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Chelsea will face trips to German Bundesliga side Heidenheim and to Athens to play Panathinaikos in the league phase of this season's UEFA Conference League, the draw for which took place on Friday in Monaco.

Max Verstappen was fastest in Friday's first practice session for the Italian Grand Prix, pipping Charles Leclerc to the top time as he tries to get his Formula One title defence back on track.

Australian cult rocker Nick Cave, known for his dark and stormy ballads, released his latest album Friday, a record he describes as "the light flooding in" again after the death of two sons.

A French retiree goes on trial Monday accused of recruiting dozens of strangers online to rape his wife after he drugged her into unconsciouness, in a case that has horrified the country.

Southampton signed England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal in a deal worth a reported £25 million ($32 million) ahead of Friday's transfer deadline.

Gus Atkinson cemented his love affair with Lord's by scoring a maiden century on Friday, with the Surrey paceman's 118 powering England to an imposing first-innings 427 all out against Sri Lanka on the second day of the second Test.

India's world number one Suhas Yathiraj said on Friday he is dreaming of eating a full-butter croissant if he wins the gold medal in the singles SL 4 badminton at the Paris Paralympics.

Gus Atkinson cemented his love affair with Lord's by scoring a maiden century on Friday, with his 118 powering England to an imposing first-innings 427 all out against Sri Lanka on the second day of the second Test.

Manchester United will travel to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, now coached by Jose Mourinho, among their eight games in the league phase of the new-look Europa League, the draw for which took place in Monaco on Friday.

Basel will host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after the Swiss border city was chosen Friday to stage the 69th edition of the glitzy annual TV extravaganza.

Cristiano Ronaldo has kept his place in the Portugal squad for next month's UEFA Nations games against Croatia and Scotland despite an ineffective display at Euro 2024.

The Taliban government's morality ministry said it would not cooperate with the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, calling it "an opposing side".

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe admits success will take "a lot longer" to achieve for his club after a frustrating transfer window.

Stock markets rose on Friday as investors welcomed data showing eurozone inflation cooled to a three-year low and the US economy was stronger than expected.

Arne Slot says Federico Chiesa may have to wait for his Liverpool debut after the Italy forward's arrival ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester United.

Nigerian saleswoman Ivy Junaid says her daily half-an-hour commute from mainland Lagos to the city's island business district has changed her life.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says the Spanish and European champions must quickly navigate their way through a patchy start to the season, with Kylian Mbappe still searching for his first goal in La Liga.

Germany said Friday it had deported Afghan criminals back to their home country for the first time since Taliban authorities took power in 2021, as Berlin faces pressure to get tougher on migration.

Fans are not the only ones eagerly awaiting next year's Oasis reunion tour: British hoteliers and pub owners are looking forward to a boom in business, with hopes of a Taylor Swift-style economy boost.

A win for South Africa over arch-rivals New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday would leave the World Cup title-holders well placed to win the Rugby Championship a second time.

Eurozone inflation fell to its lowest level in more than three years this month thanks to falling energy costs, official data showed on Friday, raising expectations of a European Central Bank interest-rate cut.

Israel said it killed three Hamas militants in an air strike in the occupied West Bank on Friday, taking the death toll from a large-scale military operation now in its third day to at least 19.

Basel will host the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest after being chosen ahead of Geneva on Friday to stage the 69th edition of the glitzy TV extravaganza.

Typhoon Shanshan weakened to a tropical storm Friday but was still dumping heavy rains as it slowly churned through Japan, triggering transport havoc and landslide warnings, with up to six people killed.

Israel carried out an air strike in the occupied West Bank on Friday as its large-scale military operation entered a third day, with both sides reporting at least 16 Palestinians killed.

Asian and European markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street, boosted by a strong round of US data that reassured investors over the health of the world's top economy, while focus turns to the release of key inflation figures.

Samoa held off a second-half revival by visitors Tonga to post a 43-17 win in Apia on Friday and their first victory in the Pacific Nations Cup.

China's campaign of confrontation, from remote reefs in Southeast Asia to Taiwan and far-flung Japanese islands, is designed to wear down regional rivals competing with it for contested territories, analysts say.

Pacific leaders wrapped up a key summit in Tonga on Friday, endorsing a major joint policing initiative and rebuffing moves from China's regional allies to sideline long-term partner Taiwan.

After more than four years in the making, French video game designer Ubisoft on Friday released its much-anticipated "Star Wars Outlaws", an immersive spinoff from the famed saga.

Two women dominated Bangladeshi politics for decades. One was chased into exile. The other is newly free from custody and too sick to rule, but her heir looks set to take power.

One sheep dribbles, another limps, a third can barely stand: the bluetongue virus is causing havoc for Dutch farmer Erik van Norel, who thought he had seen the back of it.