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Logging, wildfires and farming are causing mountain forests, habitat to 85 percent of the world's birds, mammals and amphibians, to vanish at an alarming rate, according to a study published on Friday.

Galopin Des Champs justified favouritism and all the hype to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday, with jockey Paul Townend declaring "the horse doesn't know how good he is".

Chelsea boss Graham Potter is looking forward to naming N'Golo Kante in his squad against Everton on Saturday for the first time since taking charge of the Blues.

Henry Arundell has the ability "to score from nothing" and has a "great future ahead of him" going into his first England start in the Six Nations finale against Ireland on Saturday, said assistant coach Richard Cockerill.

President Joe Biden and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar painted the town green Friday, celebrating Saint Patrick's Day -- and touting Biden's expected visit to Ireland and Northern Ireland to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday peace accords.

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja stood calm in a tricky chase of 189 to steer India to a five-wicket win over Australia in the first one-day international on Friday.

France captain Antoine Dupont said on Friday that his team was aiming "to score as many points as possible" against Wales in the hope that they could exploit an Irish slip and retain the Six Nations title.

Stocks markets tumbled again on Friday as fears of a banking crisis resurfaced despite massive financial lifelines thrown at US and Swiss lenders to prevent contagion across the sector.

Slovakia said Friday it will donate 13 MiG-29 warplanes to Ukraine, becoming the second NATO member -- following Poland -- to pledge the aircraft, which the Kremlin warned would be "destroyed".

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi says it would be a "big mistake" for the Premier League side to take fourth-tier Grimsby lightly when the teams meet in an FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.

United States star Christian Pulisic has given his backing to World Cup boss Gregg Berhalter returning to lead the team, in a major boost to the coach's chances of a comeback.

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan appeared at court on Friday after an arrest warrant against him was suspended, allowing him to end a days-long holdout at his residence.

Max Verstappen showed no ill effects after a recent stomach bug on Friday as he and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez dominated opening practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ended months of delays on Friday and asked parliament to vote on Finland's bid to join the NATO defence bloc.

Thousands of people including "Dallas" star Patrick Duffy turned Dublin into a sea of green Friday for the annual St Patrick's Day parade, as Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar visited Washington.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader President Xi Jinping will sign accords ushering in a "new era" of ties in Moscow next week, the Kremlin said Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron's government on Friday faced no-confidence motions in parliament and intensified protests after imposing a contentious pension reform without a vote in the lower house.

Belarus on Friday handed long jail terms to senior staff at the country's largest independent news site, which was forced to shutter after historic demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko.

YouTube is reinstating former US president Donald Trump's account, the video-sharing platform said on Friday, more than two years after he was banned over the US Capitol insurrection.

The NATO and EU chiefs visited a North Sea gas platform on Friday as Norway's prime minister vowed to keep up deliveries after his country supplanted Russia as Europe's main supplier.

Erik ten Hag said winning the League Cup had whetted Manchester United's appetite for more silverware as he prepared his team to face Fulham in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie says a third-place finish behind the world's top two teams would represent a "positive" end to the Six Nations for his side.

Cristiano Ronaldo was on Friday included in the first Portugal squad announced by new coach Roberto Martinez, for Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

Ireland attack coach Mike Catt compared captain Johnny Sexton to his former England team-mate Jonny Wilkinson on Friday, saying the pair are "different animals" to other players.

US and European stock markets fell on Friday as fears over the health of the banking system festered despite the latest efforts to shore up troubled lenders and tamp down contagion risks.

Manchester United face record six-time winners Sevilla in the quarter-finals of the Europa League while Juventus will play Arsenal's conquerors Sporting for a place in the last four.

Greece's rail watchdog on Friday said a probe had uncovered serious signs of poor training among staff on duty during the country's deadliest train tragedy, which killed 57 people last month.

Microsoft said on Friday that it has offered formal commitments to the EU in its bid to persuade the bloc to approve its $69-billion takeover of video game giant Activision Blizzard.

Pep Guardiola says managing against Vincent Kompany makes him feel old as the Manchester City manager prepares to face his former captain, now in charge of Burnley, in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Jim Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford on Friday to attend a presentation held by senior Manchester United management staff as part of his potential takeover of the club.

Wales captain Ken Owens said on Friday there is no pressure on his side as they play France in their final Six Nations match in Paris this weekend.

French President Emmanuel Macron might be on the verge of securing his cherished reform of the pension system, but analysts see it as a Pyrrhic victory that will leave him politically weakened.