Brandon Vazquez and FC Cincinnati agreed Thursday to a contract extension through the 2025 season, a deal that includes an option for 2026.

The 23-year-old forward has a career-best 15 league goals this season, tied for third in Major League Soccer with Dallas' Jesús Ferreira and one behind Austin's Sebastián Driussi and Nashville's Hany Mukhtar.

The brazen assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun shocked a nation unused to high-profile political violence.

But there has been another surprise in the weeks since the murder as details have emerged about an alleged assassin who was well-off until his mother's huge donations to the controversial Unification Church left him poor, neglected and filled with rage.

A team from the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to visit the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine soon but more shelling was reported in the area overnight. The visit comes after the plant was temporarily knocked offline, fueling fears of a catastrophe in a nation still haunted by the 1986 Chernobyl disaster

There were conflicting reports Friday on the extent of the damage to a transmission line at the complex —Europe's largest nuclear plant — that caused a blackout across the region on Thursday. It was not immediately clear whether the damaged line carried outgoing electricity or incoming power that is needed for the reactors' vital cooling systems. A loss of cooling could cause a nuclear meltdown.

Manchester United will start another season in the Europa League in a group with Real Sociedad, Sheriff and Omonoia after the draw was made Friday.

Man United, which won the Europa League in 2017 and was the beaten finalist two years ago, entered the second-tier competition by placing just sixth in the Premier League last season.

A small homemade explosive detonated on Friday near Baghdad's Green Zone as an Australian diplomatic convoy made its way into the area, two security officials told The Associated Press.

No injuries were reported.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday he has agreed with his Algerian counterpart to work to combat illegal immigration while ensuring more flexible ways for the North African country's nationals to come to France legally.

Macron's comments Friday came during a three-day visit to Algeria meant to reset relations between the two countries, after a major diplomatic crisis last year broke out over the visa issue.

Elton John and Britney Spears have collaborated for the first time, creating the slinky, club-ready single "Hold Me Closer" that sees the pop icons take old sounds and fashion something new.

The funky, piano-driven single uses John's 1971 hit "Tiny Dancer" as the skeleton and adds elements from his songs "The One" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," all with Spears voice soaring and fluttering.

The landscape in the prestigious vineyards of Bordeaux looks the same as ever, with healthy, ripe grapes hanging heavy off rows of green vines.

But this year something is starkly different in one of France's most celebrated wine regions and other parts of Europe. The harvest that once started in mid-September is now happening earlier than ever — in mid-August — as a result of severe drought and the wine industry's adaptation to the unpredictable effects of climate change.

Russia has obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite U.S. warnings to Tehran not to ship them, according to Western intelligence officials.

It's unclear whether Russia has begun flying the drones against Ukrainian targets, but the drones appear to be operational and ready to use, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Ibrahim Slaieh can point to three great moments of joy in his life in the Gaza Strip: his graduation from university, his wedding, and the day last year when he got a six-month permit to work inside Israel.

The permit — a little piece of paper, wrapped in protective plastic — allows the 44-year-old to work at a grocery store in southern Israel, making 10 times what he could in Gaza. It means a better education for his six children, bigger family meals and treats like pastries, fruit yogurt and chocolate milk.