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With the America's Cup due to get underway on Saturday in Barcelona, with holder Emirates Team New Zealand up against British challengers Ineos Britannia, AFP looks back at five key dates in the history of the oldest international competition still operating in any sport.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will on Friday meet Pope Francis and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as he ends a whirlwind tour of Europe aimed at drumming up support ahead of a tough winter.

At least 10 people died as Hurricane Milton sent tornadoes spinning across Florida, officials said Thursday as the state grappled with flooding, power outages and other woes from a milder than expected storm that many had feared would be catastrophic.

Hours before Milton made landfall on Florida's west coast, many were caught by surprise when the hurricane's outer bands spawned deadly tornadoes hundreds of miles away.

At least 10 people died after Hurricane Milton sent tornadoes spinning as it ripped across Florida, with flooding swamping swaths of the Tampa Bay area, authorities said Thursday.

Salomon Rondon grabbed a second-half equaliser as Venezuela held Argentina to a 1-1 draw in South America's 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Thursday while 10-man Bolivia upset Colombia 1-0.

New Socceroos coach Tony Popovic says there is nothing to fear from a testing World Cup qualifying clash in Japan next week, but admitted it was a big challenge.

Music mogul Sean Combs is set to go on trial for racketeering and sex trafficking on May 5, 2025, a judge said in a court hearing Thursday.

Bolivia's dream of reaching the World Cup for only the fourth time in history was given another boost on Thursday after the minnows stunned Colombia 1-0 in South American qualifiers for the 2026 finals.

The Internet Archive, an online repository of web pages, was offline Thursday after its founder confirmed a major cyberattack that exposed the data of millions of users and left the site defaced.

A 94th-minute winner by Vangelis Pavlidis gave Greece a 2-1 victory on Thursday against England in a Nations League clash overshadowed by the death of Greek player George Baldock on the eve of the game, while Italy were held to a draw by Belgium.

Explosive Donald Trump biopic "The Apprentice" hits US theaters Friday, with filmmakers gambling that it will draw audiences in a fiercely polarized nation just weeks before its subject's election showdown with rival Kamala Harris.

Vangelis Pavlidis dedicated Greece's historic 2-1 win over England in the Nations League to George Baldock after his team-mate's tragic death this week.

Shares slipped in New York and Europe Thursday as the latest US inflation report dented the odds of rapid interest rate cuts, while crude prices jumped on worries over the Middle East.

Loud bangs sounded, thick columns of smoke rose and ambulance sirens rang throughout the night as deadly Israeli strikes hit residential areas of central Beirut on Thursday evening.

Once-mighty Ghana plunged deeper into trouble in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on Thursday when held 0-0 at home by Sudan in Accra.

Asian leaders and top diplomats of adversaries the United States and Russia will meet Friday in Laos to discuss a world in turmoil as war rages in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced he will retire at the end of the season having "come full circle" in a tennis career which brought 22 Grand Slam titles, global respect and inspired epic, iconic rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Lee Carsley's tactical gamble backfired as England crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat against emotional Greece in the Nations League on Thursday.

Former US president Barack Obama will lend some star power to Kamala Harris's campaign Thursday in the must-win swing state of Pennsylvania, as Democrats fight to move the dial against Donald Trump just weeks before Election Day.

France shrugged off Kylian Mbappe's absence and Antoine Griezmann's retirement to comfortably overcome Israel 4-1 in the Nations League on Thursday.

Belgium bounced back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with 10-man Italy in Rome on Thursday to boost their hopes of reaching the Nations League quarter-finals.

Hurricane Milton crashed into the US presidential election Thursday as President Joe Biden told Donald Trump to "get a life" and Kamala Harris rebuked her election rival for spreading misinformation.

Japan maintained their 100 percent record in the third round of qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Thursday.

Exhausted but relieved, hundreds of Turkish citizens and their families docked in southern Turkey late Thursday after being evacuated from war-torn Lebanon on two naval ships sent by Ankara.

At least 22 people were killed in Israeli strikes on a densely populated area of central Beirut on Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry said, with a security source saying a Hezbollah figure was the target.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday he expects his league will once more play games in China after having not done so since 2019, according to multiple media reports.

An Israeli air strike killed at least 22 people in central Beirut on Thursday as Israeli ground troops in Lebanon were accused of firing on the UN's peacekeeping headquarters, injuring two Blue Helmets.

Ukraine amateur golfer Lev Grinberg went from his on-site dormitory room to the brink of the French Open lead on Thursday, inspired by table tennis and Netflix.

Civilians fled heavy bombings in northern Gaza on Thursday as Israeli troops advanced on Jabalia refugee camp, leaving many trapped in the line of fire.

Israel pounded central Beirut with a deadly air strike on Thursday while its ground troops in Lebanon were accused of firing on the UN's peacekeeping headquarters, injuring two of them.

At least 10 people were dead after Hurricane Milton smashed into Florida, US authorities said Thursday, after the monster weather system sent tornados spinning across the state and flooded swaths of the Tampa Bay area.