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Saudi Arabia will host the WTA Finals for the next three editions, the Women's Tennis Association said on Thursday, following widespread speculation and criticism from some of the game's greats.

The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing CO2 emissions in those areas, a study showed Thursday, bolstering a key pillar of the state's drive towards net zero.

Cameroonian football federation president Samuel Eto'o has written to the country's sports ministry to denounce its "illegal" appointment of Belgian Marc Brys as the new national team coach.

South Africa's former parliament speaker was charged with corruption and money laundering Thursday, piling new pressure on the governing African National Congress (ANC) party ahead of elections in May.

Russia's two-time Olympic wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev has been excluded from qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Games this week because of his support of the war in Ukraine, the sport's governing body said on Thursday.

Just one in three people live a nation that guarantees the independence of universities and research, according to an annual index warning that academic freedom is declining worldwide, particularly in Russia, China and India.

A French court will deliver its verdict Thursday for four men charged in connection with the 2018 Christmas market attack in France's eastern city of Strasbourg, which left five people dead and 11 wounded.

Vote-weary Kuwait heads to the polls for the third time in three years on Thursday, just months into the reign of a new emir but with no end in sight to the major oil exporter's chronic political paralysis.

Oleksandr Zinchenko reckons Arsenal's pursuit of Premier League and European glory has proved they can live with the world's leading clubs.

More than 50 people were arrested and 17 police officers injured when football fans clashed with authorities after a match in Croatia's coastal town of Split, officials said Thursday.

Rio Ferdinand believes Marcus Rashford may have to leave Manchester United if the England forward is to revive his faltering career.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced as "bizarre and threatening" Russia's tone following rare phone talks between the defence ministers of France and Russia, their first contact since 2022.

French President Emmanuel Macron backed the idea on Thursday of Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura performing at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics following criticism from conservatives about the prospect.

European equities rose Thursday on the eve of key US data, while gold set another record peak on haven demand and hopes of interest-rate cuts.

The Philippines will hold joint naval drills with the United States, Japan and Australia, two diplomatic sources told AFP Thursday, as the four countries deepen military ties to counter China's expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told his side to prepare for another Premier League title race that goes all the way to the last day of the season.

George Russell believes Mercedes can start with "a fresh sheet of paper" without Lewis Hamilton and says their relationship has improved since his Ferrari-bound team-mate announced he is leaving after this season.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in China's Guangzhou on Thursday for meetings to press Beijing over fears the country's industrial subsidies for green energy, cars and batteries could flood global markets with cheap goods.

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution Thursday on tackling discrimination against intersex persons, despite opposition from several countries to the terminology used.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived in China's Guangzhou on Thursday for meetings to press Beijing over fears the country's industrial subsidies for green energy, cars and batteries could flood global markets with cheap goods.

The leaders of the United States and Israel were set to speak on Thursday after Washington expressed "outrage" over Israel's killing of seven aid workers and growing concern over its military operations in besieged Gaza.

A Swedish entertainment group co-founded by ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus has acquired the music catalogue, name and likeness of KISS and plans to produce a movie about the legendary rock band, the company said Thursday.

Every evening during Ramadan, members of a motorbike club zip down the streets of Damascus to deliver meals to those in need during the Muslim holy month.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged the United States to stick together with Europe as the Western military alliance turned 75 on Thursday menaced by an aggressive Russia and the spectre of Donald Trump's return to power.

Tourists and residents packed Tokyo's top cherry blossom spots on Thursday to enjoy the full bloom that has arrived in the Japanese capital later than usual this year because of cold weather.

Long considered a Garden of Eden for migratory birds, the Vain Lagoon along the northern Albanian coast has been increasingly abandoned by a range of species as rising temperatures wreak havoc on wetlands across the country.

Carlos Sainz said Thursday that he wanted his Formula One future to be sorted out "sooner rather than later" as he prepares to leave Ferrari at the end of the season.

Asian markets were mixed Thursday after US data provided a fresh indicator that inflation was easing and Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell soothed worries around the bank's plans to cut interest rates this year.

Relief workers set aside stuffed toys, blankets and baby formula for families sheltering Thursday in an elementary school in Hualien, the epicentre of Taiwan's biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century.

Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton said Thursday that he would love to see Sebastian Vettel return to Formula One, describing the four-time world champion as an "amazing option" for Mercedes.

Taiwan rescuers worked Thursday to reach scores of people trapped in highway tunnels as engineers began a massive clear-up operation a day after the island's biggest earthquake in a quarter of a century.

James Cameron, the mastermind behind "The Terminator", "Aliens" and "Titanic", has an exhibition opening in Paris Thursday showcasing his lesser-known skills with pencil and paper.