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Lionel Messi should be able to take the field for Inter Miami's pre-season friendly in Hong Kong at the weekend despite an injury niggle, coach Gerardo Martino said Friday, to the relief of thousands of football fans in the city.

European equities rose Friday as investors digested bright tech earnings and awaited key US jobs data.

Two decades after London began moves to clamp down on sports utility vehicles, Parisians on Sunday will vote on whether to squeeze the gas-guzzlers out of town by tripling their parking fees.

The January transfer window came and went without the usual flurry of activity from Premier League clubs as spending by the English top-flight collapsed to its lowest level in a non-pandemic season since 2012.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hit an unbeaten 179 as India took opening day honours in the second Test despite regular England strikes, including debutant Shoaib Bashir's two wickets, on Friday.

Hong Kong has withdrawn from the eAsian Cup in Qatar because the football video game used by the event could not display the team's official name which includes the word "China".

Barcelona president Joan Laporta said Friday that a European Super League project could begin as soon as next season, adding that he does not care if English clubs join or not.

Parking hefty vehicles in Paris could soon come with a matching price tag if a Sunday referendum to triple the cost for SUVs is passed, in a vote that has raised the hackles of some drivers in the French capital.

When artists step onto the stage for the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, all except one of the nominees for the newly created Best African Music category will be Nigerians.

France's agriculture minister said Friday that the worst of a crisis that saw farmers block roads nationwide was over, as protesters began lifting roadblocks following government promises of cash and eased regulation.

The deadly gas explosion that engulfed a Nairobi estate was a disaster waiting to happen, shaken residents told AFP on Friday as they raged against the government.

Lewis Hamilton's surprise decision to quit Mercedes and join Ferrari at the end of the coming Formula One season was greeted with joy in the Italian media on Friday.

Fighting in Gaza raged on Friday with scores reported killed overnight, after mediator Qatar said Hamas had given its "initial" support to a hostage-prisoner exchange deal that would pause its war with Israel.

Public transport workers across Germany walked off the job on Friday in the latest industrial action to buffet Europe's top economy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is engaged in intense political manoeuvring as pressure grows at home and abroad to release hostages held in Gaza and bring fighting to a halt.

Qatar coach Tintin Marquez said Friday they relish the "positive pressure" of trying to retain their Asian Cup title on home soil, on the eve of a quarter-final with Uzbekistan.

China's economic slowdown is likely to persist in the coming years as the Asian giant struggles with sagging productivity and a rapidly aging population, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Friday.

Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier said they were remembering they were champions as they took the lead in the ice dance at the Four Continents figure skating competition in Shanghai on Friday.

Stock markets rose Friday, tracking a surge on Wall Street fuelled by bargain-buying from the previous day's sell-off, while strong earnings from tech titans soothed worries about the impact of higher interest rates on bottom lines.

At least three people were killed and more than 270 injured in a massive fire when a truck laden with gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, police said Friday.

A Los Angeles Lakers team missing superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis barreled past the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday as Tyrese Maxey scored 51 points to lead Philadelphia over Utah.

Asian markets rose Friday, tracking a surge on Wall Street fuelled by bargain-buying from the previous day's sell-off, while strong earnings from tech titans soothed worries about the impact of higher interest rates on bottom lines.

Rising Black Caps batting star Rachin Ravindra said Friday he is relishing his next crack at Test cricket when New Zealand take on a weakened South Africa side this weekend.

If the main opposition Labour party wins the next UK general election as opinion polls indicate, then a familiar sight will appear outside the prime minister's official residence the next day: removal vans.

At least three people were killed and more than 270 injured in a massive fire when a truck laden with gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, police said Friday.

Fighting in Gaza dragged on into Friday with scores reported killed overnight, after mediator Qatar said Hamas had given its "initial" approval to a hostage-prisoner exchange deal that would pause its war with Israel.

At least two people were killed and more than 200 injured in a massive fire when a truck laden with gas exploded in the Kenyan capital, a government spokesman said Friday.

A Los Angeles Lakers team missing superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis barreled past the NBA-leading Boston Celtics 114-105 on Thursday as the New York Knicks pushed their winning streak to nine games with a gutsy win over Indiana.

Asian markets rallied Friday, tracking a surge on Wall Street fuelled by bargain-buying from the previous day's sell-off, while strong earnings from tech titans soothed worries about the impact of higher interest rates on bottom lines.

At a prominent Shiite shrine in southern Tehran, Qasem Ashgari was buying yet another gemstone ring in the hope it would help his prayers to be answered promptly.

While most teams at the Africa Cup of Nations rely heavily on players based in Europe, South Africa stand out in having an almost entirely home-based squad with coach Hugo Broos leaning heavily on the Mamelodi Sundowns side that dominates domestically.

Only one team has beaten La Liga leaders Real Madrid this season -- neighbours Atletico Madrid, twice.