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Spanish super-sub Mikel Merino said Friday that neutralising the threat of Lionel Messi will be a "huge challenge" as La Roja prepare for their World Cup final showdown against Argentina.

Southern Mexico and parts of Central America were hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Friday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), with a tsunami alert issued for a stretch of the Pacific coast.

Argentine football players know how to suffer, experts and fans believe, as the South American nation sets its sights on a second consecutive World Cup title.

Germany defender Robin Gosens signed with Schalke on Friday, joining from Fiorentina on a season-long loan which will become permanent if the freshly promoted club stay up this season.

All-conquering Tour de France leader Tadej Pogacar on Friday urged his rivals not to give up and to fight for the overall victory.

A Nigerian court Friday dismissed a lawsuit by a traditional monarch in the oil-rich delta region seeking to halt Shell's plan to offload its onshore assets over accusations of decades of environmental pollution.

Garry Sobers, arguably the greatest all rounder of all time, has died aged 89 West Indies Cricket announced on Friday.

Senegal's ex-president Macky Sall, who is campaigning to become the next UN secretary-general, arrived in Dakar Friday for a brief meeting with his successor, a visit criticised by the former leader's detractors.

Didier Deschamps said Friday that no tears will be shed as he prepares to take charge of his final France match in the World Cup third-place play-off against England.

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli topped the times for Mercedes ahead of defending champion Lando Norris of McLaren in Friday's second free practice ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Swiss rider Mauro Schmid said that he had to overcome cramps before he beat Colombian Harold Tejada in a two-man sprint finish to win the 13th and longest stage of the Tour de France on Friday.

US officials on Friday pinned the source of a diarrhea-causing foodborne parasite as shredded iceberg lettuce used by the fast food chain Taco Bell.

Slovakia's defence minister has come under fire for his lavish taste in architecture after unveiling his ministry's new 27-storey headquarters, with many criticising the cost of the 53-million-euro ($61 million) renovation.

Cricket in the 20th century was littered with great players, but by universal consent two stand head and shoulders above the rest - Australian batsman Donald Bradman and West Indian all-rounder Garry Sobers, who has died aged 89.

Brows knitted with concentration, Juliette Sebastien clasps her trusty Rubik's Cube, her fingers moving at a head-spinning speed before flipping the solved puzzle onto her table in just 25.03 seconds.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell named Japan as a place he wants to see the league play a future regular-season contest and said he has 10 new host nations in mind.

Tokyo and Taipei stock markets led a fresh selloff of technology shares Friday, as concerns that the sector had been overbought in recent months intensified.

Spanish elan meets Argentinian steel in a historic World Cup final on Sunday which sees the reigning champions of Europe and South America battle for football's ultimate prize.

Swiss rider Mauro Schmid beat Colombian Harold Tejada in a two-man sprint finish to win the 13th and longest stage of the Tour de France on Friday.

A landslide in southwest China killed at least eight people and left 34 missing on Friday, local authorities said, with Chinese President Xi Jinping urging comprehensive inspections as rescue efforts were ongoing.

Neymar returns to his home club Santos Friday with only a few months left in his contract and questions over his future after indicating he would no longer play for Brazil following the country's World Cup disappointment.

France said Friday it was blocking access to the online prediction market Polymarket, as punters continued to make bets despite a ban already in place.

Dense wildfire smoke billowing down from Canada set off unhealthy air quality alerts across the United States again Friday, fomenting concern over the weekend's World Cup final outside New York.

Karsten Warholm on Saturday returns to the London Stadium where he won his first 400 metres hurdles world title in 2017, sparking riotous celebrations he has vowed not to repeat.

A Russian court fined anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin $13 on Friday for displaying "extremist symbols", delivering the verdict moments after paramedics performed a cardiogram on him in court for extreme high blood pressure.

Lucas Herbert stormed into the lead at the British Open on Friday after the Australian and American Sam Burns equalled the record for the lowest round in major golf history on Friday with eight-under par 62s.

Britain's charities regulator is looking into concerns about an Amnesty International report that branded a women's centre for sexual violence victims founded by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as "anti-rights".

Australia's Lucas Herbert equalled the record for the lowest round in major golf history with an eight-under par 62 to storm into the lead at the British Open on Friday.

Max Verstappen topped the times for Red Bull ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton in Friday's sunny opening free practice ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Andy Burnham vowed Friday to "give hope" back to the British people as he was confirmed as the ruling Labour party's new leader, set to be the next UK prime minister.

MEXC, a pioneer in 0-fee digital asset trading, has listed five Ondo tokenized stock trading pairs on its spot market in collaboration with Ondo Finance. The five companies span a supply chain that runs from semiconductor and precision component manufacturing to industrial cooling and power infrastructure supporting AI data centers, allowing users to trade these U.S. stocks using USDT on MEXC around the clock, with instant settlement and no traditional brokerage account required.

Josh Kerr is confident he is in the kind of form that could see him break the 27-year-old world record for the mile to add his name to a storied list of previous British athletes.

Poland's conservative President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed a bill proposed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist government legalising civil partnerships, he announced in a statement.

Britain's charities regulator is looking into concerns about an Amnesty International report that branded a women's centre for sexual violence victims founded by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling as "anti-rights".

The United States and Iran traded attacks on Friday, with Tehran targeting American assets across the Middle East in the biggest escalation since the two foes returned to outright war.

Tokyo and Taipei stock markets led a fresh selloff for technology shares Friday, as concerns that the sector had been overbought in recent months intensified.

Low-cost horror movie "Obsession" from first-time director Curry Barker is on track to become one of the most profitable films of all time, with the cinema sensation piling up global revenues of more than $400 million.

Rugby's new Nations Championship has "logistical challenges" that can only be solved by having some teams play home games at neutral venues, a top official said Friday.

The European Union on Friday proposed easing its carbon trading scheme for companies, as it unveiled reforms to one of its flagship climate policies under pressure to shore up industry.