Charles Leclerc outpaced Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton to top the timesheets in first practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Friday as drivers grappled with sweeping new engine changes.
Most stocks in Asia fell Friday as the war in the Middle East showed no sign of ending, though there was some reprieve from the surge in oil prices after the United States looked to ease supply concerns.
Counting was underway in Nepal on Friday, after a high-stakes parliamentary election that could reshape the country's leadership following 2025 protests that toppled the government.
- Italy half-backs can make difference against England: ex-coach Mallett
- Scotland coach Townsend hails 'instinctive' France ahead of key Six Nations game
Sports
Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar will face stiff competition from teenage French sensation Paul Seixas when he begins his 2026 season bidding for a record fourth Strade Bianche title on Saturday.
March 06, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Qualifier Parry ends Venus's desert dream
Sports
March 06, 2026
Lens kept their dream of an unlikely French league and cup double alive, beating Lyon 5-4 on penalties on Thursday to reach the semi-finals after their last-eight tie had ended in a 2-2 draw.
March 05, 2026
RECENT NEWS
The government of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, known for a harsh crackdown on street gangs and dissent, is holding dozens of political prisoners, a rights group charged Thursday.
March 05, 2026
When the United States fought the 1991 Gulf War, president George H.W. Bush boasted of building a broad coalition unseen in decades. When his son attacked Iraq in 2003, he faced wide criticism but secured several steadfast US allies.
March 05, 2026
Troubled Tottenham plunged deeper into relegation danger as Micky van de Ven's moment of madness triggered a damaging 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Thursday.
March 05, 2026
Economy
Oil prices pushed higher while US and European stocks dropped on Thursday as investors tracked developments on the sixth day of the Middle East war.
March 05, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, a self-declared opponent of "undefined wars" and regime change, is now going on the offensive against critics of President Donald Trump's attack on Iran, while unapologetically backing the conflict.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum could make his NBA season debut on Friday, less than 10 months after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in last year's playoffs.
War has emptied the usually traffic-jammed streets of Iran's capital, but Islamic republic authorities have filled them with checkpoints and security forces as they tighten their grip on the population.
Jacob Bethell is going to have "a hell of a career" with England, said captain Harry Brook, after the left-hander's brilliant 105 on Thursday almost took his side to a record chase against India in the T20 World Cup semi-final.
March 05, 2026
Sports
France coach Fabien Galthie criticised the size of Murrayfield's away dressing room as his Grand Slam-chasing side travel to Scotland for what promises to be the stand-out match of the 2026 Six Nations.
March 05, 2026
RECENT NEWS
Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev has made it to Indian Wells for the ATP/WTA hardcourt Masters 1000 after being stuck in Dubai for several days amid Israel and the United States' war with Iran.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security, the agency responsible for carrying out his sweeping immigration crackdown.
The Middle East war unleashed by US-Israeli attacks on Iran has swelled outwards to Cyprus, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and risks drawing more countries into the conflict.
Wales flanker James Botham has revealed how his "gut-wrenching" Six Nations mistake led to a FaceTime smirk and a 'sledge' from his famous grandfather, Ian Botham.
March 05, 2026
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- Grooming makes Crufts debut as UK dog show widens offer
- Townsend insists Scots' focus solely on France not Six Nations title race
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- Trump demands say on Iran's next leader as Mideast war spirals
- EU to ban plant-based 'bacon' but veggie 'burgers' survive chop
- Leagues Cup to hold matches in Mexico for first time