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Cricket Australia defended underfire Usman Khawaja on Saturday for playing a round of golf on the eve of the first Ashes Test, where he failed to open the innings with back stiffness.

Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope shared in a defiant 59-run stand to stretch England's lead and put them in firm control on day two of the first Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday after dismissing Australia for 132.

Rescuers raced to find more than a dozen people still missing on Saturday after a week of heavy flooding in Vietnam, where authorities said at least 55 people have died.

Shiina Ito has had fewer Chinese customers at her Tokyo jewellery shop since Beijing issued a travel warning in the wake of a diplomatic spat, but she said she was not concerned.

Ukraine scrambled Saturday to respond to a US plan to end the war that includes many of Russia's hardline demands, with Kyiv saying it had discussed the next steps with several key European allies.

England dismissed Australia for 132 in their first innings on Saturday to take charge of the first Ashes Test in Perth, with the hosts trailing by 40 runs on an overcast day two.

Mercedes driver George Russell led the standings in a caution-filled third and final practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix ahead of qualifying later on Friday.

US lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene, an influential figure of the far right, announced Friday she is quitting her seat in Congress, one week after President Donald Trump pulled his support for the former staunch ally.

The clock was ticking down on the slated final day of UN climate talks in Brazil Friday where a bitter fight over whether to mention fossil fuels in any agreement threatened to upend the event.

A US-European rift over the future of Ukraine is set to overshadow a G20 summit starting in South Africa on Saturday further marked by Donald Trump's pointed absence.

Ornella Vanoni, one of Italy's most prolific singers whose career spanned six decades, died on Friday at the age of 91, Italian media said.

Left-leaning social media users have amplified an AI-generated audio clip purporting to show President Donald Trump screaming at US officials to block the release of documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, researchers said Friday.

Thailand's world number one Jeeno Thitikul charged up the leaderboard at the season-ending LPGA Tour Championship on Friday, carding a nine-under-par 63 to open up a three-shot lead heading into the weekend.

Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is backing "delusional optimism" to carry him to an upset over British former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua when the two men clash in a made-for-streaming event in Miami next month.

Bolivia's brand-new narcotics czar, Ernesto Justiniano, told AFP Friday the US Drug Enforcement Administration, expelled in 2008, will be returning to bolster the South American country's anti-cocaine campaigns.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday pushed back against a US plan to end the war in Ukraine, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal that includes many of his hardline demands.

Marseille climbed provisionally top of the French Ligue 1 on Friday after walloping woeful Nice 5-1 in a one-sided local derby with fireworks on and off the pitch.

Pau survived a string of Bordeaux-Begles comebacks to hang on to a 34-33 away win on Friday and open the weekend's round by climbing to the top of the Top 14.

Months of sniping melted away Friday as New York's incoming leftist mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump were all smiles at a White House meeting -- promising to set aside their feud and cooperate on the city's future.

Gunmen kidnapped 227 pupils and teachers from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, officials said Friday, in the second brazen school abduction in a week.

Negotiators pushed into overtime Friday to salvage UN climate talks in Brazil as a bitter fight over whether to mention fossil fuels threatened to derail a final agreement.

US markets advanced Friday while European counterparts marked time, in response to sharp losses in Asia at the end of a week which saw heightened fears of a bursting AI bubble.

Double defending champions Italy beat Belgium 2-0 on Friday in Bologna after Flavio Cobolli won a 32-point tiebreak to set up a Davis Cup final with either Spain or Germany.

Gregor Townsend insisted Friday he had no intention of stepping down as Scotland coach despite mounting criticism following last weekend's dramatic loss to Argentina.

Caramba Souare focuses on cleaning the car in front of him despite a din of surrounding festivities on the last day of presidential campaigning in Guinea-Bissau.

Lawyers for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro on Friday requested that he be allowed to serve his 27-year prison sentence at home, arguing he is too sick to go to jail.

Reigning ISU Grand Prix Final champion Amber Glenn of the United States delivered a high-octane performance as she surged to the lead in the short programme at the Finlandia Trophy on Friday.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday pushed back against a US plan to end Russia's invasion, while Russian leader Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal that includes many of his hardline demands that President Donald Trump gave Ukraine less than a week to sign.

Premier League clubs voted Friday to overhaul the competition's financial rules, bringing in a new system that focuses solely on spending that directly affects what happens on the pitch.

New York's incoming leftist mayor Zohran Mamdani marches into the White House on Friday for a high-stakes sit-down with President Donald Trump, after a bruising war of words that lit up cable news and social media.

Russian forces fighting in Mali have failed to break the country free from a stifling fuel blockade and attacks waged by suspected jihadists, as the wider Sahel region becomes further mired in conflict.

US markets moved ahead while European counterparts marked time Friday in response to sharp losses in Asia at the end of a week which has seen heightened fears of a bursting AI bubble.