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Barcelona were dealt a blow on Thursday when the Spanish champions' spending limit for the season was cut to 270 million euros ($290 million) by La Liga.

The tiny Italian island of Lampedusa struggled Thursday to cope with a surge in migrant boats from North Africa after numbers peaked at 7,000 people -- equivalent to the entire local population.

French police were on Thursday probing theft accusations linked to the sale of valuable stained glass that once adorned Notre-Dame, with auction house Sotheby's insisting it had done everything by the book.

Zhou Guanyu, China's only Formula One driver, said Thursday that he has extended his contract with Alfa Romeo to the end of the 2024 season.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday christened the world's first bio-methanol container ship, Laura, which joined the fleet of Danish shipping giant Maersk.

Eurozone stock markets steadied Thursday with all eyes on whether the European Central Bank will announce a further hike to eurozone interest rates.

Manchester United announced the signing of Spanish World Cup winner Irene Guerrero from Atletico Madrid on Thursday as the Red Devils target a first-ever Women's Super League title.

Scotland hooker David Cherry has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after suffering a head injury when he slipped on stairs at the team hotel, the Scottish rugby federation announced Thursday.

Warren Gatland transformed Wales into an ultra-competitive team when he took over as coach and the Kiwi is again relying on turning the Welsh side into one that is "bloody hard" to beat.

Just months before the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, Julio Pacheco Yepes says he was arrested and tortured by police for belonging to a left-wing underground movement that opposed the regime.

The brand of bankrupt British household goods company Wilko, whose recent collapse sparked the loss of about 12,500 jobs, has been sold to a competitor, administrators said Thursday.

Harry Maguire said he can cope with the pressure of being in the spotlight for club and country after England manager Gareth Southgate condemned the "ridiculous treatment" meted out to the defender.

She has not seen her children for eight years, has spent most of her recent life in prison and acknowledges there is no immediate prospect of release.

Footballers from Spain's women's top flight, Liga F, have called off a strike which postponed the first week of fixtures after an agreement over wages was reached, unions and the league said Thursday.

Residents and green NGOs have accused the World Bank of indirectly financing two new coal-fired power plants on Indonesia's most populous island despite promises to shift to low-carbon funding, according to a complaint filed Thursday.

The Maldives stands at a geopolitical crossroads ahead of its presidential runoff vote with the frontrunner, a former construction minister, set on demolishing India's influence and building stronger ties with China.

Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with a knee injury, the South African rugby federation announced Thursday.

China warned on Thursday a probe by the European Union into Beijing's subsidies for electric cars would have a negative impact on its trade relations with the bloc, which it accused of "naked protectionism".

To enter Russia from occupied Ukraine, all Tatiana has to do is arrive at the edge of the war-battered Donetsk region, show guards her Russian passport, say "thank you" and cross.

A mixed US inflation report boosted equity markets Thursday as it soothed fears of a possible Federal Reserve interest rate hike next week, though the still hot reading left open the possibility of one more before year's end.

Myanmar's junta is endangering the life of jailed democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, her political party said on Thursday, accusing the military of depriving her of medical care and food.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said his country could soon send its first astronauts to the Moon in a Chinese spacecraft following a scientific cooperation agreement reached with President Xi Jinping.

Vietnam on Thursday ordered nationwide checks on small apartment buildings after a fire tore through a block in Hanoi, killing 56 people in the country's deadliest blaze in two decades.

There is a long history of labor strikes at US car plants, but an emboldened auto workers union is poised to announce Thursday the first simultaneous strike of Detroit's "Big Three."

NASA is set to release on Thursday the findings of a long-awaited study on unexplained flying objects in Earth's skies.

Women including Japanese trailblazer Yoshimi Yamashita will referee at the men's Asian Cup for the first time next year in Qatar, officials said Thursday.

Eurozone interest rate setters face the toughest call of their long battle against red-hot inflation Thursday, when they decide whether to raise borrowing costs again or finally pause the unprecedented hiking campaign.

A global effort to assist stricken Libya gathered pace Thursday after a tsunami-like flood killed nearly 4,000 people and left thousands missing.

Felicity Hayward will not miss a single show at London Fashion Week, which starts on Friday, watching each model and counting the number of plus-size women on the catwalks.

North Korea has 191 athletes signed up for the Asian Games starting next week, according to organisers, suggesting the country is poised to end its more than three-year isolation from the global sporting arena.

Anastasia Potapova surprised top-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA San Diego Open on Wednesday as second-seeded Caroline Garcia made it safely through.

It's been a bumper harvest so far in the sun-drenched Burgundy vineyards of eastern France, where some of the world's most sought-after wines are produced.