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Hundreds of police and protesters were in a tense stand-off early Thursday at the University of California, Los Angeles as unrest over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza simmers on US campuses.

Paris rubbish collectors could strike over the summer, a major French union said Thursday, raising the spectre of piles of stinking trash on the streets during the Olympic Games.

Doubts grew on Thursday over the fate of a Gaza truce plan that, as the week began, had raised hopes of an end to nearly seven months of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants.

Danish shipping giant Maersk posted a huge drop in net profit for the first quarter on Thursday as Yemeni rebel attacks force it to avoid the vital Red Sea route.

The OECD raised its global economic growth forecast for 2024 on Thursday, driven by strong performances in the United States and emerging countries while Europe lags behind.

Ralf Rangnick said on Thursday he wished to continue as Austria head coach, with Euro 2024 the immediate goal, delivering a fresh blow to Bayern Munich in their search for a replacement for outgoing boss Thomas Tuchel.

The French parliament on Thursday agreed to create a commission of inquiry to investigate sexual and gender-based violence in cinema and other cultural sectors after several recent allegations.

Vestas, the world's number one wind turbine maker, said Thursday it swung to a 75-million-euro ($80-million) loss in the first quarter and warned "geopolitical volatility" would continue to cause uncertainty.

Firefighters and local residents battled a massive wildfire on the outskirts of Nepal's capital Thursday as the Himalayan republic endures a severe fire season authorities have blamed on a heatwave.

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk reported more soaring profits on Thursday thanks to the popularity of anti-diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which have made it Europe's most valuable company.

As millions across Southeast Asia suffer a blistering heatwave that is melting railway tracks, a Thai village resorted to an unusual method to seek rain: parading a Japanese cartoon cat.

The Premier League has missed out on a fifth Champions League spot for next season to the Bundesliga after the poor performance of English clubs in Europe.

British energy major Shell on Thursday posted sharply lower first-quarter net profit on sinking revenues, but adjusted earnings topped expectations and it unveiled another bumper stock buyback.

France will "fight" to keep oil and gas giant TotalEnergies from shifting its main stock market listing to New York, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday.

The death toll from a highway collapse in southern China's Guangdong province has risen to 48, state media said Thursday, as rescue work continued.

Pakistan on Thursday recalled fast bowler Haris Rauf and medium-pacer Hasan Ali for Twenty20 internationals in Ireland and England later this month, their final warm-ups for the World Cup.

All Blacks great Tana Umaga said Thursday he wants to help rugby grow in the Pacific islands ahead of Moana Pasifika's debut in Tonga at the weekend.

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's trial for covering up payments to suppress details of an alleged affair will hear Thursday that the former president has again breached a gag order intended to protect trial participants.

Deep underground in a disused iron mine and under the bluish glow of a flashlight, a small crowd emerges from a sauna, steam rising off their bodies as they plunge into a crystal clear turquoise lake.

The Boston Celtics crushed the Miami Heat 118-84 to complete an emphatic 4-1 series victory Wednesday and book their place in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Microsoft pledged a $2.2 billion investment in artificial intelligence and cloud computing in Malaysia on Thursday to help develop the country's AI infrastructure.

Police tore down a protest encampment at the University of Texas on Wednesday, arresting more than a dozen people, as unrest over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza simmered on US campuses.

"My number one imperative is to create a winning Proteas team," said South Africa coach Rob Walter when asked to explain the white-dominated racial make-up of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

It has no spire, stained glass windows or nave, but the cavernous underground stormwater facility set to be inaugurated in Paris on Thursday has been compared to Notre-Dame cathedral, which is being rebuilt after a fire.

The yen weakened Thursday following another surge against the dollar that fuelled speculation Japanese authorities had intervened for a second time this week, after Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell warned interest rates would stay higher for longer.

In the heart of sun-soaked Morocco, scientists are cultivating a future where tough crops defy a relentless drought, now in its sixth year.

A modest wooden school in the middle of the Colombian Amazon preserves the memory of atrocities perpetrated against Indigenous people by rubber industrialists more than a century ago.

General Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, proclaimed head of state by Chad's army three years ago, is the favourite to win Monday's presidential election after the junta violently repressed much of the opposition.

The death toll from a highway collapse in southern China's Guangdong province has risen to 36, state media said Thursday, as rescue work continued.

When 42-1 underdog James 'Buster' Douglas shocked 'Iron' Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated around the world.

China-friendly former foreign minister Jeremiah Manele was elected Solomon Islands' prime minister on Thursday, defeating an opposition leader intent on curbing Beijing's reach in the Pacific nation.

American boxer Ryan Garcia failed a drug test just before his explosive victory over undefeated WBC super-lightweight Devin Haney last month, ESPN reported on Wednesday.