Draw marks 'starting gun' toward 2026 World Cup, Vancouver says
The first high-profile Canadian performance on the 2026 World Cup stage did not go smoothly: hockey legend Wayne Gretzky mispronounced several country names during the tournament draw -- including Jordan -- prompting widespread ridicule.
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Thai PM says asked Trump to press Cambodia on border truce
Thailand's prime minister said he told US President Donald Trump in a phone call Friday that Cambodia was to blame for deadly border clashes, stopping short of declaring Bangkok was willing to halt fire.
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Salah admired from afar in his Egypt home village as club tensions swirl
In the Nile Delta village of Nagrig, residents love local son Mohamed Salah from a distance, with ructions between the Egyptian super striker and long-time English club Liverpool doing little to dim his lustre at home.
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World stocks retrench, consolidating Fed-fuelled gains
Stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic pulled back Friday as pre-weekend profit-taking pared some, but not all, of the gains seen after the Federal Reserve bank delivered a much-anticipated rate easing this week.
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Brazil left calls protests over bid to cut Bolsonaro jail time
Brazilian leftists, including iconic singer Caetano Veloso, called for nationwide protests this Sunday against efforts by Congress to reduce the jail term of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted over a botched coup plot.
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Trump attack on Europe migration 'disaster' masks toughening policies
For US President Donald Trump, speaking after the release of an American security strategy that warned Europe was on the verge of "civilisational erasure", the continent's immigration policy is a "disaster" that will result in many European countries no longer being "viable".
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US plan sees Ukraine joining EU in 2027, official tells AFP
Ukraine could join the European Union as early as January 2027 under the latest US plan to end the war with Russia, a senior source familiar with the matter told AFP on Friday.
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'Chilling effect': Israel reforms raise press freedom fears
A raft of proposed measures from Israel's ruling coalition targeting the media has sparked outrage, with critics warning the planned reforms would deliver a blow to press freedom.
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Iran frees child bride sentenced to death over husband's killing: activists
Iranian authorities have freed a woman who was condemned to hanging over the killing of her husband who she married while a child, in a case that sparked international concern over the plight of women sentenced to death in the Islamic republic, rights activists said on Friday.
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No doubting Man City boss Guardiola's passion says Toure
Pep Guardiola is as passionate and enthused as he's ever been as he looks to regain the Premier League title, according to his Manchester City deputy Kolo Toure.
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