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The flame for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics arrived in Rome on Thursday for a two-month torch relay around Italy before the sprawling Games open on February 6.

Britain and Norway on Thursday unveiled a new defence pact that will see their navies jointly operate a warship fleet to "hunt Russian submarines" in the North Atlantic.

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli on Thursday thanked Max Verstappen for his support as he revealed that the Red Bull driver and his race engineer had spoken to him after receiving death threats on social media following the Qatar Grand Prix.

Title holders Bordeaux-Begles open the defence of their Champions Cup crown on Saturday with a gruelling trip to the Bulls and the challenge of one of the sport's most difficult away journeys.

European leaders in a conference call this week voiced distrust of US efforts to negotiate an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, according to German news weekly Der Spiegel, which said it had obtained written notes on the call.

The public broadcaster organising Germany's entry for Eurovision said Thursday that Israel was entitled to compete in the contest, as European broadcasters debate whether to exclude the country over its conduct in Gaza.

Lando Norris on Thursday rejected the idea of asking title rival and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to support him this weekend in the decisive season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix even if it is the only way he can beat Red Bull's Max Verstappen to the title.

Spanish star Rosalia on Thursday announced 2026 world tour dates for her critically acclaimed new album "Lux", with shows across Europe, the United States and Latin America.

South Africa responded Thursday to a US bar on its participation in G20 events under Washington's presidency by saying it was a fully-fledged member of the forum and expected to be treated equally.

Legendary American folk singer Joan Baez has told AFP that the return of Donald Trump to the White House has pushed her to go back to the studio where she has just recorded a protest song.

Discrimination based on religion has increased in France, a report by the country's rights ombudswoman found Thursday, with one in three Muslims surveyed saying they had suffered from it.

A right-wing Honduran presidential candidate backed by Donald Trump reclaimed a narrow lead over his rival Thursday on the fourth day of a plodding vote count.

A United Nations Security Council delegation made its first-ever visit to Syria on Thursday, pledging the international community's support for the country days before the anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's ousting.

World stock markets mostly rose Thursday after the latest batch of US data reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut US interest rates next week and in 2026.

A man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly planting pipe bombs near the Democratic and Republican party headquarters on the eve of the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot, US media reported.

The UK Thursday sanctioned Russia's intelligence service and summoned Moscow's ambassador after an inquiry found President Vladimir Putin bore "moral responsibility" for the death of a British woman in a 2018 nerve agent attack.

Ilia Malinin gave his Olympic figure skating rivals a glimmer of hope after botching his signature quadruple axel to finish the short programme third at the Grand Prix Final on Thursday.

Israeli raids hit south Lebanon on Thursday as Israel's military said it was striking Hezbollah targets, a day after Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives held their first direct talks in decades.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday brings the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo together to endorse a deal that Trump has hailed as his latest peace triumph despite ongoing violence on the ground.

Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in India on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening defence ties, as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying oil from Moscow.

Steve Cropper, the Booker T. & the MG's guitarist and key songwriter and producer for the Memphis soul sound of Stax Records, has died aged 84, his family said.

Electrician V. K. Muthukrishnan ran to help when a lightning-fast mudslide flattened his neighbour's home in rural Sri Lanka -- only to see his own house swept away minutes later.

Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc said Thursday he could not be compared with Wasim Akram after he surpassed the Pakistani great as the leading left-arm pace bowler in Test history.

Virgil van Dijk says Mohamed Salah's omission from Liverpool's team for a second successive match shows no player at the club has "unlimited credit".

Microsoft is facing a complaint in the European Union filed by a non-profit organisation alleging it illegally stored data on Palestinians used for Israeli military surveillance.

South Africa said Thursday it was prepared to wait out next year's G20 after being barred by the United States and did not expect other countries to lobby for its inclusion.

The Olympic flame arrives in Rome on Thursday as the Milan-Cortina Winter Games home into view, but organisers are rushing to make sure everything is ready for a sprawling sports showcase spread across a vast area of northern Italy.

They have been accused of crimes including treason and espionage, some deported to Siberian penal colonies, their health deteriorating, their families counting the days in anguish.

England opener Zak Crawley praised a "flawless" Joe Root after the 34-year-old broke his Australia century drought on the first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Thursday.

A Finnish truth and reconciliation commission on Thursday urged Finland to rectify historic injustices committed against the indigenous Sami people, as it finalised a report after four years' work.

Joe Root finally scored his maiden Test century in Australia on his fourth Ashes tour to guide England from a precarious 5-2 to 325-9 at stumps after a pulsating first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Thursday.

French rugby great Serge Blanco announced on Thursday he would stand for mayor in the southwestern city of Biarritz, where he played his entire career and was also twice club president.