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Huddled under blankets and thermal shields, dozens of elderly patients shivered on gurneys outside a hospital serving one of Hong Kong's poorest communities -- a grim tableau for the city as its health system buckles under an Omicron-fuelled coronavirus wave.

Californian-born Chinese sensation Eileen Gu topped qualification for the women's freeski halfpipe at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, as she aims for her third medal of the Games.

Matt Henry celebrated a career-best seven wicket haul as New Zealand rolled South Africa for 95 in their first innings inside two sessions on the opening day of the first Test in Christchurch on Thursday.

Asian markets mostly rose Thursday as investors assess the situation in Ukraine after the West said Russia had not started withdrawing troops from its border, while minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting eased concerns it was set to hike rates sharply.

Libyans on Thursday mark 11 years since the revolt that toppled dictator Moamer Kadhafi, but the democracy many hoped for seems as elusive as ever, and many fear a return to conflict.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says "some global fallout" would result if the West moves ahead with the punishing, coordinated sanctions threatened against Russia, should it attack Ukraine.

The United States on Wednesday dismissed reports that Russia was withdrawing troops from Ukraine's border, instead accusing Moscow of sending more soldiers as fears of an invasion grow.

In the fir forests of Mexico, one of the world's most dangerous countries for environmentalists, the legacy of butterfly defender Homero Gomez lives on two years after his suspected murder.

Members of the US PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council are considering the creation of a three-event team series for top players starting in 2023, according to multiple reports Wednesday.

Matt Henry ripped through the South Africa top order with three wickets as New Zealand cashed in on winning a valuable toss to reduce the visitors to 44 for four at lunch on day one of the first Test in Christchurch on Thursday.

Iran has just days left to accept a deal on its nuclear programme at talks in Vienna, France warned on Wednesday, while Tehran's chief negotiator promised that an agreement was closer than ever.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said China needs to do more to accelerate global efforts to provide debt relief for poor nations that ramped up borrowing during the pandemic.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says "global fallout" would be inevitable if the West moves ahead with the punishing, coordinated sanctions threatened against Russia, should it attack Ukraine.

Soaring US inflation rates are "not acceptable" but the health of the world's largest economy is fundamentally sound thanks to policies that have mitigated the impact of the pandemic, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told AFP.

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy is "sick" of talking about the proposed Saudi-backed golf Super League, and thinks the PGA Tour offers plenty of opportunity for quality golfers.

The United States and NATO joined Ukraine on Wednesday saying there was no sign of Russian troops withdrawing, after military movements in occupied Crimea fuelled reports that the crisis could be abating.

Antonio Conte on Wednesday blasted Tottenham's transfer activities in January, saying that his team has been left "weakened".

Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, wanted on drug trafficking charges in the United States, will remain in prison for at least a month as the extradition case against him proceeds, a judge in Tegucigalpa ruled Wednesday.

Rescue teams off eastern Canada ended a search Wednesday for survivors from a sunken Spanish fishing trawler with only three of the boat's 24-person crew pulled out alive.

Canadian police issued an ultimatum Wednesday to protesters who've been choking Ottawa streets for 20 days to leave the capital, as state and provincial leaders called for an end to the cross-border vaccine requirement that sparked the trucker-led movement.

US stocks ended mixed Wednesday while oil prices rallied as markets assessed skepticism over Russia's latest statements on Ukraine and Federal Reserve minutes that contained no major surprises.

French winger Kingsley Coman spared his side's blushes with a late equaliser as Bayern Munich laboured to a 1-1 draw away to Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday.

Liverpool put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win at Inter Milan which came after a hard-fought encounter at a bubbling San Siro.

Saracens' £32 million ($43 million) takeover by a consortium including World Cup-winning captain Francois Pienaar has been completed, it was announced Wednesday.

A Bulgarian nationalist MEP gave a Nazi salute in the chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, sparking outrage after he spoke during a debate on the rule of law in Poland and Hungary.

French winger Kingsley Coman spared his side's blushes with a late equaliser as Bayern Munich laboured to a 1-1 draw away to Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League last-16 first leg on Wednesday.

Liverpool put one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday with a 2-0 win at Inter Milan.

The Los Angeles Rams celebrated their Super Bowl triumph in a blizzard of blue and gold confetti on Wednesday as the team took a boozy victory parade before thousands of cheering fans.

Golf superstar Tiger Woods remains confident he'll return to top flight competition, but the timetable remains a mystery one year after a car crash left him with devastating leg injuries.

At least 78 people were killed in devastating flash floods and landslides that hit the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis, turning streets into torrential rivers and sweeping away houses, officials said Wednesday.

The US State Department said Wednesday that Russia was attempting to create a "pretext" for invading Ukraine with unsupported claims of "genocide" and mass graves in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck western Guatemala early Wednesday caused damage affecting nearly 25,000 people, and caused one person to suffer a fatal heart attack, authorities said.