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More than six months of Israel's military offensive in Gaza has turned the Palestinian territory into a "humanitarian hellscape," UN chief Antonio Guterres said Thursday, also warning that one wrong move could see the Middle East devolve into wider war.

Deep Purple, Sting and Lenny Kravitz will return for this year's Montreux Jazz Festival, while Duran Duran will close the event with their debut appearance, organisers announced Thursday.

The UN Security Council was set to vote Thursday on a Palestinian bid for full membership -- a measure almost certain to fail despite growing international distress over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Aston Villa kept their bid for a first European trophy in over 40 years alive Thursday after beating Lille 4-3 on penalties following Matty Cash's late goal that forced extra time.

Mumbai Indians managed to fend off a valiant effort by Punjab Kings batsman Ashutosh Sharma to win by nine runs in a fiercely fought IPL thriller on Thursday.

The husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon was on Thursday re-arrested and charged over alleged embezzlement as part of a probe into the pro-independence Scottish National Party's finances, police said.

Attack violent crime at its roots or go to war with powerful drug cartels? Mexican presidential candidates are offering contrasting strategies to deal with rampant insecurity.

Kenya's defence chief and nine other top brass died on Thursday in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country, President William Ruto said.

Meta on Thursday introduced an improved AI assistant built on new versions of its open source "Llama" large language model for powering the technology.

Parts of Ecuador were facing power cuts of up to 13 hours on Thursday amid an electricity crisis sparked by a drought that has left key hydroelectric reservoirs nearly depleted.

Two jurors selected for Donald Trump's historic criminal trial were excused on Thursday as prosecutors and defense attorneys struggled to fill a panel to sit in judgment of the deeply polarizing former US president.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is set to miss the crunch play-in game with the Chicago Bulls on Friday amid reports he has suffered knee ligament damage.

The corruption investigation that sparked ex-Portuguese premier Antonio Costa's resignation last year risks collapsing after a court said there had been no indication of a crime being committed.

World number one and defending champion Iga Swiatek progressed to the quarter-finals of the WTA Stuttgart clay-court tournament by beating Elise Mertens in straight sets on Thursday, her ninth win in nine career matches at the French Open warm-up event.

EU leaders gave fresh impetus on Thursday to a controversial project to integrate the bloc's financial markets in a bid to keep pace with China and the United States -- including in the global race to produce clean technology.

Kenya's defence chief and nine other top brass died on Thursday in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country, President William Ruto said.

England coach John Mitchell has told his side to "play on the edge" despite the red cards that have been a feature of their Women's Six Nations campaign.

A man suspected of aiding a plot by Russian intelligence services to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been arrested in Poland, Polish and Ukrainian prosecutors said Thursday.

Joe Biden raised eyebrows when he hinted that cannibals on the island of New Guinea may have eaten his uncle's body after he was shot down during World War II.

Heavy rain caused the first Twenty20 international between Pakistan and New Zealand to be abandoned after just two deliveries in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

After a colossal 16-year restoration effort, Abel Gance's seven-hour silent classic "Napoleon" will finally return to the big screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers said Thursday.

Dubai airport, one of the world's busiest, witnessed major disruption for a third straight day Thursday after the heaviest rains on record drenched the desert United Arab Emirates.

The Justice Department is to pay $100 million to settle claims against the FBI for mishandling the investigation into sexual abuse by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

The facade of Copenhagen's historic former stock exchange collapsed Thursday, rescue services said, as work to put out the last of the flames continued for a third day.

Hungarian former government insider-turned critic Peter Magyar on Thursday said he has been put under investigation by a controversial new government agency set up to curb foreign influence.

Ukraine is bestowing its top order of merit honour on the French actor Alain Delon, 88, who has been battling ill health, Kyiv's embassy in Paris said on Friday, hailing the screen icon's support in the face of the Russian invasion.

Members of a 200-strong audience struggle to hold back tears as the credits roll on the film "Io Capitano" in a small auditorium in the outskirts of Senegal's capital Dakar.

International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday drew attention to the suffering in Yemen and Sudan, both plagued by civil wars and often overshadowed by the plight of other countries.

Casper Ruud racked up a tour-leading 26th win of the season on Thursday by reaching the Barcelona Open quarter-finals.

She has been banned from taking part in the July presidential election, but Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado keeps campaigning, refusing to settle for a backup plan.

Two sons of the world's richest man Bernard Arnault on Thursday joined the board of LVMH after a shareholder vote, further cementing the family's control on the French luxury goods giant.

Birds sang and planes rumbled overhead as Abdeljabbar al-Arja dug the remains of his dead neighbours from the rubble in Gaza.