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Brazilian police said Friday they have nearly finished clearing hundreds of roadblocks by supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who have been protesting since his election loss to veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

FIFA has called on teams at the World Cup in Qatar to "focus on football" and stop "handing out moral lessons" in a message that received a sharp rebuke from Amnesty International.

Fiji laid down a marker with a 59-12 demolition of Japan on the opening day of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, coming back from the scare of conceding the first try.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez says he understands Gerard Pique's decision to retire halfway through the season, because the 35-year-old defender doesn't feel as "important or useful" to the team as before.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Chinese leaders in Beijing on Friday that Berlin expected equal treatment on trade as he tried to drum up greater economic cooperation despite growing distrust of the Asian superpower in the West.

The Dutch government has banned British conspiracy theorist David Icke from the Netherlands and the entire Schengen area of the European Union for two years over fears his presence could "disturb public order".

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday dismissed a pledge from US leader Joe Biden to "free Iran" as the clerical regime faced a new upsurge in protests seven weeks into the anti-regime movement.

Conor Murray admits he does not "really like the attention" he receives due to his stellar exploits for Ireland and Munster but on Saturday the scrum-half will have to grin and bear it as he leads the team out for his 100th cap.

Tigrayan authorities on Friday accused Ethiopia's government of carrying out a drone strike on civilians, less than 48 hours after the warring parties signed a deal to end their bloody conflict.

Eddie Howe revealed on Friday that he walked into a Newcastle dressing room that "wanted help" when he launched his rescue mission as he prepares to mark 12 months in charge at St James' Park.

Glenn Maxwell hit an unbeaten half-century to keep Australia in the hunt for the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup with a tense four-run win over Afghanistan on Friday.

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has joined French side Toulon from English Premiership outfit Northampton with immediate effect, the Top 14 club announced on Friday.

More than 200 elephants and hundreds of zebras and gnus have died in Kenya's worst drought in four decades, the country's tourism minister said on Friday.

England football fans flying to the World Cup in Qatar face delays and cancellations after staff at Heathrow Airport on Friday announced a three-day strike in a dispute over pay.

Owen Farrell has been restored to the England captaincy for Sunday's match against Argentina at Twickenham.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin was on Friday cleared of misconduct following an official inquiry after a leaked video showed the 36-year-old partying last August.

The European Union has approved a preventative treatment for the very common virus that causes the chest infection bronchiolitis in infants, the companies that developed the drug said Friday.

Australia captain James Slipper said on Friday his side will face world rugby's "form" team in France in Paris this weekend.

From the rubble inside Kupiansk town hall, Olena salvages a chair, a screen: little was left when the Russians withdrew from this northeastern Ukrainian town, fuelling widespread allegations of systematic looting.

On the count of three, Polish soldiers use long spears to lift razor wire and attach it to posts at the Russian border, in a bid to prevent illegal crossings.

Stock markets and oil prices rallied Friday on hopes China would roll back some of its economically-painful policies surrounding Covid.

Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has joined French side Toulon for the rest of the season, the Top 14 club announced on Friday.

Solomon Islands beefed up its police force's hardware with a donation on Friday of water cannons from China, days after it received guns from Australia.

Dutch authorities plan to shoot paintball pellets at a young wolf to teach it to stay away from people, after it got too close to visitors at a national park.

Veteran hawk Benjamin Netanyahu launched negotiations Friday with his ultra-Orthodox and far-right allies on forming what could be the most right-wing government in Israel's history, raising concerns at home and abroad.

Glenn Maxwell hit an unbeaten 54 in the face of some inspired Afghan bowling to steer Australia to 168-8 in their must-win Twenty20 World Cup clash on Friday.

Pilots at Kenya Airways plan to go on strike from Saturday to seek better working conditions in defiance of a court order, adding to the woes of the troubled national carrier.

Red Bull named on Friday a board of three directors to lead the energy drink giant following the death of Austrian founder Dietrich Mateschitz.

The tractor driver and the nurse who became his wife during the war think they must have helped 2,200 villagers cross a river under Russian shelling to Ukrainian-held land.

One of the world's leading Islamic clerics on Friday called for dialogue between the faith's two main currents to settle sectarian differences, in an address to religious leaders including Pope Francis.

Pope Francis warned Friday the world is on the edge of a "delicate precipice" buffeted by "winds of war", during a trip aimed at bridging the gap between faiths.

Asian and European markets rose Friday with Hong Kong leading the way fuelled by hopes China will roll back some of its economically painful zero-Covid policies.