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Defending champions and hosts Qatar got their Asian Cup campaign off to a flying start with a 3-0 win over Lebanon in the tournament's opening game on Friday.

Archaeologists have discovered the largest and oldest network of pre-Hispanic cities ever found in the Amazon rainforest, revealing a 2,500-year-old lost civilisation of farmers.

US and British strikes on rebel-held Yemen on Friday marked a sharp escalation after weeks of attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed Huthi insurgents.

Fans at the opening match of the Asian Cup in Qatar started leaving as early as half time on Friday, in a repeat of the scenes seen during the World Cup.

Venezuela is putting an end to the petro cryptocurrency that President Nicolas Maduro launched six years ago to sidestep US sanctions, but which never took off and became embroiled in a graft scandal.

Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots linebackers coach for the past five seasons, was named the NFL team's new head coach on Friday, a day after the departure of legend Bill Belichick.

Samoan-born lock forward Posolo Tuilagi's hopes of a Six Nations debut for France have been dashed after a delay in receiving his French passport, his club told AFP on Friday.

Global shark populations are plummeting despite worldwide efforts to curb mass killings for their fins, researchers said in a new report showing that more needs to be done to protect one of the ocean's apex species.

Peru's prosecution office on Friday requested a 34-year prison sentence for former president Pedro Castillo, accused of rebellion over his failed bid to dissolve Congress and "carrying out a coup d'etat."

Among the more than 3,500 booths at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, only a few focus exclusively on women's health, including a cervical cancer screening device and a wristband to anticipate hot flushes.

Franz Beckenbauer, one of only three men to win the World Cup as player and a coach, was laid to rest in Munich in a small private ceremony on Friday with the country mourning the loss of "a great footballer, athlete and person".

Cyprien Sarrazin gave France their first men's super-G victory in a decade, denying Swiss star Marco Odermatt a double on his home snow in Wengen on Friday.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced Friday a new multibillion-dollar aid package for Ukraine during a surprise visit to Kyiv, where he vowed British support for a decade.

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admits he is "worried" by France forward Christopher Nkunku's latest injury setback.

African football chief Patrice Motsepe insisted Friday he is confident this year's Cup of Nations will not see any repeat of the kind of tragedy that marred the last tournament in Cameroon in 2022.

England prop Mako Vunipola announced his retirement from international rugby on Friday.

It's no secret human activity is warming the planet, driving more frequent and intense extreme weather events and transforming ecosystems at an extraordinary rate.

Italian ice dancers Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri got their title defence off the mark by leading the rhythmic dance section at the European Figure Skating Championships on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, some carrying Kalashnikov rifles, massed for a major demonstration in Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa on Friday after US and UK attacks.

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.

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.

A powerful storm that could strengthen into a so-called bomb cyclone pummeled north and central parts of the United States on Friday, with heavy snow derailing campaigning for the important Iowa caucus.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a senior Chinese official in Washington on Friday on the eve of Taiwan's elections, as the United States seeks to discourage Beijing from taking action against Taipei.

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

A defiant Matteo Salvini, Italy's far-right deputy prime minister, defended his hard line against illegal migration in court on Friday, saying he had done a "useful service" in blocking migrants from disembarking at an Italian port in 2019.

Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland's injury absence is still not over, but Kevin De Bruyne is ready to start for Manchester City at Newcastle on Saturday.

Ange Postecoglou said Timo Werner's disappointing spell with Chelsea is not a concern after Tottenham brought the Germany forward back to the Premier League.

The deadly Hamas attack on Israel may have taken the limelight from the Islamic State group, but the jihadists are seeking to capitalise on anger over the bombardment of Gaza to rally followers, analysts say.

Bernardo Arevalo swept from obscurity to become president of Guatemala, his anti-corruption crusade winning the hearts of voters while sowing panic among a corrupt elite who waged a fierce campaign to prevent him from taking office on Sunday.

Spain forward Dani Olmo is set to make his return from injury in Saturday's home clash with Eintracht Frankfurt, coach Marco Rose confirmed on Friday.

A giant statue of US rapper Kid Cudi appeared without warning in central Paris on Friday to mark the release of his new album "Insano".

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday asked ministers to be "revolutionaries", after a government reshuffle that left many of the same faces in place and raised doubts over gender equity and policy priorities.