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Sri Lanka's president Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in five weeks, giving security forces sweeping powers amid a nationwide strike by angry demonstrators who blame him for an unprecedented economic crisis.

Ben Stokes smashed 34 runs in an over during a record-breaking 161 from 88 balls for Durham on Friday -- his first innings since being appointed as England Test captain.

Four people were killed and 13 were missing after a massive explosion ripped through a hotel in central Havana on Friday, with rescuers desperately searching through the rubble for survivors.

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Friday declared a state of emergency for the second time in five weeks, giving security forces sweeping powers as a nationwide strike demanding his resignation brought the country to standstill.

Carlos Alcaraz overcame an injury scare on his way to a milestone victory over Rafael Nadal on Friday to set up a blockbuster semi-final against Novak Djokovic in Madrid.

Carlos Alcaraz toppled his idol Rafael Nadal 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the Madrid Open quarterfinals on Friday.

NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid has cleared league concussion protocols, the Philadelphia 76ers said Friday, but the Cameroonian center could still miss a crucial playoff game against Miami.

Rescuers searched for victims Friday after a powerful explosion ripped through a hotel under refurbishment in central Havana, with no casualties immediately reported.

The biggest white diamond ever to be sold at auction, dubbed "The Rock", will go under the hammer in Geneva on Wednesday and could fetch up to $30 million -- or more.

Halberds in hand, their armour polished and multicoloured pantaloons perfectly pressed, 36 new recruits to the Swiss Guards were sworn in on Friday with a vow to protect the pope.

Dutch Alpecin rider Mathieu van der Poel won the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday, a 195km run from Budapest to the hilltop citadel at Visegrad.

The devastating heatwave that gripped India and Pakistan over the last two months is unprecedented, but worse -- perhaps far worse -- is on the horizon as climate change continues apace, top climate scientists told AFP.

European and Asian stocks slumped Friday over fears about the impact of interest rate hikes that seek to tackle sky-high inflation.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative party lost control of key councils in London, according to partial results from local and regional UK elections on Friday, with a potentially historic change looming in Northern Ireland.

Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs said a high-quality 100 metres field at Saturday's Kip Keino Classic meet in Nairobi persuaded him to make his first appearance at the distance since his shock win at the Tokyo Games last year.

Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Andrew, her grandson Harry and his wife Meghan will not join her on the Buckingham Palace balcony for this year's Trooping the Colour, royal officials said on Friday.

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon last month shattered the record for April, destroying more than 1,000 square kilometers of the world's biggest rainforest, nearly double the previous high, according to official figures published Friday.

Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool that Tottenham forwards Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will pose a "massive" challenge for his quadruple-chasing team.

A UN convoy was to resume evacuations Friday of civilians still holed up inside a besieged Mariupol steelworks, the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance against Russian forces in the port city, but reports of renewed firing cast doubt on a promised truce.

Eintracht Frankfurt fans are set to travel in their thousands for the Europa League final in Seville with 15 extra flights to be added from Germany on May 18.

Devotees of French food and wine can flock to a new temple following the opening Friday of a gastronomy and wine complex in the capital of France's central Burgundy region, Dijon.

From bars to factories to warehouses, American businesses hired staff with vigor in April as the US economy recovers from the damage done by Covid-19 while grappling with inflation that has hit the highest rate in decades.

Mikel Arteta wants to take Arsenal to the "next level" after signing a new three-year contract that will keep him at the Premier League club until 2025.

Novak Djokovic reached his seventh Madrid semi-final on Friday, easing past Poland's Hubert Hurkacz 6-3, 6-4 to record a 30th career victory in the Spanish capital.

Pep Guardiola admits "no words can help" ease the pain of Manchester City's elimination from the Champions League as he refocuses on his side's Premier League title challenge.

Tech and streaming giants suck up vast amounts of bandwidth, so the EU this week revived a long-standing idea to make them pay the telecom firms who maintain the infrastructure.

A global stocks selloff over fears about the impact of interest rate hikes that seek to tackle sky-high inflation deepened on Friday.

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has hit back at claims he was wrong to deny Jesse Lingard the chance to say farewell to Old Trafford.

Divisive but charismatic, French hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has gone from angrily quitting France's Socialist Party to standing at the head of a rare alliance of the historically fragmented left.

Thomas Tuchel hopes Chelsea's sale will be completed quickly after the Blues boss was told Todd Boehly's consortium have been chosen as the preferred bidder.

Ukraine's wheat production is likely to be down by at least a third from last year due to the Russian invasion, a data analysis firm that uses satellite imagery said Friday.

Ben Stokes smashed 34 runs in an over to reach a 64-ball century for county side Durham on Friday -- his first innings since being appointed as England Test captain.