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French sprinter Arnaud Demare announced on Thursday that he would retire from professional cycling after Sunday's Paris-Tours one-day classic.

Thousands of jubilant Israelis gathered in a Tel Aviv square Thursday, hopeful for the return of hostages held in Gaza, after two years of fear and worry.

Qualifier Valentin Vacherot battled back to stun world number 11 Holger Rune and reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals on Thursday, winning 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Shubman Gill said Thursday that his biggest opponent could be "mental fatigue" after the India Test captain recently took over charge of the 50-over side.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told AFP on Thursday that there was "tremendous interest" as the league returns to China six years after being frozen out of the country.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen pitched the bloc as a dependable partner in a transactional world Thursday as she hosted about a dozen Global South leaders at an investment conference in Brussels.

Two-time title-holder Kalle Rovanpera announced his retirement from the world rally championship on Thursday aged just 25 "to pursue my next dreams".

Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal to free the remaining living hostages, in a major step towards ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe.

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi made a personal appeal to Rwanda's Paul Kagame to stop supporting insurgents in DRC and work together for "peace", at a Brussels event attended by both leaders Thursday.

Ferrari's first electric sports car, to be released next year, will be a four-seat coupe with over 1,000 horsepower and a range of 530 kilometres (329 miles), the company announced Thursday.

France coach Didier Deschamps admitted to AFP in an interview that he has had to learn to adapt to the younger generation of players rather than impose his ideas on them, to avoid becoming an "old fool".

Seated in the White House State Dining Room, US President Donald Trump called on far-right content creators to name and shame backers of Antifa, leading a roundtable discussion that quickly devolved into media bashing.

Atxu Marima survived the flu that killed his family after a jaguar attack drove them from their Indigenous group in the Amazon -- but he cannot return for fear of endangering his people.

France on Thursday hosts foreign ministers from Arab and European countries for talks on helping the Palestinians once the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas ends, a meeting that comes hours after the two sides agreed a ceasefire deal.

French prosecutors on Thursday sought a 12-year jail term for the only man among 50 who claims he is innocent after being convicted of sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot.

US sanctions on Serbia's majority-Russian-owned NIS oil company, which operates the country's sole refinery, took effect on Thursday after months of delay.

Ryder Cup teammates Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa were both four shots off the lead after Thursday's opening round of the US PGA Tour's Baycurrent Classic, as they struggled to cope with windy conditions in Japan.

The Nobel literature prize could go to a Western author this Thursday, experts predict, though bookies have several authors from Asia as top picks even after South Korea's Han Kang last year became the first Asian woman to win.

Markets were mixed on Thursday as investors tried to assess the outlook for the global AI-fuelled rally, Federal Reserve interest rates and the US government shutdown.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka raced into a fourth consecutive Wuhan Open quarter-final Thursday, having revealed she spent time on holiday last month practising with Novak Djokovic.

Palestinians in southern Gaza clapped, cheered and danced in the pre-dawn darkness on Thursday, after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire deal to end the devastating two-year war in the territory.

Danilo Yavhushyshyn fled the war in his native Ukraine to follow his dream of becoming a professional sumo wrestler in Japan and has taken the ancient sport by storm.

On a cold autumn evening in Moscow, Alexandra was headed to a cinema, hoping to escape reality for a few hours by taking in a new French comedy.

The Nobel literature prize to be announced on Thursday is likely to go to a Western male author this year, experts predict after South Korea's Han Kang last year became the first Asian woman to win.

They could soon be unboxing fines rather than freebies -- Germany's online influencers are facing a tax evasion crackdown that has left them screaming OMG!

Chancellor Friedrich Merz will Thursday host crisis talks with German auto industry leaders in a bid to navigate myriad challenges, from a looming EU combustion-engine ban to growing Chinese competition.

Afghanistan's UN-sanctioned foreign minister arrived in India on Thursday, the first visit by a top Taliban leader since they returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces.

A French appeal court is to rule on Thursday in the case of the only man among 50 who claims he is innocent after being convicted of sexually abusing Gisele Pelicot.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday said he hopes the outrage over his late-night show's suspension following pressure from the Trump administration had drawn a "bold red line" for free speech.

The Toronto Blue Jays knocked the New York Yankees out of the Major League Baseball playoffs on Wednesday as the Phillies fended off elimination against the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

The world's top conservation body is holding its world congress starting Thursday in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and will unveil its updated "red list" of threatened species.

Since losing his only daughter in a fall from their high-rise flat in Singapore, Delfard Tay has turned grief into purpose, sounding the alarm on drug-laced vapes that put teenagers' lives at risk.

Las Vegas star A'ja Wilson drained a turnaround jump shot with .3 seconds left as the Aces held off Phoenix 90-88 on Wednesday to move within one win of lifting the WNBA title.

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire in Gaza, after days of indirect talks in Egypt.

South Korea captain Son Heung-min is set to break his country's record for most appearances for the men's national team when they host Brazil on Friday.

Asian markets were mixed Thursday as investors tried to assess the outlook for the global AI-fuelled rally, Federal Reserve interest rates and the ongoing US government shutdown.

The Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 5-2 on Wednesday to send the Yankees packing in the Major League Baseball playoffs as the Cubs and Tigers stayed alive.

Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed a Gaza ceasefire deal that could free the remaining living hostages within days, in a major step toward ending a war that has killed tens of thousands and unleashed a humanitarian crisis.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen faces two confidence votes Thursday in the European Parliament -- challenges that pose no serious threat to her leadership but underscore the tensions roiling the assembly.