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Israel vowed more strikes against Hezbollah on Thursday, dismissing mounting international demands that the fragile truce between the United States and Iran in the Gulf be expanded to cover the war in Lebanon.

Russia's Supreme Court labelled the Nobel Prize-winning human rights group Memorial "extremist" on Thursday, making it easier to prosecute supporters and those who work with it.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy was set for an early start on Thursday as golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson made ceremonial tee shots to begin the 90th Masters.

Nineteen-year-old Joao Fonseca reached the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time when he strode to a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Matteo Berrettini in Monte Carlo on Thursday.

Oil prices jumped and most stock markets fell Thursday on investor concerns over the Middle East ceasefire holding and as the key Strait of Hormuz remained largely blocked to traffic.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen's future in Formula One was again cast in doubt on Thursday after reports emerged that his long-time race engineer is set to leave Red Bull.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, Spain's Pedro Almodovar and Russia's Andrey Zvyagintsev will be among 21 directors vying for the coveted Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival next month, organisers said on Thursday.

South Korean K-pop megastars BTS kicked off their world tour on Thursday, riding the momentum of a chart-topping comeback album and a landmark performance in the heart of Seoul.

Como's bid to reach the Champions League faces a key test on Sunday when Serie A leaders Inter Milan arrive lakeside trying to take another step towards a 21st league title.

The emperor penguin has been declared an endangered species as climate change pushes the icon of Antarctica a step closer to extinction, the global authority on threatened wildlife announced on Thursday.

France will begin their women's Six Nations campaign against Italy with six new caps in their matchday 23 after new coach Francois Ratier announced wholesale changes to the squad on Thursday.

Calls were mounting on Thursday for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah, after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people.

Nepal's ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli offered a defiant message on Thursday after he was released from custody following questioning over his alleged role in a deadly 2025 crackdown on protesters.

Buffeted by six weeks of war in the Middle East, airlines have scrambled to trim routes and costs as fuel bills explode and wary clients think twice about their travel plans, a situation that could persist even if a fragile truce holds.

Russia is expected to label the Nobel Prize-winning human rights group Memorial "extremist" on Thursday, a designation that will make it easier to prosecute the group's supporters and those who work with it.

Lebanon declared a national day of mourning on Thursday after Israeli strikes pummelled the country, killing nearly 200 people and calling into question the ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

A week after astronaut Jeremy Hansen blasted off on the historic Artemis II mission to the Moon, his wife Catherine recalled the anxiety and thrill of witnessing the journey from afar.

Toulouse hooker Peato Mauvaka is eyeing revenge on Sunday as the six-time Champions Cup winners head to Bordeaux-Begles in the quarter-finals after last season's "heartbreaking" loss to their French rivals in the last four.

A shallow 4.9-magitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia overnight, damaging dozens of homes and injuring multiple people, an official said Thursday.

Argentine MPs approved a bill early Thursday promoted by President Javier Milei that authorizes mining in ecologically sensitive areas of glaciers and permafrost, and has outraged environmentalists.

Nepal's ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former interior minister Ramesh Lekhak have been released from custody after questioning for their alleged role in a deadly 2025 crackdown on protesters, police said Thursday.

They took thousands of photographs and documented copious observations on their voyage around the Moon, but as they sped closer to home the Artemis astronauts said Wednesday they have barely started processing the extraordinary experience they shared.

Facing daily barrages of Russian drones and missiles, Ukraine has invited private companies to get their own air-defence systems in a bid to ease the burden on its military.

At a remote monastery in North Macedonia's rugged west, Father Porfirij starts his day by feeding his large black Karaman sheepdogs, a breed that has guarded highland flocks for centuries.

A wolf that escaped from a zoo in South Korea remained at large Thursday, authorities said, prompting a local school to close over safety concerns as the search continued.

Observers and NGOs have raised concerns about Sunday's Hungarian presidential election taking place on an "uneven playing field" as nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban faces popular challenger Peter Magyar.

US President Donald Trump said late Wednesday that US forces deployed near Iran would remain stationed in the area until a "real agreement" is reached, as Washington enters a fragile two-week ceasefire with Tehran.

Gender-row boxer Lin Yu-ting's coach said the Taiwanese Olympic champion would target Asian Games gold after stepping up in weight and winning bronze in her first event since the Paris Olympics.

The fragile truce between Iran and the United States showed signs of unravelling on Thursday, with Tehran threatening to resume hostilities as Israel pummelled Lebanon.

In the Romanian town of Odorheiu Secuiesc, where most of the population are ethnic Hungarians, Teresia Hadhazi wants her vote to help nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban win again in Sunday's parliamentary election across the border.

With its grey front door and battered picket fence, No. 4 Plaistow Grove in the anonymous London suburb of Bromley is unremarkable in every way except for one.

Oil prices climbed and stocks fell Thursday on fears over the nascent US-Iran ceasefire after Tehran threatened to resume hostilities after Israel launched a major bombardment of Lebanon.

For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence launch from DeepSeek, seen as a benchmark for China's progress in the fast-moving field.

Japan is fighting back against online abuse of athletes and sports authorities have a warning for trolls planning to target competitors at this year's Asian Games: You are being watched.

A US appeals court on Wednesday denied Anthropic's request to put on hold a move by the Pentagon to label it a supply chain risk, but ordered the AI startup's legal battle with the Department of War to be put on a fast track.

Badminton will trial synthetic shuttlecocks at lower-grade tournaments with a view to potentially using them at elite level, the sport's governing body said, because of a shortage of duck and goose feathers.

The world's top golfers are gearing up for a demanding test at Augusta National, where firm, fast conditions await in Thursday's opening round of the 90th Masters.

South Korean K-pop megastars BTS will kick off their world tour on Thursday, riding the momentum of a chart-topping comeback album and a landmark performance in the heart of Seoul.

The Grand National is a radically different challenge than it was when Mick Fitzgerald rode Rough Quest to victory in 1996, but he told AFP you have "to evolve or you die".