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Asian markets were mixed Friday, with traders still occupied by long-running interest rate worries, though Tokyo rallied after the man tipped as Japan's next central bank head made the case for keeping its ultra-loose policy.

Facebook and Instagram began a week-long rollout of their first paid verification service on Friday, testing users' willingness to pay for social media features that until now have been free.

Brazilian authorities said Thursday evening that the death toll from floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains in the country's southeast had risen to at least 50, with emergency workers continuing to dig through the wreckage.

A hero to some. A foul-mouthed conspiracy theorist to others. South Korea's most controversial talk show host had his hit programme taken off air, so now he's taken his massive following to YouTube.

Ukrainians will hold ceremonies across their war-ravaged country Friday on the first anniversary of Russia's invasion, with President Volodymyr Zelensky to assure them of victory even as they face the threat of new missile strikes.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti labelled Vinicius Junior the most decisive player in the world this week -- but on Saturday in La Liga he faces another contender, Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann.

Marseille's fierce rivalry with Paris Saint-Germain has lost some of its edge in recent years as the Qatar-owned club have dominated French football, but OM's resurgence under Igor Tudor has their passionate supporters dreaming of beating the capital club to the title.

If Napoli's players are looking over their shoulders as they kick off the weekend's Serie A fixtures with a visit to struggling Empoli, it should be not at the distant chasing pack but at coach Luciano Spalletti.

Threatened player strike assuaged, Wales will now focus on a first win in this season's Six Nations when they take on England in Cardiff on Saturday.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said Thursday she didn't know how long it would take to get over the heartbreak of a five-run defeat against Australia in a thrilling Women's T20 World Cup semi-final in Cape Town.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan next week, the State Department said Thursday, courting former Soviet republics uneasy over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat 86th-ranked Fabio Fognini of Italy in a thriller on Thursday to advance to the quarter-finals of the ATP Rio Open.

For soloist Dmytro Popov, a special concert for Ukraine on Friday at New York's Metropolitan Opera will be a solemn but essential occasion to remind people that one year on, the war is far from over.

Two Pakistani brothers, Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani, have been freed from the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay after more than 20 years in detention and repatriated, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The Bank of Japan's longstanding monetary easing policies are "appropriate", its next governor Kazuo Ueda told parliament on Friday, suggesting no sudden changes to the bank's stance when he takes the helm in April.

Under fire Bayern Munich could not have picked a worse time to face surging outsiders Union Berlin in their surprise Bundesliga top-of-the-table clash on Sunday.

Graham Potter takes struggling Chelsea to the happy hunting ground of Tottenham on Sunday desperate for a Premier League win as Manchester City seek to turn domination into goals.

An uncrewed Russian Soyuz capsule took off early Friday from Kazakhstan for the International Space Station to eventually bring home three astronauts whose return vehicle was damaged by a tiny meteoroid.

Americans Billy Horschel and Joseph Bramlett shared the first round lead at the PGA Tour's Honda Classic on Thursday after shooting five-under rounds of 65.

Japan's consumer prices rose 4.2 percent in January from a year earlier, a level not seen since September 1981, fuelled in part by higher energy bills, government data showed Friday.

Shakhtar Donetsk qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League on Thursday with coach Igor Jovicevic hailing the win at French side Rennes as a "victory for Ukraine."

Erik ten Hag's transformation of Manchester United now has a European scalp to get excited about as Barcelona were vanquished on a night the Red Devils rolled back the years at Old Trafford.

Wall Street stocks survived a midday swoon and finished higher Thursday following solid results from chip company Nvidia that boosted tech shares.

If you go down to the movie theater Friday, you're sure of a big, angry, drug-fueled surprise.

Manchester United should fear no one in their quest to win four trophies said manager Erik Ten Hag after beating Barcelona 2-1 on Thursday to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League 4-3 on aggregate.

This time it was supposed to be different, but Barcelona finished with the same sinking feeling at another of Europe's hallowed grounds.

Boeing has suspended deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner again following new issues with a fuselage component, US aviation regulators said Thursday.

Bruno Fernandes highlighted the connection between Manchester United players and fans as key to a famous fightback to beat Barcelona 2-1 and progress to the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.

Manchester United edged out Barcelona to reach the Europa League last 16 on Thursday where they were joined by fellow heavyweights Juventus and Roma.

The United States women's team will face the Republic of Ireland in two games in April as part of their build up for the women's World Cup.

Manchester United got the better of Barcelona to progress to the last 16 of the Europa League as Antony's winner secured a 2-1 win on the night and 4-3 aggregate victory on Thursday.

The United States' candidate to lead the World Bank, Ajay Banga, has helmed large institutions and "helped bring 500 million unbanked people into the digital economy," according to US authorities.