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Hong Kong's leader on Friday warned against making "divisive comments" about mainland medics helping battle the city's deadly Omicron-fuelled wave after questions of accountability were raised by the press.

The Taliban Friday welcomed a UN Security Council resolution formally extending the world body's presence in Afghanistan, although the government of the hardline Islamist group remains unrecognised by the international community.

Western powers have seized the yachts of Russian oligarchs and booted Russian banks out of the international system in response to the Ukraine invasion, but sanctions that limit access to the internet are proving highly divisive.

The crowd roars in the tightly packed room as the broad-shouldered, tattooed men stop pummelling a young recruit and smother him with hugs -- completing his initiation into one of Thailand's "Chicano" gangs.

A distraught man crouches over a woman's body draped in a bloodstained cloth, the latest victim of a new Russian tactic that is making Kyiv wake up to daily terror.

Pace bowler Shamilia Connell collapsed while fielding for the West Indies at the Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand on Friday and was taken from the ground in an ambulance.

The Great Barrier Reef has again been hit with "widespread" bleaching, authorities said Friday, as higher-than-average ocean temperatures off Australia's northeast threaten the already struggling World Heritage site.

Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz toppled defending Indian Wells champion Cameron Norrie to reach his first ATP Masters semi-final on Thursday and a dream matchup with idol Rafael Nadal.

Repsol Honda's Pol Espargaro defied testing conditions to go fastest in opening practice on Friday for the first Indonesian Grand Prix in 25 years.

Rescue workers searched desperately for any survivors buried beneath the rubble of Mariupol's bombed-out theatre Friday, as Russia's forces pounded residential areas across Ukraine, stoking allegations of war crimes.

Nick Kyrgios lashed out when questioned about a frustration-fueled fling of his racquet that sent a ballboy ducking for cover on Thursday after the Australian's crushing loss to Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters.

A season that started with such feverish excitement is turning out to be nothing short of a fiasco in Paris for Lionel Messi, who suffered the ignominy of being booed by his own supporters last weekend.

Rafael Nadal left Nick Kyrgios frustrated and fuming with a 7-6 (7/0), 4-7, 6-4 victory in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters on Thursday.

Plot twist: American comedian and actor Pete Davidson isn't going to space next week after all.

China's southern tech powerhouse Shenzhen has partially eased lockdown measures, after President Xi Jinping stressed the need to "minimise the impact" of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation's economy.

Argentina's Senate on Thursday gave final approval to an agreement with the International Monetary Fund that restructures a $45 billion debt, clearing the country's short-term financial horizon but leaving a serious inflationary challenge.

Asian equities were mixed Friday as investors took a breather from a strong rally, with Hong Kong giving up some of the colossal gains fuelled by China's support pledge, while unease over the Ukraine war helped oil extend a recovery.

Even though he's still an active player, a new film premiering Friday is attempting to tell the story of Swedish footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic by focusing on the star's childhood growing up in a poor part of the city of Malmo.

Li Meng is a devoted mother trying to support her two-year-old daughter, but in the eyes of Chinese society and the state, she is almost a second-class citizen.

An all-women team of smartphone-toting, low-caste reporters who chronicle India's hardscrabble heartland may give the cinema-mad country its first Oscar-winning film, after their own story became a critically lauded documentary.

Tadej Pogacar is again the man to beat as the peloton rolls towards Milan-San Remo wondering whether anyone can topple the crown prince of cycling.

Mother-of-two Zoubiba Mohamed fled Ethiopia seeking a better life only to be ensnared by Yemen's bitter civil war, and now ekes out an existence in a squalid refugee camp.

Australia announced Friday it is suing Facebook owner Meta over scam adverts for cryptocurrency schemes that falsely claimed to be endorsed by prominent figures.

From rice balls to nappies, prices are rising in Japan. But unlike inflation seen in many other places, the increases are long-sought but also unlikely to last, analysts say.

Five-year-old Amina Nasser hugs her toys in a decrepit cancer ward in Yemen, her life in the hands of a healthcare system pushed to the brink of collapse by grinding conflict.

Yemen's Sira Fortress withstood attacks by the Portuguese and the Turks, but years of war have left the 11th century citadel in disrepair, defaced by graffiti and littered with rubbish.

When Chilean scientist Osvaldo Ulloa led an expedition 8,000 meters under the sea to an area where no human had ever been, his team discovered microscopic organisms that generated more questions than answers.

More than two dozen whales died in a mass stranding at a New Zealand beach renowned as a death trap for the ocean giants, wildlife rangers said Friday.

France coach Fabien Galthie has insisted his side will be "ready to respond" to some typical Eddie Jones taunts when they attempt to win a first Six Nations title since 2010 by defeating England in Paris on Saturday.

Ireland winning the Triple Crown by beating Scotland on Saturday will leave the players feeling hollow if France achieve the Six Nations Grand Slam, former Ireland full-back Hugo MacNeill told AFP.

Discontent is afoot at the happiest place on Earth, as Disney employees this week protested the company's reaction to Florida's so-called "Don't say gay" bill, which would prohibit discussing LGBT topics in classrooms.

In New York, an off-Broadway show is bringing queen of the blues Nina Simone back to life -- but backstage, a battle has been brewing over rights to the anti-racist icon's songs.