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Russia's military strike against its neighbour Ukraine is designed to claim air superiority before ground troops that have massed on the country's borders encircle Ukrainian forces from the north and south, experts told AFP.

Opener Ishan Kishan hit an explosive 89 to set up a thumping 62-run victory for India in the first Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Protesters turned out in cities around the world on Thursday to show solidarity with Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin's "surreal war" on the former Soviet country.

Russian and Ukrainian forces were on Thursday battling for an airbase on the northern outskirts of Kyiv after dozens of attack helicopters swooped south from Belarus towards the capital.

Russia has been branded a pariah for invading Ukraine, but in the remote Central African Republic, the country has fans -- supporters who say its paramilitaries "saved" their war-torn country.

Va'aiga Tuigamala, affectionately known as 'Inga the winger' to fans of both rugby union and rugby league, has died at the age of 52, his former club Wigan announced Thursday.

UEFA will hold an emergency meeting on Friday with this season's Champions League final in Saint Petersburg set to be at the top of the agenda as European football's governing body said it "strongly condemns" Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday became the world's leading run-scorer in Twenty20 internationals, during his 44-run knock against Sri Lanka.

Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer smashed half-centuries to guide India to a challenging 199 for two against Sri Lanka in the opening Twenty20 international on Thursday.

Oil surged past $105 per barrel and equities tumbled Thursday after key crude producer Russia sent forces into Ukraine, accelerating fears of a major war in eastern Europe.

An elderly woman keeping night watch at a hotel in the city of Taganrog sounds incredulous as guests trickling down to the lobby at dawn tell her Russia had invaded Ukraine.

Reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen and former champion Sebastian Vettel said on Thursday it would be wrong for the Russian Grand Prix to go ahead in September, after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Queen Elizabeth II cancelled two engagements on Thursday after she tested positive for coronavirus at the weekend, Buckingham Palace said.

President Joe Biden has told Americans to prepare for the "costs" of Washington's pushback against Russian aggression in Ukraine, but truck driver Jeremy Rakestraw wonders if he hasn't paid enough already.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has said Saturday's Six Nations Championship match against Grand Slam-chasing France at Murrayfield on Saturday represents a "last opportunity" for his side's title ambitions.

A Pakistan court sentenced the scion of a wealthy industrialist family to death Thursday, for raping and beheading his girlfriend in a murder that sparked an outcry over the brutalising of women in the deeply patriarchal nation.

German football club Schalke 04 said Thursday it would remove Russian gas company Gazprom from its shirts, following the invasion of Ukraine.

A son wept over the body of his father among the wreckage of a missile strike in a residential district in the eastern Ukrainian town of Chuguiv as the country reeled Thursday from Russia's invasion.

Lebanon's transport minister has said that Spain will finance a plan to revive the railway network that has been out of service since the start of the 1975-1990 civil war.

Russian world No.7 Andrey Rublev sent out a message for peace and unity after he advanced to his third semi-final in as many weeks with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory over American Mackenzie McDonald in Dubai on Thursday.

World oil prices on Thursday breached $100 for the first time in more than seven years, this time on supply fears after major producer Russia attacked Ukraine.

A Thai court on Thursday freed a prominent pro-democracy protest leader on bail after almost 200 days in detention.

Jasper Philipsen recorded his second victory in this year's UAE Tour in a sprint on Thursday, leaving the leader's jersey on the shoulders of Tadej Pogacar.

A UN expert on Thursday urged Sudanese forces to stop firing live ammunition and tear gas at anti-coup protesters in a crackdown that has killed more than 80 people.

The International Olympic Committee harshly criticised Russia Thursday for violating an "Olympic Truce" with its attack on Ukraine, and said it was coordinating humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian athletes where possible.

US President Joe Biden was meeting with G7 allies Thursday to hammer out a raft of new sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, and will later speak to the American people on a crisis that he warns will cause "catastrophic loss of life."

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba on Thursday said profit in the October-December period fell 74 percent, the company's third straight quarterly drop as it faces myriad challenges including a government crackdown, slowing sales growth and intensifying domestic competition.

Eight members of polio vaccination teams working to eradicate the crippling virus in Afghanistan were killed on Thursday in four separate attacks, the United Nations said.

England coach Eddie Jones said he planned for Manu Tuilagi to be at "full tilt" after recalling the powerhouse centre for Saturday's pivotal Six Nations Championship clash against Wales at Twickenham.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog was in Greece Thursday for a trip aimed in part at reassuring an ally as Israel makes an outreach to Turkey, with tensions fraught between Athens and Ankara.

The world's largest brewer AB InBev said Thursday that its profits rose 50 percent last year, nearing its level before the Covid-19 pandemic forced shut pubs and bars worldwide.

France coach Fabien Galthie kept changes to a minimum to his starting XV for Saturday's Six Nations clash with Scotland as the French bid to keep their hopes of a first title and Grand Slam since 2010 alive.