
South Africa coach Boucher faces charges which could lead to dismissal

Teen pilot completes round-the-world feat

US existing home sales end banner year with slump

Russia's central bank calls for crypto crackdown
Technology
Polish researchers invent anti-smog sound cannon
In a battle against Poland's constant smog, scientists are testing out a new "cannon" that uses soundwaves to push toxic particles higher into the atmosphere to allow residents to breathe.
Politics
At least two dead, 22 wounded by bomb in Pakistan's Lahore
At least two people were killed and 22 wounded Thursday by a bomb blast in a busy shopping district of the Pakistani megacity of Lahore, police and officials said.
Last news

Release Breivik? Norway court hears closing arguments
Prosecution and defence lawyers presented their closing arguments on Thursday to a Norwegian court which will now decide whether to parole Anders Behring Breivik, just 10 years after the neo-Nazi committed the country's deadliest peacetime attack.

No more politics for Hong Kong barristers, says new Bar chief
The newly elected leader of Hong Kong barristers said Thursday that his profession should avoid politics and build closer ties to mainland China, as concerns grow about rule of law in the financial hub.

Liberian stampede kills 29 people
At least 29 people, including 11 children and a pregnant woman, were killed when robbers triggered a stampede at a religious rally in Liberia's capital, officials said on Thursday.

Jamieson leads from Hovland in Abu Dhabi as McIlroy stutters
Scotland's Scott Jamieson fired a sparkling nine-under-par 63 to take a one-shot lead over Norwegian star Viktor Hovland after the first round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Thursday.

Tear gas fired at Sudan protesters rallying against post-coup killings
Sudanese security forces fired tear gas on Thursday at protesters rallying against the killing of dozens in a post-coup crackdown, as US diplomats pressed for an end to the violence.

England's Slade set to be available for whole of Six Nations
Henry Slade now appears to be available for all of England's Six Nations matches after Exeter said he was in contention to play in their European Champions Cup match against French side Montpellier on Sunday.

Turkey halts four-month streak of rate cuts
Turkey's central bank on Thursday bowed to market pressure and halted a four-month streak of interest rate cuts that saw inflation soar and the currency collapse.

Benedict XVI: 'Rottweiler' who resigned scandal-dogged papacy
Benedict XVI, accused of failing to act in German sex abuse cases, was the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages after presiding over a papacy beset by Church infighting and outcry over paedophilia.

'Low IQ': Medvedev takes aim at Melbourne crowd after victory
Daniil Medvedev took aim at sections of the raucous Australian Open crowd following his entertaining victory over home hero Nick Kyrgios on Thursday, saying: "They probably have a low IQ."

American Airlines suffers loss as Omicron clouds outlook
American Airlines reported another quarterly loss Thursday after the latest Covid-19 surge dented demand at the end of the year, but said consumers were booking more trips for the spring.

Euro ban threatens Wales wing Cuthbert's Six Nations
Wales wing Alex Cuthbert has been given a three-week ban for a dangerous tackle during the Ospreys' Europeans Champions Cup clash with Racing 92, tournament organisers announced Thursday.

US Open champion Raducanu crashes out of Melbourne in pain
Reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round Thursday as she struggled with blisters on her hand so bad that some of her team had urged her not to play.

Bitter rivals St Pauli, Hamburg face off, buoyed by cup upsets
Rivals St Pauli and Hamburg clash on Friday in historically one of the fiercest derbies in German football, with the two sides fresh from knocking Bundesliga clubs Borussia Dortmund and Cologne out of the German Cup.

Indonesia to push for new global health agency, president says
Indonesia will push for the creation of a new global health agency while the country holds the presidency of the G20, President Joko Widodo said Thursday at the virtual Davos forum.

Unvaccinated snowboarder stays positive in Beijing quarantine
Swiss snowboarder Patrizia Kummer is serving her time in quarantine as she prepares to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unvaccinated for Covid-19.

Google spars with EU activists after Austria data defeat
A years-long saga over tech firms transferring data from Europe to the US re-erupted on Thursday, days after Austrian officials slapped down Google for failing to respect EU privacy rules.

'I gave a good show': Kyrgios defends antics in defeat
Nick Kyrgios said that he put on a "good show" during four high-octane sets against Daniil Medvedev and has no plans to change despite bowing out of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Relax, eat well, don't fall!: Kilde eyes pre-Olympic Kitzbuehel boost
Norway's 2020 overall World Cup champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is aiming to keep his simple ethos of successful skiing ticking over into next month's Beijing Olympics.

Artist Emin demands Downing St remove artwork
British artist Tracey Emin demanded Thursday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office remove an artwork of hers reading "More Passion," saying it did not need further encouragement to party.

Da Vinci should grace new euro notes, says Lagarde
European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde suggested Thursday that Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci and pioneering French politician Simone Veil appear on the new euro banknotes, as she waded into a politically sensitive topic.

Australian Open chief defends 'optional' Covid tests
Australian Open chiefs said Thursday that their Covid measures were working after several players questioned the "optional" testing policy at the Grand Slam.

'Remarkable' giant coral reef found off Tahiti
Scientists have discovered a vast reef of "pristine" rose-shaped corals apparently unharmed by climate change in deep water off the coast of Tahiti, UNESCO announced Thursday.

Rugby star Tameifuna worried tsunami will 'knock Tonga back' further
Tonga prop Ben Tameifuna said on Wednesday a tsunami that hit the Pacific Island nation last weekend will "knock it back a few steps" after also struggling due to coronavirus restrictions.

European stocks mostly fall after Wall Street losses
European stock markets mainly fell Thursday with sentiment jarred by sliding shares on Wall Street, which was rocked by surging global inflation and the prospect of rising interest rates.

Athlete surveillance warnings cloud China's Winter Olympics
A growing number of Western nations and cybersecurity groups have issued digital surveillance warnings for next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing, with some advising foreign athletes to leave personal phones and laptops at home.

Medvedev tames showman Kyrgios as women seeds suffer
Daniil Medvedev tamed Nick Kyrgios to surge into the Australian Open third round on Thursday and avoid joining Garbine Muguruza and Emma Raducanu on the list of high-profile casualties.

Beijing Olympics organisers say app security flaws 'fixed'
An app that Winter Olympics attendees must use has been patched, a Chinese official told AFP Thursday, after cyber security researchers said they had found a "simple but devastating" flaw that could allow data leaks.

Emirates to resume US flights after 'temporary' 5G reprieve
Emirates said Thursday it will lift a suspension of flights to several US destinations in a "temporary reprieve" after the launch of 5G networks was delayed near American airports over safety fears.

'Not good enough': Murray dumped out by qualifier in Melbourne
"Frustrated" three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray was stunned by Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel in straight sets in the second round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Afghan women activists go into hiding after Taliban crackdown
Several Afghan women's rights activists said Thursday they are going into hiding to escape a Taliban crackdown, just days after the hardline Islamists used pepper spray to break up a rally in the capital.

Texas synagogue hostage-taker 'prayed for two years' for attack: reports
A British man who took hostages at a Texas synagogue told his family he had prayed for two years to carry out the attack, media reported Thursday, as police made two arrests.

French court says Twitter must reveal measures on online hate
A Paris court on Thursday ruled that Twitter must reveal its measures for fighting hate speech, in one of several cases thrashing out whether the French justice system has jurisdiction over the US social media giant.

Labour vs luxury: virus tracing highlights China's inequality
The stark contrast between the lives of two coronavirus patients unearthed by Chinese contact tracers sparked a widespread debate on Thursday over the country's entrenched wealth inequality.

Amazon may quit African HQ deal if blocked, Cape Town court hears
Online retail giant Amazon could pull out of a deal to create its Africa headquarters in Cape Town, if a legal challenge by indigenous activists is allowed to proceed, a Cape Town court heard Thursday.

Women's seeds tumble at Open as Medvedev faces Kyrgios test
Garbine Muguruza was among several seeds to fall on a day of shocks at the Australian Open on Thursday ahead of men's title favourite Daniil Medvedev and Nick Kyrgios squaring off in a blockbuster encounter.

Olympic long jump champ Rutherford fails in Winter Games bid
Former Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford has failed in his attempt to win medals at both the summer and winter Games after missing the cut for Britain's bobsleigh team for Beijing.

Swearing Tsitsipas pushed all the way to reach third round
Misfiring Stefanos Tsitsipas survived a thorough examination by former world number one junior Sebastian Baez before taking his place in the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

Spain leads calls for Covid-19 to be treated like flu
Spain is spearheading calls for governments to start tackling Covid-19 as any other endemic respiratory virus like seasonal flu, despite WHO opposition and warnings that the approach is premature.

Taiwan VP to make US stopovers during Honduras visit
Taiwan said Thursday its vice president will transit in the United States on his way to the inauguration of Honduras' president-elect, a stopover seen by China as an affront to Beijing's claim on the island.