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Lewis Hamilton on Thursday urged his Ferrari team to intensify their efforts for improvement as he bids to mount a title challenge at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

Scottie Scheffler made a steady start to his defence of the British Open with a two under par 68 as a bogey at the last cost Bryson DeChambeau a share of the clubhouse lead at Royal Birkdale.

Master will take on apprentice when Spain coach Luis de la Fuente lines up against his former student, Argentina's Lionel Scaloni, in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Jofra Archer led a much-improved England bowling display as India were dismissed for 233 in the second one-day international in Cardiff on Thursday.

Major stock markets mostly retreated as technology shares extended falls, while oil prices wobbled as United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes.

The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war despite a call from mediator Pakistan to resume talks.

Out-of-control wildfires were raging Thursday in the Canadian province of Ontario, prompting evacuations and sending dangerous smoke billowing into the United States where millions of people were exposed to the unhealthy air.

Belgian sprint star Tim Merlier trebled up at the Tour de France on Thursday as he won the 12th stage in a chaotic and crash-marred dash for the line.

President Donald Trump's administration finalized rules Thursday that impose stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States, the latest bid to tighten legal immigration in the country.

France and Morocco moved on Thursday to strengthen a renewed partnership that has flourished over the past two years, with French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu hailing "exceptionally positive" ties in Rabat.

Climate lawsuits seeking massive damages from fossil fuel companies increasingly hinge on the question: how reliably can scientists pin specific extreme weather to human-caused climate change?

Former Chelsea coach Liam Rosenior said Thursday he hoped his short stint in charge at Stamford Bridge would help him make a success of the "exciting project" he has undertaken at Ligue 1 club Paris FC.

In a town just outside Moscow where he runs his anti-war election campaign, Boris Nadezhdin spent the week considering what to do next as authorities ramped up pressure on him: flee Russia, or risk going to prison.

Ukraine's ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov was just six months in the role before his ambitious drive to reform the military led to unreconciliable clashes with the country's top brass.

US consumers slowed their spending in June while energy costs fell, government data showed Thursday, cooling retail sales as further uncertainty looms from the Middle East war.

Ukraine's ousted defence minister issued stunning public criticism of the army's top commander on Thursday, forcing President Volodymyr Zelensky to call for unity to halt signs of an emerging split in the military top ranks.

Major stock markets mostly retreated as technology shares extended falls, while oil prices climbed after the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes.

An Italian court sentenced 32 defendants on Thursday, including the former head of motorway operator Autostrade, for their role in a deadly bridge disaster eight years ago that killed 43 people.

France and Germany will seek to move on from the failure of a tortured fighter jet project and bolster other joint defence plans -- including nuclear deterrence -- at a joint government meeting on Friday.

Spain's nuclear safety regulator on Thursday backed extending the operating life of the country's largest atomic power plant to 2030, beyond the government's planned 2028 shutdown.

An Italian court on Thursday sentenced the former head of motorway operator Autostrade per l'Italia to 12 years for his role in a deadly bridge disaster eight years ago.

A Spanish court on Thursday said Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife Begona Gomez would face trial for alleged influence peddling and embezzlement, dashing her final hope of avoiding the dock.

Scottie Scheffler made a strong start to his defence of the British Open to sit just one off the clubhouse lead of four under par lead after his opening front nine at Royal Birkdale.

A British minister Thursday called for FIFA to investigate after Argentina's players held up a banner reading "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" (The Falklands are Argentine) after their 2-1 victory over England.

Henry Pollock was once more left among the replacements as England coach Steve Borthwick named an unchanged starting team for Saturday's Nations Championship clash against Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

Fresh off last week's launch of new production capacity in Washington state, Boeing plans a splashy display of new commercial and defense offerings at next week's Farnborough International Airshow.

A UK court on Thursday jailed two young men for a 2024 cyberattack on London's public transport operator that exposed the details of millions of customers, in one of Britain's biggest data breaches.

The European Union demanded Thursday that Google share data with other search engines and open up its Android system to rival AI services, but the US giant said the measures would put privacy at risk.

Large protests erupted in several Ukrainian cities on Thursday against the removal of popular defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who hit out at the country's military chiefs after being ousted in a sweeping reshuffle by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

US ride-hailing giant Uber has struck a 12.7-billion-euro ($14.6-billion) deal to take over German food delivery behemoth Delivery Hero, the latest consolidation in the industry, the companies said Thursday.

The United States remained the world's largest air passenger market in 2025, but it recorded the slowest growth among the world's top 10 markets, new industry data showed on Thursday.

Seeds from South Africa's world-famous rooibos tea are headed to the International Space Station to see how they respond to space conditions, in the first such experiment for Africa, organisers announced Thursday.

Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon announced his retirement at the age of 43 on Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel may have criticised his England stars for being too "passive" in their World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina, but it is the beleaguered German who has come under fire from the British media for his defensive tactics.

Major stock markets mostly retreated and oil prices steadied Thursday as technology shares extended falls and the United States and Iran exchanged fresh strikes.

After hours of overnight torrential rain lashed Lagos recently, church pastor Samuel Akpan spent most of next day bailing water from his flooded parsonage in an upscale district of Nigeria's commercial capital.

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday approved the appointment of Naftogaz state energy boss Sergiy Koretsky as the new prime minister, part of a disputed government reshuffle ordered by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Italy made nine changes Thursday to its starting XV for their Nations Championship clash with Australia in Perth at the weekend, where head coach Gonzalo Quesada will be absent after copping a two-Test ban.

Rowers on the River Po in Turin are battling vast blooms of algae, as high temperatures in northwest Italy and runoff from farms create ideal conditions for rampant plant growth.