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EU hits Google with €2.95 bn fine despite Trump threats
The EU slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services Friday, despite President Donald Trump's warnings not to target US big tech.

Starmer shakes up top team after deputy Rayner quits
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer overhauled his ministerial team Friday in a bid to reset his embattled government after deputy premier Angela Rayner resigned for underpaying a property tax.

Almeida wins Vuelta 'queen stage' ahead of leader Vingegaard amid protests
Portuguese rider Joao Almeida climbed to victory in the 'queen' stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana on Friday, just ahead of Danish race leader Jonas Vingegaard as repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests continued to upset the peloton.

Key facts about Trump's 'Department of War' -- aka the Defense Dept
President Donald Trump is rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War -- a name used when it had more limited responsibilities for US Army forces rather than the entire military.

Farage rallies faithful at hard-right Reform UK annual meet
British hard-right leader Nigel Farage rallied his insurgent Reform party at the start of its annual conference Friday, seizing on the Labour government's woes to insist his movement could seize power within two years.

Protests against Israeli team divide Vuelta and scare riders
The Israel-Premier Tech team insists it will ride on in the Vuelta a Espana, even though repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests forced one stage to be curtailed and several of its riders say they are scared.

EU not 'living up to responsibilities' on Gaza war: Belgian FM
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday that the EU's credibility on foreign policy was "collapsing" due to the bloc's failure to act over Israel's war in Gaza.

US sends 10 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as Venezuela tensions grow
US President Donald Trump is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on Friday, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean.

Anisimova on redemption mission v Sabalenka in US Open final
Amanda Anisimova will bid to crown her improbable redemption mission at the US Open on Saturday as world number one Aryna Sabalenka seeks to grab her final chance of the year to win a Grand Slam.

David Bowie's secret musical on 18th century London found
David Bowie was working on an "18th century" themed musical at the time of his death, which will feature in a new London centre dedicated to the seminal British artist, the BBC reported Friday.

PSG's Geyoro joins London City Lionesses for 'around £1 mn'
Women's Super League newcomers London City Lionesses have completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain's Grace Geyoro for one of the largest transfer fees in the history of women's football.

Tesla proposes package for Musk that could top $1 trillion
Tesla unveiled on Friday a proposed compensation package for Elon Musk that could top $1 trillion if the controversial CEO delivers on his vision for stratospheric growth from new technologies.

Shiite ministers walk out of Lebanon cabinet discussion on Hezbollah disarmament
Shiite ministers walked out of a Lebanese cabinet meeting Friday called to discuss efforts to disarm Hezbollah, state media reported, with the group adamant it would hold onto its weapons.

Stocks rise, dollar drops as US jobs data boosts rate cut hopes
Stocks rose and the dollar slid Friday as a sharp slowdown in US hiring cemented expectations that the US Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates later this month.

New folk music documentary taps into Bob Dylan revival
A new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage of a pivotal moment in folk music history taps into a revival of interest in Bob Dylan thanks to recent biopic "A Complete Unknown", which starred Timothee Chalamet.

US hiring weakens sharply in August as jobs market stalls
US job growth stalled in August while unemployment crept up to its highest level since 2021, in a closely watched report Friday after weak data earlier prompted President Donald Trump to fire a key economic official.

Europe bets on supercomputer to catch up in AI race
Europe's fastest supercomputer Jupiter was inaugurated Friday in Germany with Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying it could help the continent catch up in the global artificial intelligence race.

11 foreigners killed in Portugal funicular crash
Eleven foreign nationals were among the 16 people killed when one of Lisbon's popular funicular trains crashed this week, the Portuguese authorities announced on Friday.

'Roblox' game to impose age controls this year
The publisher of "Roblox" has promised to set up age verification mechanisms, after allegations the video game massively popular with children and teens worldwide has fallen short on safety.

WHO backs weight-loss drugs, urges cheap generics
The World Health Organization recommended a range of blockbuster weight-loss drugs to treat diabetes and obesity globally for the first time on Friday, calling for cheap generic versions to be made available for people in developing countries.

British royal who secretly worked as music teacher dies aged 92
Britain's Duchess of Kent, known for her links to the Wimbledon tennis tournament and for anonymously teaching music at a primary school, has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

Merz inaugurates supercomputer, says Europe can catch up in AI race
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday that Europe can catch up in the global artificial intelligence race as he inaugurated the continent's fastest supercomputer.

US hiring significantly misses expectations as jobs market cools
The US economy added significantly fewer jobs than expected in August, government data showed on Friday, in a closely watched report after weak data earlier prompted President Donald Trump to fire a key economic official.

Lebanon discusses army plan to disarm Hezbollah
The Lebanese government began discussing on Friday an army plan to disarm Hezbollah, which the Iran-backed militant group says plays into the hands of Israel and the United States.

Hamilton tops Monza practice in Ferrari one-two
Lewis Hamilton gave Ferrari fans hope of a big weekend at the Italian Grand Prix after topping the times in Friday's first practice session at Monza ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc.

Hitwomen: how teen girls are being used in Sweden crime wars
Teenage girls are hiring themselves out as hitwomen in Sweden's organised crime wars, keen to prove they are more deadly and ruthless than young men, prosecutors say.

South Africa's Du Preez out of Rugby Championship with injury
South Africa back-rower Jean-Luc du Preez is set to miss the remainder of the Rugby Championship with a knee injury, his French club Bordeaux-Begles' coach Yannick Bru said Friday.

Newcastle's Burn has 'nothing but good wishes' for Isak
Newcastle defender Dan Burn insisted on Friday he feels "no animosity" towards Alexander Isak following the striker's drawn-out move to Premier League rivals Liverpool.

Israel army begins targeting Gaza City high-rises
The Israeli military destroyed a high-rise in Gaza City on Friday, shortly after announcing it would target tall buildings identified as being used by Hamas ahead of Israeli forces' planned conquest of the urban hub.

Socceroos edge New Zealand 1-0 to keep unbeaten streak intact
Max Balard scored on debut with three minutes left as Australia ground past fellow World Cup qualifiers New Zealand 1-0 Friday to stretch their unbeaten streak under Tony Popovic to nine games.

Don't panic: UK phones to sound at once in emergency drill
Tens of millions of mobile phones across the UK will blare a siren sound at the same time on Sunday as part of government efforts to better prepare for national emergencies.

'No curse' on England, insists Tuchel despite near misses
England manager Thomas Tuchel is adamant there is "no curse" upon his side as he looks to end their near 60-year wait for a major international trophy.

Nigel Farage's hard-right Reform UK scent victory at annual meet
Nigel Farage's anti-immigration party Reform UK kicked off Britain's annual party conference season Friday, with the Brexit cheerleader and his buoyant supporters increasingly confident he can be Britain's next leader.

Venice Film Festival a red carpet pulpit for 'King Giorgio' Armani
For decades, the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival was one of Giorgio Armani's most high-profile catwalks, with the stars of cinema donning his elegant creations for the eyes of the world.

Putin threatens to target any Western troops sent to Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin warned on Friday that any Western forces deployed to Ukraine would be "legitimate" targets for Russia's army, as Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky said "thousands" could be sent as part of a peacekeeping force.

The massive debt behind France's political turmoil
France's growing debt pile is at the heart of the confidence vote that could topple the government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou next week.

Britain's Duchess of Kent dies aged 92: palace
Britain's Duchess of Kent, who was known for her links to the Wimbledon tennis tournament, has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace said on Friday.

China to impose temporary duties on EU pork
China said Friday it would impose temporary anti-dumping duties on European Union pork imports, delivering another blow to shaky ties between the economic powerhouses as Brussels vowed to protect its producers.

Stocks rise ahead of key US jobs data
Asian and European stock markets advanced on Friday ahead of a key US jobs report that will give insight into the Federal Reserve's path for interest rates.