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Sports
England all out for 334 in second Ashes Test
England were dismissed for 334 in their first innings of the day-night second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane on Friday with Joe Root unbeaten on 138.
Politics
Hong Kong university axes student union after calls for fire justice
A Hong Kong university ordered its student union to shut down after a message was posted on campus expressing condolences and urging justice for the victims of a major fire, according to a letter publicly shared on Friday.
Sports
'Annoying' Raphinha pulling Barca towards their best
Forward Raphinha's comeback from injury has helped Barcelona edge back towards their best form and helped the Catalans reclaim top spot in La Liga.
Sports
Prolific Kane and Undav face off as Bayern head to Stuttgart
League leaders Bayern Munich travel to Stuttgart on Saturday, setting the scene for a battle between the Bundesliga's two in-form goal getters: Harry Kane and Deniz Undav.
Sports
Napoli's title defence continues with visit of rivals Juventus
Napoli have a chance to strike a blow against Juventus as the two great Serie A rivals face off on Sunday in another episode of Europe's tightest league title race.
Sports
Nice host Angers with storm clouds gathering over the Riviera
Beleaguered Nice play Angers at home in Ligue 1 on Sunday, looking to end a dire run on the pitch and tensions between the team and supporters off it.
Economy
OpenAI strikes deal on US$4.6 bn AI centre in Australia
ChatGPT maker OpenAI and an Australian data centre operator have agreed to develop a multibillion-dollar AI centre in Sydney.
Weather
Rains hamper Sri Lanka cleanup after deadly floods
Heavy rains lashed Sri Lanka on Friday, hampering a major clean-up operation after severe flooding and landslides last week killed nearly 500 people, officials said.
Health
In India's mining belt, women spark hope with solar lamps
Santosh Devi is proud to have brought light -- and hope -- to her hamlet in western India, taking up solar engineering through a programme for women like her whose husbands suffer chronic disease from mining work.
Boulevard
After 15 years, Dutch anti-blackface group declares victory
Cherished Christmas tradition for some, profoundly insulting for others, the Dutch character "Black Pete", a servant who helps Santa Claus distribute presents, has divided opinion in The Netherlands for decades.
Sports
Eyes of football world fixed on 2026 World Cup draw with Trump presiding
The draw for the 2026 World Cup takes place in Washington on Friday, with Donald Trump set to play a prominent part in a star-studded ceremony that will mark out the path to glory for contenders at the first-ever 48-team finals.
Sports
West Indies on the ropes in record run chase against New Zealand
New Zealand had the West Indies on the ropes at 107-4 chasing an unlikely 531 at tea on day four of the first Test in Christchurch on Friday, with only Shai Hope providing solid resistance.
Politics
'Only a miracle can end this nightmare': Eritreans fear new Ethiopia war
Tewolde has fought multiple times for Eritrea, one of the most closed societies on Earth, and is now praying another war is not about to break out with neighbouring Ethiopia.
Economy
Unchecked mining waste taints DR Congo communities
Carrying her sore-pocked daughter across her decaying field, Helene Mvubu says she is one of thousands to have fallen victim to the toxic waste defiling the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining capital.
Sports
McIntosh swims second-fastest 400m free ever in US Open triumph
Canadian Summer McIntosh clocked the second-fastest 400m freestyle swim in history on Thursday, touching in 3min 55.37sec to win at the US Open long course meeting in Austin, Texas.
Economy
Asian markets mixed ahead of US data, expected Fed rate cut
Asian markets struggled into the weekend on Friday following a bland lead from Wall Street as a mixed bag of US data did little to move the needle on expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next week.
Economy
French almond makers revive traditions to counter US dominance
The scent of marzipan wafts through the air as confectioners from a century-old company in southern France prepare calissons, one of Provence's famed sweets made of candied melon and crushed almonds.
Tech tracking to tackle human-wildlife conflict in Zimbabwe
In the sun-scorched lands bordering Zimbabwe's largest wildlife sanctuary, Takesure Moyo pedals through his village each morning on a mission to help his community coexist with the elephants and predators that roam nearby.
Sports
Olympic swim star Thorpe to race gruelling Sydney-Hobart on top yacht
Olympic swimming great Ian Thorpe on Friday joined the crew of supermaxi LawConnect in its bid to win a third consecutive Sydney-Hobart yacht race, with the Australian bracing for a mental and physical challenge.
Politics
'Land without laws': Israeli settlers force Bedouins from West Bank community
As relentless harassment from Israeli settlers drove his brothers from their Bedouin community in the central occupied West Bank, Ahmed Kaabneh remained determined to stay on the land his family had lived on for generations.
Boulevard
No yolk: police 'recover' Faberge egg swallowed by thief
New Zealand police have recovered a diamond-encrusted green Faberge egg after keeping a six-day watch over the thief accused of swallowing it.
Sports
Liverpool's defensive woes deepen, Arsenal face Villa test
Liverpool travel to Leeds this weekend with mounting questions over whether Arne Slot can stop the rot, while in-form Aston Villa take aim at Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Nature
Pandas and ping-pong: Macron to end China visit on lighter note
An ancient dam, pandas and ping-pong: French leader Emmanuel Macron concludes his fourth state visit to China on Friday, striking a more relaxed note after some tough discussions with his counterpart Xi Jinping the previous day on Ukraine and trade.
Sports
Trump set for soccer -- or football -- diplomacy at World Cup draw
Donald Trump still seems unsure whether to call it soccer or football. But the US president's aim is truer when using the world's favorite sport to score diplomatic goals.
Sports
Messi eyes first MLS crown as Miami face Mueller-led Vancouver
Lionel Messi will aim to crown his MLS revolution by leading Inter Miami to their first domestic championship on Saturday in a blockbuster season finale against the surging Vancouver Whitecaps.
Economy
Aid cuts causing 'tragic' rise in child deaths, Bill Gates tells AFP
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates told AFP on Thursday it is "tragic" that child deaths will increase worldwide for the first time this century because wealthy Western countries have slashed international aid.
Economy
Abortion in Afghanistan: 'My mother crushed my stomach with a stone'
When Bahara was four months pregnant, she went to a Kabul hospital to beg for an abortion. "We're not allowed," a doctor told her. "If someone finds out, we will all end up in prison."
Sports
Lyon 'absolutely filthy' at being dropped for Ashes Test
Frustrated Australian spinner Nathan Lyon said he was "absolutely filthy" at being axed for the second Ashes Test against England.
Nature
Study says African penguins starved en masse off South Africa
Endangered penguins living off South Africa's coast have likely starved en masse due to food shortages, a study said Friday, with some populations dropping by 95 percent in just eight years.
Sports
West Indies face colossal 531-run target in first New Zealand Test
The West Indies made a safe start to their colossal 531-run target in the first Test against an injury-hit New Zealand on Friday as they reached 20-0 at lunch on day four in Christchurch.
Politics
US signs health aid deal with Kenya in Trump first
The United States on Thursday signed a $2.5 billion health aid deal with Kenya, the first such bilateral agreement after President Donald Trump tore down the historic US aid agency and sidelined NGOs.
Politics
German president urges European 'self-confidence' on UK state visit
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a rallying cry for Europe's future global competitiveness at a City of London banquet Thursday, as he wrapped up the second day of his UK state visit.