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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken asked Beijing to maintain cross-strait stability on Friday during a meeting with a senior Chinese official, hours before voters in Taiwan headed to polls to choose a new president.

Workers were just starting construction on a new apartment complex in northeastern Brazil when they began finding human bones and pottery shards, their edges worn smooth by time.

A Fox News host suggested this week that Taylor Swift is a "front for a covert political agenda," echoing disinformation that has percolated in right-wing circles for months -- and which experts say will likely get worse before the 2024 US election.

As Ecuador wages war against criminal gangs, experts warn that similar security crackdowns have produced mixed results elsewhere in Latin America -- and sometimes even led to worse violence.

Plunging temperatures, whipping wind and buckets of snow derailed the final stretch of caucus campaigning in the US state of Iowa Friday as Republican presidential hopefuls delivered their last pitches to voters.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides "not to escalate" the volatile situation in the Red Sea, his spokesman said on Friday after Washington and London launched strikes on Yemen's Huthi rebels.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane said he was "really happy" to be reunited with former Tottenham teammate Eric Dier, who has signed with the German club.

Pep Guardiola has revealed injured Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is set to be sidelined until the end of January.

Left-hander Shimron Hetmyer has been left out of the West Indies ODI and Twenty20 squads for the upcoming white ball series in Australia.

Oil prices climbed Friday after US and UK forces launched strikes against Iran-backed Huthi rebels, while global stocks were mixed following the kickoff of corporate earnings season.

Carlton Morris scored a controversial stoppage-time equaliser as Luton salvaged a 1-1 draw in their crucial clash with relegation rivals Burnley on Friday.

Jamal Musiala scored twice and Harry Kane added a late goal as Bayern Munich won 3-0 at home over Hoffenheim on Friday as the club celebrated the life of Franz Beckenbauer.

Recent strikes against Yemen's Huthis are unlikely to end the threat they pose to international shipping, with the Iran-backed rebels having already survived years of heavy aerial bombardment by Gulf states.

Japanese pitcher Shota Imanaga said Friday he is confident he can handle Major League Baseball changes and challenges after signing a four-year deal worth $53 million with the Chicago Cubs.

Millions of Taiwanese head to the polls Saturday for a presidential election closely watched across the world, as the new leader will set the course for the democratic island facing increasing aggression from China.

Is it the little spaceship that could?

Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis said Friday that US and British interests were "legitimate targets" after the Western allies launched deadly strikes following weeks of disruptive rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping.

Tech aimed at battling climate change and even pumping fresh water out of thin air attracted crowds as the annual CES gadget extravaganza showed its green side.

Technology is often designed to lighten the load from the everyday - and brushing your teeth or using the toilet are no exception.

President Joe Biden took office vowing to negotiate an end to a bloody war in Yemen and to remove US troops from harm's way.

France's Adam Siao Him Fa successfully defended his European figure skating title on Friday despite a fall and pulling off a banned backflip.

Suriname's ex-president Desi Bouterse, 78, on Friday refused to turn up to start serving a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of political opponents more than four decades ago.

A 75,000-strong crowd at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena on Friday saluted football legend Franz Beckenbauer as a minute's silence was observed and a banner unfurled proclaiming "the shining light goes on his last journey - rest in peace, Kaiser."

A big freeze gripped swathes of the United States on Friday, jamming transport and dumping heavy snow across the north, including in Iowa where Republican Party presidential hopefuls are in the final stretches of caucus campaigning.

Large US banks reported mixed results Friday, dented by exceptional costs connected to job cuts and to replenishing a federal fund tapped during last year's crisis involving midsized lenders.

Two-goal Akram Afif said Qatar had "forgotten about the World Cup" after the defending champions got their Asian Cup campaign off to a winning start in the tournament's opening game on Friday.

Turning on the TV with a wink, skiing on a city street -- the once unimaginable was possible this week at CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, thanks to wearable tech innovations.

Thousands of people turned out on Friday for the last campaign rally of Comoran President Azali Assoumani, who looks poised to win re-election on Sunday against a divided opposition.

Samoan-born lock forward Posolo Tuilagi could make his Six Nations debut for France despite not yet holding a French passport, the country's rugby federation said Friday.

Suriname's ex-president Desi Bouterse, 78, will not turn himself in on Friday to start serving a 20-year prison sentence for the murder of political opponents more than four decades ago, his wife said.

Australian Cam Davis remained atop the leaderboard after Friday's completion of the darkness-halted first round of the PGA Sony Open.

Telecommunication services were cut across besieged Gaza Friday, as Israeli strikes killed dozens in southern cities where hundreds of thousands are struggling to survive hunger and cold on day 98 of the war between Israel and Hamas.