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England rest Duckett for South Africa T20s and recall Sam Curran
England announced Friday they were resting opening batsman Ben Duckett from an upcoming T20 series against South Africa following successive one-day international losses to the Proteas, with Sam Curran recalled for the first time this year.

Binder sets record pace in Catalan MotoGP practice as Marquez lurks
Brad Binder set a lap record on Friday as KTM dominated opening practice for the Catalunya MotoGP at Montmelo.

Spain's BBVA bank to start Sabadell offer Monday
Spanish banking giant BBVA said on Friday its tender offer for smaller national rival Sabadell would start on Monday after its hostile bid received the stock market regulator's green light.

Boxing chiefs vow to learn lessons after world championships sex test row
Boxing chiefs on Friday pledged to redouble efforts to get their message across about newly introduced genetic sex tests after a row overshadowed the start of the world championships.

F1 title pretender Norris fastest in second Monza practice
Lando Norris was fastest in the second practice session at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday as the McLaren driver bids to cut into his teammate Osar Piastri's handy Formula One championship lead.

Seizing Russian assets would risk 'terrible systemic shock' to euro: Belgian FM
Seizing Russian central bank assets immobilised in the 27-nation EU over the Ukraine war risks inflicting major damage on Europe's economy, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday.

Fresh Nicaragua crackdown hints at behind-the-scenes power grab
A wave of arrests and the death of jailed opposition figures has signalled a new "era of repression" in Nicaragua, observers say, as powerful co-president Rosario Murillo prepares to take power from her ailing husband, Daniel Ortega.

WHO chief lifts global mpox emergency
Mpox no longer represents a global public health emergency, the WHO said Friday, following a steady decline in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other affected countries.

US jobs data boosts rate cut hopes but stocks slide
Weak US jobs data cemented expectations of an interest rate cut later this month on Friday but stocks slid on worries about the economic outlook and profit-taking.

EU hits Google with €2.95 bn fine despite Trump threats
The EU slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services Friday, despite President Donald Trump's warnings not to target US big tech.

Starmer shakes up top team after deputy Rayner quits
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer overhauled his ministerial team Friday in a bid to reset his embattled government after deputy premier Angela Rayner resigned for underpaying a property tax.

Almeida wins Vuelta 'queen stage' ahead of leader Vingegaard amid protests
Portuguese rider Joao Almeida climbed to victory in the 'queen' stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana on Friday, just ahead of Danish race leader Jonas Vingegaard as repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests continued to upset the peloton.

Key facts about Trump's 'Department of War' -- aka the Defense Dept
President Donald Trump is rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War -- a name used when it had more limited responsibilities for US Army forces rather than the entire military.

Farage rallies faithful at hard-right Reform UK annual meet
British hard-right leader Nigel Farage rallied his insurgent Reform party at the start of its annual conference Friday, seizing on the Labour government's woes to insist his movement could seize power within two years.

Protests against Israeli team divide Vuelta and scare riders
The Israel-Premier Tech team insists it will ride on in the Vuelta a Espana, even though repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests forced one stage to be curtailed and several of its riders say they are scared.

EU not 'living up to responsibilities' on Gaza war: Belgian FM
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday that the EU's credibility on foreign policy was "collapsing" due to the bloc's failure to act over Israel's war in Gaza.

US sends 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as Venezuela tensions grow
US President Donald Trump is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on Friday, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean.

Anisimova on redemption mission v Sabalenka in US Open final
Amanda Anisimova will bid to crown her improbable redemption mission at the US Open on Saturday as world number one Aryna Sabalenka seeks to grab her final chance of the year to win a Grand Slam.

David Bowie's secret musical on 18th century London found
David Bowie was working on an "18th century" themed musical at the time of his death, which will feature in a new London centre dedicated to the seminal British artist, the BBC reported Friday.

PSG's Geyoro joins London City Lionesses for 'around £1 mn'
Women's Super League newcomers London City Lionesses have completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain's Grace Geyoro for one of the largest transfer fees in the history of women's football.

Tesla proposes package for Musk that could top $1 trillion
Tesla unveiled on Friday a proposed compensation package for Elon Musk that could top $1 trillion if the controversial CEO delivers on his vision for stratospheric growth from new technologies.

Shiite ministers walk out of Lebanon cabinet discussion on Hezbollah disarmament
Shiite ministers walked out of a Lebanese cabinet meeting Friday called to discuss efforts to disarm Hezbollah, state media reported, with the group adamant it would hold onto its weapons.

Stocks rise, dollar drops as US jobs data boosts rate cut hopes
Stocks rose and the dollar slid Friday as a sharp slowdown in US hiring cemented expectations that the US Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates later this month.

New folk music documentary taps into Bob Dylan revival
A new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage of a pivotal moment in folk music history taps into a revival of interest in Bob Dylan thanks to recent biopic "A Complete Unknown", which starred Timothee Chalamet.

US hiring weakens sharply in August as jobs market stalls
US job growth stalled in August while unemployment crept up to its highest level since 2021, in a closely watched report Friday after weak data earlier prompted President Donald Trump to fire a key economic official.

Europe bets on supercomputer to catch up in AI race
Europe's fastest supercomputer Jupiter was inaugurated Friday in Germany with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying it could help the continent catch up in the global artificial intelligence race.

11 foreigners killed in Portugal funicular crash
Eleven foreign nationals were among the 16 people killed when one of Lisbon's popular funicular trains crashed this week, the Portuguese authorities announced on Friday.

'Roblox' game to impose age controls this year
The publisher of "Roblox" has promised to set up age verification mechanisms, after allegations the video game massively popular with children and teens worldwide has fallen short on safety.

WHO backs weight-loss drugs, urges cheap generics
The World Health Organization recommended a range of blockbuster weight-loss drugs to treat diabetes and obesity globally for the first time on Friday, calling for cheap generic versions to be made available for people in developing countries.

British royal who secretly worked as music teacher dies aged 92
Britain's Duchess of Kent, known for her links to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and for anonymously teaching music at a primary school, has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

Merz inaugurates supercomputer, says Europe can catch up in AI race
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that Europe can catch up in the global artificial intelligence race as he inaugurated the continent's fastest supercomputer.

US hiring significantly misses expectations as jobs market cools
The US economy added significantly fewer jobs than expected in August, government data showed on Friday, in a closely watched report after weak data earlier prompted President Donald Trump to fire a key economic official.