An explosion tore through a crowded mosque in western Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 18 people, including a prominent cleric, Taliban officials and a local medic said. At least 21 people were hurt.

The blast went off in the Guzargah Mosque in the western city of Herat during Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the Muslim religious week when places of worship are particularly crowded.

The stench is gone and, slowly, the fish are returning to the Emscher, a river through western Germany's industrial heartland that for decades was not just a blot on the landscape but officially deemed an open sewer.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz celebrated the river's revival Thursday, hailing the 30-year effort to rewild the Emscher as an example of the perseverance that the country would also need in transforming its economy to a cleaner, greener future.

It's picking season at Christian Nachtwey's organic orchard in western Germany and laborers are loading their carts with ripe red Elstar apples, ready to be shipped to European supermarkets.

But Nachtwey's farm is also reaping a second harvest: Many of the apple trees grow beneath solar panels that have been producing bountiful electricity during this year's unusually sun-rich summer, while providing the fruit below with much-needed shade.

The head of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency said Friday that advanced nuclear technology will be "critical" for both the United States and Japan as they step up cooperation to meet decarbonization goals.

Michael Regan, after holding talks with his Japanese counterpart Akihiro Nishimura in Tokyo, told a joint news conference that nuclear energy in their countries plays a role and "the opportunities for advanced nuclear technology will be critical if we're going to meet our climate goals."

Heavy fighting continued Friday near Europe's largest nuclear power plant in a Russian-controlled area of eastern Ukraine, a day after experts from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency voiced concerns about structural damage to the sprawling Zaporizhzhia site.

Britain's Defense Ministry says shelling continued in the district where the Zaporizhzhia power plant sits. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said Russian shelling damaged houses, gas pipelines and other infrastructure in the Nikopol region on the other bank of the Dnieper River.

Barcelona was busy in the beginning of the transfer window trying to boost its squad and making some high-profile signings that included Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

Ahead of the transfer deadline, though, the focus was mainly on getting rid of players to clear up some extra salary cap room.

Chelsea signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona before the summer transfer window closed Thursday, giving manager Thomas Tuchel a new striker a season after they couldn't make it work with Romelu Lukaku.

The 33-year-old Aubameyang returns to the Premier League after just seven months in Barcelona, where he moved after being released by Arsenal. The deal was reportedly valued at $14 million.

Rafael Nadal cut himself on the bridge of his nose with his own racket when it ricocheted off the court on the follow-through from a shot, leaving himself bloodied and dizzy during his second-round victory at the U.S. Open.

Play was delayed for about five minutes during a medical timeout in the fourth set of what would become a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 win against Fabio Fognini at Arthur Ashe Stadium in a match that began Thursday night and finished after midnight on Friday.

The shrieks of fear-infused excitement as bulls charge through the streets of many Spanish towns during wildly popular summer festivals echo in sharp contrast to the number of people who have died after being gored this year.

Bull runs may be a beloved spectacle for locals and visitors in thousands of summer festivals across Spain, but this year's macabre, record-tying toll of eight deaths has politicians and animal rights defenders heaping much criticism on the practice.

Imagine if they could bottle a potion called "Just Serena."

That was Serena Williams' succinct, smiling explanation for how she'd managed — at nearly 41, and match-rusty — to defeat the world's second-ranked player and advance Wednesday to the third round of a U.S. Open that so far, doesn't feel much like a farewell. "I'm just Serena," she said, to roaring fans.