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Hong Kong and Shanghai led a rally across Asia on Friday on hopes Beijing is set to ease its long-running crackdown on the tech sector.

Afghanistan's supreme leader called again Friday for the international community to recognise the Taliban government, saying the world had become a "small village" and proper diplomatic relations would help solve the country's problems.

Philippines presidential election frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Junior rejected on Friday a challenge to debate rival Leni Robredo one-on-one, as the country heads into the final week of campaigning for the May 9 polls.

From 19th-century anti-Semitic caricatures to disinformation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Rothschild international banking dynasty has been a favourite target of conspiracy theorists blaming it for the world's ills.

Fresh clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound injured 42 people on Friday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, following weeks of violence at the flashpoint site.

As war rages in Ukraine, more than a thousand miles away in Bosnia observers are warning that Russia is fanning the embers of separatism which could spell trouble for the deeply divided Balkan country.

Hong Kong's next leader unveiled a manifesto Friday vowing to restore the business hub to its former glory but would not be drawn on when the city might discard zero-Covid controls that have left it internationally cut off.

An Italian aid programme had for years provided Viktoria Shakshyna with a respite from the children's home where she lived in Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine. When the bombs began falling, it became her lifeline.

Tesla chief Elon Musk sold about $4 billion worth of shares in the electric carmaker in the days after Twitter's board agreed to his $44 billion takeover of the social media platform.

South Korea said Friday it will lift its outdoor mask mandate next week in response to a steady drop in Covid-19 cases after an Omicron-fuelled surge.

Chris Paul produced a perfect display of shooting to lead the Phoenix Suns to a series-clinching victory over New Orleans as Philadelphia and Dallas also advanced in the NBA playoffs on Thursday.

Russian forces pressed their offensive in south and east Ukraine on Friday after bombarding its capital during a visit by the United Nations' chief.

Manchester City and Liverpool must quickly turn their focus from Champions League glory to the battle for the Premier League title, with no room for error in tricky away trips on Saturday.

The "Mona Lisa of sneakers" went on display in Melbourne on Friday, with Michael Jordan's old high-tops and around 100 other rare shoes offering a glimpse into a lucrative market driven by die-hard "sneakerheads" and eager investors.

Protesters clashed with police in several Colombian cities Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators marked the one-year anniversary of a mass uprising against outgoing conservative president Ivan Duque.

Two South Koreans, including a serving army captain, have been arrested on charges of stealing military secrets for a suspected North Korean agent who paid them in cryptocurrency, Seoul police said Friday.

Australia dropped Ashes opener Marcus Harris on Friday from an otherwise settled squad for the two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in June and July.

The men's and women's Australian Open events will take place at the same time, at the same venues as part of efforts to widen golf's appeal, organisers said on Friday.

Nepal's marijuana ban could soon be up in smoke, as lawmakers mull a return to the liberal drug policies that once made the Himalayan republic a popular pit stop on the overland "hippie trail".

Equity markets in Asia mostly rose Friday following a positive lead from Wall Street but optimism remains at a premium as traders operate under the shadows of war, soaring inflation, US interest rate hikes and China's lockdowns.

Australia's Minjee Lee fired an eight-under par 63 on Thursday to take a one-stroke lead over world number one Ko Jin-young in the first round of the LPGA Palos Verdes Championship.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns booked their place in the NBA playoff conference semi-finals on Thursday after wrapping up series-clinching victories in contrasting fashion.

Brazilian businesswoman Luiza Trajano has made it onto a lot of lists: TIME's most influential people, Forbes' billionaires, the biggest fortunes in Brazil...

Toulouse's South Africa back-rower Rynhardt Elstadt said his recent spell on the sidelines has made him hungrier than ever to play for the Springboks before Saturday's rerun of last season's Top 14 and European Champions Cup finals at home with La Rochelle.

Joel Embiid scored 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers crushed the Toronto Raptors 132-97 to clinch a 4-2 NBA playoff series victory on Thursday.

When Henri Matisse painted "The Red Studio" in 1911 he portrayed 11 of his artworks on a single canvas. An exhibition in New York is about to display all the surviving works together for the first time.

Elena Gonzalez's backyard soup kitchen is a hive of activity, with busy hands chopping and stirring as a cauldron with a bit of chicken and much rice boils over a wood fire in a poor Argentina neighborhood.

When Japanese sumo wrestler Takuya Saito retired from the sport at 32 and began jobhunting, he had no professional experience and didn't even know how to use a computer.

Former tennis star Boris Becker will learn on Friday whether he faces a lengthy jail term after he was found guilty by a British court of charges relating to his 2017 bankruptcy.

Tech giants that saw good times during the pandemic are dealing with a "hangover" compounded by inflation and the war in Ukraine, analysts have said after earnings released this week.

University of Georgia linebacker Travon Walker was selected as the No.1 overall pick in the NFL draft in Las Vegas on Thursday as the Jacksonville Jaguars look to build a championship-calibre defense under new head coach Doug Pederson.

Huge swathes of tropical rainforest were burned or hacked down for cattle and crops last year, led by destruction in Brazil, researchers said Thursday, warning that climate change itself is making it harder to reverse the losses.