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Asian markets were mixed Friday after a two-day stutter as traders look ahead to the release of crucial US jobs data and a possible Supreme Court ruling on Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

Fierce winds battered France and Britain on Friday as Storm Goretti barrelled through northern Europe, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of households in plunging winter temperatures.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka sent an Australian Open warning as she beat Madison Keys on Friday in Brisbane in a repeat of last year's Melbourne final.

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung will travel to Japan next week for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Seoul said Friday, days after meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Bayern Munich vice-captain Joshua Kimmich is expected to miss his side's clash with Wolfsburg on Sunday due to injury, as the Bundesliga resumes amid icy conditions across Germany.

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said Friday she agreed with Aryna Sabalenka's description of the tennis schedule as "insane" -- but does not see it changing.

Led by Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, Nigeria's form at the Africa Cup of Nations has offered cause for optimism ahead of Saturday's heavyweight quarter-final against Algeria despite reports of unrest in the squad.

The snow-lined street in the midwestern city of Minneapolis where Renee Nicole Good was gunned down by an immigration agent Wednesday lies less than a mile from the site of another slaying that shook Americans.

A tiny Swiss village is reeling from the "unimaginable" loss of numerous young people in the New Year inferno at a ski resort bar, including seven players on the same football team.

All of Switzerland will mark a national day of mourning Friday for the dozens of mostly teenagers killed when fire ravaged a ski resort bar crammed with New Year revellers.

Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine's capital, setting apartment blocks alight and killing at least four people, Kyiv's mayor said Friday after Moscow rejected the latest post-war peacekeeping plan.

The EU is expected Friday to give a long-delayed go ahead to a huge trade deal with South American bloc Mercosur championed by business groups but loathed by many European farmers.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka was handed a wildcard on Friday for the Australian Open in his final season but home favourite Nick Kyrgios will play only doubles.

Asian markets rose Friday after a two-day stutter as traders look ahead to the release of crucial US jobs data and a possible Supreme Court ruling on Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs.

China is moving against the cyberscam tycoons making fortunes in Southeast Asia, driven by mounting public pressure and Beijing's desire to keep control of judicial processes, analysts say.

The Chicago Bulls' home game against the Miami Heat on Thursday was postponed at the 11th hour because of an unplayable court.

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli said he had apologised to Conor Bradley for shoving the Liverpool defender off the pitch when badly injured in a 0-0 Premier League draw.

Venezuela on Thursday began releasing a "large number" of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro.

Tens of thousands of Philippine Catholics twirled white cloths and chanted "Viva, viva" as a historic statue of Jesus Christ was paraded through the streets of Manila on Friday in the nation's biggest annual religious event.

Inspired by playmaker Alberto Moleiro, Villarreal are aiming high in La Liga after humiliating early failures in cup competitions this season.

Liam Rosenior's first match as Chelsea manager comes laced with giant-killing danger as he takes the Blues to second-tier Charlton in the FA Cup third round.

Over the whine of buzzsaws and the steady whir of sanders, hundreds of Vietnamese workers in a factory outside Ho Chi Minh City hustle to fill orders for high-end furniture.

Syria's defence ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo on Friday after days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of civilians to flee.

New Zealand's critically endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, started breeding last week for the first time in four years, the government conservation department said.

Ashes hero Mitchell Starc insists age is just a number after Australia's 4-1 thumping of England, but the future of the "Dad's Army" is uncertain with a core of players in their mid-30s.

A few years ago, Hu Anyan was speeding through the streets of Beijing on a three-wheel motorbike loaded with packages, one of millions of delivery drivers working for China's online retail giants.

Protesters clashed with law enforcement in Minneapolis Thursday after the fatal shooting of a US woman further deepened the divide over President Donald Trump’s deployment of federal forces to crackdown on illegal immigration.

As devices from toys to cars get smarter at the Consumer Electronics Show, gadget makers are grappling with a shortage of memory and storage needed for them to work.

Hollywood's awards season kicks into high gear on Sunday at the Golden Globes gala, with the politically charged "One Battle After Another" expected to solidify its status as the film to beat, two months ahead of the Oscars.

Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said as hot winds fanned "hectic" conditions in the tinder-dry countryside.

US President Donald Trump will meet the heads of major US oil companies on Friday, aiming to convince them to support his plans in Venezuela, a country whose energy resources he says he expects to control for years to come.

Nick Kyrgios ruled out playing singles at the Australian Open on Friday, focusing only on doubles with five-set matches "a different beast".

Swiss mining and commodity trading group Glencore said Friday it was in merger talks with British-Australian rival Rio Tinto to create a global resources giant.

Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said, as hot winds fanned "hectic" conditions in the tinder-dry countryside.

NASA crewmembers at the International Space Station will return to Earth within days after an astronaut suffered a health issue, the US space agency said Thursday, the first such medical evacuation in the orbital lab's history.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said the Gunners have come out of a gruelling festive schedule in a stronger position despite the disappointment of being held 0-0 at home to Liverpool on Thursday.

US lawmakers voted Thursday to revive health insurance subsidies that expired at the end of last year, offering hope to millions of Americans facing steep premium hikes -- and pressuring the Senate to follow suit.

Swiss mining and commodity trading giant Glencore said Friday it is in merger talks with British-Australian rival Rio Tinto.

US snowboarding star Chloe Kim said Thursday she had suffered a dislocated shoulder in training, just weeks before she bids to win a third consecutive gold medal at next month's Winter Olympics.