Fans create AI-generated team songs ahead of World Cup
Italy and Spain urge EU sanctions on Israeli minister for activists' treatment
Senegal have 'big dreams' for 2026 World Cup
'People thought it was witchcraft': DR Congo's Ebola outbreak
Sports
Italian divers in Maldives may have got lost in cave: recovery firm
Italian divers who died in the Maldives may have taken the wrong tunnel in a cave and died in a dead-end corridor, the head of the company that recovered their bodies told AFP Thursday.
Sports
Do tennis players really only take 15 percent of Grand Slam revenues?
Many of the world's tennis stars will protest against perceived low prize money when they gather at Roland Garros for media duties ahead of the French Open which begins on Sunday.
Last news
Sports
Sinner, Djokovic kept apart in French Open draw
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not be able to meet until the French Open final after the pair were placed in opposite halves of the men's draw on Thursday, while Coco Gauff could face Aryna Sabalenka in the women's semis.
Economy
In Ankara, DW journalist goes on trial for 'insulting president'
A Turkish journalist with Deutsche Welle (DW) went on trial in Ankara on Thursday for allegedly "insulting the president", with the court granting him conditional release, the German broadcaster said.
Sports
Arteta alone in garden when Arsenal clinched Premier League title
Mikel Arteta said he was barbecuing alone in his garden when Arsenal ended their 22-year wait to win the Premier League this week.
Israel deports all foreign activists from Gaza flotilla
Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody.
Politics
EU countries urge sanctions on Israeli minister for activists' treatment
Italy, Ireland and Spain have called on the EU to sanction Israel's far-right national security minister, who posted a video showing detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla forced to their knees with hands bound.
Economy
EU slashes eurozone 2026 growth forecast on Mideast war
The eurozone economy will expand less than expected this year, the EU said Thursday, as the Middle East war and subsequent energy shock take their toll.
Politics
Chinese authorities demolish villager's madcap 10-storey home
Authorities have razed a ramshackle 10-storey home that for years defied demolition notices and building restrictions to become an off-beat tourist attraction in southwestern China, footage from the owner showed.
Boulevard
Air France, Airbus guilty of manslaughter in 2009 Paris-Rio crash: French court
Paris' appeals court Thursday found Air France and Airbus guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight that killed 228 people, the worst disaster in France's aviation history.
Sports
Lustrinelli succeeds Eta as Union Berlin coach
Swiss coach Mauro Lustrinelli has replaced Marie-Louise Eta as coach of Union Berlin, the Bundesliga club announced on Wednesday.
Sports
Alex Marquez out of Italy, Hungary MotoGP races after crash
Spanish rider Alex Marquez will be sidelined for at least the next two MotoGP races after suffering two fractures in a horror crash at the Catalan Grand Prix last weekend, his Gresini Racing team said Thursday.
Things to know
'French Banksy' and Daft Punk star turn Paris bridge into Alpine cave
Tourists and Parisians goggled at the sight of the French capital's oldest bridge transformed into a giant "cave" on Thursday, a spectacular new public work by the street artist JR.
Things to know
Late queen pushed for son Andrew to be UK trade envoy: official papers
Britain's late queen Elizabeth II pushed for her son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to be given a high-profile job as a trade envoy, a senior official said in a 2000 document released by the government on Thursday.
Boulevard
Denmark to autopsy 'Timmy' the whale
Scientists will conduct an autopsy on "Timmy", the humpback whale whose ordeal to return to the open seas captured Germany's hearts and sparked a media frenzy, Denmark's environmental protection agency said on Thursday.
Economy
Oil gains, European stocks down on uncertain Mideast peace prospects
Oil prices jumped, European stock markets retreated and the dollar firmed Thursday as hopes of a Middle East peace accord faded on conflicting headlines on the state of talks.
Boulevard
War risks choking Iran's world-beating cinema, warn directors
Independent filmmakers in Iran face a fresh wave of repression and extreme economic hardship because of the war, risking choking off a mainstay of world cinema, industry insiders say.
Sports
Neuer recalled to aid Germany World Cup bid
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was handed a surprise recall to Germany's 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth time.
Economy
Samsung chip employees to get average $338,000 bonus under strike deal
Samsung Electronics chip employees are expected to receive average bonuses worth 509 million won ($338,000) this year, a company official said Thursday, under a tentative deal between management and labour unions to avert a strike.
Cambodian avatars pray to spirits for rain, peace with Thailand
Wearing leaf skirts and with brightly painted faces depicting mythical spirits, Cambodian revellers danced through village streets on Thursday, praying to an ancient guardian for rain, good fortune and peace with neighbouring Thailand.
Health
Deadly DR Congo Ebola outbreak spreads to M23-held South Kivu
A first Ebola case has been confirmed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's South Kivu province, in an area under the Rwanda-backed M23 militia's control, the armed group's spokesman said Thursday.
Boulevard
Spain to launch biggest forest fire campaign after record losses: PM
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday presented what he called Spain's biggest-ever campaign against forest fires after deadly blazes devoured a record amount of land last year.
Politics
Cuba outraged after US indicts Raul Castro
Cubans expressed their shock and indignation after the United States indicted former president Raul Castro on murder charges, a stunning new step in President Donald Trump's pressure on the communist state.
Politics
Pakistan army chief due in Iran as Trump says talks on 'borderline'
Pakistan's army chief was due in Iran Thursday, Iranian media reported, with Islamabad mediating as the Islamic republic examines a new US proposal to end the Middle East war.
Economy
EasyJet posts deeper first-half loss on Mideast war
British no-frills airline EasyJet said Thursday that its losses deepened in the six months to end-March after the Middle East war sent jet fuel prices soaring.
Sports
In Ankara, Iran World Cup squad players start US visa process
At least four Iranian footballers and one of their entourage went to the US embassy in Ankara Thursday to submit visa applications for the World Cup, an AFP correspondent said.
Politics
Sri Lanka cricket finances 'greater than feared': interim chief
Financial irregularities surrounding Sri Lankan cricket were far worse than feared, government-appointed administrators said Thursday, promising a full accounting and sweeping reforms.
Economy
Ubisoft shares plunge after grim annual results
Shares in Ubisoft plunged more than 15 percent Thursday after the French video games giant reported disappointing annual results and forecast further pain in the coming year.
Things to know
Vets bid to save Kosovo's stray dogs from cull through sterilisation
Panting puppies lie exhausted, wedged between the plastic bags and cartons spilling down a hillside in northern Kosovo, while other dogs snuffle around the dump hunting for edible morsels.
Economy
Mideast war forces EU to slash eurozone 2026 growth forecast
The eurozone economy will expand less than expected this year, the EU said Thursday, as the Middle East war and subsequent energy shock take their toll.
Politics
Gaza flotilla activists await deportation from Israel
Hundreds of activists seized by Israel from a Gaza-bound flotilla were awaiting deportation on Thursday, as global outcry grows over their treatment in custody.
Politics
Rich nations topped $100 bn climate finance goal again in 2023, 2024: OECD
Wealthy countries topped their $100 billion annual climate finance goal for poorer nations for the third straight year in 2024, the OECD said Thursday, but questions are growing over their ability to meet a new larger pledge.
Sports
London next step in all-women Athlos' goal to be 'F1 of track and field'
London is to host a star-studded all-women Athlos track and field meet on September 18 as founder Alexis Ohanian builds towards his dream of "a F1 for track and field".
Economy
Asian stocks surge on Iran hopes, Samsung union talks
Shares surged in Seoul, Tokyo and other Asian markets on Thursday, fuelled by hopes of a Middle East peace accord and by negotiations averting a planned strike at Samsung Electronics.
Culture
Winston Churchill's 'playful' paintings go on show in London
As Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill was known for his stirring speeches, but a new London exhibition explores another side to his creativity -- as a passionate and prolific artist.
Boulevard
Tourists in Thailand plan for coming cuts to visa-free stays
The backpackers on Khao San Road, a Bangkok thoroughfare famous for its wild nightlife, are waking up this week with an extra headache: the Thai government is set to shorten the length of visa-free stays.
Politics
Australia 'disappointed' by Chinese owner's resistance to forced port sale
Australia's defence minister Richard Marles said Thursday that Canberra was "disappointed" the Chinese leaseholder of the strategic Darwin Port was challenging efforts to return it to local ownership.
Politics
Philippines orders arrest of fugitive senator sought by ICC
The Philippine government on Thursday ordered police to arrest a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court over his role in ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drug crackdown.
Culture
'They're afraid': Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli on fighting censorship
Exiled Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli said on Wednesday that the government censored the publication of her latest novel in her home country because it is "afraid" to hear the truth.
Technology
Samsung shareholders vow legal action over tentative union deal
A group of Samsung Electronics shareholders on Thursday vowed legal action against a tentative deal between the South Korean chip giant and its largest labour union that averted a major strike.
Politics
'Ready for violence': Serbian hooligans target protesters
When Voja was beaten and dragged from a Belgrade street into a waiting car, the young activist thought he would die.