The path to glory at the 2026 World Cup has now been laid out after the contenders discovered their tournament fate at Friday's draw ceremony in Washington which was dominated by Donald Trump.
Centuries from Justin Greaves and Shai Hope ensured the first Test between New Zealand and the West Indies will go down to the wire on the final day in Christchurch on Saturday.
World record-holder Gretchen Walsh clocked 55.60sec to win the 100m butterfly on Friday at the US Open in Austin, Texas, where swim stars Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand again tested themselves in unfamiliar events.
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Politics
He got a gold medal. He made a game show-style appearance with foreign leaders. And he danced to YMCA.
December 05, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Trump takes aim at Europe in new security strategy
Politics
December 05, 2025
England coach Thomas Tuchel warned not to get carried away after Friday's draw for the 2026 World Cup placed his team in an apparently winnable group but left open the possibility of a hazardous run through the knockout phase.
December 05, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony at which US President Donald Trump received FIFA's new peace prize.
December 05, 2025
The World Health Organization chief said Friday that countries were in a strong position to finalise the vital missing piece of the pandemic treaty, which will determine how vaccines are shared.
December 05, 2025
An advisory panel appointed by the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptic health secretary voted Friday to stop recommending that all newborns in the United States receive a hepatitis B vaccine.
December 05, 2025
Sports
Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti reflected on a "difficult" group after being paired with surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.
December 05, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Vincent Kriechmayr won a chaotic alpine World Cup super-G at Beaver Creek on Friday as Swiss star Marco Odermatt settled for fifth and downhill world champion Franjo von Allmen crashed in a race cut short after multiple weather interruptions.
A flagship study that declared the weedkiller Roundup posed no serious health risks has been retracted with little fanfare, ending a 25-year saga that exposed how corporate interests can distort scientific research and influence government decision-making.
England manager Thomas Tuchel said the Three Lions are confident but must show Croatia, Ghana and Panama the respect they deserve after Friday's World Cup draw.
"Sinners" topped the slate of nominees for the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, as the movie industry's awards season starts to take shape.
December 05, 2025
Culture
Netflix faced fierce criticism on Friday over its blockbuster deal to acquire Warner Bros., the storied Hollywood studio.
December 05, 2025
RECENT NEWS
Streaming giant Netflix said Friday it will buy film and television studio Warner Bros. Discovery for nearly $83 billion, the entertainment industry's biggest consolidation deal this decade.
US consumer pricing and sentiment reports released Friday pointed to lingering questions about affordability as the calendar moves towards the peak of the festive season.
The European Union hit Elon Musk's X with a 120-million-euro ($140-million) fine Friday for breaking its digital rules, sparking an angry reaction from Washington.
World stock markets gave a mixed picture Friday, with sentiment underpinned by hopes for sustained US central bank rate cuts, but nagging inflationary worries sparking some pre-weekend selling.
December 05, 2025
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