, two weeks before its official release, after being allocated seats via prize draws.

For the rest, there will be Michael Jackson-themed activities throughout the weekend including panel discussions with the film crew, an exhibition dedicated to the singer and themed parties.

Jackson, who died aged 50 in 2009 from an overdose of propofol, faced multiple allegations of child sex abuse during his lifetime.

- Release pushed back -

Despite his 2005 acquittal in a criminal trial for child molestation, the star never managed to restore his image while alive. 

Other alleged victims filed civil lawsuits after his death and several proceedings are ongoing. The artist has never been convicted in a criminal or civil court.

"Michael" was originally intended to explore the impact of the allegations on the star, according to industry magazine Variety, citing unnamed sources "with knowledge of the production".

However, a third of the film was cut after lawyers for the Jackson estate realised there was a clause in a settlement with one of the singer's accusers that barred any mention of him in a film, the magazine said.

As a result, large parts of the film had to be rewritten and the release -- originally scheduled for April 18, 2025 -- was pushed back.

Film studio Lionsgate is banking on making $700 million in global box office receipts for the feature-length film. 

That figure would far surpass other productions in the same genre except for the Freddie Mercury-inspired "Bohemian Rhapsody", which took in $910 million.

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