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World number one Aryna Sabalenka stepped up her Australian Open preparations as she overpowered Marie Bouzkova in straight sets to reach the Brisbane International semi-finals on Friday.

The European Union backs a peaceful, inclusive transition in Syria, top French and German diplomats said Friday as they visited Damascus to meet with new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Arne Slot says crisis-hit Manchester United are "much, much better" than their shocking position in the Premier League suggests as he prepares his Liverpool team for a clash against their fierce rivals on Sunday.

Britain produced its cleanest electricity on record last year with output of fossil fuels at an all-time low and renewables reaching a record-high, a study has showed.

Karolina Muchova dismantled Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to help the Czech Republic beat Italy on Friday and set up a United Cup semi-final against the United States.

Rohit Sharma's omission from the fifth Australia Test on Friday was "emotional", wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant said, as former India coach Ravi Shastri predicted the skipper will "pull the plug" on his red-ball career.

China said on Friday it would take "all necessary measures" in response to the United States announcing it was considering restrictions on commercial Chinese drones for national security reasons.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, with the country mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest.

Thick smog blanketed Hanoi on Friday, obscuring buildings and leaving nine million residents choking on toxic air as the Vietnamese capital topped a list of the world's most polluted major cities.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.

Russian teenage talent Mirra Andreeva and men's defending champion Grigor Dimitrov reached the Brisbane International semi-finals in contrasting fashion on Friday.

A relentless Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc sliced through an Indian batting line-up missing Rohit Sharma on Friday to put Australia in a commanding position after day one of the fifth and final Test.

US President Joe Biden has decided to block the proposed $14.9 billion purchase of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel and will announce the move as soon as Friday, according to US media.

Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra declared more than $400 million in assets on Friday, her party said, including more than 200 designer handbags worth over $2 million and at least 75 luxury watches, valued at almost $5 million.

South Korea's spy agency said Friday it was analysing rare state media footage showing the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with two children -- saying they could be hers.

South Korean investigators abandoned their attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence on Friday over a failed martial law bid, citing safety concerns after a standoff with his security team.

China is "determined" to continue opening up its economy to the world in 2025, a top economic planning official said Friday, as Beijing steels itself for potential trade turmoil when US President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

South Korean investigators on Friday began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane that crashed five days ago, killing 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on its soil, AFP reporters saw.

US Republican leader Mike Johnson was set to face down critics Friday in a vote in Congress that could see him returned as one of the country's top statesmen -- or jettisoned to the back benches and political obscurity.

South Korean investigators called off their attempt to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence Friday over a failed martial law bid, citing safety concerns after a standoff with his security team.

Batting kingpin Virat Kohli was out cheaply as Australia's fearsome attack pegged back India to 107-4 by tea on day one of the decisive fifth and final Test on Friday.

South Korea was set Friday to move the tail section of the Jeju Air plane that crashed last week, killing 179 people in the worst aviation disaster on its soil, officials said.

Oklahoma City stretched the NBA's best win streak to 13 games with a home victory Thursday while the reigning champion Boston Celtics held on for a last-shot win at Minnesota.

American Tom Hoge fired a 9-under-par round of 64 to grab the first-round lead at the PGA Tour's season-opening The Sentry tournament in Kapalua, Hawaii on Thursday.

Former world number one Naomi Osaka reached her first semi-final since 2022 after fighting back at the Auckland Classic on Friday.

A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that US regulators overstepped their authority by reinstating "net neutrality" rules governing internet service providers, dealing a blow to the Biden administration.

Asian markets gained on Friday, bucking retreats on Wall Street as the dollar advanced and markets reopened following the New Year's holiday.

Rohit Sharma rose from humble beginnings to captain India but he was axed Friday for the decisive fifth Test against Australia to nudge the "Hitman" closer to retirement.

French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo is set to publish a special God-mocking edition next week to mark 10 years since an attack on its offices by jihadist gunmen that left eight staff members dead.

In the winding alleys of southern Iran, artist Adel Yazdi has taken it upon himself to turn his rustic old neighbourhood into a cultural and tourist hub through vibrant paintings and carved relief faces.

Hollywood's awards season heats up Sunday at the Golden Globes, with surreal narco-thriller musical "Emilia Perez" -- about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to life as a woman -- leading the charge.

Graffiti on walls around Havana telling Cubans "you need to be happy" has encouraged introspection and inspiration in a country where censorship has forced many street artists to emigrate or abandon their work.