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Authorities near Sicily's Mount Etna are bracing to control an influx of visitors this weekend, attracted by a two-week flow of lava inspiring high-altitude selfies and other reckless behaviour.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has appointed Alice Marie Johnson, a woman he pardoned in his first term, as "pardon czar" to advise on other cases.

Liverpool will take on Paris Saint-Germain in one of the standout ties in the last 16 of this season's Champions League after the teams were paired together in Friday's draw.

A Dutch court Friday handed a life sentence to a man who shot dead three people and set fire to a Rotterdam hospital during a rampage that sparked pandemonium and shocked the country.

Jenni Hermoso will appeal the verdict in the case of former Spain football chief Luis Rubiales, who was fined after being found guilty of a forced kiss on the Women's World Cup-winning player, her lawyer said.

European and Asian markets rose on Friday, with Hong Kong leading the way thanks to a surge in tech stocks led by e-commerce titan Alibaba.

Alice Robinson leads the way after the first run of Friday's giant slalom in Sestiere as Mikaela Shiffrin was left way off the pace in her bid for a 100th World Cup win.

France full-back Melvyn Jaminet, who has been suspended since the start of the season for racist remarks, returns to rugby this weekend for Toulon against Stade Francais, his coach Pierre Mignoni said on Friday.

Myanmar handed over 300 Chinese scam centre workers to be repatriated through Thailand on Friday, as authorities intensify a crackdown on the illegal operations.

Chinese tech companies shrugged off foreign scrutiny of upstart chatbot maker DeepSeek, telling AFP on Friday they were confident the country's tech startups would make more gains in the global artificial intelligence race.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against accusations that the Trump administration has given in to Russia even before talks on ending the Ukraine war begin, saying Washington first wants to see whether Moscow was "serious".

Only around one in six Japanese citizens hold valid passports, fresh data shows, with the number of residents travelling abroad slowly recovering but still below pre-pandemic levels.

A festival in a frigid park on the edge of the world's coldest capital in February might not sound like a crowd-puller -- but in Mongolia an inaugural celebration of nomadic culture was in fine fettle this week.

Asian markets rose Friday, with Hong Kong leading the way thanks to a surge in tech stocks led by ecommerce titan Alibaba.

Japan's cabinet approved a bill Friday allowing hunters to shoot bears in populated areas at their own discretion after human encounters with the wild animals hit record levels.

China warned Australia Friday of potential "live fire" naval drills in international waters off the eastern coast, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as commercial flights were told to steer clear of the area.

Pakistan face arch-rivals India in a Champions Trophy blockbuster on Sunday in front of a sell-out Dubai crowd knowing that another defeat will virtually end their title defence.

They appear tranquil soaring above Himalayan forests, but a string of cable car projects in Nepal have sparked violent protests, with locals saying environmental protection should trump tourism development.

The World Trade Organization's entire mission is overseeing global trade, but US President Donald Trump's tariff offensive has left it adrift.

Taskin Erduan thought he'd got a bargain: three litres of vodka for around $15. But it took only two glasses to kill the 51-year-old hairdresser who worked at an Istanbul salon.

Nissan shares surged 11 percent Friday after a report said a Japanese group including a former prime minister plans to ask US electric vehicle giant Tesla to invest in the automaker.

LeBron James and Austin Reaves combined for 72 points as the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back to score a battling 110-102 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA on Thursday.

Cambodian deminers are to resume operations to clear unexploded munitions, after the United States granted a waiver to keep funding the work in the country, officials said on Friday.

Canada's NHL stars celebrated an emotional 3-2 overtime victory over arch rival United States in Thursday's Four Nation Face-Off final while Americans took motivation for next year's Winter Olympics.

The US national security advisor warned Ukraine's leader to stop hurling "insults" at Donald Trump, as pressure built Friday on Volodymyr Zelensky to sign away precious mineral rights in exchange for Washington's help defending against Russia.

In one of the world's hottest cities, fresh and filtered water can quench the searing onslaught of climate change -- but US President Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze threatens its vital supply, an NGO says.

This campaign started in such promising fashion for Monaco, but the principality club's midweek Champions League exit means they are left trying to rescue their season by securing qualification for the next edition of Europe's elite club competition.

Barcelona travel to Las Palmas on Saturday in La Liga aiming to do what they, champions Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have failed to manage in recent weeks.

Only around one in six Japanese citizens hold valid passports, fresh data has shown, with the number of residents travelling abroad slowly recovering but still below pre-pandemic levels.

In an ice hockey grudge match of border rivals fueled by political tensions, "51st state" Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime on Thursday to win the Four Nations Face-Off final.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered an "intensive operation against centers of terrorism" in the occupied West Bank, his office said, after three buses exploded in central Israel without causing any reported injuries.

Catarina Macario scored her first national team goal in nearly three years as the USA beat Colombia 2-0 in their opening game of the SheBelieves Cup on Thursday.