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Queensland Reds' Les Kiss is confident his team can "scare" the Waikato Chiefs in their Super Rugby playoff in what could be his last game in charge before taking over as Wallabies coach.

The United States announced new sanctions Thursday on Cuba's president and some of his immediate family, alongside members of the Castro family, in Washington's latest ramping up of pressure on its communist-led neighbor.

A pair of US Open winners in Wyndham Clark and JJ Spaun were in a four-way tie for the lead alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Gerard after the first round of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a mass rally in Washington on June 24 to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, saying he'd canceled planned concerts after several artists pulled out.

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic suggested Thursday a global pause on building the most powerful AI systems as the latest models are beginning to show signs they could escape human control.

San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama says there's no need for heroics as the Spurs aim to battle back from a deflating loss to the New York Knicks in the opening game of the NBA Finals.

Casey Wasserman said Thursday he has never considered stepping down as Los Angeles Olympics chief since his name appeared in files from the investigation into late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The United States said on Thursday that the New World screwworm (NWS) fly, a dangerous livestock pest whose flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle, has been detected in a calf in south Texas.

UK leader Keir Starmer accused US tech tycoon Elon Musk on Thursday of "trying to whip up division" in Britain following anger over the police handling of the murder of a white student by a Sikh man.

Amad Diallo scored a late winner as Ivory Coast stunned France 2-1 in a World Cup warm-up match in Nantes on Thursday.

With its fake horror and off-color jokes, the creators of the sixth installment in the "Scary Movie" franchise say they are offering an antidote to what they see as today's censorious culture.

A fan who crashed the court in San Antonio in a bid to take a selfie with Spurs star Victor Wembanyama during game one of the NBA Finals has been banned for life from all league arenas, an NBA spokesperson said Thursday.

Olympic champion Noah Lyles scorched to victory in the men's 100m at the Rome Diamond League meeting on Thursday in 9.88sec.

A German serial killer already in prison for the murders of three children was found guilty by a French court on Thursday for the abduction and killing of a 10-year-old boy during a school trip in 2004.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was using Cold War era legislation to tap $700 million in funding for a slew of coal projects, his latest push to increase use of the most-polluting fossil fuel.

Drug use, sobriety, erections... The son of former US president Joe Biden has become an unlikely social media sensation as he takes aim at critics with a mix of self-deprecating humor, biting retorts and salty language.

Polish world number 114 Maja Chwalinska admitted she felt "overwhelmed" by her shock run from qualifying to the final of the French Open, following her semi-final victory over Diana Shnaider on Thursday.

SpaceX is inviting investors to bet on Elon Musk's vision of AI data centers in space and humans on Mars.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin in a rare open letter to the Russian leader Thursday, shortly after the Kremlin chief had conceded Moscow needed to strengthen its air defences amid a spate of Ukrainian attacks.

England's Ollie Robinson marked his first Test for more than two years with four wickets, including three in a sensational opening over, as New Zealand collapsed to 61-6 at stumps at Lord's on Thursday.

Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan starred in Pakistan's four-wicket win in the third and final one-day international in Lahore on Thursday.

Ollie Robinson marked his first Test for more than two years with four wickets, including three in a sensational opening over, as New Zealand slumped to 61-6 before bad light cut short the first day's play at Lord's on Thursday.

Liverpool named Andoni Iraola as their new manager on Thursday after sacking Arne Slot following a calamitous Premier League title defence.

Mirra Andreeva was so focused she could "see the hairs on the ball" as she beat an erratic Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 to race into the French Open final on Thursday.

Maja Chwalinska made French Open history on Thursday as the world number 114 became the first qualifier in the professional era to reach the Roland Garros final, where she will take on Mirra Andreeva.

A Colombian judge on Thursday banned hard-right presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella from using the national football jersey as a political symbol following outcry from his leftist opponents.

Championship-leading teenager Kimi Antonelli intends to race free of worry during this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix as he bids for a record fifth consecutive victory.

Ollie Robinson marked his first Test for more than two years with four wickets, including three in a sensational opening over, as New Zealand suffered a stunning collapse to 29-6 on the opening day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.

The "brilliance of humanity" will matter more, not less, in an AI world, Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst told AFP in an interview.

Despite living just 300 metres from the border wall separating Israel from Lebanon, Sigalit Levin has little enthusiasm for the new ceasefire deal meant to bring a lasting end to fighting with Hezbollah.

Polish world number 114 Maja Chwalinska made French Open history on Thursday as she beat Diana Shnaider in straight sets to become the first qualifier to go all the way to the final at Roland Garros in the professional era.

Ollie Robinson marked his first over in Test cricket for more than two years with a sensational three-wicket burst as New Zealand collapsed to 20-5 on the opening day at Lord's on Thursday.

The UN nuclear agency reaffirmed in a confidential report seen by AFP on Thursday that a lack of access to Iran's nuclear material posed a "proliferation concern" and called on Teheran to act "constructively".

German prosecutors on Thursday demanded life in prison for the man who has confessed to the 2024 car ramming that killed six people at a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg.

Lewis Hamilton on Thursday played down his and Ferrari's chances at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.

Kyle Jamieson did the bulk of the damage as England were dismissed for 140 on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday announced it was stepping up financial support for at least four African countries to help them manage the economic fallout of the US-Israel war on Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced four different congressional panels this week on Washington's role in various global conflicts, but the war in Ukraine barely came up.

Hollywood legend Richard Gere on Thursday said he was "ashamed" of the way the United States is handling migration as he launched an initiative to change attitudes to the topic in Berlin.