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Naomi Osaka said she was driven by the fear of letting her teammates down after helping Japan take control of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Friday.

South Africa's electoral commission said Friday that it had appealed to the country's highest court to rule on whether ex-president Jacob Zuma can stand in a general election in May.

A high-profile Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death on Thursday in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated $27 billion in damages.

Massive overseas and domestic investments offer Japan a chance to reclaim its tech crown, but to become a convincing alternative to China the country must embrace rapid innovation, experts say.

As air raid sirens rang out on the morning of October 7, Bilha Inon and her husband Yakovi sheltered in the safe room of their home in Netiv Haasara in southern Israel.

Beijing on Friday criticised the United States, Japan and the Philippines and defended its actions in the South China Sea as "lawful" after US President Joe Biden hosted a trilateral meeting in Washington.

With her owner holding her leash, Philippine pooch Hazel sniffs through rubble in a simulated search for survivors of a major earthquake in the capital Manila.

Asian markets fell Friday as traders struggled to build on Wall Street's positive lead, with hopes for a June interest rate cut fading, while earnings season gets underway in the United States amid optimism for companies' profit outlooks.

Relations between the United States and the Philippines have been in overdrive since President Ferdinand Marcos took power in June 2022, fuelled by China's growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region.

One of the largest wooden structures ever built is taking shape in Osaka, but hopes that Expo 2025 will unite the world are being dogged by cost blowouts and a lack of public enthusiasm.

Seven-time champions Australia seized control of their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier against Mexico on Friday despite losing Storm Hunter on the eve of the tie to a serious Achilles injury.

Patek Philippe's chief says he is not anxious about the prospects for top-end timepieces, despite Swiss watch exports slowing overall after three years of spectacular growth.

In a video circulating online, a young man can be seen bleeding to death on the ground. Close by, another body lies in a pool of his own blood. Women's cries fill the night air in Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The New Orleans Pelicans boosted their hopes of securing an automatic playoff berth on Thursday with a 135-123 road victory over the Sacramento Kings.

Thailand's foreign minister arrived for a visit to the Myanmar border on Friday, the ministry said, following days of clashes that have dislodged junta troops from their positions in a vital trade hub in the neighbouring country.

China's top legislator met with a senior North Korean official for talks on cooperation during a visit to Pyongyang this week, North Korean state media said Friday, in one of the most high-level meetings between the allies in years.

Asian markets mostly fell Friday as traders struggled to build on Wall Street's positive lead, with hopes for a June interest rate cut fading, while earnings season gets underway in the United States amid optimism for companies' profit outlooks.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are locked in a tense battle for Premier League supremacy, with Unai Emery threatening the Gunners' grip on top spot and Phil Foden taking centre stage for the champions.

At a run-down job centre in the suburbs of India's financial capital Mumbai, 27-year-old Mahesh Bhopale dreams of a well-paid government post -- just like millions of other young, unemployed graduates.

Myanmar troops have withdrawn from their positions in a trade hub near the Thai border, a spokesman for the junta said, confirming reports from an ethnic armed group that has been battling the military for days.

President Joe Biden made "ironclad" defense pledges to Japan and the Philippines on Thursday as he hosted his counterparts amid growing tensions with Beijing, whose actions the three leaders described as "dangerous and aggressive."

Millions displaced and on the brink of famine. Sexual and ethnic violence. Infrastructure destroyed. Aid workers say a year of war between rival generals in Sudan has led to catastrophe, but the world has turned away.

A faster and vastly more effective treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis is being rolled out in the Asia-Pacific region, raising hopes of a "new era" in tackling one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases.

Paramount Pictures unveiled gory first-look footage from "Gladiator 2" as Disney put on an unusually R-rated presentation for movie theater bosses at the final day of CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Salmon fishing off the coast of California will be banned for a second consecutive year, authorities said Wednesday, citing lower fish stocks impacted by drought and wildfires.

Bulls forward Nizaam Carr heads to Northampton on Saturday for the Champions Cup quarter-finals with a place in South African rugby history on the line.

Hosting Werder Bremen on Sunday just one win away from a first Bundesliga title, Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen have their sights set on something even bigger: invincibility.

Lyon's transformation from relegation contenders in Ligue 1 just a few months ago has been so remarkable that they head into the final weeks of this season with two paths to European qualification still open.

Hordes of music fans were arriving in California's Coachella Valley for the premier arts festival that begins Friday and features headliners Lana Del Rey, Doja Cat and Tyler, the Creator.

Inter Milan are one step away from having the chance to win the Serie A title in the Milan derby as they welcome in-form Cagliari to the San Siro on Sunday.

The former Japanese-language translator for Shohei Ohtani was charged with bank fraud on Thursday for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off gambling debts.

Fast-rising Mexican music star Peso Pluma identifies with Spider-Man. His critics accuse him of glamorizing drug-trafficking villains.