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Hundreds of Japanese fans waited in vain for a glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as the baseball superstar and his Los Angeles Dodgers team-mates arrived in Tokyo on Thursday.

Drug-running guerrillas have repelled military efforts to retake a slice of southwest Colombia -- a virtual microstate where the rifle rules.

Taiwan plans to reinstate military judges to hear Chinese espionage cases involving Taiwanese service members, President Lai Ching-te said Thursday.

Five years on from a first wave of harassment scandals that rocked the world of gaming, multiple women working in the industry tell AFP they have seen or experienced sexism in the workplace, fearing economic hardship in the sector will lead to backsliding.

Asian markets fell Thursday as ongoing concerns about the global impact of President Donald Trump's trade war overshadowed positive US inflation data.

Lando Norris says his confidence was sky high after McLaren's first constructors' title in 26 years last season, with the team hungrier than ever to add the drivers' championship to their trophy cabinet.

The directors of Canadian convenience store giant Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT) said on Thursday they were seeking a "friendly" buyout of 7-Eleven but lamented a lack of progress towards a deal.

The bodies of at least 25 people, including 21 hostages, killed in a train siege by separatist gunmen in Pakistan were retrieved from the site on Thursday ahead of the first funerals, officials said.

At a funeral in rural Taiwan, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit "I Hate Myself for Loving You".

Max Verstappen said Thursday that Red Bull were "not the quickest at the moment" ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but warned it could change as the campaign progresses.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet his Canadian counterpart at a G7 gathering Thursday, but discussion of American annexation threats has been ruled off-limits at talks expected to be dominated by efforts to agree a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Oscar Piastri said Thursday it was a "no-brainer" to commit his long-term future to McLaren while playing down expectations of victory at his home Grand Prix in Australia this week.

Stefano Domenicali will remain president and chief executive of Formula One until 2029 after extending his contract Wednesday, with drivers led by Lewis Hamilton applauding the move.

Lewis Hamilton said Thursday he was itching to get going during the "most exciting period of my life" at Ferrari, but cautioned of a transition period as he gets used to a new car.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the playoffs with an impressive 118-112 victory over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak preview on Wednesday.

There are growing doubts about a pledge by rich nations to provide more climate finance to poorer nations, as foreign aid budgets are slashed and the US guts environmental spending.

Australia's top diplomat on Thursday urged a visiting American influencer to "leave the baby wombat alone", after a viral video appeared to show the woman pestering a young marsupial.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz blew past Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the Indian Wells quarter-finals, keeping his bid for a rare three-peat on course.

Rules on deep-sea mining in international waters must be driven by "sound science" and built on consensus, the head of the body charged with regulating the divisive practice said Thursday.

A UK court on Thursday will hear the appeals of the father and stepmother of a murdered British-Pakistani girl, who were jailed for life after killing the child following years of torture.

President Donald Trump expressed optimism Wednesday that US negotiators could secure a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, with officials saying the United States wants Russia to agree to an unconditional halt to hostilities.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the playoffs with an impressive 118-112 victory over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak preview on Wednesday.

Asian investors struggled Thursday to build on much-needed gains on Wall Street as a below-forecast read on US inflation was offset by ongoing concerns about President Donald Trump's trade war.

Over a year after a devastating winter wiped out virtually his entire sheep flock, herder Zandan Lkhamsuren is still reckoning with the damage wrought by Mongolia's increasingly erratic extreme weather.

Galopin des Champs bids to join the legends of jump racing Arkle, Best Mate, Cottage Rake and Golden Miller as a three-time winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

Shaun Edwards celebrates his 250th international in rugby union and league as a coach and player on Saturday, hoping to celebrate the landmark by helping France to Six Nations glory.

France head into Saturday's final round of the Six Nations with the luxury of knowing the destiny of the title is in their own hands.

Argentine police fought running battles on Wednesday with hundreds of football fans and anti-austerity marchers, during a weekly protest by pensioners in Buenos Aires.

Julian Alvarez had his penalty in the shoot-out controversially disallowed as Real Madrid beat rivals Atletico to reach the Champions League quarter-finals Wednesday while Arsenal, Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund also advanced.

In a gym in northern Algeria's Kabylia, 15-year-old Cerine Kessal was driving her fists into a punching bag. The two-time national champion was dreaming of greater feats after Algerian Imane Khelif won Olympic gold last year.

A savvy negotiating tactic? A wild fantasy? A greed for natural resources?

Intel on Wednesday announced tech industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as its new chief executive, boosting shares of the US computer chipmaker struggling to catch up in the AI race.