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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, due to be sworn in Friday for a third six-year term after elections he is widely accused of stealing, has been written off many times during a turbulent decade in power.

With its soldiers trained in France and high-profile endorsements from the French and Ukrainian presidents, the "Anne of Kyiv" brigade was supposed to be a flagship unit for Ukraine's army.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, in office since 2013, is due to take the oath of office for a third term Friday despite a global outcry that brought thousands out in protest on the ceremony's eve.

Red-hot Coco Gauff said Friday that keeping cool in tough moments was behind a scintillating run of form that has made her a major threat to Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open.

World number two Alexander Zverev insisted Friday he has the mindset to win a first Grand Slam -- but admitted Jannik Sinner was red-hot favourite to defend his Australian Open title.

In Riga Russian Theatre's rehearsal room, actors gather for a table-read of the season's big premiere, "Lady Macbeth" -- but the play's poster will not crop up around the Latvian capital as it normally would.

Nobel peace prize laureate Malala Yousafzai will attend a summit on girls' education hosted by her native Pakistan, where she was nearly killed by militants as a schoolgirl.

Nicholas Norman managed to save his home using little more than buckets of water when towering flames ripped through his neighborhood in a suburb of Los Angeles. But now he's facing a new danger: looters.

Massive wildfires that engulfed whole neighborhoods and displaced thousands in Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people, authorities said, as California's National Guard soldiers readied to hit the streets to help quell disorder.

Iga Swiatek described the inner turmoil and "chaos" of her doping ban Friday ahead of the Australian Open, calling it "the worst time in my life".

A Vietnamese court sentenced a prominent former lawyer to three years in jail Friday over Facebook posts it ruled undermined the state by criticising a leading judge.

World number one Jannik Sinner said Friday he did not know when the highest court in sport will deliver its verdict as ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stressed the Italian's doping case was "run by the book".

Donald Trump will be sentenced Friday for covering up hush money payments to a porn star despite the US President-elect's last-ditch efforts to frustrate a process that would make him the first felon in the White House.

Artificial intelligence is moving from data centers to "the edge" as computer makers build the technology into laptops, robots, cars and more devices closer to home.

England's Harry Hall carded a six-under-par 64 to grab a share of the lead at the PGA Tour's Sony Open in Hawaii on Thursday.

Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen said at the Australian Open Friday that she is getting "closer and closer" to Aryna Sabalenka, having been well beaten in last year's final by the big-hitting Belarusian.

In a remote village in Tajikistan's soaring mountains, Muslikhiddin Makhmudzoda relies on a mobile phone to light his modest home as his family spends another winter without electricity.

In the skies above Los Angeles, air tankers and helicopters silhouetted by the setting California sun dart in and out of giant wildfire plumes, dropping much-needed flame retardant and precious water onto the angry fires below.

Months of dry weather and recent strong winds created optimal conditions for the deadly wildfires engulfing Los Angeles, but narratives on social media falsely single out "liberal" policies -- including those to increase diversity in the city's fire force -- as the culprit.

Naomi Osaka declared Friday that she would "for sure" play her first-round match at the Australian Open after suffering an abdominal injury last week.

Daniil Medvedev said Friday he had one of his best pre-seasons ever in a bid to finally win an Australian Open, pledging to be a "disruptor" against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

With Spanish champions Real Madrid and their arch-rivals Barcelona in Saudi Arabia for the Spanish Super Cup, Atletico Madrid's sights are firmly set on top spot in La Liga.

A Russian court was to issue guilty verdicts Friday in an "extremism" trial against three lawyers who worked for Alexei Navalny, escalating a crackdown against the Kremlin critic's allies even after his death.

World number one Jannik Sinner said Friday he had done nothing wrong as ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi stressed the Italian's doping case was "run by the book" with no preferential treatment.

Organisers of India's Kumbh Mela have prepared to host a staggering 400 million devotees at the six-week Hindu festival that starts Monday and is expected to be the largest human gathering in history.

The world's largest gathering of humanity begins in India on Monday with the opening of the Kumbh Mela, a six-week Hindu festival organisers expect to attract up to 400 million pilgrims.

The world experienced its hottest year in 2024 since records began, but in the small South American country of Uruguay, global warming was counteracted by bouts of "near-historic" cold.

The last two years exceeded on average a critical warming limit for the first time as global temperatures soar "beyond what modern humans have ever experienced", an EU agency said Friday.

Equities fell again in Asia on Friday as traders prepared for the release of US jobs data that could play a key role in the Federal Reserve's decision-making on interest rate, with several officials indicating the cutting has finished for now.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka said Friday she wants to "put my name into history" by winning a third straight Australian Open title, but is aware she "has a target on her back".

Croatia votes in a presidential runoff on Sunday, with the opposition-backed incumbent Zoran Milanovic expected to win a second term, in a fresh blow to the scandal-hit ruling party.

The 38-year-old Gael Monfils swept aside an opponent half his age on Friday to reach the final of the Auckland Classic, setting up a shot at his 13th title.