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Cuba suffered a general blackout on Friday caused by a crash of its national electricity grid, officials said, the latest major power outage in the island country.

France head into Saturday's final round of the Six Nations knowing the title is theirs to lose.

Arrested for sexually harassing a Bangladeshi university student, Asif Sardar Arnab was soon released -- greeted by a cheering crowd who presented him with flower garlands and a Koran.

The Unification Church has come under intense scrutiny in Japan since a former prime minister was assassinated, but it could soon fall even further from grace.

Russian teen Mirra Andreeva ended defending champion Iga Swiatek's bid for an unprecedented third Indian Wells women's title, toppling the world number two 7-6 (7/1), 1-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach the final.

Liverpool can win the first trophy of the Arne Slot era in Sunday's League Cup final against a Newcastle side desperate to end the club's 56-year wait for major silverware.

Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali will travel to Bangkok next week following the Australian Grand Prix for talks over a potential race in the Thai capital, he told Sky Sports.

Facebook parent company Meta is seeking to silence a former employee who has made scandalous allegations in a new tell-all book, obtaining a ruling to temporarily bar her from promoting the memoir or bad-mouthing the tech giant.

Justin Thomas matched the TPC Sawgrass course record with a 10-under-par 62 on Friday while Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia each fired 66s to share the second-round lead at The Players Championship.

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he must "earn" the right to sing the national anthem after the German revealed he will not join in during his opening matches in charge.

Pep Guardiola has slammed Fabio Capello's claim that he is "arrogant" by insisting Manchester City's success in his reign has raised standards in the Premier League.

The United States averted a government shutdown with hours to spare Friday as lawmakers already reeling from President Donald Trump's radical federal spending cuts voted to keep the lights on through September.

Virgil van Dijk won't "panic" about his Liverpool future as the Reds captain admits he is willing to let his contract run down until the end of the season.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was fastest in practice for the Argentina MotoGP on Friday, continuing the blistering form which saw him storm to victory in the season-opener in Thailand.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is bracing for a tough semi-final test from "ambitious" British lefty Jack Draper on Saturday as he aims to take the next step toward a rare Indian Wells ATP Masters three-peat.

Brazil star Neymar was on Friday ruled out of upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina after a thigh injury scuppered his recall to the national team.

Former Australia rugby union captain Rocky Elsom was handed a two-year prison sentence by a French court on Friday after being found guilty of misusing corporate funds.

US President Donald Trump launched a bitter attack against the "illegal" media and his political enemies Friday, as a speech at the Department of Justice turned into a grievance-filled diatribe.

Meta wants to derail a freshly released memoir by a former employee whose scandalous allegations the tech giant argues are untrue and should never have been published.

US senators agreed Friday to move forward with a bill backed by President Donald Trump to keep the government funded, greatly reducing the chances of a feared weekend government shutdown, as opposition from the minority Democrats collapsed.

The Russian captain of a cargo ship involved in Monday's crash with a tanker in the North Sea off the coast of England was charged Friday with gross negligence manslaughter, UK police said.

Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday launched his term in office with a whole-hearted rejection of US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex his northern neighbor.

Gold rose above $3,000 for the first time Friday as President Donald Trump's trade wars boosted demand for safe-haven assets, while stock markets bounced on signs US lawmakers would avert a government shutdown.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to "surrender" as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the Russian leader of seeking to sabotage a ceasefire initiative.

After more than nine months in space, two stranded astronauts will soon be a step closer to coming home thanks to a crew swap mission to the International Space Station now set to launch on Friday.

Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty Friday to a new indictment that added accusations to his US federal sex trafficking and racketeering case.

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez was fastest in first practice for the Argentina MotoGP on Friday, continuing the blistering form which saw him storm to victory in the season-opener in Thailand.

The presidents of Russia and Venezuela announced plans to increase energy cooperation on Friday after Washington ordered US oil giant Chevron to pull out of the Caribbean country.

Matt Sherratt believes Wales will benefit from having "someone fresh to come in" as head coach after his three-game stint at the helm ends following Saturday's Six Nations finale with England.

Canada's new Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday launched his term in office with a whole-hearted rejection of US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex his northern neighbor.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on beleaguered Ukrainian troops in the Russian region of Kursk to "surrender" after US President Donald Trump pleaded for their lives.

England captain Maro Itoje believes his Six Nations title-contenders must be aggressive from the start in their championship finale against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Italian authorities ordered dozens of people in Tuscany to leave their homes Friday after heavy rains swelled rivers and flooded streets near the historic cities of Florence and Pisa.

Monkeys infected with Ebola can be cured with a pill, according to a new study out Friday that could pave the way for more practical, affordable treatments in humans.

A grisly discovery of charred bones, shoes and clothing at a suspected drug cartel training ground has prompted demands for answers and justice from relatives of the more than 100,000 people missing in Mexico.

US President Donald Trump's threat of 200-percent tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks from EU countries is proving hard to swallow in France's champagne region.

Mads Pedersen triumphed as a deluge of freezing rain drenched the sixth stage of the Paris-Nice on Friday while defending champion Matteo Jorgenson retained the yellow jersey.

The leaders of all Greenland's political parties on Friday denounced US President Donald Trump's vow to take over the Danish autonomous island.

The Group of Seven powers Friday warned Russia of new sanctions unless it accepts a ceasefire with Ukraine, in a forceful show of unity after President Donald Trump rattled the club of democracies.