Brazil's new coach Carlo Ancelotti is getting a little help from his old friend Casemiro as he prepares for his debut in South American World Cup qualifying at Ecuador. Meanwhile star Lionel Messi is expected to play Thursday for Argentina at Chile after a seven-month absence.

Veteran midfielder Casemiro, who has had success with the Italian coach at Real Madrid, is likely to be a starter in a match Thursday that could ease the pressure on Brazil, currently in fourth position in the standings. A home win could also put Ecuador close to its berth in the World Cup.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has turned down a proposed move to Saudi club Al Hilal because he wants "to play at the highest possible level."

Fernandes confirmed Tuesday that he had received an "exciting offer" from the Riyadh-based club to switch after what was a disappointing season for United.

Top Trump administration officials — fresh off touring one of the country's largest oil fields in the Alaska Arctic — headlined an energy conference led by the state's Republican governor on Tuesday that environmentalists criticized as promoting new oil and gas drilling and turning away from the climate crisis.

Several dozen protesters were outside Gov. Mike Dunleavy's annual Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage, where U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin were featured speakers. The federal officials were continuing a multiday trip aimed at highlighting President Donald Trump's push to expand oil and gas drilling, mining and logging in the state.

On this small island in rural Nagasaki, Japan's Hidden Christians gather to worship what they call the Closet God.

In a special room about the size of a tatami mat is a scroll painting of a kimono-clad Asian woman. She looks like a Buddhist Bodhisattva holding a baby, but for the faithful, this is a concealed version of Mary and the baby Jesus. Another scroll shows a man wearing a kimono covered with camellias, an allusion to John the Baptist's beheading and martyrdom.

Scientists have unlocked one of the solar system's many secrets from an unexpected source: a planetarium show opening to the public on Monday.

At the American Museum of Natural History last fall, experts were hard at work preparing "Encounters in the Milky Way," a deep dive into our home galaxy shaped by the movements of stars and other celestial objects.

May saw the death of a retired U.S. Supreme Court justice who came the high court as a Republican but became a favorite among liberals during his time on the bench.

David H. Souter was was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1990. But he offered a reliably liberal vote on issues such as abortion and freedom of expression. Souter retired from the court in 2009.

An Israeli- and U.S.-backed group paused food delivery at its three distribution sites in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on better guiding foot traffic near the sites and enhancing military training procedures to promote safety.

The outline of the U.S. offer to Iran in their high-stakes negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program is starting to become clearer — but whether any deal is on the horizon remains as cloudy as ever.

Reaching a deal is one of the several diplomatic priorities being juggled by U.S. President Donald Trump and his trusted friend and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. An accord could see the United States lift some of its crushing economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for it drastically limiting or ending its enrichment of uranium.

Mount Etna, the volcano that towers over eastern Sicily, has again captivated the world with a spectacular show, spewing smoke and high into the sky.

But the defining event of Monday's eruption was the more rare pyroclastic flow from the southwestern crater not visible from a distance.

Senior officials from almost 50 nations gathered Wednesday to drum up more weapons and ammunition for Ukraine, with the Pentagon's chief absent for the first time since the group organizing the military aid was set up three years ago.

The Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters is going to be chaired by the United Kingdom and Germany. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would only arrive in Brussels after it's over. He will participate in a meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday.