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The United States and Australia will look to book their place in the World Cup knockout rounds on Friday while Brazil aim to kickstart their campaign against Haiti.

Switzerland announced Friday that planned talks following up on the deal to end the Middle East war had been postponed, hours after US Vice President JD Vance's departure for the Alpine country was cancelled.

The squawks of macaws, the smell of wet earth after rain and a swirl of colors will transport visitors from a Los Angeles museum to the heart of the Amazon rainforest -- or rather, an AI version of it.

Iran's World Cup team will lodge a complaint with FIFA claiming they are being subjected to travel restrictions during the tournament in North America, the Iranian football federation spokesman said on Thursday.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said Friday "old dog" James Slipper will add vital leadership and experience after the 37-year-old was coaxed out of retirement for the Nations Championship.

A New Zealand minister has defended fishers involved in the deaths of two orcas in commercial fishing incidents and said "these things happen", while conservationists condemned the "devastating" loss.

Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout round of the World Cup on Thursday after a 1-0 victory over South Korea while Canada edged closer to the last 32 after thrashing Qatar.

Tech firms powered Seoul's Kospi index to another record on Friday, while oil prices extended losses after traffic began to resume in the Strait of Hormuz under the US-Iran agreement.

Co-hosts Mexico became the first team to reach the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over South Korea at a delirious Guadalajara Stadium on Thursday.

Veteran UK Labour politician Andy Burnham emphatically won a crunch by-election on Friday, securing a parliamentary seat and clearing the way for a widely expected leadership challenge against beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Top ranked South Africa launch their 2026 season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on Saturday with a warning from head coach Rassie Erasmus ahead of a 14-match schedule.

Roberto 'Pico' Lopes might have been whiling away his time as a mortgage advisor in Ireland instead of preparing to face Uruguay in the World Cup on Sunday had Shamrock Rovers not come calling.

About 100 guerrillas laid down their weapons Thursday in a jungle area of southern Colombia under a deal with leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has sought peace with armed rebels, AFP journalists witnessed.

Waikato Chiefs captain Tupou Vaa'i said Friday the Super Rugby final against the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday is "the game that everyone wanted to see".

Merlin meets the journalists early in the afternoon after a busy morning at Mexico's biggest TV station. His agenda is jam-packed, going late into the night so he can join thousands of admirers at the World Cup "Fan Fest" in Mexico City.

US Vice President JD Vance postponed a trip to Switzerland for talks that were originally slated for Friday to discuss next steps with the US-Iran agreement on ending the war in the Middle East, according to the White House.

Two years after leaving the United States following a series of unsuccessful MLS tryouts, Yan Diomande is shining at the World Cup for Ivory Coast -- and still grieving a family tragedy.

Veteran prop James Slipper was named in coach Joe Schmidt's 37-strong Australia squad for the opening three Tests of the Nations Championship on Friday, with a trio of potential debutants also included.

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said victory over the United States on Friday would earn his side "respect," in the wake of disparaging comments by US pundits about the Australian side that have triggered a long-brewing row.

New Zealand's World Cup social media sensation Tim Payne has capitalised on his newfound fame, with the defender announcing on Friday that he has signed for Paraguayan powerhouse Club Olimpia.

Like the protagonist in his taboo novel, former doctor-turned-author Yo Kusakabe believes chopping off elderly patients' useless limbs could help prevent a potential collapse of super-ageing Japan's overstressed care industry.

Wyndham Clark made an eagle and two birdies in three holes to seize a four-stroke lead when darkness halted Thursday's first round of the 126th US Open at blustery Shinnecock.

Scientists have long posited the earliest water animals to transition to land had amphibious tadpole features, going through a metamorphosis akin to that of today's frogs.

Cuban lawmakers on Thursday adopted nearly 200 free-market reforms in a desperate bid to end a severe crisis and secure the end of a crippling US fuel blockade.

Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to secure their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday as Switzerland reignited their campaign with a resounding defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Is it goodbye Air Force One, hello Qatar Force One?

Members of Venezuela's interim government met with the country's opposition party Thursday to discuss a "roadmap for a dialogue on a democratic transition," the US State Department said.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes urged Brazil to move on from a disappointing performance in their World Cup opener as they prepare to face Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday.

Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to clinch their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday in a Group B match marred by a horrific injury to midfielder Ismael Kone.

Cuban lawmakers Thursday adopted nearly 200 historic free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade.

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