U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East again are urging restraint from both the United States and Iran as the Trump administration warns of a possible strike and builds up its military presence in the region, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman and Qatar have all been in touch with leaders in Washington and Tehran to make the case that an escalation by either or both sides would cause massive destabilization throughout the region and affect energy markets, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims who fled Syria after former President Bashar Assad's government was toppled in an offensive by Sunni rebels in December 2024 have found a new home in Lebanon.

Many of them stayed in mosques, schools or with relatives in Lebanon until the Imam Ali Housing Compound — funded by Hezbollah and Shiite religious institutions in Iraq and Iran — was opened in late 2025.

The government approved Friday an agreement to transfer Syrian prisoners serving their sentences in Lebanon back to their home country.

The issue of prisoners has been a sore point as the neighboring countries seek to recalibrate their relations following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive by Islamist-led insurgents in December 2024. Former insurgent leader Ahmad al-Sharaa is now Syria's interim president.

The political leader in line to become the Netherlands' next prime minister on Friday said concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump's territorial ambitions in Greenland were a "wake-up call" for Europe at a fraught time.

Centrist D66 leader Rob Jetten emphasized the need for stronger European cooperation to ensure security and prosperity — rather than focusing on the United States.

Max Dowman, who became the youngest player to feature in the Champions League at the age of 15 this season, has signed a pre-contract agreement with Arsenal that will lead to him securing professional terms when he turns 17.

Arsenal announced the deal on Friday and manager Mikel Arteta appeared to draw comparisons with Lionel Messi when asked if he had seen a youngster with such talent and a strong mentality.

Real Madrid faces an immediate rematch with Benfica after the teams were drawn together in the Champions League playoffs on Friday.

Benfica beat Madrid 4-2 on Wednesday to deny the 15-time European champion direct qualification to the round of 16 and force it into the uncertainty of the playoffs.

The U.N. atomic watchdog's board held a special session Friday to discuss risks to nuclear safety in Ukraine as concerns mount that relentless Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure pose an increasing danger of a nuclear accident.

The urgent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors was held at the request of the Netherlands with support from 11 other countries, diplomats said — Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and the United Kingdom. Though it won't produce any binding outcome, the aim is to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia.

Florida won't be getting hit with massive blankets of snow and ice like the rest of the U.S., but even frosty windshields and a few flurries can feel like Antarctica to people with permanent sandal tans.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the Chinese financial center of Shanghai on Friday in his bid to boost business opportunities for British firms in the world's second-largest economy, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a possible opposition to any deal between Beijing and London.

Starmer, the center-left Labour leader, has brought more than 50 business leaders on his trip to China, the first by a U.K. prime minister in eight years.

The European economy recorded modest growth at the end of last year, pushing past turmoil over higher U.S. tariffs. But now the economy faces another hurdle: a stronger euro against the dollar that could weigh on exports.

Growth in the 21 countries that use the shared euro currency came in at 0.3% for the last three months of 2025, matching the figure from the third quarter, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Friday. Growth compared with the fourth quarter of 2024 was 1.3%.