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Global stock markets diverged Friday before the Christmas break as data showed US inflation cooled last month, raising hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next year.

Liverpool head into Saturday's top-of-the-table clash against Premier League leaders Arsenal with manager Jurgen Klopp trying to ease the pressure on his side by downplaying the game's importance in terms of the title race.

British street artist Banksy revealed his latest UK street artwork Friday -- only for two men to run off with it just hours later while being filmed by bemused onlookers.

The United Nations Security Council was poised on Friday to vote on a much-delayed and watered-down resolution to boost aid to Gaza after Washington signaled it was ready to back the measure.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Friday he had no qualms about criticising the atmosphere at Anfield during a midweek rout of West Ham.

A measure of inflation favored by the US Federal Reserve weakened in November on lower energy prices, government data showed Friday, providing further reassurance to policymakers keen to rein in price increases.

The United States said Friday it will impose sanctions on foreign banks that support Russia's war in Ukraine, in a new bid to exert pressure on Moscow as it diversifies from the West to China.

The mourners huddled in small groups, many tearful or visibly shocked, as they gathered Friday to pay their respects to victims of the shootings at Prague's Charles University.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Friday he was "100 percent" behind the club rejecting any involvement in a revised European Super League but added it was good football authorities had been given a "shake".

Sales of new US homes cooled more than anticipated in November, slipping to the lowest level in a year, according to government data released Friday.

US and European stock markets mostly advanced Friday before the Christmas break as data showed US inflation cooled last month, raising hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next year.

Erik ten Hag is expecting an upturn in Manchester United's fortunes in the new year with Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Mason Mount expected to return to action soon.

At a French caviar factory this week, a worker used tiny pliers to carefully line up black sturgeon fish eggs against a ruler.

The last French troops withdrew from Niger on Friday, in the latest blow to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region.

The global cocaine market is changing.

UK police on Friday said they had launched a criminal probe into the alleged kidnapping of a British teenager who resurfaced in France six years after going missing abroad.

The United States said Friday it will impose sanctions on foreign banks that support Russia's war in Ukraine, in a new bid to exert economic pressure on Moscow as it diversifies from the West to China.

The leader of Armenian separatists, who were ousted from the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan this year, on Friday said his previous decree ordering the dissolution of separatist institutions was not valid.

Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema on Friday blamed private creditors for holding up a long-sought debt restructuring deal for the first African nation to default after the Covid pandemic.

Eddie Howe has urged patience after recent stumbles for his Newcastle team, who are now fighting on just two fronts after being eliminated from the Champions League and the League Cup.

Erik ten Hag expects Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Mason Mount to return for Manchester United next month and revealed Victor Lindelof has undergone surgery.

High-speed trains running the Channel Tunnel resumed service on Friday after French unions ended a wildcat strike that had stranded vacationers and held up freight just days before Christmas.

Global stock markets wobbled on Friday as investors head into the long Christmas weekend.

Luton boss Rob Edwards has vowed his team are ready "to do it for Locks" as they prepare for their first match since captain Tom Lockyer's on-pitch cardiac arrest at Bournemouth last week.

Liverpool supporters' group Spirit of Shankly said it has "no argument" with Jurgen Klopp's criticism of Anfield's atmosphere but warned that younger fans are being priced out of the game.

Mikel Arteta has challenged Arsenal to win in the Premier League at Anfield for the first time in 11 years, saying they can learn from last year's bitter disappointment of throwing away a 2-0 lead.

Four-time European champions Ajax have "reached an historic low" following its shock 3-2 cup defeat at the hands of an amateur club, capping a horror season for the once-mighty Amsterdam powerhouse, pundits and fans said on Friday.

Mikel Arteta said it is vital to look after fans as Premier League leaders Arsenal confirmed on Friday they will not be involved in a revised European Super League proposal.

The United States said Friday it will sanction foreign banks that support Russia's war in Ukraine, in a new bid to exert economic pressure on Moscow as it diversifies from the West to China.

The Israel-Hamas war is pushing Gaza towards famine, the United Nations warned ahead of an expected Security Council vote Friday on a resolution to boost aid to the Palestinian territory but not call for a ceasefire.

The last French troops withdrew from Niger on Friday, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in west Africa's Sahel region, AFP saw and Niger's military announced.

China's air pollution worsened in 2023, the first time it has done so in a decade, a study released on Friday said.