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Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing the internet privately.

Nepali cricket star Sandeep Lamichhane was on Friday convicted of rape after a repeatedly delayed trial that had left him free to continue his sporting career.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday appointed Carlos Cuerpo, the head of the treasury, to be his new economy minister.

Carlo Ancelotti extended his contract with Real Madrid to June 2026 on Friday which would rule him out of becoming Brazil national coach.

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt categorised his super-G win at Bormio on Friday as 'perfect' which also served to strengthen his bid for a third overall World Cup title.

Erik ten Hag insists Jim Ratcliffe wants to work with him even though he is yet to speak to the British billionaire as he prepares to take control of football operations at troubled Manchester United.

Google has agreed to settle a consumer privacy lawsuit seeking at least $5 billion in damages over allegations it tracked the data of users who thought they were browsing privately.

The French government said on Friday it will deploy more than 95,000 police and military personnel for New Year Eve's celebrations, adding that a heightened "terrorist threat" required tight security.

Carlo Ancelotti extended his contract with Real Madrid to June 2026 on Friday which would rule him out of becoming Brazil national coach.

Russia launched drone and missile strikes across Ukraine Friday, killing at least 18 people and wounding over a hundred in one of the most massive air attacks of the war.

Stock markets mostly rose Friday, the final trading day of a year which saw major indices hit record highs as inflation cooled.

Jurgen Klopp is adamant Liverpool will be able to maintain their Premier League title charge despite the imminent loss of Mohamed Salah to African Cup of Nations duty.

A Russian court on Friday sentenced Ksenia Fadeyeva, who led jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny's now-banned organisation in the Siberian city of Tomsk, to almost a decade in prison, her supporters said.

When Karim Benzema joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad this year on a lucrative deal, a comfortable pre-retirement stint seemed assured for the Ballon d'Or winner.

In an Indian town known as a flashpoint for sectarian violence, workers are crafting the final touches on a divisive temple that has come to symbolise the country's rising tide of Hindu nationalism.

Manchester City winger Jack Grealish was burgled while the England star was playing in his club's Premier League match at Everton on Wednesday.

Russia launched drone and missile strikes across Ukraine on Friday, killing at least 12 people and wounding over 70 in one of the biggest air attacks of the war.

World number 11 Beatriz Haddad Maia got her season off to a winning start Friday, but it was not enough to prevent Brazil crashing 2-1 to Spain as the mixed teams United Cup kicked off in Perth.

Marco Schwarz's dreams of being crowned men's skiing World Cup overall champion are in tatters after the Austrian was ruled out of the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury.

Egypt is due to host Friday a high-level Hamas delegation for talks aimed at putting an end to the nearly 12-week war with Israel that has devastated the Gaza Strip.

Pakistan has banned New Year's Eve celebrations to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the government said late Thursday, urging people to instead "observe simplicity".

The US state of Maine on Thursday blocked former president Donald Trump from its Republican presidential primary ballot, the second state to disqualify him over his role in the January 2021 assault on the US Capitol.

A fired-up Pat Cummins bagged five wickets and 10 in the match to earn Australia a nail-biting 79-run win in the second Test and clinch the series against a battling Pakistan Friday.

Asian stocks were mixed on Friday, with no major movers on the last trading day of the year, closing out a period that has seen gains boosted by investors' expectations of a US Federal Reserve rate cut as early as March.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket blasted back into space on Thursday night to ferry the US military's secretive X-37B drone to a research mission.

The Boston Celtics rallied from a 21-point deficit to hand the Detroit Pistons a record-equalling 28th straight NBA defeat 128-122 in overtime on Thursday.

At just 14 she was the youngest Paralympian at the Tokyo Games.

Resurgent Cleveland quarterback Joe Flacco threw for three touchdowns in a 37-20 NFL victory over the New York Jets on Thursday that saw the Browns punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Israeli shelling near a southern Gaza hospital has killed 41 people over the past two days, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, after Israel stepped up its attacks in the centre and south of the besieged territory.

An award-winning architect in Bangladesh, one of the nations most at risk from flooding driven by climate change, has developed an ingenious two-floor housing solution to help people survive what scientists warn is a growing threat.

The Boston Celtics piled more misery on Detroit Thursday, rallying from a 21-point deficit to hand the Pistons a record-equalling 28th straight NBA defeat 128-122 in overtime.

Rafael Nadal said Friday he was "feeling good" but played down any chance of winning tournaments in the near future as he returns from a near year-long injury absence.