Portugal Colonial - The latest news from Lisbon, Portugal and Europe, in six languages, around the clock every day

World 200 metre champion Noah Lyles won the first big sprint clash of the season on Friday at a wind-battered Doha Diamond League meeting when Olympic champion Andre de Grasse finished outside the top three.

James Harden was savaged by US media on Friday following the 10-time NBA All-Star's abject performance in the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff exit.

The leader of Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia on Friday set July 17 as a date for a referendum on joining Russia.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine Friday in talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, but their first call since the war began resolved no immediate issues, the Pentagon said.

Dutch outsider Koen Bouwman won the hilly seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia on Friday beating three breakaway rivals on the line after the 196km run from Diamante to Potenza in Basilicata.

The majority of migrants traveling in a boat that capsized off the coast of Puerto Rico were Haitians, authorities said Friday, adding that of the 11 dead, all were women.

A Russian court on Friday extended the pre-trial detention on drug charges of US basketball star Brittney Griner, state media said, as a US consular officer was able to see her.

When Russia shifted its focus to the Donbas in eastern Ukraine after failing to seize Kyiv, Western powers feared an onslaught that would see Ukrainian forces crumble within days.

Ons Jabeur reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Friday after bouncing back from being a game away from defeat to beat Maria Sakkari 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Elon Musk sent mixed messages Friday about his proposed Twitter acquisition, sending shares of the microblogging platform lower amid skepticism over whether the deal will close.

Italy's Enea Bastianini posted a track record to set the pace in opening practice at the French MotoGP on Friday as home favourite and world champion Fabio Quartararo finished out of the top five.

US Democrats called Friday for a giant mobilization for abortion rights on the eve of a nationwide day of protest against an expected Supreme Court move to end federal protections for the procedure.

Pep Guardiola has hit back at former Manchester United stars Patrice Evra and Dimitar Berbatov for criticising the character of his Manchester City side after their painful Champions League exit.

Ukraine's IT sector is booming despite the Russian invasion. Workers with stickers on their laptops recline on beach chairs outside a warehouse for start-ups in the east Ukraine city of Lviv giving off major Silicon Valley vibes.

The European Union said Friday it had unblocked stalled talks with Iran after a mission to Tehran but the United States raised doubts on whether it was enough to revive a nuclear deal.

Outsider Koen Bouwman won stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia on Friday when four riders escaped from the main peloton along the 196km route from Diamante to Potenza.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has conceded that only winning the League Cup would not mean a successful season for his team, who remain in contention for an unprecedented quadruple.

Leeds boss Jesse Marsch has hailed the spirit at the relegation-threatened Premier League club after owners met with the squad in an attempt to boost their survival push.

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard said Friday that Philippe Coutinho would "go up a level" afer signing a four-year deal to join the Premier League club from Barcelona.

Thousands of people packed Jerusalem's tense Old City on Friday for the burial of veteran Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, after Israeli police stormed the start of the funeral procession.

Queen Elizabeth II put in a rare public appearance on Friday, just days after ill health and old age forced her to pull out of the opening of the UK parliament for the first time in nearly 60 years.

The nationwide shortage of baby formula in the United States could last for some time, a top White House economic adviser cautioned on Friday.

Gianluigi Donnarumma has warned Paris Saint-Germainthat they must choose between him and rival goalkeeper Keylor Navas next season.

The rebound on global stock markets extended further Friday on easing fears about the pace of interest rate rises in the United States that are aimed at bringing down the country's highest inflation in decades.

Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Friday after beating local hero Jannick Sinner 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 in a match which was stopped for over 10 minutes at match point after a spectator fell ill.

South Asia was in the grip of an extreme heatwave on Friday, with parts of Pakistan reaching a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius as officials warned of acute water shortages and a health threat.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkey did not have a "positive opinion" on Finland and Sweden joining NATO, throwing up a potential obstacle for the nations' membership bid.

Thomas Tuchel hopes Mateo Kovacic can play through the pain barrier as the Chelsea midfielder battles to recover from an ankle injury in time for Saturday's FA Cup final against Liverpool.

Leftist politicians were up in arms Friday after a US investment firm purchased a beloved blue-collar soccer club, warning that a French cultural and sporting icon could wither in American hands.

Syrian rebels killed 10 soldiers in northern Syria Friday, in the deadliest such attack since a truce deal reached over two years ago, a war monitor and state media said.

The 26 cows feeding Oksana But and her sister in the east Ukrainian war zone are both a blessing and a curse.

Lebanese activists Friday rolled out mock banknotes featuring paintings of a gutted central bank or the Beirut port explosion to denounce high-level corruption that has helped to wreck the country.