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President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott.

Chelsea defender Reece James will miss his side's Club World Cup campaign because he has not recovered from his "big" hamstring injury, manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed on Friday.

US lawmakers were due to vote Friday on a multibillion-dollar bill aimed at jumpstarting high-tech research and manufacturing, countering China's growing influence and easing a global shortage of computer chips.

Media giant News Corp said Friday it was hit by hackers who stole company data in an attack that the firm's cybersecurity consultant said could likely be traced back to China.

American Samoa flag-bearer Nathan Crumpton added to a fledgling Olympic tradition by appearing shirtless and with his torso gleaming at the Beijing Winter Games opening ceremony on Friday despite sub-zero temperatures.

A surge in oil prices to close to $93 per barrel as well as robust US jobs data weighed on stock prices Friday as they fuelled expectations central banks will move forcefully to raise interest rates.

The death toll among dozens of people who consumed cocaine likely laced with opioids in Buenos Aires rose to 23 on Friday, with 37 still in hospital, health officials said.

More than eight months after the Nyiragongo volcano erupted in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, toxic ash has started falling on nearby Goma, the city's Volcano Observatory said on Friday.

Despite freezing temperatures and tight Covid restrictions, Beijing on Friday tried its best to celebrate the start of a Winter Olympics chilled even before its start by the pandemic, frosty relations with the West, and a dose of been-there-done-that indifference.

The US economy brushed off a spike in Covid-19 infections to add 467,000 jobs in January, far better than expected and a potential sign that the pandemic's days of disrupting businesses are numbered.

Antonio Conte has passed scathing judgement on Tottenham's recent history in the transfer market, saying they made "big mistakes" they cannot afford to repeat after the club offloaded four high-profile players on transfer deadline day.

"Strange that a stadium supposed to host the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics is already considered outdated and dead, isn't it?" asks Gianfelice Facchetti, son of Inter Milan legend Giacinto Facchetti, of the lack of debate surrounding the future of the iconic San Siro stadium.

The European Union and the United States signalled Friday a further thawing of trade tension as they agreed to resume trade in mussels, clams, oysters and scallops after a decade-long halt.

President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns, Covid and a US-led diplomatic boycott.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Australia next week for a Quad group ministerial meeting also involving his counterparts from India and Japan to discuss maritime security and cooperation against Covid, the State Department said Friday.

Joe Root was confirmed as England's Test captain for next month's tour of the West Indies on Friday despite the team's embarrassing flop in Australia as assistant coach Graham Thorpe became the latest Ashes casualty.

Mosques held prayers for rain on Friday across the parched North African kingdom of Morocco where farmers are battling an acute drought.

Former Hurricanes back-rower Toa Halafihi will make his Italy debut in this weekend's Six Nations trip to France, the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR) said on Friday.

NATO's outgoing leader Jens Stoltenberg will leave the alliance late this year after a diplomatic battle to hold it together against outside threats and the clashing egos of its national leaders.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg will take over as Norway's central bank governor at the end of the year, officials said Friday, a controversial choice that has already raised concerns about the bank's independence.

France prop Mohamed Haouas was convicted on Friday for his role in burglaries worth tens of thousands of euros at tobacco vendors in France in 2014.

French President Emmanuel Macron will fly to Russia and Ukraine next week in an attempt to avert conflict between the neighbours, reprising his role as a crisis mediator that has produced limited results in the past.

Northern Ireland's High Court on Friday issued an interim order suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to stop post-Brexit checks on agri-food moving to and from mainland Britain.

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's strategy is always to build "a team for now and tomorrow", revealing the club are still interested in Fulham teenager Fabio Carvalho after signing Porto forward Luis Diaz.

Joe Root was confirmed as England's Test captain for next month's tour of the West Indies by interim managing director Andrew Strauss on Friday despite leading the side in a woeful 4-0 series loss in Australia.

European equities retreated from a positive start Friday as investors await key US jobs data after being spooked by a possible eurozone interest rate hike and the crash of Facebook owner Meta's shares.

As digital objects in the form of NFTs have exploded in popularity and value over the past year, so too have the legal headaches and complications.

Russia won China's backing in its showdown with the West over Ukraine on Friday, as Beijing agreed with Moscow that the US-led NATO military alliance should not admit new members.

Liverpool teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are getting ready to face off against each other in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Cameroon this weekend after Egypt beat the hosts on penalties on Thursday to set up a clash with Senegal.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics began on Friday as China attempted to turn the page on a troubled build-up overshadowed by human rights concerns and Covid.

A day after the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi during a US raid in Syria, many questions remain on the operation and the jihadist group's future.

Just how do you calm down a rampaging hippopotamus? Or even a herd of angry hippos.