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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.

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.