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Francois Bayrou, one of few political heavyweights to have stood by French President Emmanuel Macron since he came to power in 2017, now faces his biggest challenge after finally being promoted to prime minister.

President Emmanuel Macron on Friday named centrist leader Francois Bayrou as prime minister, handing him the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis.

Russia named a sports minister sanctioned by the West as its new Olympics chief on Friday, as Moscow faces isolation from international sport over its Ukraine offensive.

Georgia's political crisis deepened Friday after new pro-Europe protests were announced ahead of the controversial nomination of a far-right government loyalist as president.

Suspense mounted on Friday over Emmanuel Macron's pick for prime minister, with the president racing to name a new head of government to break political deadlock.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admits he is battling to lift the mood at his struggling club as they come to terms with reduced expectations.

Germany's central bank on Friday sharply downgraded its growth forecasts for next year and 2026, predicting a prolonged period of weakness for Europe's biggest economy as it battles multiple headwinds.

The Kremlin said Friday that US President-elect Donald Trump's opposition to Ukraine's use of US weapons to hit Russia "fully aligned" with Moscow's position, hours after it launched a massive aerial barrage on Ukraine.

Stock markets diverged Friday as traders were disappointed by China's latest boosts to its beleaguered economy and looked ahead to a key US Federal Reserve meeting next week.

Arne Slot insisted Darwin Nunez is still an important part of Liverpool's plans despite the struggling striker falling below the "standard" in the Champions League win against Girona.

India's aspiring chess players and their parents woke up Friday with big dreams after 18-year-old hometown hero Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest world champion.

Reigning Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhova's return to skiing after a year-long absence has been delayed by cartilage problems, her team said on Friday.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's dark claims of communist infiltration when declaring martial law last week may have seemed to many like a throwback to the Cold War.

Conservationists in Cambodia on Friday celebrated the discovery of six highly endangered Mekong giant catfish in the critical Southeast Asian waterway plagued by illegal fishing, habitat loss and plastic waste.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has ordered the military to "prepare to remain" throughout the winter in the UN-patrolled buffer zone that is supposed to separate Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights.

From her private hospital in Afghanistan's capital, doctor Najmussama Shefajo predicts a rise in maternal mortality rates "within three or four years", following the latest restrictions on women's education.

Syria's rebel chief called on people across the country to celebrate "the victory of the revolution" on Friday, as G7 leaders looked to forge a common approach to the new government.

A cheerful song by one of the most successful K-pop girl groups has emerged as a protest anthem for thousands of South Koreans rallying for President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday told Turkey it was "imperative" to work against a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Manchester City posted record revenues for a Premier League club last season as the champions' income increased to £715 million ($903 million).

UK postal operator Royal Mail has been fined £10.5 million ($13.3 million) for delays in delivering mail for the 2023/2024 financial year, Britain's communications regulator Ofcom said Friday.

A former UK security minister said Friday that it was "extremely embarrassing" that a suspected Chinese spy had become a confidant of disgraced royal Prince Andrew.

Kurdish authorities have made overtures to Islamist-led rebels who seized power in Syria last week, but the long-oppressed community fears it could lose hard-won gains it made during the war, including limited self-rule.

For the Catholic Marist Brothers of Aleppo, one of nearly a dozen Christian communities in Syria's second city, today's most pressing question is how to decorate the Christmas tree.

South Korea's opposition leader on Friday urged ruling party lawmakers to side with the "people" and impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, a day before a second parliamentary vote that appears on a knife edge.

Ukraine said Friday that it was fending off a new missile attack on its energy system, the latest in Russia's campaign targeting the war-torn country's power grid during the winter season.

Markets fell Friday as China's latest vows to boost the beleaguered economy failed to stir much excitement, while traders looked ahead to a key Federal Reserve policy meeting next week.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi told his Egyptian counterpart on Friday that Beijing is "deeply concerned" about the situation in Syria, as the two top diplomats met in the Chinese capital.

President Emmanuel Macron was expected Friday to name a new prime minister after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.

Some callers are women fearful they have been drugged and sexually assaulted; others are doctors worried they have misdiagnosed them -- a helpline set up amid France's notorious mass rape trial has tapped a nation's unease.

Video game "Astro Bot" -- a family-friendly sci-fi adventure -- was named 2024's Game of the Year on Thursday at the annual awards considered the Oscars of the digital entertainment industry.

India are determined to post a big first innings total in the third Test against Australia at Brisbane, batsman Shubman Gill said Friday after they were skittled cheaply in Adelaide.