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Japan's Asian Cup risks being fatally undermined by coach Hajime Moriyasu's reliance on an error-prone rookie goalkeeper and he has left himself with no convincing alternatives.

Newly-installed Ireland skipper Peter O'Mahony says performance will be "paramount" when his team takes on France in the "colossal" opening Test of the 2024 Six Nations in Marseille on Friday.

UK police were on Thursday hunting a suspect who attacked a woman and her two young daughters with a corrosive substance on a busy south London street.

Most Asian and European stock markets fell Thursday following a Wall Street selloff, after the US Federal Reserve poured cold water on hopes for a March interest-rate cut.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton could make a surprise switch to Ferrari for the 2025 Formula One season, according to several reports on Thursday.

The holding in detention by Thai authorities of an anti-war Russian rock band has exposed how criticising President Vladimir Putin can be fraught with danger even outside the country.

EU leaders on Thursday struck a deal with Viktor Orban to get 50 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine, overcoming the Hungarian leader's veto with surprising speed at a crunch summit in Brussels.

Eurozone inflation fell in January due to a slowdown in food price increases, official data showed Thursday, but the drop was more modest than expected by analysts.

Environmental activist Greta Thunberg arrived at a London court on Thursday, where she faces public order charges linked to a demonstration against the energy industry.

France's farmers showed little sign on Thursday of abandoning their protest despite government concessions in response to a movement that has spread nationwide and elsewhere in Europe.

The US and Japanese navies held joint exercises in the Philippine Sea this week, in a show of force as tensions with China and North Korea rise.

Jurgen Klinsmann said South Korea "have to be ready to suffer" when they face Australia in the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Friday, 72 hours after beating Saudi Arabia on penalties.

Mediators pushed on with efforts for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire as fighting raged on in the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday, deepening a dire humanitarian crisis.

EU leaders on Thursday piled pressure on Viktor Orban to drop his veto on 50 billion euros in aid for Ukraine, as the unpredictable Hungarian leader once more took centre stage at a crunch summit in Brussels.

Teachers were striking across France on Thursday for better pay and conditions, increasing pressure on the embattled education minister who has been embroiled in a series of controversies.

Shell said Thursday that its net profit more than halved to $19.4 billion in 2023 on lower energy prices, after rocketing to a record peak the previous year following the Ukraine conflict.

Brandishing an oversized arrow and rallying support in Pakistan's northern tribal region, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claims he is the only candidate pointing a way out of polarised politics ahead of next Thursday's election.

After a brief awakening, Japan's Moon lander is out of action again but will resume its mission if it survives the two-week lunar night, the space agency said Thursday.

Tajikistan's coach Petar Segrt says his "dark horses are still running" and do not want to stop at the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Friday against Jordan.

Germany's biggest lender Deutsche Bank on Thursday announced plans to slash 3,500 jobs as part of a major cost-cutting drive after its net profit fell in 2023.

Damian Lillard's emotional return to Portland opened with an ovation and ended in defeat as the Trail Blazers held off the Milwaukee Bucks 119-116 on Wednesday.

A group of New Zealand strippers took their fight for better employment rights to parliament on Thursday, demanding widespread reforms to the adult entertainment industry.

The leader of Hamas was expected in Cairo on Thursday for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza, as Israel kept up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Kevin Durant scored 33 points to lead Phoenix to a 136-120 victory in Brooklyn Wednesday, his first game there since the blockbuster trade that sent him from the Nets to the Suns last season.

The leader of Hamas was expected in Cairo on Thursday for talks on a proposed truce in Gaza, as Israel kept up its offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Hidden camera footage apparently showing South Korea's first lady accepting a luxury designer handbag has engulfed President Yoon Suk Yeol in controversy, threatening his party's April election prospects.

A dissident Russian-Belarusian rock band held in Thailand on immigration charges have left the kingdom to fly to Israel, according to a post Thursday on the group's official Facebook page.

Four Hong Kong men were convicted of rioting Thursday over the storming and ransacking of the city's legislature in 2019, part of a pro-democracy movement that posed an unprecedented challenge to the Beijing-backed government.

Most Asian equities fell Thursday, tracking a sell-off on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve poured cold water on hopes for a March interest rate cut.

This Africa Cup of Nations is far from over but it has already been a historic tournament for Guinea after they won a knockout tie for the first time, an achievement which left their coach Kaba Diawara in tears.

Sudan's nine-month-old war has so far largely spared the country's east. But with the frontline inching ever closer, and reports of military training camps across the border in Eritrea, the fragile peace there is in jeopardy.

From endless shock results to a goal glut and vibrant crowds, it has been a action-packed Africa Cup of Nations, and there are still eight matches to go in the Ivory Coast.