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In front of a barricade mounted outside Odessa's magnificent opera house, a soldier shares a long, emotional hug with his wife and daughter.

A Russian court on Thursday extended the arrest on drug charges of US basketball star Brittney Griner, Russian state media reported.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the winner as Barcelona fought back from a goal down to beat Galatasaray 2-1 on Thursday to book their spot in the Europa League quarter-finals.

Instagram said Thursday it had blocked rapper Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, from using his account for 24 hours for violating the social network's harassment policy amid his acrimonious divorce from reality star Kim Kardashian.

World number six Maria Sakkari powered into the semi-finals of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters on Thursday with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina.

The risk of an imminent Russian debt default appeared to diminish Thursday following statements from Moscow and news of a payment to JPMorgan Chase.

Ben Stokes completed an 11th Test century as England's batters turned the screws on tiring West Indies bowlers in reaching 482 for six in their first innings at tea on the second day of the second Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.

Bayern Munich centre-back Niklas Suele is a doubt for their Champions League quarter-final next month after suffering a muscle tear in training, the Bundesliga leaders announced Thursday.

One man's loss may, at times, be another's unfortunate gain, and the Ukraine conflict is proving a boon to some energy producing nations as oil prices soar.

The Belarusian people oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine, being facilitated by the Minsk regime, and see their country's fate tied to the outcome of the war, Belarus's exiled opposition leader said Thursday.

England coach Eddie Jones has urged his reshaped side to "have our own party" against a "massively aroused" France when they try to deny Les Bleus a coveted Grand Slam in the final match of the 2022 Six Nations in Paris on Saturday.

P&O Ferries, which sails daily between Britain and France, on Thursday axed 800 UK crew with immediate effect and suspended services in a bid to stay afloat, sparking protests from angry staff and trade union fury.

Stephen Curry suffered a sprained ligament in his left foot and will be out indefinitely, but there is optimism he will return by the start of the NBA playoffs, according to media reports Thursday.

Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala died in a plane crash having inhaled toxic levels of carbon monoxide from the aircraft's faulty exhaust system during an unlicensed 2019 flight, an inquest jury ruled Thursday.

The French judiciary on Thursday suspended the prison sentence of a Corsican nationalist jailed for the assassination of a top official, as the government seeks to ease tensions and end violent clashes on the Mediterranean island.

Irish jockey Paul Townend will not forget St Patrick's Day for a long time to come after experiencing a whole range of emotions within the space of 90 minutes at the Cheltenham Festival on Thursday.

Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was the fastest qualifier for Thursday's 500-yard freestyle final at the US collegiate women's swimming and diving championships in Atlanta.

A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars has been suspended due to the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency announced Thursday, as Moscow said it regretted the "bitter" decision.

French President Emmanuel Macron pledged further tax cuts, reforms to the welfare system and major public investments on Thursday as he unveiled his manifesto less than a month from elections.

The deal to release British-Iranian detainees was given vital impetus by nuclear talks in Vienna and the West's evolving energy needs in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, analysts said on Thursday.

NASA's massive new rocket is poised to make its first journey to a launchpad on Thursday ahead of a battery of tests that will clear it to blast off to the Moon this summer.

Amazon has closed its $8.45 billion deal to buy the storied MGM studios, the online giant said Thursday, boosting its streaming ambitions with a catalog including the James Bond and Rocky film franchises.

Ben Stokes belted 89 off 92 balls to lead the charge as England sped to 369 for three at lunch on the second day of the second Test against the West Indies at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday.

A Russian editor who protested Moscow's military action in Ukraine during a state TV news broadcast said Thursday she is quitting her job but not accepting France's asylum offer, calling herself "a patriot".

England coach Eddie Jones sprang a surprise by naming George Furbank at full-back and Freddie Steward on the wing for his side's bid to deny France a Grand Slam in their Six Nations finale in Paris on Saturday.

President Joe Biden and Ireland's prime minister Micheal Martin canceled plans to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day together in the White House on Thursday and switched to a virtual meeting after Martin tested positive for Covid-19, although the US president was said to be in no danger.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Thursday to secure a formal presence in Afghanistan, whose Taliban government remains unrecognized by the international community.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called on Germany to help destroy a new "Wall" Russia was erecting in Europe, as he appealed directly to Chancellor Olaf Scholz to bolster his tentative response to the invasion.

"Terminator" star Arnold Schwarzenegger appealed to Vladimir Putin on Thursday to end the "senseless" war in Ukraine and praised Russians protesting the conflict as his "new heroes."

Fleeing Ukrainian families describe the "hell" they left behind in the besieged city of Mariupol, of seeing corpses in the streets and of sleeping in sub-zero temperatures, hiding in cellars.

Ukraine's leader on Thursdaycharged Moscow with building a new Cold War wall across Europe "between freedom and bondage", as his government said Russian shelling had killed 21 civilians near one city.

Pakistan named two surprise inclusions to their limited-overs squads on Thursday for the one-day international and T20 matches against Australia later this month.