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Hong Kong's worst fire in almost 80 years killed at least 65 people in an eight-building apartment complex, with more than 250 people still missing.

Kenyan long-distance runner Evans Kibet said he came to Russia for a sporting event but was instead spirited away to a military training camp and sent to fight in Ukraine.

Authorities across Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia worked on Thursday to reach residents trapped in floods that have killed dozens of people across the region in recent days.

Net migration to the UK dropped by 69 percent to 204,000 in the year to June, official figures showed on Thursday, in a much-needed boost to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

A plushy, AI-enabled teddy bear recalled after its chatbot was found to engage in sexually explicit conversations and offer instructions on where to find knives is again for sale, AFP found.

European stock markets steadied Thursday after solid gains in Asia, as markets increasingly expect the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next month.

Former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has been appointed as director of racing at Ineos Grenadiers, the British team announced on Thursday.

Russian athletes are free to compete "under their national flag", the International Judo Federation (IJF) said on Thursday lifting the neutral status that had been imposed following the invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.

Switzerland's Super-G Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami will miss the 2026 Winter Games with a serious knee injury, the Swiss ski federation announced on Thursday.

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus made nine changes from the team that beat Ireland last week to play Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Turkey on Thursday for a four-day visit where he will hold talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and meet Christian leaders on the first overseas trip of his papacy.

A Turkish court on Thursday acquitted four journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who were on trial over mass demonstrations in Istanbul in March, a case that drew condemnation from press freedom watchdogs.

Streets were nearly deserted Thursday in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, with the announcement of election results thwarted by the military seizing power, arresting the president and closing the borders of the coup-prone west African country.

The world's top wildlife trade body rejected new protections for eels on Thursday in a secret ballot at talks in Uzbekistan.

The European Union could fine Elon Musk's X platform for breaking its digital rules by the end of 2025 -- two years into a probe that has tested the bloc's resolve to police the online space.

Most Asian markets rose Thursday to extend the week's global rally as traders ramp up bets on a third successive US interest rate cut next month.

Pavel Hajko never tires of painting roosters. Inside his home studio in Kovacica -- a sleepy town in northern Serbia famous for its style of naive art -- the brightly coloured creatures cover the walls.

A man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House was an Afghan national who had served alongside American troops in Afghanistan, US media reported Wednesday, as Washington labelled the incident an "act of terror."

Hong Kong firefighters were scouring scorched high-rises Thursday for over 250 people listed as missing, a day after the financial hub's worst blaze in decades killed at least 55 in an apartment complex.

Eleven pink painted elephants marched through Bangkok on Thursday, bowing in unison outside the Grand Palace in a lumbering tribute to the late queen mother.

Spain's unheralded Sebastian Garcia held a two-stroke lead with three holes to play when a hailstorm forced an early end to day one of the Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane on Thursday.

With his eyes closed, Oleksandr Savchuk plucks the strings on his bandura, a lute-like Ukrainian folk instrument, as he delivers a gently melancholic performance in the frontline city of Kharkiv.

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has called for a "post-mortem" into India Test cricket after their aura of home invincibility was blown away by a second series whitewash in 12 months.

South Africa denounced US President Donald Trump's decision to bar it from the 2026 G20 summit, calling the move punitive and driven by distortions that erode global cooperation.

Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has called for a "post-mortem" into India Test cricket after their aura of home invincibility was blown away by a second series whitewash 12 months.

As his comrades died of starvation and thirst around him, Mbale Hafashimana Amos finally decided to flee the Congolese bush for a country he had always been told would butcher him on arrival.

Japanese beer giant Asahi said Thursday it had not received any specific demand from the hackers behind a "sophisticated and cunning" cyberattack that is about to enter its third month.

China's world champion long jumper Wang Jianan has been cleared of doping after hospital video camera footage showed he had inadvertently inhaled a banned substance.

US President Donald Trump's MAGA movement is cosying up to France's far right as part of an ideological offensive abroad since his return to office, with French authorities worried about its influence ahead of key elections.

Sitting at an empty Jakarta stall, Alfindo Hutagaol gobbled down some rice, green sambal and grilled dog meat -- a meal that is now banned in the Indonesian capital.

The morning after saving her elderly neighbour from Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades, retiree Kwok was trawling through social media groups looking for signs other missing residents were safe on Thursday.

Max Verstappen is seeking a hat-trick of wins at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend as this year's Formula One world championship reaches boiling point in the Arabian Gulf.

A Peruvian court will issue its verdict on Thursday in the trial of former left-wing president Pedro Castillo, who was impeached and jailed all in the same day in 2022 following a power grab attempt.

A bull shark killed a woman swimming off a remote beach in Australia’s eastern state of New South Wales Thursday while a man was seriously injured and may have been saved by the "heroic" efforts of a passerby.

Former South Africa winger Stefan Terblanche said new Wales head coach Steve Tandy reminds him of Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus before the sides meet in their final Tests of the year on Saturday.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fought through illness to score 40 points and lead Oklahoma City to a 10th consecutive victory on Wednesday while Detroit's win streak was snapped at 13 games.

Max Verstappen is seeking a hat-trick of wins at the Qatar Grand Prix this weekend as this year's Formula One world championship reaches boiling point in the Arabian Gulf.

Japanese beer giant Asahi said Thursday it was not negotiating with the hackers behind a "sophisticated and cunning" ransomware attack that is about to enter its third month.

A Japanese town deleted a social media post warning of a bear sighting after discovering that a picture it had received showing the fearsome creature was AI-generated.