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Premier League clubs have flexed their muscle on and off the field in Europe, with five English sides finishing in the top eight of the Champions League group phase.

Environmental groups Thursday raised the alarm after finding toxic "pesticide cocktails" in apples sold across Europe, in a new study highlighting widespread contamination.

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina said the plight of her homeland put her Australian Open semi-final loss Thursday into perspective, calling herself "a very, very lucky person".

Deutsche Bank said Thursday it aimed to become a "European champion" after reporting record profits in 2025, even as the results were overshadowed by a money-laundering probe reportedly linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

French energy giant TotalEnergies officially relaunched Thursday a massive gas project in northern Mozambique after a five-year pause imposed following a jihadist attack that claimed hundreds of lives.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that "really good progress" had been made on issues such as visa-free travel and tariffs during talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka powered into her fourth Australian Open final in a row with a dominant win over Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Thursday in a politically charged encounter.

Turkey will offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran during a visit by Iran's foreign minister on Friday, officials said, as Ankara considers reinforcing security along its border should the dispute escalate.

Oumar Cisse used to lead tours of Djenne, an ancient, fabled city in central Mali known for its towering mud-brick mosque, but he now ekes out a living driving an old motorcycle taxi in Bamako.

China's football association issued lifetime bans to 73 people, including former national team head coach Li Tie, and punished 13 top professional clubs for match-fixing and corruption, it said Thursday.

Ghana is preparing to overhaul its mining laws to increase its share of the revenues generated by the surge in the precious metal's price, sparking concern among foreign mining companies in Africa's top gold producer.

South Africa's main cinema houses have pulled a documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump just ahead of its release, with the distributor citing "the current climate", local media reported.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has been banned for five Confederation of African Football (CAF) matches and fined $100,000 after the chaotic scenes at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Morocco this month, it was announced on Thursday.

Russia's oil giant Lukoil, sanctioned by Washington over the Ukraine war, said Thursday that it would sell its foreign assets to the US investment firm The Carlyle Group.

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley said Thursday it was "a fine line" between player promotion and privacy after top stars complained about backstage cameras at the Grand Slam, with Iga Swiatek comparing it to a zoo.

Britain's Keir Starmer is the latest Western leader to thaw trade ties with China in a shift analysts say is driven by US tariff pressure and unease over Donald Trump's volatile policy playbook.

Gold prices soared to a fresh record near $5,600 Thursday, while oil rallied after Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions with his threatened military strike on Iran.

Adeliia Petrosian will be in a fierce spotlight when she takes to the ice at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics four years after the doping debacle involving fellow Russian teenager Kamila Valieva overshadowed the Beijing Games.

China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including "key members" of telecom scam operations, state media reported Thursday, as Beijing toughens its response to the sprawling, transnational industry.

Germany plans to better protect its critical infrastructure with a new law on Thursday as surging tensions with Russia stoke fears of sabotage attacks and other national security threats.

Investigators were battling thick fog in the Colombian mountains Thursday to reach the site of a plane crash that killed all 15 people on board, including a politician.

Serena Williams has reignited speculation that she could make a return to tennis, refusing to rule it out when asked and instead replying: "I don't know. I'm just going to see what happens."

Vietnam and the European Union pledged to deepen economic and security cooperation on Thursday, upgrading their diplomatic relationship to hedge against an increasingly unpredictable United States.

The colour of the winning party in Myanmar's junta-run election is the same green as a general's uniform, its staff are retired senior officers, and most expect it to march in lockstep with the military.

Deutsche Bank on Thursday reported record pre-tax profits of 9.7 billion euros ($11.6 billion) in 2025, with all divisions performing well, even as Germany's biggest lender faces a new money-laundering probe.

Thailand's foreign minister said Thursday that he hoped Myanmar's recent election would be the "start of a transition" that could ultimately lead to a sustainable peace in the civil war-torn country.

Novak Djokovic knows all too well the mountain he must scale to capture an elusive record 25th Grand Slam crown, but the Serbian great is not ready to "walk out with a white flag" just yet.

Vietnam and the EU upgraded diplomatic ties on Thursday, committing to deeper cooperation on trade, technology and security during a visit to Hanoi by European Council President Antonio Costa.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chinese leader Xi Jinping stressed the need for closer relations between their countries in order to face geopolitical headwinds, as the two met in Beijing on Thursday.

Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has been banned for five Confederation of African Football (CAF) matches after a chaotic Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final against Morocco this month, it was announced on Wednesday.

Phan Huy has had a thrilling -- but quite stressful -- journey to making history at Paris Haute Couture Week on Thursday where he will become the youngest and the first Vietnamese designer to present a collection on the official calendar.

Hong Kong residents hoping to cash in on a precious metals rally are buying up bars of silver as an alternative to gold that they say has become "too expensive" after reaching record highs.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, seeking closer trade ties while balancing sensitive issues of national security and human rights.

Quadriplegic and bedridden in a prefabricated home, 36-year-old Li Xia can only move one finger and one toe -- yet he runs a high-tech farm in southwestern China using sensors, cameras and a computer.

Gold prices soared to another fresh record above $5,500 Thursday, while oil advanced and stocks fell after Donald Trump ramped up geopolitical tensions with his threatened military strike on Iran.

South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted record quarterly profits Thursday, riding massive market demand for the memory chips that power artificial intelligence.

China will act to defend its companies' interests if Australia forcibly buys back control of the strategic northern port of Darwin, Beijing's ambassador has warned.

China has purged top generals before, but the announcement that Zhang Youxia, the vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC), is being investigated for corruption shocked defence observers.

American singer-songwriters are taking up the protest torch like their forebears Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan Baez, releasing tracks featuring searing criticism of Donald Trump and homage to Minneapolis residents killed this month by federal immigration agents.