Tokyo  - Tokyo stocks opened higher Friday on the back of an overnight rebound in the US market and a weaker yen.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average, which lost nearly 5 per cent the previous day, advanced 101.62 points, or 1.27 per cent, to 8,124.93 in early trading.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues was also up 9.54 points, or 1.2 per cent, to 805.53.

On the currency markets at 9 am (0000 GMT), the dollar was quoted at 89.94-99 yen, up from Thursday's 5 pm quote of 89.07-09 yen.

Sydney  - Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong set hearts racing Friday in Adelaide as the clock ticked to his return to competition after a three-year lay-off.

Thousands of cycling fans lined the streets of the south coast city to glimpse the 37-year-old Texan on training rides ahead of Sunday's prologue to the six-day Tour Down Under, beginning Tuesday.

Sunday's twilight race is a criterium on an Adelaide street circuit that is unlikely to give an indication of Armstrong's potential.

Melbourne  - Women's draw made on Friday for the 15.5- million-dollar Australian Open.

<# Jelena Jankovic, 1, Serbia v Yvonne Meusburger, Australia

Kirsten Flipkens, Belgium v Rossana De Los Rios, Paraguay

Nathalie Dechy, France v qualifier

Qualifier v Ai Sugiyama, Japan

Sybille Bammer, Austria v Lucie Safarova, Czech Republic

Petra Cetkovska, Czech Republic v Marina Erakovic, New Zealand

Qualifier v Tsvetana Pironkova, Bulgaria

Prague  - Big Brother would like to be watching you. But he can't, because his computer has crashed.

That was the problem occupying European Union interior ministers on Thursday in Prague as they debated the 27-member bloc's continuing inability to share the fingerprints and photos of foreigners entering the border-free Schengen zone because of computer bugs.

Melbourne  - Men's draw made Friday for the 15.5-million- dollar Australian Open.

<# Rafael Nadal, 1, Spain v Christophe Rochus, Belgium

Florent Serra, France v Roko Karanusic, Croatia

Eduardo Schwank, Argentina v Tommy Haas, Germany

Qualifier v Dmitry Tursunov, Russia

Richard Gasquet, France v Diego Junqueira, Argentina

Vince Spadea, US v Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan

Guillermo Canas, Argentina v Nicolas Kiefer, Germany

Tel Aviv  - While the Israeli offensive rages in the Gaza Strip, political spectators in Israel are asking what impact the conflict will have on upcoming elections.

The outcome of Operation Cast Lead will play a big role in determining the results of the election, now little more than three weeks away, as voters decide if the offensive has indeed changed "the security reality" of southern Israeli towns and villages that have been targeted by rockets from the Gaza Strip.