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World Rally Championship leader Belgian Thierry Neuville won the opening special of the Portugal Rally in his Hyundai on Thursday by 0.6sec ahead of the eight-time champion Sebastien Ogier.

President Xi Jinping vowed to deepen already flourishing economic ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest on Thursday, advocating that its closest European Union ally "play a bigger role" in fostering relations between Beijing and the bloc.

Costa Rica has become the latest Latin American country to introduce rationing due to drought, announcing Thursday it will limit access to electricity for which it relies heavily on hydro-generation.

Warned of legal action over their plans for the 2025 Club World Cup, FIFA said Thursday they would guarantee player welfare in a harmonious schedule.

Virat Kohli slammed 92 to set up a 60-run win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru over Punjab Kings and keep their slim playoff hopes alive in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.

The Olympic torch relay completed its first day on French soil in Marseille on Thursday with the port city's football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde before passing it on to a number of other celebrity sports stars on its way to the Marseille's iconic Stade Velodrome.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley was suspended four games without pay by the NBA on Thursday for forcefully throwing a basketball multiple times at spectators, the league announced.

Plans to expand the site of the annual Wimbledon tennis championships will include more public parkland, officials said on Thursday.

Argentina's President Javier Milei faced his second general strike Thursday in just five months in office, as workers angered by austerity cuts brought the capital to a standstill.

A magnetic resonance imaging device built with off-the-shelf parts and paired with AI matched the performance of high-end MRI machines, according to a study published Thursday that could pave the way for greater access to the life-saving tools.

A federal lawsuit brought by a group of California children who claimed the US government was harming them by failing to clamp down on pollution has been tossed out by a judge.

Pope Francis on Thursday confirmed that a once every quarter century holy year would be held in 2025, setting off a race against time for Rome and the Vatican to prepare for more than 30 million pilgrims from around the world.

The Philadelphia Union have signed 14-year-old talent Cavan Sullivan to a professional contract with the player expected to join Manchester City when he reaches 18.

Rafael Nadal said that he can no longer afford to fear injury after battling into the second round of the Rome Open on Thursday, with Roland Garros looming on the horizon.

Israel's closure of key crossings into Gaza has cut off the main entry point for aid, and particularly fuel, rendering humanitarian operations all but impossible, a senior UN official warned Thursday.

Panamanian lawyer Ramon Fonseca, co-founder of the now-defunct law firm at the center of the "Panama Papers" scandal, died while awaiting sentencing in his money-laundering trial, his lawyer said Thursday.

Thousands of demonstrators, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, marched through the streets of Malmo, Sweden Thursday to protest against Israel's participation in Eurovision, an AFP journalist observed.

Stormy Daniels finished her marathon testimony at Donald Trump's hush money trial on Thursday with attorneys for the former president seeking to paint her as a greedy liar who profited from her allegations.

Taylor Swift-fever struck Paris on Thursday as the highest-grossing tour in history finally arrived in Europe with fans excited to hear songs from her latest album performed live for the first time.

Spain's second-largest bank BBVA on Thursday announced a hostile takeover bid for smaller rival Banco Sabadell but the government vowed to block the move, which would create a European giant in the sector.

Teams raced against the clock Thursday to deliver aid to flood-stricken communities in southern Brazil before the arrival of new storms forecast to batter the region again.

Sheldon Keefe was fired as head coach of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, five days after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Boston Bruins.

German sports carmaker Porsche on Thursday confirmed it had recalled several thousand of its electric Taycan model because of risks their batteries could catch fire.

Spain's Pelayo Sanchez of the Movistar team emerged from the dust, gravel and hills after a 180km ride to Rapolano Terme to beat Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe by a bike length in the Giro d'Italia sixth stage on Thursday.

Saracens and England star Billy Vunipola has been given a formal warning by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) following his arrest in Mallorca last month.

Nuno Espirito Santo says Nottingham Forest have "moved on" from their failed appeal against a points deduction as his struggling side focus on securing their Premier League survival.

Everton manager Sean Dyche says uncertainty over the club's ownership situation is hampering his plans to strengthen the squad after they secured Premier League survival.

Stormy Daniels returned to the witness stand on Thursday at Donald Trump's historic hush money trial with attorneys for the former president seeking to paint her as a greedy liar who profited from her allegations.

Donald Trump's youngest son, who is still at high school and largely shielded from the public eye, will debut on the political stage in July as a delegate at the Republican Party convention.

Kylian Mbappe is set to play his last game for Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes when they host Toulouse on Sunday, in their first outing since being eliminated from the Champions League.

Rafael Nadal battled into the second round of the Rome Open on Thursday after bouncing back from a set down to beat qualifier Zizou Bergs 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

A Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport early Thursday, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for almost 12 hours, its operator said.