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Safe-haven gold surpassed $3,000 for the first time Friday, boosted by uncertainty over US President Donald Trump's tariffs, while stock markets gained on hopes US lawmakers will avert a government shutdown.

Former central banker Mark Carney will be sworn in as Canada's next prime minister on Friday with the country rattled by a breakdown in relations with the United States.

Federica Brignone put one hand on the alpine skiing World Cup after winning Friday's super-G in front of delighted home fans in La Thuile.

Britain's energy and net zero secretary will head to China this weekend to drum up support for climate commitments, in the first Beijing visit by a UK energy minister since 2017.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said it is not the players' fault for the contracts signed off by the club as he hit back at claims by co-owner Jim Ratcliffe that some are "overpaid".

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the League Cup final against Newcastle with an ankle injury that leaves the defender facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs has always faced strong opposition on the home front.

Dozens of Syrian Druze clerics crossed the armistice line on the Golan Heights into Israel on Friday for their community's first pilgrimage to a revered shrine since Israel's creation in 1948.

Thousands of paying fans in Tokyo clapped and cheered as they watched Shohei Ohtani make a brief appearance in practice with his Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday ahead of the Major League Baseball season-opener.

France's Finance Minister Eric Lombard called the escalating US-EU trade war "idiotic" on Friday and said he would soon travel to the United States after Washington threatened huge tariffs against French wine and champagne.

UN chief Antonio Guterres met with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh Friday, some of the one million people who escaped war in neighbouring Myanmar who are now threatened by dire humanitarian aid cuts.

Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson were included in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad on Friday, while Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Newcastle defender Dan Burn earned their first call-ups.

The World Food Programme will be forced to cut off one million people in war-torn Myanmar from its vital food aid because of "critical funding shortfalls", it said on Friday.

Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn reported on Friday a lower-than-expected net profit for 2024 as consumer electronic gadgets underperformed, although demand for its artificial intelligence servers remained robust.

Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte is expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court later Friday to face crimes against humanity charges over his deadly war on drugs.

Lewis Hamilton said Friday his first competitive day in a Ferrari had been "completely different" but he is relishing trying to squeeze out more pace at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

In a desert town in Pakistan, Hindus prepare meals for fasting Muslims, who in turn gather to welcome a Holi procession, a rare moment of religious solidarity in the Islamic nation.

Britain's economy unexpectedly shrank in January, official data showed Friday, piling more pressure on the Labour government ahead of its Spring Statement on the economy.

Italian banking giant UniCredit said Friday it had secured approval from the European Central Bank to buy up to 29.9 percent of Commerzbank, opening the door to a possible takeover of its German rival.

Max Verstappen said Friday he struggled with tyre grip in second practice for the Australian Grand Prix after finishing a lowly seventh, but was heartened by the pace of his Red Bull.

The World Food Programme will be forced to cut off one million people in war-torn Myanmar from its vital food aid because of "critical funding shortfalls", it said Friday.

German premium carmaker BMW warned Friday of continued challenges in 2025 from trade tensions and weak demand in China after reporting a plunge in profits last year.

Mekhri feels "a sense of freedom and self-confidence" when she's behind the wheel of a car -- despite being forced to drive illegally because of an unwritten rule preventing women getting a licence.

Mine shafts snake under the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's mountains, but instead of the Congolese government their rich veins are making a mint for the Rwanda-backed M23.

Stargazers across a swathe of the world marvelled at a dramatic red "Blood Moon" during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of Friday morning.

The US government was hours from shutting down Friday as Democrats smarting over President Donald Trump's spending cuts threatened to block his federal funding plans -- although hopes were high for a resolution to the impasse.

When a 13-year-old boy pointed a gun at his teacher in a Czech school in January, she kept cool and slowly cornered him to let his classmates escape.

With his paintings of Ivory Coast's street kids, Aboudia has taken his teenage misfit mutiny to the very top, becoming one of the world's bestselling artists along the way.

Charles Leclerc powered to the quickest time ahead of Oscar Piastri in second practice at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Friday, with Lewis Hamilton fifth and Max Verstappen only seventh.

China urged an end to "illegal" sanctions on Iran as it hosted diplomats from that country and Russia on Friday for talks Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme.

China hosted Russian and Iranian diplomats on Friday for talks Beijing hopes will restart long-stalled negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

Ireland have a glimmer of hope that they can retain their Six Nations crown on Saturday when they take on Italy in Rome, looking to bounce back from a painful defeat to title favourites France.