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Head coach Aaqib Javed brushed aside criticism of Pakistan's reliance on spin bowling as they seek a clean sweep against the West Indies in the second Test starting on Saturday.

Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena said Friday that it was launching a bid for its larger rival Mediobanca in a potential 13.3 billion euro ($13.9 billion) deal that could help reshape the country's banking sector.

Hundreds of migrants in the United States were arrested Thursday and others flown out of the country on military aircraft as President Donald Trump's promised mass deportation operation got underway, the White House said.

With painted faces and vivid costumes, 40 young dancers leap through the streets of Shantou in southern China to the sound of gongs and drums as hundreds of spectators watch.

The Taliban authorities that rule Afghanistan have imposed a severe interpretation of Islamic law on the population, heavily restricting all aspects of women's lives.

A Frenchman on death row in Indonesia since 2007 for drug offences will be sent back to his home country, an Indonesian minister said Friday.

Markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge, while the yen strengthened after a widely expected interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan.

Alexander Zverev defended Novak Djokovic for pulling out of their Australian Open semi-final with injury Friday, after the 24-time Grand Slam champion was booed by some spectators as he left court.

The Bank of Japan increased interest rates on Friday to their highest in 17 years and signalled more hikes to come, sending the yen higher against the dollar.

Aryna Sabalenka, who can write her name into the tennis record books with a third consecutive Australian Open title on Saturday, has become the complete player.

Former teenage prodigy Madison Keys arrived in Australia with the goal of seeing how well she could perform with her 30th birthday approaching next month.

The irresistible force of Aryna Sabalenka meets the unbreakable spirit of Madison Keys in an Australian Open women's singles final on Saturday that promises to be a thunderous slugfest.

Spanish business circles believe banking giant Sabadell's decision to return its headquarters to Catalonia will entice back the thousands of firms that fled after the region's botched 2017 independence bid.

Tourists in Hong Kong are flocking to the 300-year-old village of Kuk Po, whose decaying mansions and reed fields offer a respite from the city's famously frenetic pace.

Frenchman Bryan Coquard pipped German Phil Bauhaus in an exciting finish of the fourth stage Friday as Javier Romo held on to the race leader's jersey in the Tour Down Under.

In a block of flats in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe, a turbaned woman cautiously opened the door of her apartment a chink, letting out a waft of incense.

Novak Djokovic would not commit to working with Andy Murray again as his coach after the Serb retired from the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday with injury.

Recruited at the age of eight by a drugs gang, Rhys was part of Britain's violent knife crime "crisis" until his best friend was fatally stabbed and died in his arms.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis combined to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 117-96 thumping of the defending champion Boston Celtics on Thursday.

Sumo is walking a "tightrope" as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say.

Novak Djokovic retired injured after losing a gruelling first set of his Australian Open semi-final to Alexander Zverev, leaving his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam crown in tatters on Friday.

Former England captain Owen Farrell says he is still learning about life in France as his struggling Racing 92 welcome Castres in the Top 14 on Saturday a week on from returning from injury.

Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how effective her stinging criticism of the Taliban has been.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane will hope to overcome a slump in front of goal when his side travel to face Freiburg on Saturday.

The Bank of Japan hiked interest rates on Friday to their highest level in 17 years and signalled more were in the pipeline despite fears of turmoil under US President Donald Trump.

Barcelona must harness the euphoria of their thrilling Champions League victory at Benfica to halt a miserable run of La Liga form against an improving Valencia side on Sunday.

Manchester City have no time to lick their wounds after another bruising Champions League defeat as Chelsea prepare to visit the Etihad, with both clubs battling for a top-four finish.

Lyon are desperate to get back into the Champions League but their stuttering start to the new year threatens that ambition just as they face serious financial problems and their American owner finds himself making enemies with the French league.

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools on Friday, city authorities said, as Bangkok was ranked the world's seventh-most polluted major city by air quality monitor IQAir.

Asian markets rose Friday after a record day on Wall Street in response to Donald Trump's tax-cut pledge, while the yen strengthened after a widely expected interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan.

All signs of life have disappeared from the bombed-out houses and empty streets of the Lebanese border town of Naqura, but despite a fragile Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire that has held since November, no one can return.

In a field in southwest England where his dairy cows graze, Adam Stanbury said he feared the government's new farm tax, coupled with existing economic headwinds, will ruin his family business and many others.